Choose a preset or type the minutes and seconds, then press Start or the space bar. Full screen fills the board with the countdown. The timer reads the computer’s clock, so it stays exact even if you switch to another tab or window.
How to use it in class
- Set the time. Tap a preset or type minutes and seconds. Up to 600 minutes works, for a long test.
- Add a label such as “Clean up” or “Silent reading”, so students can see what the time is for.
- Press Start, then Full screen. The digits grow to fill the board. Press Esc to leave full screen.
- Need more time? Press +1 min or the up arrow while it runs. Reset puts it back to the time you set.
Colors and sounds
The bar under the digits shrinks as time runs out. It is green to start, turns yellow in the last minute and red at zero, when the board flashes three times and the sound plays. For a timer of 2 minutes or less, yellow starts in the last quarter instead, so it isn’t yellow the whole time.
Choose a chime, a bell, beeps, a soft tone or no sound. Press Play the sound before class to check the volume, and make sure the projector’s or TV’s speakers are on if the sound goes through them.
Browsers don’t let a page play sound until you click something on it. Pressing Start counts as that click, so the end sound works even if you never touch the page again.
Counting past zero
Tick Keep counting after zero and the timer carries on in red with a plus sign, such as +1:25. It’s useful when you want to see how far over a talk or an activity ran. Leave it off for tests, so the board simply shows 0:00.
Will it keep time in another tab?
Yes. Browsers slow down timers in tabs you aren’t looking at to save power (MDN Web Docs). This timer doesn’t count ticks. It notes the moment the time ends and compares it with the clock each time it updates, so it finishes on time. The browser tab shows the time left, too.
More tools for the board
- Younger students: the visual timer shows time as a colored disc that shrinks, so nobody needs to read the clock.
- Group work: make groups with the team randomizer, then keep the volume down with the classroom noise meter.