Silent Count
A noise monitor for middle and high school, played as a sports game on the board. Each class period is a team, and the quieter the room stays during work time, the better its team plays.
- Free
- Board
- Grades 6–12
- Football · Basketball · Soccer
- Mic or no mic
- No sign-up
Quiet work time, scored like a game
Silent Count started with a high school student who commented on one of Mr. Fanfan's TikToks. A few classmates talk over her teacher every day, and the quiet-time sites her class had tried were made for little kids, so nobody cared. Silent Count puts a sports game on the board instead. While students work, their class period's team plays football, basketball or soccer against a made-up rival. When the room gets loud, the team fumbles and misses shots. When it stays quiet, the team scores. At the end, the result comes from one number: if the room was quiet for enough of the timer, the class wins.
How Silent Count works
Give each class period a team
Open flintk12.com/silentcount and press New class. Enter the period, a team name (there's a list of ideas), a short name of up to 4 letters for the scoreboard and the team colors. No student names go in anywhere.
Set the timer and the quiet goal
Press Play a game. Pick the length of the work block (5 to 60 minutes, or any length up to 120), the quiet goal (50% to 95%) and the voice level: Silent, Whisper or Partner talk. Use the mic, or pick No mic and press Too loud yourself when the room gets loud.
The game plays while students work
After a short Quiet for kickoff countdown, the game runs on the board for the whole timer, with the game clock sped up to fit it. The scoreboard shows the score and the class's quiet percentage so far, with a tick at the goal. A short burst of noise doesn't count. The room has to stay loud for a few seconds before the team starts to struggle.
The final matches the quiet goal
When the timer runs out, the class wins if it met its quiet goal and loses if it didn't, every time. A close game often ends on a last play, like a buzzer beater or a stoppage-time goal. The final card shows the quiet percentage against the goal, the play of the game and the team's record.
What's in Silent Count
Cheering after a score costs points
When the class scores, the crowd roars, and the app doesn't count its own crowd noise against the class. Then the room has a few seconds to settle. If students cheer for a second and a half, the referee throws a flag and the score comes off.
A season that runs all year
Each team plays an 8-game season against made-up rivals. Five wins earn a semifinal and a final. Fewer wins earn a bowl game, so there's still something to play for. Football is the default in the fall, basketball in the winter and soccer in the spring, and the year ends with a Championship.
Race your other periods, if you want to
Turn on Compare periods in Settings and the Period race ranks your class periods by quiet minutes, by week, season or year. It's off until you turn it on, so each class can just play its own season.
Men's and women's leagues
Every sport has a men's and a women's league, with the same game, the same arenas and the same crowds. Football is men's tackle or women's flag. The class picks the league it wants to follow when a season starts.
Built for a real class period
- Teach the mic takes 20 seconds: 10 seconds of silence, then 10 of whispering, with the crowd sound playing so it learns to ignore that too.
- The mic measures how loud the room is on the device. It never records or uploads sound.
- Pop out puts the game in a small window over your slides in Chrome, with the controls left in the tab.
- Keyboard shortcuts: Space pauses, L is Too loud, F is full screen and P pops the game out.
- End early after half the timer and the game counts. Before half, it's an exhibition and the record stays the same.
- Quick game plays one game of any sport and length that doesn't count toward the season.
- Crowd sound can murmur all game, play only on big moments, or stay off with captions. Reduce motion keeps the players still.
- Start a new year in Settings moves the year's titles into the Hall of Fame.
No accounts and no student names
Silent Count has no accounts and asks for no student names or emails. Your teams and seasons are saved in this browser. Save to file in Settings keeps a copy you can open on another computer.
Silent Count questions
What is Silent Count?
A free classroom noise monitor for grades 6 to 12. A sports game plays on the board during work time, and how quiet the room stays decides whether the class's team wins.
How does it decide who wins?
It counts the share of the timer the room was quiet. If that share reaches the quiet goal, 75% unless you change it, the class wins. If it falls short, the class loses.
Does it work without a microphone?
Yes. Pick No mic before the game and press Too loud, or L on the keyboard, when the room gets loud. Press it again when the room settles.
Does it record my students?
No. The mic only measures how loud the room is, on your computer. Nothing is recorded or sent anywhere.
Will the crowd sound count as noise?
No. The game ignores the mic while its own crowd roar, whistle or horn plays, and Teach the mic listens with the crowd sound on. You can also set the crowd to play only on big moments, or turn it off.
Can my class periods compete with each other?
Yes, if you turn on Compare periods in Settings. The Period race ranks your periods by quiet minutes for the week, season or year.
Do I need an account?
No. There are no accounts or sign-ins. Your teams are saved in your browser, and Save to file makes a copy you can open anywhere.
