Headphones for 21st Century Learners

WRITTEN BY STUDENTS: At the beginning of each year, all students get a new pair of headphones. At first, these headphones are fine. We mostly use them for taking our iReady reading tests. The more we use them, however, the sound quality begins to get worse, they get less comfortable, and many begin to break altogether. Also, these headphones are fine for listening, but they don’t allow us to record our voices to share with our classmates and teachers. Therefore, we would like durable headphones with a microphone that can allow us to share our learning, create a quieter learning environment, and that are more comfortable so we can focus more.

In our class we share our learning with our classmates and teachers through Flipgrids.

These are short videos about a subject, and other kids can watch these and comment on them. According to Mari Jones, co-director of the Share Your Learning Project, “if we want students to be ready for their future, they need opportunities for communication, collaboration, and all the things that presentations of learning allow students to do.” The headphones we are asking for have a microphone that will help us make better Flipgrids to share our learning.

Another important reason we need new headphones is because the ones we have currently are incredibly uncomfortable and flimsy. After wearing them for a while, our ears get sore and itchy. The pads on them are thin and fragile, and they fall off all the time. The pads also snag earrings, which really hurts, and distracts us from our work.

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