NEWSLETTER
“When students can listen to each word clearly, they get more involved, they retain more and finally succeed more,” said Jaime Méndez, vice president and regional Boxlight Application Engineer, during an educational education radio podcast with Larry Jacobs.
Jaime Méndez is a fantastic resource on the transformative impact that Audio systems in the classroom carry all students, including those with hearing loss. These are some of the members of their conversation.
Hearing loss in students is more frequent than people believe.
- 15% of children From 6 to 19 years they experience a certain level of hearing loss in at least one ear, according to CDC.
- It is estimated that 1 in 4 students attend school on a given day with a temporary audience difficulty due to infections, colds or blockages.
- Students with mild hearing loss (16-25 dB) can be lost 25-50% of discussions in the classroom.
- Moderate auditory loss (26-40 db) makes it almost impossible to follow conversations in a typical noisy classroom.
Despite these numbers, only 10-13% of schools have audio systems in the classroom, with only 25% of the new buildings, including this very necessary technology. The vast majority of classrooms are simply not optimized to learn through sound. Fortunately, the aid is available.
“The audio systems in the classroom ensure that each student, regardless of where they feel, listen to the same clear instruction. It is a change of game for education, “Méndez said.
Protection of teachers' voices
Educators spend 5 to 6 hours a day speaking aloud, often raising their voices to uncomfortable levels to ensure that students can listen to them in large areas and classroom noise. As a result:
- 20% of teachers Develop chronic voice disorders, compared to only 5% of the general population.
- 55% of teachers Experience regularly vocal fatigue.
- Increased stress and exhaustion contribute to high rotation rates In the profession.
With the audio systems in the classroom, teachers can speak in a natural tone while guaranteeing that each student listens them clearly. “When teachers do not have to force their voices, they are healthier, less stressed and more effective,” Méndez said.
Improve school security
Clear and reliable communication is essential for school security, but many schools still depend on obsolete intercommunicators and inconsistent audio systems. Audio technology in the classroom reduces response times and confusion during critical situations by:
- Ensure that each student and teacher can clearly listen to emergency ads.
- Provide real -time communication during blockages, severe climatic events or other crises.
- Integrate with the security systems to activate alerts, block the doors and notify the lifeguards immediately.
“Communication and security go hand in hand. There is no security without good communication, ”said Méndez.
Make the audio in the classroom a standard, not a late occurrence
Despite the substantial impact that modern classroom audio It has in school operations, campus safety and classroom learning, it is surprisingly absent in most schools. Even more surprising is that the cost of implementing it is approximately 1.5% of the total budget of the project of a school, a fraction of what is commonly spent on other infrastructure updates.
“This is one of the most affordable investments that a school can do, but many do not prioritize it,” Méndez said.
Schools and communities can change that to:
- Increase consciousness and advocate for the audio of the classroom as a necessity, not a luxury.
- Assign funds to make audio in the classroom a budget priority.
- Make audio technology in the classroom a standard component of each new school.
- Update of older buildings with modern audio systems.
The case of generalized adoption of audio systems in the classroom is undeniable, and the power to do so is within reach. As Méndez said:
“technology is here. The cost is low. The benefits are huge. Now, it's about taking action, because each student deserves to listen to each word. “
Listen to the complete conversation:
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