Can I save more than one class?

Yes. Click '+' in the toolbar to create a new wheel for each class period or section. Switch between them with the wheel dropdown. Entries, colors, and history are saved per wheel.

How do I make sure each student is called only once?

Enable 'Remove winner from wheel after spin' in Settings. Each student is removed after being picked, and the spin history keeps a record of the order. To start over, paste the roster back in.

Does this work on a smartboard or interactive whiteboard?

Yes. The wheel is responsive and supports tap-to-spin, so it works on Promethean, SMART, and other interactive boards. Press F or use the fullscreen icon to fill the screen.

Can I import my class roster from a CSV?

Yes. In the Entries tab, click Import to load a .csv or .txt file (one name per line, or comma/tab separated). You can also paste from a spreadsheet directly, and pasted CSV rows split into one entry per cell automatically.

Is the classroom name picker free?

Yes. Every feature on this page, including saving several class rosters, remove-after-pick, fullscreen and multi-pick, is free with no account, subscription or download.

Does it need a login or an app?

No. It runs in any modern browser on a laptop, tablet or interactive whiteboard. Open the page, paste your roster and spin. An account is optional and only adds syncing between devices.

Does it work if the classroom Wi-Fi drops?

Once the page has loaded, spinning and picking happen entirely in the browser, so a spin does not need a connection. Your rosters are already saved on the machine. Only optional account sync waits for the network to return.

Is this safe for student privacy?

Yes. By default names are stored only in the teacher's browser and nothing is sent to a server; no login is needed. If you choose to save a wheel to an optional account so it follows you between machines, that copy is private to your account and used for nothing else.

Classroom Name Picker for Teachers

A classroom name picker is a random wheel that chooses which student answers next, so every student gets an equal chance and nobody is picked by habit. Paste your class roster, hit spin, and call on a student fairly. Save a list per class, remove names that have already gone, and use fullscreen on the classroom projector. Free, no login.

Open the wheel →✨ Generate entries with AI

Sample entries: Sample class

Aarav
Beatrix
Carlos
Daniela
Eli
Fatima
Gabriel
Hina
Isaac
Jasmine
Kenji
Leah
Mateo
Nadia
Owen

Copy these into the Entries tab on the main wheel.

15 slices · click the wheel or press Spin

EntriesOpen in the full wheel →

Why use this wheel

Save one wheel per class, then switch between Period 1, Period 2, etc.
'Remove winner' option so each student gets called only once per round
Spin history shows who has been called, so you can check turns at a glance
Per-name custom colors so teams or groups stand out
Fullscreen mode (press F) for the projector
Tap-to-spin works on tablets and interactive whiteboards

Common uses

Cold-call without bias. Call on students randomly so the same hands aren't always raised, and so the quiet students get fair turns.
Pair / group assignments. Multi-pick to draw partners or rotate students into groups, or use the random pairing generator and team generator for a whole class at once. Use weights to balance grade levels or skill mix.
Order of presentations. Spin to set presentation order. Confetti and a TTS winner announcement adds a fun, low-stakes vibe.
Review games. Pair the picker with a question deck. Spin a name, ask the question, repeat.

Why random cold-calling beats hands-up

Hands-up participation quietly concentrates in a small group. In most classrooms the same four or five students answer the majority of questions, which means they get most of the retrieval practice and most of the teacher's diagnostic information, while the students whose understanding you most need to check stay invisible. Randomising who answers redistributes both.

The second effect is on preparation. When any student might be called, the rational move is to think about the answer rather than to decide whether to volunteer. Teachers who switch to random calling usually report the room going quieter and more attentive during the pause after a question, which is the behaviour you actually wanted.

It also removes a source of unconscious bias. Who a teacher calls on under time pressure correlates with seating position, name familiarity, and prior participation, none of which are pedagogically relevant. A wheel makes the selection procedure visible and identical for everyone, which students notice and accept far more readily than a teacher's judgement.

Using the picker without raising anxiety

Random calling can misfire if a wrong answer in front of the class is high-stakes. Three adjustments keep it safe. Give thinking time between the question and the spin (ask, pause ten seconds, then spin) so nobody is answering cold. Allow a 'phone a friend' pass. And ask questions with a defensible range of answers rather than a single right one, so being picked is an invitation to reason aloud rather than a test.

Tell the class what the wheel is doing and why, once, at the start of term. 'I use this so everyone gets an equal number of turns and I don't accidentally always call the same people' is an explanation students find fair. The transparency is most of the benefit; a randomiser they cannot see does not have the same effect.

For students with specific anxiety around being called on, pre-agree a signal or leave them off the wheel for a period and add them back when they are ready. The tool should serve the classroom you have, and a roster is a text box you control.

Managing rosters across several classes

Create one wheel per class period with the '+' button and name them the way your timetable does: 'Y9 Set 2', 'Period 3 Bio'. Entries, colours, and spin history are stored per wheel, so switching between them mid-day takes one click and no retyping.

Load rosters by pasting a column straight from your spreadsheet or MIS export, and pasted rows split into one entry per line automatically. If names repeat across classes that is fine; each wheel is independent.

Turn on 'remove winner from wheel' for a single lesson so each student is called exactly once, then paste the roster back at the start of the next lesson to reset. If you want equal turns across a whole week rather than a single lesson, leave the wheel un-reset and let it exhaust over several days.

Rosters live in your browser's localStorage and, by default, are never sent to a server, which is what makes this usable with real student names. That also ties them to one browser profile. If you teach from two machines, either re-paste, or save the wheel to an optional account so it follows you; the choice is yours per wheel.

How to use classroom name picker for teachers

Create a wheel per class. Click '+' in the toolbar and name the wheel after the class period, then paste that class roster one name per line.
Turn on remove-after-pick. Open Settings → 'Remove winner from wheel after spin' so each student is called exactly once per round.
Project it. Press F for fullscreen on the classroom projector or smartboard. Tap-to-spin works on interactive boards.
Ask, pause, then spin. Pose the question, give the class thinking time, and spin only afterwards so nobody is answering cold.

Frequently asked questions

Can I save more than one class?: Yes. Click '+' in the toolbar to create a new wheel for each class period or section. Switch between them with the wheel dropdown. Entries, colors, and history are saved per wheel.
How do I make sure each student is called only once?: Enable 'Remove winner from wheel after spin' in Settings. Each student is removed after being picked, and the spin history keeps a record of the order. To start over, paste the roster back in.
Does this work on a smartboard or interactive whiteboard?: Yes. The wheel is responsive and supports tap-to-spin, so it works on Promethean, SMART, and other interactive boards. Press F or use the fullscreen icon to fill the screen.
Can I import my class roster from a CSV?: Yes. In the Entries tab, click Import to load a .csv or .txt file (one name per line, or comma/tab separated). You can also paste from a spreadsheet directly, and pasted CSV rows split into one entry per cell automatically.
Is the classroom name picker free?: Yes. Every feature on this page, including saving several class rosters, remove-after-pick, fullscreen and multi-pick, is free with no account, subscription or download.
Does it need a login or an app?: No. It runs in any modern browser on a laptop, tablet or interactive whiteboard. Open the page, paste your roster and spin. An account is optional and only adds syncing between devices.
Does it work if the classroom Wi-Fi drops?: Once the page has loaded, spinning and picking happen entirely in the browser, so a spin does not need a connection. Your rosters are already saved on the machine. Only optional account sync waits for the network to return.
Is this safe for student privacy?: Yes. By default names are stored only in the teacher's browser and nothing is sent to a server; no login is needed. If you choose to save a wheel to an optional account so it follows you between machines, that copy is private to your account and used for nothing else.

Free random spinner from SpinOfLuck, with no signup and no ads, running entirely in your browser.