Classroom Buzzer

To run the classroom buzzer above, open it on the projector and give each team a keyboard key or a tap pad. The first team to press wins the round, and every other press is ignored until you press Reset.

At Chalkbox, we build free classroom tools, and this one opens in a browser with no account and nothing to install. This online buzzer runs on one laptop, one interactive whiteboard or one tablet.

How to Run the Classroom Buzzer

A classroom buzzer round runs in five steps, from choosing teams to clearing the screen for the next clue.

1. Choose your teams. Pick 2 to 6 teams. The buzzer starts at 4, named Team 1, Team 2 and so on. Rename them under "Team names" with up to 30 characters each, or grab names from the team name generator.
2. Show each team its key and pad. Every team gets a big colored tap pad on screen and a keyboard key, listed in the table below.
3. Press Fullscreen. The status line and the pads fill the screen, so the back row can read who buzzed.
4. Read the clue and let teams buzz. The first press shows "Team 3 buzzed first!" (with that team's name), outlines the winning pad and dims the others. Every other press is ignored, so a late team cannot replace the winner.
5. Reset. After the answer, press the "Reset (Space)" button or the Space bar to clear the round.

Holding a key down does not repeat the buzz, so a student who leans on the key still sends one press. Keys are ignored while you type in a text box. Finish renaming teams and click outside the name field before you read the first clue.

Buzzer Rules for Classroom Games

One rule for any buzzer for classroom games is that no team presses until you finish reading the clue. The classroom buzzer can enforce that rule with one option: "Wait for me to open the buzzers (early buzzers are locked out)". With it on, the buzzers start closed and the screen reads "Buzzers closed: wait for the teacher".

When you finish reading, press "Open buzzers (Enter)" or the Enter key, and the first press after that wins. A team that presses while the buzzers are closed shows "Locked out" and cannot buzz until the next reset. A low tone plays for the early press, so the whole room hears that a team jumped the gun.

An early press locks a team out until the next reset. Without the option, the buzzers are open as soon as you reset, and a team can win the round while you are still mid-sentence. Leave the option off for quick-fire rounds where the clue is one word or a picture the class reads at a glance.

What Happens After a Wrong Answer

The buzzer has no wrong-answer setting, so pick a house rule and announce it before the first clue. Two rules keep a review game moving:

• One rebuzz. Press Reset and let the other teams buzz on the same clue. Reset clears the round for every team, including the one that just answered, so tell that team to keep its hands off its key. If that team presses first anyway, count the press as a pass and reset again.
• Move on. Each clue gets one answer, right or wrong. Give the correct answer and go to the next clue.

One rebuzz gives more teams a shot at hard clues. Moving on gets through more of the board, so it fits a review squeezed into the end of class.

Setting Up the Room for a Classroom Buzzer

The classroom buzzer works on one laptop with teams gathered at the keyboard, or on one touch screen that teams walk up to tap. Pick the setup that matches the device at the front of your room.

• One laptop, keys spread out. Put the laptop on a desk the teams can reach and project its screen. Seat each team on the side of the keyboard where its key sits, and send one player per team to the laptop for each clue.
• Teams tap the board. On an interactive whiteboard or a tablet, teams press their big colored pad. Stand one player per team the same distance from the screen so no team starts closer to its pad.

If four or more players at one keyboard feels cramped, switch to the tapping setup or play with fewer teams.

Rotate a Buzzer Captain

Give each team a buzzer captain who is the only player allowed to press. Rotate the job after every clue or every category so each student takes a turn at the key or pad. Decide before the game whether the captain answers alone or the team gets a few seconds to confer.

If you still need teams, the random group generator splits the class before the game starts.

Using the Online Buzzer with a Jeopardy-Style Board

The online buzzer runs beside a Jeopardy-style review game in its own browser tab or window. Build the board in the Jeopardy game maker and open it in one tab, then open this buzzer in a second tab. On a wide screen, place the two windows side by side so the class sees the clue and the pads together.

A round with both tools runs like this:

1. A team picks a clue on the board, and you read it aloud.
2. Press Enter to open the buzzers if the wait rule is on.
3. The first team to press gives its answer.
4. Record the points on the classroom scoreboard, open in a third tab.
5. Press Space to reset, and return to the board for the next pick.

Fullscreen hides the board behind the buzzer. Use it when you read every clue aloud from your own notes, and use side-by-side windows when students need to read the clue on screen. To fill the board itself, start with the Jeopardy categories guide.

Keeping Each Round Fair

A fair classroom buzzer round comes down to three habits that every team can see you follow.

• Hands off until the clue is read. Captains keep their hands flat on the desk or at their sides until you finish. The wait rule backs this up by locking out any team that presses early.
• Sound on. A higher tone plays for the winning buzz, a low tone for an early buzz and a tone when you open the buzzers. Turn it off with the Sound checkbox only when the room needs to stay quiet.
• Reset between every clue. The screen ignores every press after the first until you reset.

Keep Fullscreen on, or the buzzer window large, so every seat can read the status line when a team buzzes. When two teams both claim the buzz, point to the outlined pad on screen and move on.

What the Classroom Buzzer Does Not Do

The classroom buzzer only decides which team pressed first, and it runs on one device. It does not connect students' own phones, keep score, time answers or record who buzzed across rounds. Each gap has a simple fix:

• Scores. Keep the running total on the classroom scoreboard, or tally points on the whiteboard.
• Answer time. Count down aloud, or run a separate timer next to the buzzer.
• Buzz history. Note the winning team for each clue when you record its points, since the buzzer forgets each round after a reset.
• More than six teams. Combine students into six teams or fewer, and rotate captains so everyone still presses.
• Every student on a device. If your game needs each student answering on their own phone or laptop, this buzzer is the wrong tool. The guide to free classroom review game platforms covers that kind of game.

To start, set your team count, press Fullscreen and read the first clue with the classroom buzzer above.