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[school-discuss] Open Source Classroom Response Software "clickers"



I am a new member with a question and/or a proposal. I teach chemistry, computer repair and electronics at a high school in Utah. I have recently purchased a classroom response system. It is great but costs about $1000 for the cheapest systems. Does anyone know of an open source initiative to create a system like this? Here is what I have done to date.

I am working on a cheap hardware platform to do the same thing using modified universal remote controls that can be had for $1 to $5 each at wal mart or the dollar store. Using off the shelf components you could put together a classroom response system for $80-$200, instead of $800-$2000 for a comercial sytstem. I have tested modifications to various cheap TV remotes and found it to be simple and cheap to modify a universal remote to perform the function of a student response device. (send a unique ID and an answer, then stop transmitting to allow others to answer)

The next step is to find or build the receiver, which would be a simple infrared receiver connected to the computer. The thing I am not able to do is program an application or plug-in for the open office presentation program. It is my hope to be able to find a group that might have developer talent willing to take on that project.

For those of you not familiar with CRS's they are basically a way to gather answers from each student during a lecture and display a bar chart of how many answered what. Each student gets a remote response device which is generally an infrared or radio transmitter. They look like TV remote controls. A question is asked on the powerpoint and each child can transmit their answer to the computer through a receiver on the computer. The bar chart is then displayed to show how many students are understanding the concept. This allows formative assesment to be used during a lecture. It is an exciting technology that is catching on in high schools and colleges around the country.

Thanks

Bryan Jackson
Springville High School
Springville UT