Creating Better Outcomes with Classroom Audio
Typically, sound is the last thing that comes to mind when designing a classroom. Maximizing space for activities, storage, and students can take priority over the acoustics of a classroom. Although this doesn't present any problems on the surface, poor audio can have negative effects that may not be instantly recognizable.
According to the CDC, an estimated 12.5% of children aged 6-19 have some form of hearing damage. This, combined with larger class sizes, can make teaching more difficult. Students seated further away have more difficulties hearing their instructor clearly. Luckily, there are several solutions aimed at improving audio in the classroom.
Promoting Sound Equity in the Classroom
Sound Equity involves using technology to provide an equal level of sound to all students in the classroom. Using wireless pendant microphones and speaker systems, the instructor's voice can be heard at an equal volume throughout the classroom.
Products like the FrontRow Juno use a wireless transmission with a microphone that attaches like a necklace. This allows instructors to move freely around the room, promoting proper sound dispersion without disrupting the regular flow of a lesson.
The Benefits of Enhanced Classroom Audio
Using a classroom audio system is one of the best ways to improve student outcomes, especially among diverse groups of students. Among students with attention deficits, enhanced classroom audio has multiple improvements. A study of Grade 1 students found that 32% of students gained multiple grade levels of literacy growth, more than double that of the control group, who experienced lessons without any technology to enhance the voice of the instructor.
Classroom audio reinforcement also has benefits for instructors. A study in Dubuque, Iowa found that implementing amplification equipment reduced teacher sick days by 36 percent. A wireless FM system can reduce vocal strain and instructor stress, without impeding normal teaching.
Beyond Audio: School Communication
Modern classroom audio systems can do much more than just amplify voices. Some systems include network integration along with the usual radio frequency or FM transmission. These systems can incorporate bell schedules, intercom/paging, and emergency communication. Using a microphone like the FrontRow Action, schools can program buttons on the microphone to perform different functions. The base for this system can integrate with classroom projectors, allowing instructors to use the microphone as a remote.
Once you include integration, these systems become even more helpful. If an emergency alert is declared, an integrated classroom audio system can automatically turn down any media that may be playing, display the buildings' evacuation plan, and notify people by email both when the emergency begins and ends. Having all this happen with one button push makes it easy to deliver consistent, timely messages to entire buildings.
Classroom Audio for Accessibility
Children that have hearing damage will often use hearing aids to help them hear their instructors and classmates. However, in noisy environments hearing aids pick up everything, including distracting noise. Most modern assistive devices now include a "telecoil" mode, allowing them to receive a microphone signal right to their devices via magnetic fields. For classrooms, this can help lessen or eliminate learning loss caused by hearing damage.
Choosing Your Classroom Audio Solution
Classroom Audio solutions can be a standalone system, integrated into the room, or even portable. A basic system like the FrontRow Juno uses a standalone speaker that can be placed almost anywhere. If you would prefer to have the classroom audio solution hidden, manufacturers like TOA, FrontRow, and Listen Technologies make solutions that can be seamlessly incorporated into rooms.
If you're looking for portability, battery-powered systems are becoming more and more available. Systems like the FrontRow Lyrik use a rechargeable speaker with a similar microphone pod to the Juno. However, with a 3.5mm input, a headset microphone can be connected for better sound quality while on the move. For playing audio, the Lyrik also features Bluetooth connectivity.
Another thing to consider is the transmission method between the microphone and the receiver. For cases where multiple classroom audio systems are being used close to each other, FM systems may interfere with each other—in this case, an infrared system would be better, as it only transmits to receivers in a direct line of sight. However, IR systems can be affected by direct sunlight, limiting where the system can be placed. Some systems are now using a hybrid model, where an infrared transmitter and receiver check for a connection, but the audio signal is sent by FM. This allows privacy when having conversations outside of the classroom while maintaining the sound quality of an FM system.