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ChoiceSpin for Teachers
A spinner wheel does two useful things in a classroom. It keeps participation fair, and it makes that fairness obvious enough that students stop arguing about it. This page covers how to set ChoiceSpin up for your class.
Open the wheel of namesWhy teachers reach for a spinner wheel
When you call on students yourself, someone always believes you have favorites. When the wheel does it in front of the class, everyone watched a random pick happen, and the argument ends before it starts.
The spin itself buys you something too. A wheel slowing down on the projector holds a class's attention in a way a name read from a list never will.
Local by default
Rosters stay in this browser unless you choose an enabled hosted action, download a file, or move data through device services.
Fair and visibly so
Equal default weight per enabled line, plus browser-local recent results the class can follow.
Five classroom setups that work
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1
Random student picker. Paste your roster into the wheel of names and spin whenever you need a reader, an answer, or a volunteer.
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2
Cold calling with fewer repeats. Auto remove winner can work through a roster until the wheel reaches its two-entry floor. With Show Duplicates on, it removes only the chosen matching line, so the same displayed name can appear again if that label occurs more than once. With Show Duplicates off, it removes all exact copies only when two other non-empty lines will remain. Handle the final two entries manually. The visible Results tab is browser-local recent history, not an attendance record, calling-order evidence, or authoritative participation record.
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3
Group and team maker. Put team names on the random team generator, call students up one at a time, and let the spin assign them. Nobody gets picked last.
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4
Review games. Spin the random number wheel to pick which practice problem comes next, or the random letter wheel for vocabulary and spelling games. For a two-step game, save one student wheel and one question wheel in My Wheels, then switch between them.
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5
Reward and brain-break wheel. Fill a wheel with two-minute activities or small class rewards and let a student spin it. The randomness is the fun part.
Student names stay in your browser
This is the part schools care about. ChoiceSpin doesn't use accounts or student sign-ins, and rosters you type or save with My Wheels are stored locally in your browser on your device. When enabled, creating a private Share link or live room sends the wheel data needed for other people to open or join it. Downloaded .wheel files are separate backups, and Gallery browsing stays separate from private classroom wheels.
You can ask ChoiceSpin to start a local browser download of a .wheel file; ChoiceSpin does not upload that file itself. Your browser, operating system, synchronization settings, managed-device policy, and any later transfer choice determine where the file goes. Use school-approved storage and transfer methods. See the privacy policy for details.
Set up each class once, reuse it all year
Paste a roster, then save it to My Wheels with the class name (one saved wheel per period). Next lesson it reopens in one click, with no retyping.
If a colleague wants your setup, use Share to create a private link when the secure hosted service is enabled. Use Download only when you want to send a separate .wheel backup through a school-approved service. They open their own copy, so their edits never change yours.
Some teachers skip the tab switching entirely and put the wheel straight on a class website or course page. The website embed guide shows how one pasted snippet does it, with no student accounts involved.
Made for the projector
Use Fullscreen mode for a big, clean wheel on the board, and turn spin sounds on or off to match your classroom. Colors and images are customizable too. Some teachers add student photos or subject icons to the slices.
The result box announces the selected name, and the browser-local Results history can help the class review recent picks. Check readability on the actual projector or board before using it with students.
Quick start for your first lesson
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1
Open the wheel of names and paste your roster, one student per line.
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2
Click Save and add it to My Wheels under the class name.
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3
Turn on auto remove winner if you want to reduce repeat picks. Check duplicate names first, and plan to handle the final two entries manually.
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4
Go fullscreen, spin, and teach. Check the roster, weights, duplicates, display, and input on the classroom device before the lesson.
Questions teachers ask
Is ChoiceSpin free for schools and classrooms?
Yes. Spinning, saving rosters, downloading wheel files, and all customization are free, and neither you nor your students need an account.
Where are my students' names stored?
In your browser on your device. ChoiceSpin does not upload a roster just because you type or save it. If you use an enabled hosted action, the required data is sent to that service. A downloaded .wheel file starts as a local browser download; your device and later transfer choices determine where it goes.
Can I make sure every student gets picked exactly once?
Not completely automatically. Auto remove winner stops before the wheel would have fewer than two non-empty lines. With Show Duplicates on it removes only the selected matching line, so the same displayed name can appear again; with Show Duplicates off it removes all exact copies only when two other lines remain. Handle the final two entries manually, and use the browser-local Results history only as a convenient view of recent picks, not attendance or calling-order evidence.
Can I keep separate wheels for each class period?
Yes. Save each roster to My Wheels under its own name and switch between them. Available capacity depends on the browser and device storage, so keep separate .wheel backups where school policy permits.
Does it work on interactive whiteboards?
Board browsers, touch input, operating systems, projectors, and managed-device policies vary. Test Fullscreen, clicking or tapping, and readability on the school's actual setup before class.
Is the pick actually fair?
Each enabled line has equal default weight. Duplicate lines can increase one student's total chance, and Advanced weights can change it further. Check the visible slices and settings before spinning. The fairness page explains exactly how a winner is selected.
Set up your class wheel now
Paste your roster into the wheel of names, save it, and you'll have a fair name-picker ready before the bell.