Visual TimerPut the noise meter on the board and let the class see how loud they are. The balls bounce higher as the room gets noisier; when they keep jumping into the red zone, the screen turns red and a short alarm plays. It turns "please keep it down" into a game students can watch — and win.
Press Start and allow the microphone. Then pick how quiet the room should be: Silent work for reading and tests, Quiet talking for partner work, or Group work for centers — the red zone moves up or down to match. The counter shows how many times the class got too loud, which works well for rewards ("under 3 times and we get extra recess").
Ideas for using it
- Silent reading and independent work (set the line low)
- Group work and centers — keep the buzz at a working level
- Lunchroom, library and indoor recess
- Class rewards: fewer alarms earns points or extra time
Tips
- Try it for a minute with normal talking. If the alarm goes off too often, choose a louder mode; if it never does, choose a quieter one.
- If the balls barely move when students talk, open Adjust and raise the microphone sensitivity — the microphone may be far from the students.
- Press Full screen (or F) to show it on a projector or smartboard. The screen stays on while it listens.
- Pair it with a classroom timer for timed quiet work.
More classroom tools
Frequently asked questions
Is anything recorded or uploaded?
No. The browser only measures how loud the room is, many times a second, and throws the sound away. Nothing is recorded, stored or sent to our server.
Does it show real decibels?
No — it shows a relative loudness. Every microphone and room is different, so pick the mode that fits the activity, and raise the microphone sensitivity under Adjust if the microphone is far from the students.
Why doesn’t the alarm go off when someone claps once?
The noise has to stay in the red zone for most of a second before it counts, so a single bang or cough won’t set it off. After an alarm it waits a few seconds before it can go off again.
It says the microphone is blocked. What do I do?
Click the microphone or lock icon at the left of the address bar, set the microphone to Allow, and press Start again. On school Chromebooks an administrator may need to allow microphone access.