Teacher Sounds
Fun sounds add excitement to lessons and classroom management
Teachers can use the sounds in any way they see fit. In a whole-class setting, they work as a way to motivate students, manage student behavior, and help students transition from one activity to another. When students work in small groups, they help remind students to stay on task. Rather than inserting sound effects into their slideshows or lectures, teachers can also use the app to spice things up a bit, playing a drum roll before important information, dinging the bell to mark off key points, or selecting the gasping or booing sounds when the lesson features particularly shocking or negative information.
When it comes to determining how to use the app, knowing your students is key. Not all students will respond positively to being booed or hearing a wrong answer buzzer when they answer a question incorrectly. While designed to be fun, many of the sounds could easily embarrass students when used in the wrong way or make light of what should be a more serious situation.
Continue readingTeacher Sounds fits the app's offerings perfectly. Teachers will find sounds they can use in the classroom to get students' attention, help with classroom management, and just bring an element of of fun to the classroom environment. Sounds range from game show-style sounds -- such as a drum roll, waiting music, a dinging bell, and a wrong answer buzzer -- to more serious sounds such as voices saying "please be seated" and "quiet please." Teachers can use the sound in whatever way they choose. The only advice the app gives is to plug the device into an external speaker to ensure students can hear the sounds.
Continue readingWhile Teacher Sounds doesn't focus on academic skills, it still has academic value. Rather than calling out students for talking too loudly or getting out of their seats, teachers can add a humorous element to classroom management by using the app's "please be seated" and "quiet please" settings. A ringing bell and voice saying "dismissed" can help teachers make it clear when the lesson starts and when students can move on to the next activity or start packing up to head home. Some of the sillier sounds, such as the cheering, drum roll, and wrong answer buzzer can also make simple question-and-answer sessions or review games more interesting.
Continue readingOverall Rating
Teacher Reviews
(See all 1 reviews) (1 reviews) Write a review
Warren, MI
I was not sure what to expect from this app, but since it wasn't free ($0.99), I figured it would be worth the small investment. [I generally lean towards free apps and am able to find some great quality content, plus students can then download them as well with no additional cost.] However, when I opened the app, I was immediately disappointed. For my dollar, I was given 12 sound effect buttons. That is all. I have more sounds than that built into my phone.
Trying to stay positive, I thought, "Maybe they will be fun to use in my lessons." I proceeded to tap my way through them. On the plus side, the sounds are clear and the icons are good indicators of each basic sound. I enjoyed hearing the applause and drum roll, and even thought the 2 bells could be a nice way to finish an activity or redirect. However, the "Please be seated" and "Quiet Please" and "Dismissed" options seem useless to me. Sure, students will get a kick out of them the first few times I use them, but then the effect will likely wear off. Also, it is quicker for me to simply tell students those things myself than to find my device and tap the button. A teacher would have to carry around their device to constantly use this tool. Also, the sound on most mobile devices isn't substantial enough for these to be heard above busy classroom noises. Thus, the teacher's device would probably have to be connected to a speaker of some kind.
The music button is odd and I'm still not sure what it is intended for. It plays a simple tune that stops after ~30 seconds. It might be useful as "wrap up" music to alert students that their time is almost up. Personally, I'd never use it.
Perhaps my biggest disappointment in this app was the negative feedback options. There is a buzzer for wrong answers. Sure, with a strong class rapport, students might find this amusing, but it could be hurtful, as well. There is also a sort of "shocked" crowd reaction, but they sound like they saw something bad happen. I'm not sure when I would find that to be appropriate. Last, but not least, there is a ghost icon that plays people "booing". It might be funny to use with my friends, but not something I would EVER utilize with my students. Why would I deliberately play boos for the students I strive to encourage daily? Not a great choice, Teacher Sounds.
So, if you subtract the discouraging, less useful, and redundant (two applause options) sounds, I paid for 4 or 5 sound effects. All of which are sounds I can find on my device (ringtones, alerts, etc.) or via free websites. Even at $0.99, this is not a worthwhile investment. Teacher Sounds could improve their app by sticking to positive feedback and including descriptions as well as adding ideas for how to use each sound in the classroom, then they would be on to something.
Read full reviewExplore Our Favorite Tools
-
Classroom-Management Apps and Websites
Our editors' top tools to help you motivate, manage, and maintain a great classroom.Grades Pre-K - 12