Ask Slashdot: Setting Up Wireless Voting For Students? 167
RabidRabbit23 writes "I volunteer for a non-profit that organizes Model UN conferences for high school students. We need a quick and low cost way to record votes done by the students in large committees. There will be two or three committees with about 200 students in each. We need to be able to record yes, no or abstention votes and must be able to identify each student's vote. We looked into radio response clickers, but it is very expensive to buy 400-600 of them. They cost about $40 at university bookstores, which is way out of our budget, but we don't know what kind of discount we could get by buying directly from the manufacturer. We do have wireless internet but we do not have enough bandwidth to support everyone using a laptop. Does the Slashdot community have any suggestions for a better way to record the students' votes?"
Model UN (Score:5, Funny)
A Model UN Club meeting is in progress at Springfield elementary.
SKINNER
Ok, delegates, you leave tomorrow for the statewide Model U.N., so this is out last chance to bone up. And bone we will!
All of the kids break into laughter, except Lisa.
BART
(to Lisa) Lighten up, Lis.
SKINNER
(to Martin) Finland, let's see that naitve dance.
Martin starts dancing Lappish style.
SKINNER
Smile more. Work that pelvis. No, too much smile. Sit down. (to Milhouse) Poland! Tell us about your nation's achievements!
MILHOUSE
Well, uh, I heard they sent a rocket to the sun once... at night... And there was that submarine, with the screen doors...
SKINNER
No, no, no, no, no, young man, you need to do some SERIOUS boning!
This time only Lisa laughs.
BART
Oh, grow up, Lis.
SKINNER
(to Bart) OK, Libya... exports!
BART
Yes, sir, you American pig!
SKINNER
(chuckles) Nice touch.
BART
Uh, ahem, let's see...
Bart shuffles his blank papers, pretending to find something.
BART
The exports of Libya are numerous in amount. One thing they export is corn, or as the Indians call it, "maize". Another famous Indian was "Crazy Horse". In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrast. Thank you.
A commotion interrupts Skinner before he can comment on Bart's performance. Nelson, the Japanese delegate, pinches Wendell's nose with chopsticks.
WENDELL
Oww, I can't breath! Please stop him!
SKINNER
I'd like to, but I'm afraid he has diplomatic immunity.
LISA
Point of order, if we want to learn anything we must respec--
BART
Point of odor, Lisa stinks.
All the kids laugh.
SHERRI
(to Bart) Hey. Leave her alone!
NELSON
(to Sherri) You leave her alone!
All the kids start fighting with each other, with one exception. Ralph, the Canadian delegate, stands.
RALPH
(singing) Oh, Canada!
Skinner bangs his shoe on the table.
SKINNER
Order, order! Do you kids wanna be like the real U.N., or do you just wanna squabble and waste time?
Re:Vote by SMS? (Score:5, Funny)
Why use any commercial solution at all? You're in a school after all. Make your students create simple buttons on your electrics class. You can just transfer the clicks via wire. Then make your programming class code the back-end system for a computer. Microsoft offers Visual Studio Express [microsoft.com] to students for free and you can easily get a cheap license to your school by calling Microsoft's sales team. At the same time your students will get real world experience and get to know the best programming tools used in the industry.
Come on, you're a Microsoft sales rep., aren't you?