There are times when “learning at your own pace” means having to listen to videos or instructions. In a classroom of 36 students, having all students at their own pace could possibly mean 36 different locations on a video or learning module. Allowing students to have a comfortable listening device is essential to those kinds of lessons or activities.
I had students test ThinkWrite’s Ultra Durable Headsets against the headsets that were of similar design that our school site uses. With a side-by-side comparison, students all expressed that the comfort level of ThinkWrite’s headsets were much higher than those of the ones they compared it with.
The Feel
The cushioning was enough so that they were comfortable, and not pinching (remember my students are in high school) the ears or the hair of my students. High school students have a variety of head shapes, sizes and hair and thus important for the headsets to have flexibility in sizing. The headsets were adjustable for various head sizes, from it fitting the smaller 9th grade students’ head to the larger 12th grade students’ head. I even had students with a lot of hair test them out and it fit comfortably around the bun on her hair.
The Listening Experience
I don’t know about other teachers, but my students constantly listen to music at a high volume. This means that some students have some loss of hearing before they even enter my classroom. ThinkWrite’s headsets are loud enough for students to be able to hear clearly and comfortably, unlike some cheap headphones that you can’t hear very well, even if you have the volume at the highest setting on your device. One thing that I really appreciate about these headsets was that I didn’t have to hear what they were listening to. Often times with earphones or other headsets, I could hear what they were listening to across the room. With ThinkWrite’s headsets, sound isolation is not advertized on the description of the headsets, but students next to each other didn’t have to deal with overhearing the sound coming out of another student’s headsets.
The Look
If you look at the headsets online, they look like any other headsets that are in the market, but one of my favorite features is that there are different colors available! There are several color choices available and as a classroom teacher, it’s nice to be able to tell my class set apart from another teacher’s set. Another option is to have the color match your school colors. It’s just a little more “fun” than the boring black headsets that are out there. I chose green and it’s a nice dark green that stands out nicely against any color heads in the room.
I used them with chromebooks and laptops and they worked really well with both. They look like they are sturdy enough to last in a public school setting.
I would highly recommend the headsets!
C.Yang
High School Science Teacher, Ontario, CA
Currently trying to integrate more technology effectively into the classroom.
