A headset is an excellent tool for learning for the following reasons:
A headset will help your child concentrate because it reduces noise from the environment like a rooster crowing, a passing motorbike, or the neighbor singing out of tune karaoke.
Headsets have built-in mics, so their voice will be heard loud and clear by the teacher and his/her classmates. A clear voice means they are easier to understand, which is advantageous during oral recitations or when asking questions.
A headset is more ergonomic than earbuds with a mic because earbuds require you to lift and hold the mic near your mouth to be clearly heard, while a headset has the mic always positioned near your mouth.
Headsets also improve posture and reduce muscle fatigue. The built-in speakers and mics of most laptops and tablets are usually of poor quality, so the students are forced to hunch towards the computer mic or speakers whenever they need to say something clearly or listen to the teacher, which causes muscle fatigue. Headsets help them avoid that.
Headsets give your child freedom of movement and improvement in productivity because it frees up their hands to do other things. They can comfortably talk and listen while they type, interact with the on-screen activities, or answer the textbooks. It gives them the freedom to move and sit in any comfortable way.
A good headset helps in online
learning
Improve concentration, better comfort, better posture, & more ease in learning.
However, when purchasing a headset, we recommend avoiding cheap headsets because:
Cheap headsets usually are fragile, less reliable, and tend to break easily.
Cheap headsets usually have poor mic and speaker quality. Making it more difficult for the child to hear the lecture or be understood by their teachers and classmates.
Cheap headsets are usually uncomfortable to use. Some can cause your child fatigue or even pain when worn for long periods.
Instead of buying a cheap 500 pesos headset, we suggest purchasing a good quality headset for around the 2,000 pesos price range. We will show you our recommended models at the end of this article. However, before that, here are the reasons why a quality headset for your child is an excellent investment for online learning :
Most quality headset speakers do a better job blocking out external noise than cheaper headsets. The more sound you block out, the better your child can concentrate and hear the lessons clearly.
Higher quality headsets have better sound quality, making it easier for your child to understand the teacher's lecture, distinguish word pronunciations, enjoy the music and sound effects of the online lessons.
Better quality headsets have higher quality mics that make your child's voice clearer and easier to understand. Some quality headset mics have noise cancelation that reduces background noise like wind from the electric fan or the dog barking.
Quality headsets usually have better ergonomics and more comfortable, especially after many hours of use. We recommend avoiding purchasing big headsets, like the gaming headsets, because they tend to be heavy and can tire the child for long online seasons. Instead, consider buying light headphones designed for call-center agents because these are made for long hours of use. Popular brands used by call centers are Jabra and Plantronics/Poly. Our teachers use Jabra.
Quality headphones maybe costly but they last longer and more reliable. There is an old adage, "Buy the best and cry only once."
From our experience in online teaching, we recommend the following quality headphones.
Best value for your money:
Jabra Evolve 20 (Website)
Average price of Php 1,800 at Lazada or Shoppee. It can go as low as Php 1,650 during a sale.
Wired USB headset with a handy external puck for quick and convenient access to mute (with red indicator light) and volume.
Great sound isolation, the speakers does an excellent job reducing background noise.
Good passive noise-canceling mic.
Sturdy construction and reasonably light.
This model is what most of our teachers use.
Check out a great video review of the Jabra Evolve 20 by Teacher Karen:
Jabra Biz 1100 (Website)
Average price of Php 1,800 at Lazada or Shoppee. It can go as low as Php 1,700 during a sale.
Lighter than the Jabra Evolve 20, more comfortable to use for long hours, especially for younger students.
Wired USB headset with handy external control for mute (no indicator light) and volume.
Good sound isolation for the speakers.
Good passive noise-canceling mic.
Check out the video review of the Jabra Biz 1100 by Teacher Jha
What are the main differences between the Jabra Evolve 20 and Jabra Biz 1100?
the Jabra Evolve 20 does a better job blocking external sound because its speakers are beefier and cover the whole ear of the child.
The Jabra Biz 1100, on the other hand, weighs lighter and more comfortable to use for long hours of online classes. Better for smaller and younger students.
Both headsets perform similarly in sound and voice quality.
Higher End Recommendation
Jabra Biz DUO 2300 (Website)
(Average Price Php 3,600-4,000 at Lazada or Shoppee).
The best of both worlds. It is even lighter then the Jabra Biz 1100 with better in noise isolation then the Jabra Evolve 20.
The JB 2300 is one of the lightest wired USB headsets on the market. It feels like wearing a feather but also uses kevlar material for durability. Unlike most headsets, you can wear them all day, and you will not notice them.
Outstanding speaker sound quality and a very clear mic with great noise cancelation. Noticeably better speaker and mic quality than the Jabra Evolve 20 and the Jabra Biz 1100.
This headphone is a popular choice in higher-end call centers because of its features.
If you consider this model, we suggest waiting for a sale; sometimes, we see it marked down at Lazada or Shoppee for Php 3,600.
There are two versions of this head set, the MONO and the DUO. The Mono is the version with only one speaker, while the duo has two. We suggest buying the Duo.
This is what Teacher Mario uses because he is rich, discerning, and very handsome.
How about wireless headsets?
There are many great wireless headsets on the market. Wireless headsets give your child more freedom of movement, especially during activities requiring more movement like PE. The only issue with wireless headsets is that they can get costly, as quality ones range from 6k to 30k. The higher-end models even have a much higher sound quality and active noise cancellation, which is even more effective than the passive noise cancellation on the cheaper models.
We won't be covering these wireless headsets in this article, but from our research, here are some of the highly recommended models according to our research online: