HOW IT WORKS

A fair chance starts with clear rules.

Calling You helps teachers and facilitators pick names, give everyone a turn, and form teams. All classroom data stays in this browser. Start with the sample list or create your own classroom.

Try the fictional demo first

A new browser starts with 6 fictional students in one fixed group. Use Try demo to return to the separate practice classroom. Start with my own roster creates an empty classroom and opens the editor, keeping the demo and your other classrooms. Counts and response records start empty. Reset demo clears only the selected demo after confirmation.

1. Keep separate classrooms

Use the classroom selector to switch lists. New class creates an empty classroom; Rename changes its title. Each classroom has its own roster, participation counts, no-repeat round, latest undo, history, locks, and saved teams. Up to 20 classrooms are supported. Deleting a classroom removes its local records; download a workspace backup first if needed.

2. Import and prepare a roster

Visual spreadsheet workflow: Open Spreadsheet example & templates in Edit list. Name is required; Group and Photo filename are optional. Student numbers are generated automatically. Download the two-column CSV template, replace sample rows, and import it or paste its cells with the header row. A table with Group replaces the selected classroom after confirmation; a Name-only table can update the selected scope. XLSX workbooks and embedded spreadsheet images are not read.

For batch photos, use the optional Photo filename column and choose matching local PNG, JPEG, or WebP files. Filename matching ignores case. A missing replacement keeps an existing student photo or uses the default badge. Unsupported extra columns and ambiguous repeated names are rejected with an explanation.

Fixed roster groups: Use Pick from to select the whole classroom, Ungrouped, or a fixed group. This scope controls the name list, eligible draw pool, batch inclusion actions, and random team generation. The group menu beside each person moves them into another fixed group without duplicating their record. Each person belongs to one group or is Ungrouped.

New group creates an empty fixed group. Rename group changes its title. Remove group keeps its people in the classroom as Ungrouped. These fixed roster groups are separate from randomly generated teams.

In Edit list, choose Names for selected scope to edit one group without replacing other groups. Choose Grouped classroom roster to import several groups at once: put [Group A] on a line, then its members, then [Group B] and its members. Preview the counts and confirm before replacing that classroom's roster and fixed groups. Matching names retain counts. A name used in two groups is rejected; add initials to distinguish people. Grouped input supports up to 50 fixed groups and 500 names per classroom.

Open Edit list and paste one name per line, or import a TXT or CSV file. Commas and tabs also separate names. Put a name containing a comma in quotation marks, such as "Lee, Alex". Every populated cell is treated as a name, so remove headings and extra spreadsheet columns first.

The preview shows the number of unique names and exact duplicates removed before you save. Add an initial to distinguish different people with the same name. Each classroom supports 500 names, each up to 80 characters. Saving a changed roster retains matching names' counts and inclusion settings, clears saved teams and locks, and removes the previous undo.

Search filters displayed names in the selected scope only. Include all and Exclude all affect the entire selected scope, including names hidden by search. Exclude absent students without deleting them. Changing inclusion clears saved team assignments; team locks remain available for the next generation.

3. Choose a selection rule

• Equal chance: Every eligible person has the same probability each time. With 20 active names, each has a 1 in 20 chance. Previous picks do not affect the next result; repeats are possible.
• Least-picked first: The tool finds the smallest pick count among active people, then randomly selects within that set. It prioritizes participation rather than giving the whole roster equal probability on each pick.
• No-repeat draw: An active person can be drawn once per classroom round, whether you draw from the whole classroom or a fixed group. Changing groups does not reset eligibility. The round remains in progress when you switch tools or classrooms and when you reload the page.

4. Control the reveal and undo mistakes

Choose 10, 15, 20, or 30 seconds. The center countdown runs for the full selected duration before revealing the result. Reduce animation uses a slow rotation while preserving the wait. Result sound is optional and off by default; it uses a short tone generated by your browser.

Next draw starts another selection. Undo last pick reverses only the latest pick in the current classroom, restores its previous participation count and no-repeat eligibility, and removes that event from history, including any response totals recorded against it. One undo is retained per classroom and included in backups. Roster edits, resets, and clearing history remove undo availability.

New round returns drawn names to the no-repeat pool without clearing counts or history. Reset pick counts sets participation counts to zero without changing the current round or history. Clear beside recent results clears only the current classroom's result history, retaining counts and the round.

5. Create, adjust, and lock teams

In Team maker, choose a number of teams or a maximum number of people per team. For a maximum of 4 people and 10 active names, the app creates 3 teams of 4, 3, and 3. Automatically generated sizes differ by at most one. Teams are shuffled without using ability, friendships, or personal characteristics.

Move a member using the team menu. Manual edits may make sizes unequal; the interface labels this state. Lock keeps a member in that team on the next generation. A locked member moved manually stays locked to the new team. If locks cannot fit balanced sizes or refer to a team that no longer exists, generation stops with an explanation. Clear team locks lets you start fresh. Saved teams remain when switching tools, classrooms, and reloading.

6. Present and choose how names appear

The expand button hides surrounding controls for presentation; use it again or press Escape to return. Space starts a draw when you are not editing a field or using another control. Full names, Initials, and Student numbers apply across the wheel, roster, results, teams, history, and CSV exports. Student numbers remain stable for each retained roster entry. Initials are not anonymous, and classroom titles remain visible.

The roster editor deliberately shows full names so you can edit them. Workspace JSON backups contain full names and all saved records regardless of display mode. Keep those files private.

7. Record classroom responses and questions

Select a recent activity card, use Record response after a draw, or choose Log response for a manual entry. Statuses are Responded / present, No response, Absent, Excused, and Skipped / passed. These are separate categories: no response or absence is not treated as an incorrect answer.

For a roll call, choose a response status and leave all question counts at zero. For classroom questions, choose Responded and enter correct, incorrect, partially correct, and answered-but-ungraded counts. One record can contain multiple questions. Questions answered is the sum of those four counts; responded and no-response totals count records, not questions. Counts are entered by you, not automatically assessed.

You can correct or clear an outcome by opening its record again. Saving replaces the previous outcome and updates the student's totals without double counting. A manual entry does not increase random-pick counts or consume no-repeat eligibility, but it clears the previous draw's undo availability. Undoing the latest draw also reverses any response and answer counts recorded against that draw.

Student summary shows cumulative counts for the selected classroom or fixed group and can export them as CSV. Totals stay with a person's retained roster entry even if recent records roll off the 100-record history. Clearing recent history keeps cumulative response totals, but those cleared individual records can no longer be edited. Reset classroom response totals clears all response/answer totals and recent activity records for that classroom while retaining pick counts, the roster, and no-repeat eligibility.

Logging Absent does not automatically exclude a person from later draws; use their inclusion checkbox when you want to exclude them. Matching names retain their statistics during roster edits and grouped imports. Removing a student removes that roster entry's totals; their older history snapshots can remain for reference and cannot be edited after removal. Keep backups before major changes. Classroom records are local teaching aids; review them before relying on them.

8. Back up, export, and share settings

Edit list → Back up all classrooms downloads a JSON workspace with all rosters, counts, rounds, recent activity history, cumulative response and answer totals, undo information, saved teams, locks, and preferences. Importing a workspace shows a preview and requires confirmation before replacing the current workspace. Older roster backups can replace just the selected classroom.

View all opens up to 100 recent activity records per classroom, with a classroom filter and CSV export. Export results saves the selected classroom's recent picks, or its current teams when Team maker is open. CSV exports honor the current name display setting; JSON backups retain the original data.

Share settings creates a link containing preferences only. Names, classroom and group titles, response records, answer statistics, and teams are not included. A recipient must choose Apply settings before their preferences change; their roster is retained. The link works on the same deployed origin and path, so create a new link after moving the site to another domain.

Student photos and school badges

Click a student avatar to edit the original name, group, and individual photo while retaining the student identity and cumulative counts. Photos are cropped and resized in the browser. Customize school badge sets a shared fallback across classrooms; an individual visible photo takes priority, and the original initials or symbol remain when no badge is configured.

Name display changes to initials or student numbers hide personal photos by default. You can explicitly enable Show student photos afterwards. Display masking is not anonymization. Workspace backups include original names, student thumbnails, and the school badge; settings links exclude them. CSV reports do not embed pictures.

Randomness and limitations

Selections use crypto.getRandomValues with rejection sampling to avoid modulo bias. Teams use a Fisher–Yates shuffle, filling remaining balanced-size slots after honoring eligible locks. The winner is chosen before the animation; animation timing does not change the result. This is a local facilitation tool, not an independently audited prize-draw service. Local records can be edited by someone with access to the device.

If data is missing

Storage is specific to the browser profile and website origin. Private browsing, blocked storage, clearing site data, or moving to another domain can make saves unavailable. A storage warning appears if saving fails. Keep backups if you need reliable retention. The site operator cannot recover a roster stored only on your device.

Open classroom tools ↗

Review the opportunities, not a student ranking

Participation check reads retained recent activity records for Today, Last 15 minutes, Last hour, or All retained records. It shows distinct randomly selected students, distinct students with a responded entry, students not randomly selected, and unsaved records. Manual responses count as recorded voices without increasing random selections. Choose a current roster group and optionally include unchecked students. Open orange pending records to complete them, or log a voluntary response from the student table.

This review uses the current roster and its group membership. It is limited to the latest 100 records per classroom; removed students and the retention boundary produce warnings. It is separate from cumulative Student summary totals. Export this review CSV follows the current name-display mode and includes the selected window and scope.

Check the change before saving

The roster editor shows a preview of the first six rows, including student numbers, group assignment, photo status, and whether a student is new or already present. The summary counts new, existing, and removed roster entries and gives the classroom total after saving. A grouped spreadsheet replaces the whole classroom roster even if a group was selected before opening the editor. Matching names keep their existing numbers; new names receive new numbers. This is a preview until Save is chosen.

Above the wheel, the readiness panel shows included and unchecked students, the active selection rule, and remaining names in a no-repeat round. An empty or exhausted pool disables the draw button and explains the next step. Review pending records opens the participation check for all retained records in the current scope, including unchecked students.