Class Zone · Free forever

Random Name Picker

A fair spinner wheel for your class roster. Spin it, land it, confetti it.

A name spinner wheel built for real classrooms

Cold-calling is the highest-leverage participation move a teacher has — and the most resented, unless students can see it's fair. That's what this wheel is for. Type your roster into the panel once (one name per line), and it's saved in your browser for every class after that. Click Spin — or tap the wheel itself — and the wheel picks a winner with a genuinely uniform random draw, spins through four to six full turns, decelerates with a satisfying tick past every name, and lands with confetti and a fanfare. The theater is the point: when the whole class watches the wheel slow down, nobody argues with the result.

How to use it

  1. Add your class. Paste or type names in the side panel, one per line. Use + New to keep a separate roster for each period.
  2. Spin. Click the big button or tap the wheel. Every remaining name has an identical chance — the winner is drawn before the animation even starts.
  3. Decide what happens next. Keep the winner on the wheel, remove them for this round, or turn on Remove picked names to work through the whole class without repeats — the classic equity-sticks routine, minus the popsicle sticks.
  4. Go fullscreen for a clean projector view during discussions, review games, or randomized presentations order.

Teachers use it for far more than cold-calling: picking presentation order, assigning debate sides, choosing the day's materials manager, raffling off five bonus points, or letting the wheel decide which essay prompt the class tackles. Anything you'd pull from a hat, the wheel does with more drama and zero paper scraps.

Your roster stays on your device — nothing is uploaded, ever. And because it's part of Class Zone, the same class list powers the random group generator and the seating chart generator. Type it once, use it everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Is the wheel actually fair?

Yes. The winner is chosen with a uniform random draw the instant you click Spin — every remaining name has exactly the same chance — and the wheel then animates to land on that name. The spin is the celebration, not the randomizer.

Can it remove a student after they're picked?

Yes. Turn on 'Remove picked names' and each winner leaves the wheel until everyone has had a turn, or remove them one pick at a time from the winner popup. Reset restores the full class in one click.

Where is my class list stored?

Only in your own browser on your own device. Your roster is never uploaded anywhere — there's no account and no server. The same roster is shared with the other Class Zone tools on this site.

Does it work on an iPad or interactive whiteboard?

Yes — tap the wheel itself to spin, and use the fullscreen button for a clean projector view. Everything is touch-friendly with large tap targets.

Can I keep a different list for each class period?

Yes. Add each period as its own class roster with the + New button and switch between them from the dropdown. Every Class Zone tool follows along.