Posted by Denis Soukhanov on Wed, Feb 24, 2010
Article by Laura Ketcham
Classroom audio technology is a great resource for use in the classroom.
Research
supports that audio amplification is beneficial for both students with normal hearing ability and for students with hearing impairments. When students can hear clearly, they are able to focus and be attentive to the content. A student who struggles to hear will tire from the effort to follow the lesson and quickly fall behind in the class.
I currently have an audio system in my classroom made by Lightspeed. The audio system is connected through a sound board to ceiling-mounted speakers. When I provide directions, conduct a lecture, or involve students in a discussion, I use a wireless microphone to amplify my voice. I have an additional microphone set up in the classroom for the students to use when they are making a presentation to the class or asking questions during a discussion. The other advantage to this audio system is that it is hooked up to my computer and allows me to play CDs, DVDs, and share online videos as supplemental material for my lessons. There are many different types of audio technology that can be used for amplification in your classroom, and below you will learn about a few different choices that may make learning more accessible for your students. Another advantage of using an audio amplification system is I lose my voice less often!
Classroom Amplification Systems
There are many different types and styles of classroom amplification systems that can be integrated into your current classroom technology system. Each system typically includes an amplifier, speakers, and microphones. There are portable and stationary systems. There are also components that can be sold separately if you already have speakers in your classroom. Assistive listening devices are also available, where students with hearing impairments can wear headphones to individually amplify the sound level beyond what they would hear from the classroom speakers. Depending on the system, the audio amplification can also be used for audio from CDs, DVDs, and other Internet sites that provide audio output.
Other Amplification Options
There are several other options available for you to integrate audio amplification in your classroom. One option would be to purchase a karaoke machine. Instead of using a karaoke machine for singing, since it has speakers and a microphone, it can also be used as a portable amplification system. Most karaoke machines also have an additional microphone jack so you can connect more than just a microphone. They also have A/V inputs and outputs so that they can easily be hooked up to a computer to provide a large speaker for other audio sources that you may want to use in your classroom. Another inexpensive option would be to purchase a boombox with a microphone input. This would work in a manner similar to a karaoke machine, but is typically less expensive. Because of the smaller size of a boombox, the speakers are not as powerful. This still would be a good option to amplify audio for a smaller classroom.
Other Classroom Audio Amplification Companies
Frontrow
SMART Audio
Audio Enhancement
Additional Research & Articles
SMART Tech
Amplified Classrooms
Promethean