Some fine print real quick:

1. While this is a review, it is not sponsored by anyone….I bought this fancy little microphone with my own money after reading a zillion positive Amazon reviews.
2. If you decide that you too want a fancy little microphone, and buy it though the posted link, I will earn a small commission at no added cost to you through Amazon’s Associate Program…but if you’re uncomfortable with that, and still want a fancy little microphone, feel free to search it up and buy it another way. 

Holy Moly folks, I didn’t expect my Back to School Shopping list to include masks, shields, a microphone and Hand Sanitizer, but that’s where we’re at! My school is set to open on Aug 17 with 50% capacity, a hybrid model, all masked up and with 6 feet of distancing. Let the madness begin! I’ve spent a good part of my summer bemoaning the things outside of my control…but it’s almost game time and I’ve switched gears into figuring out how I can make this work. I’m in problem solving mode now.

Problem #1- How on earth are they going to hear me…I can’t even hear the cashier at Costco talking to me with a mask on!

I know that it’s going to be hard for my students to hear me with a mask and face shield, so I ordered this Fancy Little Microphone that makes me feel like Britney Spears.  It arrived just a few days ago and already my husband loves it because I wear it around the house, singing. I am not a very good singer, truth be told, but I honestly sound better (or at least louder) with my fancy little microphone. It also makes the dogs howl in approval, so there’s another plus. 

I haven’t taught with it yet, but I did make a video in my classroom to test out the sound. Have a listen, No singing…sorry or you’re welcome!

 

 

Better with the mic, right? So let’s talk about the pros and cons, shall we?

The Pros:

It’s lightweight and secure-  I really don’t notice it on. I am much more aware of the mask and the shield. I don’t find myself needing to move or adjust the headset or the mini amp. It has a sturdy little clip on the back and it attaches firmly to a belt or pants. I feel like I can move around freely (well, as freely as possibly, while keeping a 6 foot distances from the Germ Factories, I mean, my Little Darlings) without being afraid of it falling off. It also has an included neck strap if that’s more your thing.

It’s rechargeable-  It comes with a little plug in charger to charge up the battery. I have used it for a few hours total and I haven’t needed to charge it yet…I’m not sure how long it will stay charged before it needs to be plugged in, but I am going to make it a habit to charge it when I’m not wearing it.

It’s easy to turn on and off- As you saw in the video, it’s easy to turn on to talk to the class and off to talk to an individual student. There seems to be a tiny lag between turning up the volume and the microphone kicking into gear.

It’s loud enough- I wasn’t really sure about this one…it’s so hard to know without a room full of students, but based on the video, I think my voice is louder and clearer with the mic on. I was just normal talking, not teacher projecting, so if I need to be louder, I can teacher project into the mic and I think we’ll be just fine. In addition to our usual hand signals (The Señora Chase you’re unclear signal) I am going to ask them to give me a thumbs up if they need me to turn up the volume and a thumbs down if the volume should be lowered.

It was pretty cheap-  It costs about $36. I don’t expect it to see me through to retirement, but if it carries me through my mask teaching days of COVID-19, I will count it money well spent!

The cons:

I wish it were louder- While I think it is going to be loud enough for teaching, it is not loud enough to get a crowd’s attention when there’s a lot going on. Originally I was hoping to be able to use it outside on the soccer field to give instructions, but I think the sound will get lost outside. (Señora Chase, add BULLHORN to back to school list!)   

I experimented with putting the microphone under my face mask to see if that made it louder. It made my voice quite a bit louder, but it also made my breathing sound scary like Darth Vader, so I’m keeping my mic on the outside of my mask.

Really, that’s the only Con I have so far…you might want to check back after August 17. I’ll update this post after I’ve been teaching with it for a few days.

Overall I’m pleased with my purchase and if you’re in the market for a fancy little microphone, I think you’ll be happy with this one.

Good luck my friends and take care!

Update, 1 week in: I’ve been teaching for 1 week (well…really only 4 days because school was canceled on Thursday due to smoke from wildfires. I didn’t have that on my 2020 Bingo Card!) and I have to say, I love, love, love my fancy little microphone! Kids don’t have any trouble hearing me, it even works great outside during our mask breaks! But the best and totally unexpected part is that I don’t have to use my teacher voice, which when you’re wearing a mask, wears you out fast! On Friday morning I forgot to put my mic on and I felt totally out of breath, just trying to teach like normal.. It wasn’t until I realized my mic was off and put it back on that I noticed  now much it conserves my breath to not project my voice!  Here’s a lesson I taught on Wednesday…it’s much easier to hear me than on my pre-mask, pre-mic videos! I whole heatedly recommend this little microphone. It might be my best Pandemic purchase yet!

Update, 2 weeks in: I don’t know why I didn’t know this last week, but there is one less-than-perfect thing about the Mic…when you get too close to metal, it makes that awful microphone squeal, if you don’t turn it off! I forget and when I sit down at my desk to check my emails, or head to my classroom door, it catches me by surprise. I still love it…and use it all day, every day…but I wanted to make sure to tell you about it’s imperfections as well! (I don’t know if all mics do that, or just this one!)