Random name picker
A random name picker for the classroom: it picks from your class list, on the screen or with a wheel, and gives everyone a turn first. It needs a free teacher account.
This is the Random name from OpenEduCat Board, where it sits next to everything else you use in a lesson.
Key facts
- Modes
- A pick from the list, or a spinning wheel
- Names per pick
- 1, 2 or 3 from the list, or one at a time on the wheel
- Where it runs
- This page and OpenEduCat Board
- Languages
- English
- Price
- Free
- Account
- A free teacher account; students never sign in
Ways teachers use it
- Cold calling, so every pupil gets a turn before anyone gets a second.
- Choosing who reads next or who hands out the books.
- The wheel for a class reward, with the whole room watching.
- Marking a pupil as away today, so the name stays out until tomorrow.
How to use it
- Add Random name from the widget bar.
- Paste your class list, one name per line, or choose a saved list in the settings.
- Press Pick a name, or Spin to pick with the wheel.
Templates with this widget
OpenEduCat Board puts this name picker on one page with a timer, groups and a sound meter, for the projector.
Free account. Sign in once on each device; the board then works offline. The names you add here travel with you.
Embed on your site
The embedded widget works for teachers signed in to OpenEduCat in the same browser.
<iframe src="https://tools.openeducat.org/embed/random-name/" width="480" height="480" title="Random name from OpenEduCat Board" loading="lazy"></iframe>Related tools
- No student accounts.
- No ads.
- Data-processing agreement on request.
Questions
Is it a random name generator?
Yes. It picks a name at random from your class list, on the screen or with the wheel. Nobody is picked twice until everyone has had a turn, unless you turn that off.
Will the same name come up twice?
Not until everyone has had a turn, unless you turn that off in the settings.
Does it need internet?
Only to sign in once on each device. After that the Random name on OpenEduCat Board works offline; this page needs a connection.
Where do the names go?
The names you paste make a class list in your account, in the data region you chose. The same list opens on the board and in Group maker. Pupils never sign in.
Can I use the list I already have?
Yes. Your class lists are in your account, so pick one in the settings on this page or on the board.
Running a whole school? OpenEduCat for schools keeps it on one platform.
See OpenEduCat for schoolsCounted per page. Report a problem for bugs.