When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, educators across the country were forced to change from in-person learning to distance learning. All of the sudden, and with little time to prepare, they were reliant on technology to communicate with students and had no way of telling how long the situation would last.
Unsurprisingly, this has put a lot of stress on teachers and students alike. In particular, minority students, and those living in poverty or with a disability struggled to adapt due to lack of access to technology and educational support, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
Solutions for Classrooms
One major challenge teachers will face is projecting their voice while wearing a mask. Masks muffle teachers’ voices, hindering their ability to project and ensure all students can hear them. Social distancing and plexiglass dividers can make it even more difficult. Needless to say, speaking loudly isn’t a solution, given the threat of voice strain and laryngitis.
Our solution: equipping teachers with a microphone and speaker.
The AW315F wireless microphone can easily pick up a teacher’s voice even when they’re wearing a mask. With a 50 to 60 foot operating range and 8 hours of battery life teachers can walk freely around the classroom while their voice is transmitted to a receiver, which in turn can be connected to an amplified speaker. Since a single receiver can connect to different mics teachers can keep their own mic with them even when they change rooms, allowing them to avoid sharing and maintain better hygiene.
The GS-68C 80W Bluetooth classroom soundbar complements the AW315F by providing an amplified output for the teacher’s voice. It can be used on its own or seamlessly with an interactive flat panel (IFP) or interactive touch panel (ITP).
Solutions for Hybrid Learning
Although hybrid learning brings a new degree of flexibility and safety to classes, it comes with several obstacles. In particular, reliance on hard-to-use or glitch-prone technology can make it unpredictable for teachers.
One of the most important components of hybrid learning is a reliable and easy-to-use webcam, necessary for showing remote students what’s going on in the classroom.
AVerMedia has teachers covered on this front as well. Our PW513 4K webcam and PW315 1080p webcam have fields of view (94° and 95°, respectively) wide enough to capture both the teacher and white board. They have automatic speaker tracking which can follow the teacher as they move around the room, so students learning remotely can easily follow lessons while saving teachers from manually adjusting the camera. Both webcams have a ¼” standard tripod thread and are USB plug and play, so setup is extremely easy.
Even after the pandemic winds down and more students are in the classroom, teachers will have to continue adapting to new technologies and tackling new challenges. Our aim is to ensure they are equipped with the audio and video tools they’ll need to teach with confidence no matter the situation.
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