Sound Advice: Audiology

Educational Technology: Let's Get Connected! 

The use of educational technology is increasing in the classroom as a tool to accompany teacher instruction. In 2015, 68 percent of teachers used videos found online as part of instruction, compared to 47 percent in 2012. A 2018 survey of classroom teachers found that 63 percent think that educational technology accelerates learning. Another survey found that 72 percent of teachers observed an increase in student engagement with the use of technology in their classrooms. Blended learning environments that incorporate face-to-face instruction with in-class activities and media, are being used with increasing frequency and the use of such models is expected to continue to grow.

The biggest question that arises for children who are deaf and hard of hearing with this growing use of technology in the classroom is whether they have access to classroom content presented in a variety of formats throughout their educational day. There are many  technologies that can help these students fully participate in their educational environment.

Direct audio input: Ear-level FM, DM and neckloop systems can be connected to one-on-one devices, such as iPads and Chromebooks, via a standard headphone jack. Additionally, they can also be plugged into a teacher’s computer or classroom speakers to allow students to hear audible media that is played for the entire class.

Closed Captions: Display the audio portion of recorded media in writing. Many previously captioned materials are available to download for classroom use. There are also a variety of programs which may be used to caption original media by the teacher prior to presenting it to students.

Telecoil: Students who have a telecoil program in their hearing technology (hearing aids or cochlear implants) have several options. Some children may be able to use a neck loop to transmit the signal. However, regardless of whether the child uses an FM/DM system, there are also ear level “silhouettes” which may be plugged into any device with a standard headphone jack in lieu of traditional headphones. The auditory information is transmitted directly to the hearing devices via an electromagnetic signal. These “silhouettes” require that the student’s audiologist specifically set a program for use with these devices.

Pass Around microphones: Students using FM or DM systems have access to the teacher’s voice when he or she is wearing the transmitter/microphone, but have difficulty hearing their peers in large group discussion or small group work settings. Wireless pass-around microphones allow peers to use a microphone as well to ensure that their questions and comments are received by students who wear hearing devices.

Dual transmitters: Many manufacturers of FM and DM technology have a method for allowing multiple microphones to be used in a “Team Teaching” setup. One transmitter could be worn by the teacher, and the other could be plugged into a media output, passed around, given to a small group of students working together, or plugged into a student’s one-on-one device to allow audibility of the primary teacher, as well as a secondary source of information at the same time.

Remote Microphones: Wireless technology which allows for some hearing devices to have access to media sources (i.e. computers, IPADs, etc.) via Bluetooth. Although it is not available in all makes and models, and not all options allow for media connectivity, it may be an option!

Roger AudioHub: Connects to any multimedia device with an audio out jack, which may include interactive whiteboards, TVs, computers and MP3 players to hear the device’s audio output clearly through Roger speakers or Roger receivers.