"Help Flags" in the Computer Lab

I have needed a management tool for the computer lab in the last couple of years, and I thought of this over the summer. It is a basic clip with a popsicle stick coming out of the top. I have a class set and everyone snags one when we head to the lab. When we get there, they know to first open our typing software and then hide it in the dock (command H) on a Mac. Then, we open the application we will be working on and off they go.


Here is where the flags come in. When they run into a hiccup, or need help, they put their flag up, open the typing software and occupy themselves while they wait. This keeps them from waiting unproductively while I am helping other students, and it  keeps them from holding their hands in the air, or calling my name. They are cheap, and has done wonders for changing the atmosphere in the lab.