Review by Stacy Zeiger, Common Sense Education | Updated November 2013

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Teacher Sounds

Name: Teacher Sounds
Item: Teacher Sounds
Rating: 3
Author: Stacy Zeiger

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Fun sounds add excitement to lessons and classroom management

Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.

Pre-K–12

Great for:

Behavior Management

Common Sense says (See details)

Teachers say (1 Review)

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5 images

A simple design makes it easy for teachers to find the sounds they need.

Other sounds help with classroom management.

Some sounds work best for cheering students on during review sessions.

Fun is only one thing the sounds can accomplish.

Teachers need to make sure students can hear the sounds.

Pros: Multiple sounds lead to multiple uses in the classroom.

Cons: Requires external speakers to be loud enough for students to hear.

Bottom Line: Kids can learn to build their listening skills and find motivation as they interact in a classroom setting.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

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.

What Is It?

Teacher 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.

Is It Good for Learning?

While 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.

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Silly sounds help get kids' attention and make the learning environment a little more fun. Some sounds, such as the "please be seated" option, lack a little flair.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

While it doesn't promote academic skills, sounds will motivate kids to learn, provide positive praise, and help with classroom management. However, not all sounds will be useful in every classroom.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

It's easy enough to tap on the icons to play the sounds, but it could go further by providing suggestions regarding when to use the sounds in the classroom.

Common Sense Reviewer

Stacy Zeiger Homeschooling parent

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Teacher Reviews

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Featured review by
Wheatley D. , Classroom teacher

Classroom teacher

Warren Mott High School
Warren, United States

Basic Sounds for the Classroom, Not Worth the Price

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.

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