In today’s post, I am sharing with you some of my favourite random name picker tools to use with your students in class. The tools are web-based and require no software installation. They are also free and simple to use.
As teachers and educators, we are in a constant process of making decisions. We make decisions for what to teach and how, what to include and/or exclude, what to start our lesson with, which activities to incorporate, which students need immediate help with which learning area, and so on.
However, decision making, as important as it is, can be an energy draining and time consuming process especially when it branches out into micro management. But it does not have to be that way. We can delegate some of our decision making work to technology.
For instance, activities that require picking out students names can be easily managed using random name picker tools (and group generator tools). These are free web based tools that enable you to generate random names for whatever activity you want to do with students.
Ways to Use Random Name Pickers as a Teacher:
Random name pickers can be an extremely useful tool for teachers, not only ensuring fairness in the classroom but also adding an element of fun and suspense to the learning environment. Here are several ways you can use them:
- Equal Participation: Utilize a random name picker to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to participate in class discussions. This can help encourage quieter students to share their thoughts and prevent dominant students from monopolizing the conversation.
- Assigning Tasks or Roles: Whether you’re assigning homework, roles in a group project, or duties in the classroom, a random name picker can make the process fair and impartial.
- Forming Groups or Teams: If you need to split the class into groups or teams for activities or projects, a random name picker can do it quickly and impartially.
- Pop Quizzes: Use a random name picker to select students for pop quizzes. This keeps students on their toes and ensures everyone is studying and staying engaged.
- Reviewing Material: Instead of asking questions to the class as a whole, select a student at random to answer. This ensures everyone is paying attention and understands the material.
- Student Presentations: When it’s time for students to present their projects or reports, using a random name picker can ease anxiety about who goes first, making it a surprise and a game.
- Reward System: Incorporate a reward system in your class where you randomly pick a student’s name for a reward or privilege. This can motivate students to perform well or behave appropriately in anticipation of possibly being chosen.
- Reading or Reciting: In language arts or foreign language classes, you can use a random name picker to decide who will read a passage out loud or recite something from memory.
Best Random Name Pickers
Here are our picks for best random name pickers:
1. Name Picker by ClassPoint
Name Picker by ClassPoint seamlessly integrates with PowerPoint, allowing educators to access the Name Picker during slideshow mode for a smooth teaching experience. The ClassPoint Name Picker offers two views: the wheel view and card view. In the wheel view, student names appear on a spinning wheel, adding a touch of gamification to the classroom.
The card view hides student names behind emoji-designed cards, keeping participants on their toe. ClassPoint Name Picker’s versatility extends to a wide range of classroom activities, from roll calls and icebreakers to brainstorming sessions, making it an ideal tool for fostering active classroom involvement.
2- Rand Name Picker by ClassTools
Random Name Picker by Class Tools is definitely one of the best random name pickers out there. It is simple and easy to operate. Type in the names of students, click on submit then click on the wheel to start spinning.
Once the selected name is displayed, the tool asks whether you want to remove the chosen name or not. You can edit and save your list, share it with others or embed it in your blog or class website.
3- ABCYa’s Random Name Picker
Another great random name picker to use with your students in class. It helps you randomly select a student name for a given task in class. The way it works is similar to the previous tool. “Type or copy/paste as many names as you’d like into the text field and then spin the wheel to see whose name gets chosen! After a name is chosen, a prompt will pop-up asking if you would like to delete that name”.
4- Wheel of Names
Wheel of Names is a popular random name picker. Like the the two previous tools, you can simply type in the names of your students or use images then click to spin. Wheel of Names offers the added functions of shuffling and sorting names.
Another cool feature is the ability to link your wheel with Google spreadsheet and import names from there. Wheel of Names works offline but the offline version does not let you share or save your wheels.
5- Picker Wheel
Picker Wheel works in the same way as the previous tool. Simply type in your input and hit to spin the wheel and get random results. You can use the Settings button to customize the Wheel the way you want.
For instance you can adjust spinning duration, spinning speed, disable confetti, mute sound, customize starting and ending sounds, change the wheel the background and colors with various themes, and many more.
6. Flippity Random Name Picker
The Flippity Random Name Picker is an incredibly versatile tool found on Flippity.net that offers a fun and interactive way to randomly select names from a list. This tool is perfect for classroom use, allowing teachers to easily create a digital spinner for selecting a single name, organize students into lineups, or form groups and teams of various sizes ranging from two to five.
It also provides options to display the selections in a chart format for a quick overview. Additional features such as toggling to fullscreen for better visibility, showing or hiding a timer for time-bound activities, and displaying instructions make it a highly customizable and practical tool for educators.
Whether for picking students for classroom tasks, creating random teams for group activities, or simply adding an element of surprise to the learning environment, the Flippity Random Name Picker streamlines the process in a fun and engaging manner.
Final thoughts
In wrapping up, the landscape of classroom decision-making can be wonderfully augmented with the use of these ingenious random name picker tools. They not only streamline the process of selecting students for various tasks but also infuse the classroom with a sense of fairness and excitement. Whether it’s for popping quiz questions, assigning presentation turns, or even managing classroom chores, these tools can help you nurture a dynamic and inclusive learning environment. From the engaging spin of the Wheel of Names to the customizable features of Picker Wheel, there’s a tool that fits every teaching style and need.
