seminar class discussion system
a class discussion moderation system that goes like this: a screen maintains the speaker order - whoever is next on the screen after the current person finishes speaks next. people add themselves to the list by texting or twittering or whatever, it's automated. but the list is not FIFO! oh no it is most certainly not. at the beginning of every class each student gets 100 points. whenever someone texts in, they must indicate how many points they are willing to spend to speak sooner rather than later/never. the person who has placed the highest bid gets to speak next; bids are visible next to names on the list. a bid can be withdrawn at any time prior to speaking (in case the discussion changes topics). yeah, not everyone is equally smart, and i hate penalizing the smart people. but also, not everyone is equally vocal, and i hate the tyrrany of the loud even more. sure, some people will squander their points and have a good idea and never say it. but i think the filtering that goes on would improve the overall discussion.