Calgary-based education technology pioneer SMART Technologies has launched a new audio broadcasting system designed to make classroom instruction clearer and more accessible for students.
Called SMART SoundFlow, the plug-and-play technology broadcasts audio from a SMART Board directly to compatible hearing aids, earbuds, headphones, personal listening devices and speakers.
SMART describes SoundFlow as the first system to broadcast audio directly from an interactive flat-panel display to individual devices.
Built around Auracast technology, SoundFlow can transmit one audio stream to multiple receivers simultaneously. That allows students to hear lesson content through their own compatible devices, regardless of where they are sitting in the classroom.
The technology is intended to support students who are Deaf or hard of hearing, as well as neurodivergent and multilingual learners and others who benefit from clearer audio. Background noise, classroom acoustics and distance from a teacher can all make instruction more difficult to follow.
SoundFlow connects by USB to compatible SMART Board displays running the company’s iQ4 operating system, including its MX-V5 and RX series. It requires no wiring through walls or fixed audio infrastructure.
Teachers can start and stop a broadcast, manage access, password-protect the audio channel and limit its range directly through the SMART Board interface.
The system can also send audio to portable Auracast speakers positioned around a classroom. Schools can move and reconfigure the speakers for different lessons and learning environments without undertaking a permanent installation.
When used alongside SMART SoundLift, the company’s classroom microphone system, SoundFlow combines a teacher’s voice with audio from videos, presentations and other SMART Board content into a single stream.
“Every student should be able to hear the lesson clearly, no matter where they sit or how they learn,” said Sara Murray, executive vice-president and chief product officer at SMART Technologies.
“SoundFlow sends teacher and lesson audio straight to compatible student devices, without singling anyone out or adding complexity for teachers. It’s a simple way to make clearer, more accessible audio part of the everyday classroom experience.”
Founded in Calgary in 1987, SMART Technologies helped pioneer the interactive whiteboard market and has since expanded its hardware and learning software offerings to schools around the world. SoundFlow continues the company’s push to build accessibility tools directly into everyday classroom technology.
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