The Sonic Blaster - Electronic Whistle
The Sonic Blaster is an electronic whistle that has the clear, loud sound of an ordinary whistle but none of the drawbacks. This innovative PE resource is a TTS exclusive and has been developed by working alongside PDMs and experts in the sports field.
Jim Booth, SSCo at the Pennine School Sports Partnership, shares with us how he uses the Sonic Blaster.
What we wanted to do Our aim was to use the Sonic Blaster electronic whistle for refereeing in the playground, school games and PE. We also thought it may get children who were not participating in PE more interested in refereeing games. However, this normally means using traditional whistles which in turn means sterilisation before passing them on from person to person – not very practical! The existing ‘squeezy ‘whistle is hygienic but is not really loud enough to referee a match and there is always the problem of spasmodic ‘miss fire’. As well as refereeing games and matches, we thought it may improve children’s attention, both in the playground and even in the changing rooms. The sound was loud enough to stop the children talking and draw their immediate attention. The fact that you can actually direct the sound at the noisier bunch of students whilst also being able to better use facial expression or make simultaneous commends is a big advantage over the traditional whistle.
What did you do? The Sonic Blaster was used by the staff and by the student to referee matches and games. Primarily, it was intended to be used only by the teachers but, after lots of interest from the students, it was offered to the students that were not involved in PE due to various complaints. Suddenly, they all became very interested in taking part in the games and refereeing games. A new gadget that is as loud and clear as the Sonic Blaster turned out to be a perfect resource. It is also brilliant to get student attention and settling the children down. When the whistle was sounded, the children recognised it was time to sit down, be quiet and pay attention. It was also used at the end of break times to indicate to the children when break time was over and it was time to return to class.
What difference did it make? It made a massive difference to the children that normally aren’t too interested in PE. Suddenly they wanted a turn at refereeing and, of course, they took it in turn so were then more than happy to take part in the lesson when it wasn’t their turn with the whistle. Every student jumped at the chance of refereeing and this meant more involvement from the class as a whole. Obviously it also has the benefits in terms of hygiene so as all the children wanted to use it; they were not being put in the position where they were being asked to use a ‘wet’ whistle.
Why do you think this was a success? Anything that increases children participation in sports and PE lessons must be seen as positive. All the children wanted to have a go, so this meant they were eager to referee the matches and, a result, when it was time to pass it on to the next person to use, their enthusiasm was not lost when it came to returning to the game. Being able to pass a whistle around the staff and children without fear of spreading germs is really useful and for that reason also, the Sonic Blaster whistle proved to be a successful resource. The fact that the Sonic Blaster is loud, colourful, novel and hygienic, are great plus points. I am now being pestered, not only by the children to use the Sonic Blaster, but also the staff! Luckily enough it has a key ring and wrist band attachment so I can keep an eye on it at all times! And... in the long term... I won’t go deaf!
The Sonic Blaster Electronic Whistle is available exclusively from TTS.