Random pickers and timers for the classroom
Cold calling, splitting groups, keeping turns even and timing a task are four different problems, and the tool that solves one handles the others badly. This page says which to reach for and how to set it up before the lesson rather than during it.
Make the input list and rules visible so pupils can understand how the choice works. Random selection does not replace a teacher’s judgement about readiness, accessibility or a pupil’s right to pass.
Which tool for which classroom task
Five tools cover almost everything a lesson needs from randomness and timing.
Cold calling without asking the same pupils
Put the class list on the wheel and press Hide selected after each pupil answers. This is a manual step; restore hidden names when you want to begin a new round.
Read the entry counter out at the start. Ask pupils to check the list itself as well as the count before starting.
Wheel of NamesSplitting the class into groups
Paste the class list, set the group count to the number of tables, and generate. The list is shuffled before it is dealt out, so the groups do not follow the order you typed names in.
Groups are balanced by headcount only — the tool knows nothing about who works well together. If you need to keep two pupils apart, split the class into two lists and shuffle each one separately.
Shuffle List OnlineChoosing a few pupils for a role
Use a draw when you need three pupils for an activity rather than one after another. Winners are drawn without replacement, so the same name cannot fill two roles.
Add a reserve or two if the activity depends on somebody being present. Drawing reserves in the same run avoids a second draw when a pupil turns out to be absent.
Pick a Winner OnlineTiming a task the class can see
A visible countdown ends the negotiation about how long is left. Use simple mode for a single task and rounds for a carousel activity where groups rotate.
Open the full-screen view on the board and leave auto-start off, so a break ends when you say it does rather than while the class is still settling.
Online TimerTeaching probability with real data
Two dice give a distribution pupils can predict and then check. Have them guess how often each total appears, roll thirty times, and compare the tally against the theoretical 1-in-36 through 6-in-36 spread.
The mismatch after thirty rolls is the lesson. Small samples wander, and that is easier to feel from a tally chart than to take on trust.
Roll Two Dice OnlineSetting up before the lesson, not during it
Paste the class list once at the start of the period and leave the tab open. Retyping names in front of thirty pupils costs more time than the activity saves, and a mistyped name is the fastest way to lose the room's confidence in the mechanism.
If you teach several classes, keep each register in a separate tab rather than editing one list between lessons. Nothing is saved until you create a shared session, so a closed tab means typing it again.
Showing the class that it is fair
Fairness in a classroom is procedural: pupils accept a result when they saw the rules set before the outcome. Announce whether winners come off the wheel before the first spin, not after a spin you did not like.
Every selection here draws from the browser's cryptographic random source rather than a simple pseudo-random call, and values that would favour the earliest names are discarded. That is the honest answer to a pupil who asks whether it is rigged.
What these tools will not do
They do not know your pupils. Groups are balanced by number, not by ability, behaviour or friendship, and no setting changes that.
They do not keep records. A draw exists in the moment you run it, so if you need to evidence who was chosen, note it down as you go.
Alerts depend on the browser. A timer in a background tab can be throttled and its sound suppressed, so keep the timer visible on the board rather than behind a slide deck.
Classroom questions
What is the best random name picker for a classroom?
The wheel with hide-selected turned on. It shows the class that a pick happened and removes each pupil once they have answered, so the list is worked through evenly instead of returning to the same few names.
How do I split a class into equal groups?
Paste the class list into the shuffle tool and set the group count to the number of groups you want, up to 20. The list is randomized before it is split, and an uneven total spreads the remainder across the first groups.
Can I stop the same pupil being picked twice?
Yes. Turn on hide-selected on the wheel, and each pupil is removed after their turn. A draw does the same thing within one run, because winners are selected without replacement.
Do I need an account to use these in a lesson?
No. Every tool runs without signing in. An account only matters if you want a shared session that pupils or another teacher can follow on their own devices.
Will the timer still sound if I switch to my slides?
Not reliably. Browsers throttle background tabs and can block sound until permission is granted, so keep the timer on screen when the class is depending on it.