General Information
What is Swivl?
Swivl is a tool that can be used by faculty to create visual teaching portfolios by recording their in-class lectures. It can also be used to record and disseminate student presentations or discussions. The Swivl kit includes a small robot and a tablet that can be mounted on the robot. The kit also comes with a wireless microphone that can be hung around a speaker’s neck. The microphone can also be placed in a location where it can capture sound from multiple speakers.
Swivl Robot, tablet, and Wireless Microphone
Unlike regular recording devices where you would need to move the camera in the direction of the action, the Swivl robot, which is sensitive to sound, swivels to the direction of the sound and records the speaker. The tool is very helpful to record lectures where you might be moving around the classroom and to record student discussions during class time. The recording will capture classroom interactions as well as the lecture without the need for someone to hold or control a recording device.
Rationale
Why might you record your classes?
Some instructors who experimented with Swivl used it to capture in-class debates, student oral presentations, or just general discussion. In some cases, faculty have begun with a question (“I try to center student voices in the classroom, but how much of each class am I really the dominant voice?”) and then used Swivl video individually to help answer their question(s) and refine their teaching. In theory, Swivl can be used to record part or all of a number of different classes, and then faculty can edit the video and easily create a video teaching portfolio that actually shows student interactions in the classroom.
Why should you use Swivl (vs. your phone, an EdTech camera, or Zoom)?
Swivl can capture a wider range of video and audio from around the classroom–if you are only interested in having the camera on you, at the front of the room, Zoom might be adequate, but Swivl can just do much more. The Writing Program has a few Swivl set-ups available to instructors without the need to contact EdTech.
What resources are available to help?
No technology is without its hiccups, but the Writing Program Swivl Working Group (2021-2022) has some help resources available for new instructors interested in experimenting with Swivl.
If you are interested in borrowing a Swivl robot, tablet, and tripod package to record one or more classroom sessions, please email cmichaud@bu.edu to discuss your project.