Bouncy Balls is a simple, free noise meter that can be used in the classroom. As sounds increase, plastic balls, emoji, bubbles, or eyeballs shoot up from the bottom of the screen and move erratically until levels decrease. Use Bouncy Balls during group work when high noise levels can distract students. Or try using the tool to keep classrooms quiet during independent work or an exam. You'll need to adjust the sensitivity meter to fit your classroom environment. Keep in mind that students might actually want to cause noise in order to see the chaos ensue on the screen. In this case, you might want to let students get their giggles out at the beginning then challenge them to get as quiet as possible. This might not satiate sillier more active classrooms, but for others this could be a good tool to set a noise baseline and encourage self-regulation and staying on task.
Bouncy Balls is a free web tool that helps you manage your classroom noise. Bouncy Balls has an integrated noise meter that automatically detects different noise levels in surrounding environment and sends off alert signals. Bouncy Balls is completely free, requires no registration or software download, and most importantly, is simple and easy to use.
There are various ways to use Bouncy Balls in your classroom. For instance, you can use it in group work activities to keep students noise at an acceptable level. You can also use it in silent reading activities to help enhance students focus by mitigating distractive noise, or you can use it in assignments and quizzes, and so forth. Any type of learning activity that requires controlled noise environment, Bouncy Balls is an ideal classroom management website to consider.
The way Bouncy Balls work is simple. First, head over to bouncyballs.org and click on Begin Bouncing button. Next, change the tools settings to your preferences (e.g., adjust the sensitivity level, theme, and number of balls), turn on the microphone, and choose a noise alert type. Voila! You are all set.
Besides adjusting the sensitivity meter you can also set the number of balls displayed in the screen. You can go from 25 to 175. You also get to select the theme that you and your students like. Bouncy Balls offers five themes: Plastic, Emoji, Numbers, Bubbles, and Eyeballs. Click on any theme you like to select it. As for the Noise Alert feature, Bouncy Balls allows you to choose between no sound, beep, or shush.
Bouncy Balls emerges as a simple, yet ingenious tool for educators aiming to cultivate a conducive learning environment through noise management. It is a perfect example of how technology can be seamlessly integrated into a classroom setting to enhance focus and maintain discipline without a word being spoken. Its intuitive design, ease of use, and real-time visual feedback on noise levels make it an ideal aid for activities ranging from group work to silent reading.
How it works: Quiet Classroom from FunDip is simple to use. Just select an acceptable noise level (from 0 to 95 db). Next, choose an alert sound (school bell, warning bell, or high-pitched intruder bell). Then just push the start button. When the classroom noise level rises above the preset level, the alert will sound.
Cool features: The easy-to-read visual display lets students know what level they are on at all times. The only drawback is the alarm does not go off when the noise level abates, so it needs to be reset manually.
Is this the first time your NDN has complained about noise (or other behaviour)? If it's an isolated incident, I would assume it's genuinely disturbing her and you should seek to limit the noise or agree times when it's acceptable, say, when your neighbours are out.
Some people just have no patience or tolerance of other people. A child playing with a ball for short bursts of time is no different to someone cutting their grass, hoovering, having a washing machine on an adjoining wall, playing music - they all make noise for a short time and then stop. We can't go round living silent lives for fear of interfering with others. Yes, if the basketball was played with from morning till night it wouldn't be fair, but that's not the case. If the child was throwing the ball off a shared wall then I can see why someone would complain, but they're not. Some people need to get a life so they're not complaining about stupid pointless things.
Hope your son enjoys his new hoop OP!
Your neighbour is being totally ridiculous, she honestly doesn't have a leg to stand on. It's not as if your DS is going to be playing outside 24/7, she should just put the radio on if the noise is annoying her.
If noise levels are anything to go by then school playgrounds, ball parks and bouncy castles all seem to be high octane centres of energy expenditure and yet it still seems difficult to get our children as active as the UK Chief Medical Officers advise (UK CMO 2012 Report, published March 2014).
760c119bf3