Bouncy Balls

BOUNCY BALLS
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I have this one class that's a bit louder than the others. I have to wait a little longer before they become silent and they don't seem to notice how loud they actually get. Trying to make them aware of the amount of sound they produce wasn't very effective, until I searched for an online decibel meter. I came across BouncyBalls.org, a website that responds to the amount of sound of the surroundings.

The bouncy balls just lie on the bottom when there's no or little sound in the classroom. The louder the noise, the bouncier the balls become. By putting this on the projector, the students can see how much noise they are producing. The sensitivity of your microphone and the intensity of the bouncy balls can be adjusted. It depends on your computer/laptop whether your build-in microphone is sufficient or perhaps you need an external microphone (tip: Earphones with a microphone to call with are perfect!).

The bouncy balls can be replaced with emojis, bubbles, and eyeballs.

Of course you need to keep in mind that this tool only works to help your students become aware of the noise they produce. If their goal is to be loud to begin with, they'll see the bouncy balls as a challenge.

Requirements
- Device (only teacher)
- Projector

Pros
- Makes students aware of the noise they produce
- Fun way to limit the volume of your classroom
- Free
- No need to set up

Cons
- Students may see it as a challenge
- Occupies your device (doing administration while the students are working is not possible)


Have you ever used Bouncy Balls? Please leave a comment!

Any other suggestions for ICT tools? Please let me know!

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