I have been recommending Blue Snowball microphones for many years. They provide outstanding audio quality for not a lot of money. And they have always proven to be durable for classroom use. Here’s my latest testament to their durability.

On Monday morning I got up at 3am for a flight to Missouri. As you might expect, I was groggy as could be while going through the TSA security checkpoint. Even though I have TSA Pre✓® which enables me to leave my laptop in my bag, I take my Blue Snowball microphone out of my bag because every TSA screener is mystified when they see the microphone in the x-ray scanner. Usually this is just a minor inconvenience. On Monday morning in my groggy state I pushed my tote right off the scanner conveyor belt and right onto the floor. The microphone crashed to the concrete floor then bounced a few feet before coming to rest against a cart.  After a crash and multiple bounces on the concrete I figured that my Blue Snowball microphone was toast. But after clearing security I tested it and it worked just fine.

If you’re considering doing any podcasting or video projects in your classroom this year and you want to improve the quality of your students’ recordings, give the Blue Snowball microphone a try.

Update about recording on iPads:
Andrew Croce asked me on Facebook about using this microphone with an iPad. It can be done if you have an adapter to connect your iPad to a standard USB cable. However, when you do that you will probably experience degraded recording quality. For that reason I recommend using a microphone built specifically for recording on an iPad. The iRig products like this microphone made for podcasting from iOS are a better option than recording with a mic connected to your iPad through an adapter.