What does the disc show?

How much of the current activity is left. The disc is full at the start of every activity and the edge moves clockwise from 12 o'clock, so an activity half done shows half a disc. The digits under it give the exact time, and a screen reader hears the time left and the length of the activity.

Is the disc a 60 minute clock face?

No. The twelve marks make it read like a clock, but the disc always stands for the activity's own length, so a 5 minute countdown fills the whole disc rather than a twelfth of it. A short countdown is as easy to read from across the room as a long one.

Does the disc stay right if I switch to my slides?

Yes. It is drawn from the same reading of your device clock as the digits, so when you come back from another tab the disc shows the right amount at once rather than catching up.

Does opening this page change my main classroom timer?

No. This page opens on the disc and the main classroom timer opens on digits, and the display you pick is not remembered on either. The list of activities is shared: a plan you build here is the one the main page shows next time in this browser, and the Start over button at the top of the page forgets it.

Visual Classroom Timer

The timer below opens on the disc display: a red disc that is full when an activity starts and is swept away clockwise from 12 o'clock until it is gone at zero, with the time left in digits underneath. A class can see how much is left at a glance, without reading the numbers, and Full screen makes the disc big enough for the back of the room. Press a length from 1 to 60 minutes for a single countdown, or name several activities and the disc refills for each one as the lesson moves on. Display switches to plain digits or to a sand timer at any time.

Warm up · 1 of 4

05:00

4 activities, 26:00 in all

Silent at zero: the screen changes, nothing sounds

Now: Warm up
Whole plan: 26:00
At zero
Display

Ready. Press Start and the first activity begins; the countdown is read from your device clock.

One countdown

Activity 1
Minutes
ready
Activity 2
Minutes
waiting
Activity 3
Minutes
waiting
Activity 4
Minutes
waiting

Keys, when you are not typing in a box: Space starts and pauses, N moves to the next activity, R starts the plan again, F fills the screen. An activity that ends while the tab is away hands the next one the exact moment it finished, so several can go by and the timer still lands on the right one. It stays quiet about the ones it missed rather than playing a chime for each.

Reads the clock rather than counting ticks. The countdown is read from your device clock rather than counted, so a tab left in the background is still correct when you come back. It cannot make a browser play a sound before you have pressed something, and it says when it is waiting for that.

Common questions

What does the disc show?: How much of the current activity is left. The disc is full at the start of every activity and the edge moves clockwise from 12 o'clock, so an activity half done shows half a disc. The digits under it give the exact time, and a screen reader hears the time left and the length of the activity.
Is the disc a 60 minute clock face?: No. The twelve marks make it read like a clock, but the disc always stands for the activity's own length, so a 5 minute countdown fills the whole disc rather than a twelfth of it. A short countdown is as easy to read from across the room as a long one.
Does the disc stay right if I switch to my slides?: Yes. It is drawn from the same reading of your device clock as the digits, so when you come back from another tab the disc shows the right amount at once rather than catching up.
Does opening this page change my main classroom timer?: No. This page opens on the disc and the main classroom timer opens on digits, and the display you pick is not remembered on either. The list of activities is shared: a plan you build here is the one the main page shows next time in this browser, and the Start over button at the top of the page forgets it.

The countdown is read from your device clock rather than counted, so a tab left in the background is still correct when you come back. It cannot make a browser play a sound before you have pressed something, and it says when it is waiting for that.