The student picker wheel is a random name caller for the classroom. You put your roster on the wheel, project it on the board, and spin when you need a volunteer, a reader, or someone to answer the next question. Every name has the same chance, and the result is decided the moment you press spin, so the animation is just for show.
Teachers use it for cold calling, picking line leaders, choosing who presents first, and handing out classroom jobs. Students tend to accept a pick from the wheel more easily than a pick from the teacher. It also keeps the same three hands from answering every question, which helps quieter kids get a turn to speak.
Load your class roster in under a minute
Copy the name column from your gradebook or a spreadsheet and paste it into the entries box. Each line becomes one slice. Delete the sample names first. Save the wheel in this browser and name it after the class period, so you can open Period 2 or Period 5 tomorrow without retyping anything. Names never leave your computer unless you choose to share a link.
- Use first names only, or first name plus last initial if two students share a name.
- Make one saved wheel per class or per group.
- Mark absent students by deleting their line for the day.
Use remove-winner so nobody is called twice
Turn on remove-winner and each picked name drops off the wheel after the spin. Keep going until the wheel is empty and you know every student was called exactly once. The results history shows the order, which is handy for presentation days. When you want a fresh round, reload your saved wheel and the full roster comes back.
Classroom tips for cold calling with a wheel
Ask the question first, pause, and then spin. That way the whole class thinks about the answer instead of only the student who was picked.
- Allow a phone-a-friend pass so a stuck student can ask a classmate.
- Spin twice for pair work or partner reading.
- Turn the sound off during quiet work or tests.
- Use full-screen so students in the back can read the names.
Frequently asked questions
Is the student picker really random?
Yes. Each name on the wheel has an equal chance, and the winner is chosen with the browser's cryptographic random generator before the wheel starts turning. The spin you see just animates to that result, so you cannot steer it and neither can students.
Are my students' names stored anywhere?
No. The roster stays in your browser. Saved wheels live in local storage on that device. The only way names leave your computer is if you create a share link, because the list is carried inside the URL itself.
Can I keep a student from being picked again?
Turn on remove-winner. After each spin the chosen name is taken off the wheel, so the next spin only picks from students who have not had a turn yet. Reload your saved wheel when you want to start over.
How many students can I put on the wheel?
Up to 60 names fit on one wheel, which covers almost any class. For a whole grade or a large lecture, split the list into two or three saved wheels and spin them by section.