Microphone recommendations

[Julian1]

The situation I need to provide for is where there are several students in a classroom being taught by a teacher who is remotely logged in to a laptop (in the classroom using Zoom) connected to a smartboard. The students can hear the teacher properly through the smartboard speakers but the remote teacher cannot hear the students because of limitations of the laptop's microphone.

 

What is needed is a microphone that can be connected to the laptop, that is capable of picking up speech from around the classroom. Any recommendations? Or a different solution with, as always, minimal cost involved?

[VeryPC]

Good Afternoon @Julian1

 

I'm going to put you in touch with Ben one of my colleagues - he may just be able to help you out here!

 

Keep an eye out on your inbox!

 

- Ryan

[SamanthaD]

Lots of different ways to do this. Ceiling mic arrays, boundary mics... Lots of different ideas. One thing I would probably suggest now is using microphones that can be installed rather than handled. A few months ago I would be pushing Catchbox as a fun way of doing this, in the current climate now I'm not so sure!

 

ALSO - consider echo cancellation. the microphone will pick up the teachers audio from the speakers, pushing it back and creating an echo or, at worst, feedback. Some VC software has echo cancellation inbuilt, some does not!

Edited June 5, 2020 by SamDavis

[Julian1]

Lots of different ways to do this. Ceiling mic arrays, boundary mics... Lots of different ideas. One thing I would probably suggest now is using microphones that can be installed rather than handled. A few months ago I would be pushing Catchbox as a fun way of doing this, in the current climate now I'm not so sure!

 

ALSO - consider echo cancellation. the microphone will pick up the teachers audio from the speakers, pushing it back and creating an echo or, at worst, feedback. Some VC software has echo cancellation inbuilt, some does not!

 

Any experience of using the Jabra SPEAK 410 MS? Seems reasonably priced.