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What open source software for PDAs/smart phones (like Blackberry )is best for student attendance monitoring/tracking? Any specific/brand of software? Or any possible specific hardware for that software?

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A short, practical summary that builds on the thread: asked about open-source PDA/smartphone solutions; correctly warned about abuse potential, and / noted there’s no single “best” off-the-shelf answer. Three durable, open-source approaches to consider are: integrate an LMS attendance activity (Moodle’s Attendance plugin), use an open student‑information system that includes attendance, or use a mobile data‑collection app that supports offline forms and later sync. ()

Hardware and capture choices drive cost and abuse-risk. The lowest-cost, easiest route is camera + QR codes (students scan a per‑session QR or a personal QR on an ID). Next are Bluetooth/USB barcode scanners (act as keyboard input) or NFC tag readers if card tapping is preferred. For example, a common desktop NFC reader is the ACS/ACR122U. Biometric terminals exist, but major privacy and accuracy concerns have led civil‑liberty groups and some states to advise caution before deploying biometrics in schools. (acr122.com)

A pragmatic rollout checklist:

  1. Pick a stack that matches devices/connectivity (LMS plugin, SIS, or ODK-style forms).
  2. Pilot one class for 2–4 weeks with camera/QR check‑in plus a teacher spot‑check.
  3. Add anti‑abuse controls: per‑session short‑lived QR tokens or one‑time passcodes, optional geolocation timestamping, and teacher override logging.
  4. Keep immutable audit logs and simple export reports (CSV/Excel) for admins.
  5. Review privacy/legal rules (local school policy, FERPA/GDPR where applicable) and set short, documented retention windows.

This balances ’s valid concern for teacher verification with the time-savings hinted at via commercial tools. For long‑term use, start small, keep a paper/teacher-verified fallback, and choose the method that matches available devices, offline needs, and privacy constraints.

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Member Avatar for jwenting

such systems are utterly useless in that they can be very easily abused.
A teacher who knows their pupils and keeps an attendance log on paper (maybe transferred later to computer) is far more efficient and a lot cheaper.

Member Avatar for WaltP

What open source software for PDAs/smart phones (like Blackberry )is best for student attendance monitoring/tracking? Any specific/brand of software? Or any possible specific hardware for that software?

If there was a best there wouldn't be choices...

commented: Bullseye, but that doesn't mean you are the best ;) +0
Member Avatar for Netcode

maybe you can design one to fit your needs

Member Avatar for josetha

I would like to suggest you best software for track the student it can be easily generate the report.

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