Random name picker

Calling on students fairly

Picking names at random is one of the simplest ways to hear from the whole class instead of the same few raised hands. When anyone might be called, everyone has a reason to think about the question. Teacher trainer Doug Lemov calls this "cold calling", and a few habits make it feel fair rather than like a trap:

• Ask first, then pick. Pose the question, give everyone time to think, then pick the name. If you pick first, the rest of the class can switch off.
• Wait a few seconds. Research on "wait time", going back to Mary Budd Rowe in the 1970s, found that when teachers paused about three seconds after a question, rather than the usual second or less, students gave longer, more thoughtful answers.
• Let students rehearse. A quick turn-and-talk with a partner before you pick means nobody is caught with nothing to say.
• Make "I don't know" a starting point. Offer a hint or come back to the student after someone else answers, so they still finish with a correct answer.
• Keep it neutral. Use the picker for questions, jobs and turns, never as a punishment, so being picked is simply part of class.

Why remove picked names?

Truly random picks with repeats allowed are fair on each pick, but they are lumpy over a lesson: some students come up twice while others are never called. If you pick as many times as there are students, on average about 37% of the class is never picked at all. The table shows the expected number for common class sizes.

With Remove picked names switched on, the picker works like drawing names from a hat without putting them back: each pick is still random among the students left, and everyone gets exactly one turn before anyone gets a second. Turn it off for quick-fire questions where you want anyone to be possible at any moment.

Giveaways and prize drawings

For an office party door prize, a book club, a classroom reward or a free giveaway among friends, the picker is quick and transparent: paste the entrants, show the screen and pick. Use Present mode or share your screen so everyone sees the draw, and write down the winner from the history list. For social media giveaways, copy the entrants' names into the list yourself and follow the platform's rules for promotions.

It is not meant for paid raffles, lotteries or any drawing where people pay for a chance to win. In the US those are regulated by each state: most allow raffles only for qualifying nonprofits, often with a permit, a few ban them outright, and the rules usually call for records this simple page doesn't keep.

More for the classroom

Need groups rather than one name? The team generator splits the same list into balanced random teams, and saved lists are shared between the two tools. For game day, make a set of cards with the bingo card generator, and keep track of marks with the grade calculator and the test grade calculator.