It wasn’t long ago when, to make a phone call, you had to stand or sit in a specific place, hold a receiver in your hand that attached to a cord that was tethered to a phone that was, in turn, plugged into the wall. While that may seem like ancient history to many, the fact is that many teachers experience similar limitations when it comes from where they must stand to use certain technology when teaching in their classrooms, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
To address this very issue, Monroe County School District, which serves about 1,800 students in rural Kentucky, turned to Vivi. According to Katelin King, a Digital Learning Coach at Monroe County Schools, teachers were tired of being stuck in the front of the classroom. She explained, “We wanted our teachers to be mobile, be where the students were. We came across Vivi and we fell in love. It gave us everything we needed [for] that teacher flexibility. It was exactly what we were looking for.”
King worked with her district to put Vivi into every classroom and then designed what essential became a “desk on wheels” to help teachers go fully free range. “Before Vivi, we had the standard teacher setup…a board on the wall with a desktop computer and a document camera connected to it,” says King. Now, teachers have a mobile cart with a spot for their device, an iPad they can use as a document camera, and an assortment of desk essentials (pens, highlighters, etc.). They can move around, rolling up to a student’s desk for an impromptu 1-on-1 or joining a small group to provide input in the moment, while having the ability to share instruction or student work from anywhere to their board at the front of the classroom.
The biggest impact has been how Vivi enabled teachers to really engage with their students by removing the need to stay at the front of the classroom. Another benefit from giving teachers the ability to move around the classroom is more effective classroom management. They can teach next to a student who may be distracted, effectively quelling the behavior just through closer proximity and keeping a small challenge from becoming a larger classroom disruption.
The mobility that comes from having a Vivi-enabled classroom doesn’t just empower teachers, however, it also can facilitate more interaction and engagement from students. Having a teacher roll his cart up to a student desk, rather than vice versa, can help reduce any anxiety a the student might feel from being the center of attention on the walk to the front of the classroom. Additionally, having the ability to share their screen from the comfort of their desks, can help otherwise hesitant students feel more confident in presenting their work and actively participating in class without feeling like they are on display. (View the Teacher Tip: Share from Anywhere)
Flexible, mobile teacher from anywhere in the classroom plus higher rates of student participation and engagement? Who wouldn’t want that. Take it from King, “Vivi devices and technology are used in our classrooms every single day. Teachers still have desktop computers in their rooms and the option to use them, but they choose to use the mobile station and Vivi instead. That’s what makes us proud.”
To learn more about how Vivi can untether your teachers, join request a personalized demo for your team.
