Tech Tip Tuesday - Random Name Picker

"Perhaps the simplest way to improve classroom questioning is simply not to ask for volunteers, but instead to choose a student at random," says Dylan Wiliam, an expert on formative assessment and effective questioning strategies. Read more about how random questioning increases student engagement in Wiliam's article "The Right Questions, The Right Way." 

Try these two tools to easily digitize the popsicle stick strategy:

Random Name Picker is a free tool from Classtools.net. It lets you input names and spin a virtual wheel to have a name randomly selected from the list. After a name is selected you can remove it from the wheel so that it is not selected again. You can save your lists by assigning passwords to them. You can also re-use your saved lists. 



Stick Pick is an app for iPhone or iPad where you can set up multiple virtual cans of sticks. It also suggests question starters for learners at different levels and allows you to keep track of student responses.