Random name picker for the classroom board
Put the names of your class on the wheel, press spin, and the wheel lands on one of them. It fills the board, so the whole room sees whose turn it is. Free, no account and no adverts.
How it works
Put the names in
One name per line, or paste a list from your register; commas and tabs work too. The tool counts them, so you can see the class is all there before you spin.
Spin the wheel
One press and the wheel turns for a few seconds before it slows down. Enter does the same, so you can spin without reaching for the mouse.
Read off where the pointer stopped
The wheel stands still for a moment with the pointer on a name, and then that name fills the board. There is nothing left to argue about.
Spin again, or take the name off
Switch on "Take the picked name off" and whoever has had a turn leaves the wheel. That way you work through the whole class and nobody comes up twice.
Why a wheel works better than pointing
Choosing someone yourself costs nothing, but it starts the same conversation every time. Why him again, why never me, you always pick the same people. That conversation is not about the turn, it is about you, and a lesson has no room for it.
A wheel takes you out of the question. The class watches the same screen for a few seconds, sees the pointer slow to a stop, and then the name fills the board. There is nothing to negotiate, because everyone saw it happen. That is also why the wheel stands still before the name comes up: anyone who doubts it has had time to look.
What the wheel does not know is who is off ill today and who read out loud ten minutes ago. You know that. Spin again when it happens, or switch on the setting so that whoever has had a turn comes off the wheel.
In the lesson
For questions and turns, spin once per question. With the setting on, everybody comes up exactly once, and the wheel itself shows how many children are still waiting.
For jobs, put the tasks on the wheel instead of the names: wipe the board, water the plants, tidy the reading corner. The spin then picks the job rather than the child.
For a quiz or a game, fill the wheel with topics, times tables or letters. Anything you type on its own line becomes a slice.
And in the first weeks of the year, when you do not know the names by heart yet, a wheel is a plain way of getting round the class without missing anyone.
Where the names of your class go
The names are kept in this browser and nowhere else. They are not sent to a server, nothing is done with them, and "Clear names" empties the box in one press. Next lesson your class is simply there again, on this computer.
If you want the same class on the board in the classroom as well, a free account lets you keep a list of names. That list is shared with the group maker: whatever you saved there loads here in one click.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account?
No. You type the names in and spin. An account is only needed if you want to keep a list of names and find it again on another computer.
Where do the names of my pupils go?
Into your own browser, on this computer. They are not sent anywhere and not stored on a server, unless you save them under your account yourself. "Clear names" removes them in one press.
How many names fit on the wheel?
Forty, which is comfortably more than a full class. If there are more in the box, a line under the wheel says that the rest are left off, so nobody is ever quietly left out of the draw.
Can I put something other than names on it?
Yes. Anything you type on its own line becomes a slice: jobs, topics, times tables, or yes and no. Short words read best, because a long one is cut off on the wheel.
Can the same name come up twice in a row?
Yes, because every spin stands on its own and is genuinely random. If you would rather it did not, switch on "Take the picked name off" and each name comes up once.
Does it work on a classroom board?
Yes. The button in the top right makes the page fill the screen, and the name is then large enough to read from the back of the room. Enter spins again without a mouse.
Does the name picker cost anything?
No. The wheel is free and stays free. There are no adverts on it and nothing is asked of you.
Other tools
- Timer
Timer and stopwatch with large digits and a sound at the end.
- Whiteboard
Write and draw on the board, with markers, an eraser and lines or squares.
- Maths flash cards
Sums flash up on the board one at a time while the class writes the answers down.
- Verb tenses
Fill in the verb in the sentence. Present, past and present perfect, with sentences about football, gaming or holidays.