Classroom Noise Monitor
A big part of classroom management can be helping students stay on task. One way to gauge your class energy level is by using a sound level meter for the classroom. A sound level meter, or noise monitor, can help you measure whether your students are getting too noisy to be engaging in the task at hand. Try out a free online noise meter for the classroom and help to monitor when students are being too loud.
- Bouncy Balls: This online tool gives your students a fun visual experience with their noise level. Watch the colorful bouncing balls grow as the level rises.
- Classroom Screen Noise Monitor: Choose a special bell and run your classroom noise monitor during the school day. When your students can be heard above a certain level the bell will chime—alerting them that it’s time to settle down!
- Zero Classroom Noise: For a bare-bones class volume monitor, try this one that functions as a stopwatch. At the end of class, students can see the amount of time they were outside of the optimal noise level.
Classroom Volume Meter
A classroom volume meter is just another word for noise monitor, but both of these free classroom resources show your noise level on a simply designed meter. If you are looking for something simple to help your students visualize sound, one of these meters may be your best option.
- Calm Counter: Calm Counter is an effective and simple option. It’s a classroom volume monitor that color codes students’ volume. Set your microphone’s sensitivity, and then students can see when they are “in the red” by hitting the top of the meter.
- MIT’s Scratch Noise’O’Meter: Try one of the freely created noise meters on Scratch! Gauge just how loud your students are and show them when they reach a level that’s too high for the classroom. Choose one of the already created noise meters here, or encourage your students to code their own.
If you are looking for a way to make classroom noise management a little more fun, try out a noise monitor to get your students involved in understanding how their volume can impact the classroom dynamics.
This article was adapted from a blog post initially developed by the education technology company Classcraft, which was acquired by HMH in 2023. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.
***
HMH Classcraft supports engaging, in-person K-8 instruction with point-of-use classroom management tools like a noise monitor. Coming soon—Fall 2024.
