The typical countdown timers used in our classrooms are functional but not very attractive, Try this simple but effective visual Powerpont timer. Simply open in slideshow mode and when the moon eclipses the sun time is up. Roughly 10 minutes but you can control the speed by using the spacebar to advance and back key to reverse. There is no programming and once you get the idea you can soon be creative and design your own versions. The resource Outstanding Collaborative Learning provides many examples of individual, paired and group tasks that benefit from a timer to add pace plus the other examples on this page.

Same instructions as for Eclipse and the other visual timers for Powerpoint. Watch the seconds fly away for fast-paced classroom activity. Set on two minutes. The resource Outstanding Collaborative Learning will give you a wealth of suggestions for individual, paired and group work.