Free tools for the classroom
A timer for quiet work, a wheel to pick who answers next, fair groups in seconds: these tools run right in the browser, on the projector just as well as on a tablet. Nobody has to sign up, neither you nor your students.
The right tools
- TimerMake time visible for quiet work, quizzes or tidying up. Presets for 5, 10 or 15 minutes, with an alarm at the end.
- StopwatchTime presentations, relay races or experiments. Records laps and keeps running if the page is reloaded.
- CountdownCount down the days to the holidays, a school trip or a deadline, big on the wall.
- Wheel spinnerWho reads next, who presents? Paste your class list and spin. Picked names can drop off the wheel.
- Random name pickerDraw one or several names, or shuffle the order for presentations, instantly and without animation.
- Team generatorSplit the class into random groups, by number of groups or by students per group.
- Dice rollerFor maths, game lessons and probability: 1 to 10 dice, from d4 to d20.
- Coin flipHeads or tails, or 100 flips at once. Handy for experiments on relative frequency.
- Random number generatorPick question numbers, seats or numbers for arithmetic drills, optionally without repeats.
- Tournament bracketFixtures for sports day, quiz tournaments or class championships: round robin or knockout.
- Secret SantaDraw a class Secret Santa: every student gets a personal link and only sees who they are buying for.
- Typing testMeasure typing speed in computing or keyboarding lessons, over 30 seconds, 1 or 3 minutes.
On the projector or whiteboard
- Full-screen button: the timer, stopwatch and countdown have a “Full screen” button. Only the time display then fills the screen; Esc exits.
- Browser full screen: for the wheel spinner, name picker or teams, F11 (Windows, Linux) or Ctrl+Cmd+F (Mac) hides the browser bars.
- Make it bigger: Ctrl++ (Mac: Cmd++) zooms in until the back row can read it. Ctrl+0 resets.
- Keyboard instead of mouse: Space starts and pauses the timer and stopwatch, R resets, L records a lap on the stopwatch.
- Sound: browsers only play sound after a click on the page. Start the timer with a click or the Space bar, and check beforehand that audio comes out of the projector or speakers.
Paste your class list
The wheel spinner, name picker, team generator and tournament bracket take one name per line. You can paste a column straight from Excel, Word or your school’s MIS. The name picker and tournament bracket also accept a single line separated by commas.
The list is not saved on a server. Your browser remembers it on this device, so your class is back instantly next lesson ("Reset inputs" clears it). It is also part of the page address: use "Share" to send the link to a colleague and they see the same list.
To make sure everyone gets exactly one turn, tick “Remove the winning entry from the wheel” (wheel spinner) or “Remove drawn names from the list” (name picker).
Because the list is part of the link, use first names or initials only, never grades or other sensitive details.
Embed in Moodle, Padlet, Classroom or Teams
The tools below are available as embeddable widgets. You will find the ready-made code at the bottom of each tool page in the box “Embed on your website”: an iframe followed by a visible link, which you are free to remove. The widgets show no ads. For all other tools, simply add a link.
- Timer – Widget address:
https://toolboxday.com/embed/en/timer/ - Stopwatch – Widget address:
https://toolboxday.com/embed/en/stopwatch/ - Countdown – Widget address:
https://toolboxday.com/embed/en/countdown/ - Wheel spinner – Widget address:
https://toolboxday.com/embed/en/spin-the-wheel/ - Coin flip – Widget address:
https://toolboxday.com/embed/en/flip-a-coin/ - Random number generator – Widget address:
https://toolboxday.com/embed/en/random-number-generator/
This is what the code looks like (timer example):
<iframe src="https://toolboxday.com/embed/en/timer/" title="Timer" width="420" height="600" loading="lazy" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:600px;border:1px solid #d9e0e6;border-radius:10px"></iframe>
<p style="margin:4px 0 16px;font-size:14px"><a href="https://toolboxday.com/en/calendar-time/timer/">Timer by ToolboxDay</a></p>Embed the wheel with your class list: enter the list on the tool page, copy the part of the address bar starting with ?eintraege= and add it directly after the widget address in the iframe code. The embedded wheel then opens with your class.
Moodle
Add a Text and media area or a Page, open the HTML view in the editor (Atto: “HTML” button, TinyMCE: “Tools” → “Source code”) and paste the code. If the widget is missing after saving, your Moodle site filters out iframes. Ask your Moodle admin, or add the link instead.
Padlet
Create a post and attach the widget address as a link. Whether Padlet shows the widget inside the post or as a preview card is up to Padlet; either way it opens with one click.
Google Classroom
Classroom does not embed other websites. Attach the tool link to an assignment, material or announcement. If you run a class website on Google Sites, use “Embed” → “Embed code” there to add the iframe code.
Microsoft Teams
In the channel, click “+” at the top, choose the “Website” app and enter the widget address. Regular tool pages cannot be loaded inside other sites’ frames for security reasons, so use the address containing /embed/. If your school has blocked the Website app, share the link in a post.
No sign-up, minimal data
- There are no accounts, neither for teachers nor for students. No email addresses are requested.
- Draws, timers and calculations run entirely in the browser. What you type, such as a class list, is not sent to us or stored by us.
- If you share a link with a list, the list is part of the address. When the link is opened, our host (Cloudflare) sees that address like any other request.
- We measure traffic with cookieless Cloudflare Web Analytics.
- Tool pages may show ads from Google AdSense. Advertising cookies are only set with your consent. The embedded widgets show no ads.
Frequently asked questions
Do students need an account?
No. Every tool works without signing up and without an email address. A link is all it takes, on a projector, a tablet or a phone.
Are my students’ names stored?
Not by us. The list stays in your browser on this device (local storage) and in the address bar. None of it is sent to us; it is only shared if you pass the link on. "Reset inputs" deletes it.
Which tools can I embed in Moodle or Teams?
Available as embeddable widgets: Timer, Stopwatch, Countdown, Wheel spinner, Coin flip, Random number generator. The code is at the bottom of each tool page. All other tools can be added as a link.
Is the site ad-free?
Tool pages may show ads from Google AdSense, with advertising cookies only after consent. The embedded widgets are ad-free.
Why can’t I hear the timer?
Browsers only allow sound after a click on the page. Start the timer with a click or the Space bar, tick “Play sound when time is up” and check that audio is routed to the projector or speakers.