Three Random Name Pickers

From picking a line leader, to calling on a student during a discussion, to drawing a prize-winner there are plenty of times when we all need an unbiased random name selector. Over the years I’ve tried a lot of random name selector tools. I keep coming back to the following three options.

Flippity.net offers a random name picker that can be used to select one student’s name at random. It can also be used to random create small groups of students. You can even use it to create a randomized seating chart! Try the demo here and watch the video below for my demonstration.

Wheel of Names is a free random name picker website that not only lets you enter names, it lets you upload images to be chosen at random. Wheel of Names also lets you create a free account that you can use to save a series of wheels. That option could be helpful if you have multiple classes and don’t want to enter names whenever you need to pick a name at random. Watch this video to see Wheel of Names in action.

ClassTools.net has been in my toolbox of go-to resources for a decade or more. It is developed and maintained by a history teacher named Russel Tarr. Russel is always adding new things to ClassTools. The random name picker on ClassTools is one thing that has been there for a long time and is still handy. I’ve used it many times in my own classes and in conference settings.

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