Why a name wheel works so well
Calling on people by name can feel personal — someone always wonders why they were picked. A spinning wheel takes that pressure off. Everyone can see the list, everyone can watch the spin, and nobody can accuse the teacher, host or team lead of playing favorites.
The wheel also adds a little suspense. Students sit up, meeting attendees look up from their laptops, and viewers in a livestream chat start guessing who it will land on.
Make sure everyone gets a turn
Turn on Elimination mode in the Spin tab and each name is removed after it's picked. Keep spinning until the wheel is empty and you'll have called on every person exactly once, in a random order. When you're done, hit Restore all to put everyone back.
Prefer to keep names on the wheel? Tally mode counts how many times each person has been picked, which is handy for spotting anyone who hasn't had a turn yet.
Tips for teachers and hosts
- Paste names straight from a Google Sheets or Excel column — one name per row.
- Create a separate wheel for each class period (up to eight) so lists don't get mixed up.
- Attach a question to each name with Hidden activities to create instant cold-call prompts.
- Use fullscreen mode on a projector or shared screen for a clean, ad-free view.
- Turn on 'Read result aloud' so the winner is announced for the whole room.