Don’t Chew on Cords!

In a recent survey Califone, maker of excellent school headsets, asked teachers if they’d seen their students chew on the cords that attach to headsets. Sixty-eight percent replied that they had.  Apparently, chewing on cords by students has been a problem dating back to the 1950s.  Besides the issue of sharing headsets and health issues that may arise, there’s the problem of damage to the cords and cost to schools. Teachers find it impossible to keep students from chewing on cords, for they can’t always see what every student is doing. The only answers to student chewing may be: continuing to remind students not to put the cords in their mouths, supervising as carefully as possible, and purchasing equipment that can stand up to “repeated and frequent mistreatment”.

How Loud Is Too Loud?

In an online survey, Califone’s Media Blog, asked participants if they agree with this statement: “since younger students haven’t yet learned what too loud is when using personal audio equipment, technology should help prevent student hearing loss.” Eighty-four percent of respondents either answered “Strongly Agree” (58%) or “Somewhat Agree” (26%) making it clear that teachers believe young students don’t realize that loud sounds can damage their hearing and that audio equipment that can control volume is important. Young children, used to loud sound at movie theaters and on digital devices used by older children, think that’s the way sound should be. With teen hearing loss increasing, Califone, which markets volume-restricting devices, is working with ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association) on the Listen to Your Buds safe sound campaign. You might want to introduce your students’ parents to this campaign and have them take the pledge to save their children’s hearing.