Monthly Archives: December 2021

EduMic – The Easy FM Connectivity Solution

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We all know the importance of supporting children with hearing loss when distance, noise, and reverberation affect listening and learning in a typical classroom setting, but what do you do when the student wears a hearing device? What if they need to use an FM system in the classroom? Before your head starts to swim and eyes glaze over, I have great news for you—Oticon’s EduMic™ is a product you will fall in love with! Oticon Medical’s Ponto™ device[1] works together with the EduMic to maximize children’s speech understanding for language development, learning, and socializing opportunities.

The EduMic is a remote microphone system (RMS) featuring 2.4 GHz wireless technology. Built on the Velox STM platform, the EduMic features advanced signal processing, including OpenSound NavigatorTM technology. When noise, distance, and reverberation become challenging in the classroom, EduMic is a vital partner to the Ponto processor. EduMic uses the same innovative open sound technology found in other Oticon Medical[1] products to analyze, balance, and remove noise. It delivers stable and clear access to the teacher’s voice by continuously monitoring the environment and removing unwanted noise—even between words.

Designed for dynamic learning environments and built to last

Beside its ability to be used as a remote microphone, the EduMic provides easy access to an FM system in use at school without the teacher needing to wear two microphones. EduMic also enables access to a variety of audio sources to ensure that students stay connected and engaged during class. Teachers can plug the EduMic into a computer, smartboard, or tablet using the 3.5 audio microphone jack connection. The audio jack also allows easy integration with existing sound field systems, accessing multiple audio sources and microphones simultaneously. Smaller and lighter than many remote microphones at just 32 grams,  EduMic features a sleek, modern design and 10-hour battery life.

Built to last, EduMic is robust and designed to handle the demands of everyday life and withstand accidental dropping. EduMic uses a single rechargeable Li-ion battery that can be left charging overnight without fear of overcharging. Signal strength is also thoroughly tested in a typical classroom environment to ensure a high-quality connection. The 2.4 GHz signal is strong and stable even in a typical WiFi-heavy environment when the teacher is speaking through EduMic.

EduMic teacher and student benefits

Best of all, teachers love EduMic! A usability study conducted by Oticon Inc. examined teacher’s perspectives on ease of use, discreetness, attractiveness in relation to design, and also wearing comfort.[2] The study showed teachers have a strong preference towards EduMic’s design and comfort compared to a competitor’s remote microphone solution. Teachers rated EduMic as easier to use compared to a leading device on the market, very user-friendly to pair and mute, and very comfortable to wear.

According to a study at Boys Town National Research Hospital, researchers found a significant improvement in speech understanding in a noisy and reverberant environment for students fitted with hearing aids wearing the EduMic.[3] Speech understanding improved as 6 dB more noise could be tolerated in the noisy environment test condition when EduMic was used with hearing aids compared to using hearing aids alone. In the noise + reverberation condition, 5 dB more noise could be tolerated when EduMic was used together with hearing aids over hearing aids alone. The results support the positive impact of using EduMic compared to hearing aids alone in both noisy and noisy + reverberant acoustic environments. EduMic allows children with hearing aids to handle poor signal-to- noise ratios in the classroom.

EduMic is available as a Ponto accessory choice

EduMic and our Oticon Medical bone anchored hearing devices are based on our BrainHearing™ technology, which is designed to deliver what the brain needs to make sense of sound. We are excited to announce that this extraordinary remote microphone system  is now available as a free accessory choice with Oticon Medical Ponto orders! Do you have pediatric bone conduction patients to whom you would like to offer EduMic as an accessory option? To learn more about the many exciting features in our Ponto processors and their clinical benefits, including integration with the EduMic accessory, please contact your regional Clinical Specialist.

About the Author

Gail Leininger, Au.D., CCC-A is an audiologist who has worked with implantable technologies for over twenty years. She is an Auditory Technical Specialist for Oticon Medical.

For more information on EduMic, please visit:

[1] Ponto 4 and Ponto 5 Mini
[2] Gordey & Rumley 2019 Enhanced Learning with EduMic Oticon White Paper
[3] Data on file

Presidential Perspective

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Hearing Industry Events are Coming Back

As I write this, live events are back… but, with variants of the Covid-19 virus in play, a level of uncertainty lingers over how many will actually occur as planned. I’m going to be optimistic though and focus on the exciting events we plan to hold and attend in the upcoming year with all my fingers and toes crossed that nothing derails those plans.

There is no true substitute for live events

During the pandemic, the hearing healthcare industry made do like everyone else by holding or attending events online. However, there’s no denying that valuable components of live events were lost when we couldn’t meet with our peers and valued customers face-to-face.

Live events generate energy and excitement from being around others who are equally passionate about sharing innovations and ideas for advancing hearing technology and improving services to patients and clinics. Conversations using the same hearing industry shorthand and acronyms remind us that we’re all part of the same extended family. Although we’re able to share that through Zoom or Teams or whatever online platform, the level of camaraderie just isn’t the same.

Another significant loss is the unplanned get-together. If you have ever attended an industry event, you know exactly what I mean. Whether it’s an invitation to grab coffee and catch up, conversations held around the lunch table, or an informal “hang” at the bar in the evening, these unplanned social interactions simply cannot be replicated virtually. I will go so far as to say, without discounting the high value of informative planned programming, it is during these spontaneous meetups where the most engaging and mutually beneficial conversations are held.

While industry panels and lectures are helpful, informative, and extremely valuable—and fortunately translate well to being conducted online—I’m sure you’ll agree we miss the hands-on components like live demos. We all want to be able to pick up and examine new product offerings or try out new surgical techniques like our MONO drill. Again, there is no online substitute for in-person product introductions and interactions.

What you can look forward to from Oticon Medical in 2022

We are planning events for our professionals in 2022 centered around upcoming product launches. There will likely be more to come, either virtually, live, or a hybrid of both, but for now, they include the following:

  • Multiple Neuro2 Cochlear Implant System training events (throughout the US)
  • Multiple PONTO bone anchored hearing system new technology launch events (throughout the US)

We are also planning on having a presence at the following trade shows:

However we wind up interacting—online or in-person—rest assured you can look forward to more exciting and informational events from Oticon Medical throughout 2022. I hope you will join us!