Random Name Fun!

Tonight I'm going to show you a really quick and simple webpage that I have used in my classroom many, many times. It is extremely simplistic, but can be used for a number of things. It is a random name generator with a fun and interactive appearance. It will randomly generate names in a slot machine (or in a typewriter) that you put in.

I keep a text file with my class rosters in it, which allows me to just copy and paste the names of my students into this page. What I usually do, is to use this for review days. I will put an activity up on the smartboard for the students to do, and then if they get it right I switch over to this screen. They can push the "Fruit Machine" button you see on the right and it will generate the next name. You can have the names removed after they have been selected if you would like.

The animation looks just like a slot machine and my students have always had fun watching the names spin around and around. It even has a dramatic stall at the end between two names before finally selecting one. I like this because it makes sure everyone is focused on the activity because they can be called on at any time. It also makes randomly picking names fun for the students.

ClassTools.net has a large variety of tools that I will be covering at a later date. Any suggestions you may have for future blogs are always welcome! Feel free to comment!