Here is a good article that I thought you could add to your reading that will be of interest to your readers. With the growth of technology, people are realising more and more about the benefits of online tutoring, and this has led many entrepreneurs to create a business in providing online tutoring using a whiteboard.
I’m not new to the world of on-line teaching. I’ve taught science for seven years through various on-line communities. While I’m not new to the game, there are lessons I learned along the way that anyone can take advantage of! There is a lot of information online about how to teach online, what you need, and tools you can use. So, instead of posting generic ideas about tutoring online, I’m bringing you my suggestions based on my experience.
Free Online Whiteboard for Tutoring – Features
There are a few features to look for when choosing an online whiteboard for tutoring. First is compatibility with online video and lesson recording. These two features will encourage student focus and attention. It is also handy to connect your pen tablet for online tutoring to show handwritten notes on the board. If a student misses a lesson, you can send the recording, and they will be able to catch up. Another feature to look for is document upload. If you plan to work through a worksheet or read a passage together, many whiteboards will allow you to upload the document so both students and tutors can view it simultaneously. You want an online whiteboard that is easy to use, has screen recording, is convenient, more engaging, and prevents students from getting lost during the tutoring session.
There are many reasons why you should use an online whiteboard for tutoring classes. Classrooms become borderless when using a whiteboard. Whiteboards are convenient. Everyone can see it and write text and draw pictures on the board in real-time. A whiteboard is more engaging and replicates real life in the classroom. Using an online whiteboard during a good tutoring session online or in the classroom will prevent students from getting lost. Anyone can access the board on any device. An online whiteboard allows both students and tutors to express thoughts adequately.
We will share our favorite free online whiteboards, which are easy to use and come with features that make them the best whiteboard.
1. Whiteboard.fi
Whiteboard.fi is our favorite free online whiteboard. Using Whiteboard.fi for tutoring is instant as there no login or account needed. You create a class, and students join your tutoring class using a room code. This room code changes every time you use Whiteboard.fi to help with safe use. Whiteboard.fi encourages safety because no personal information is collected, stored, or shared. Whiteboard.fi deletes all data after the room closes. The room automatically closes after 120 minutes of inactivity, or the tutor can close it after the tutoring lesson. The third safety feature offered is accessed. The tutor has full access to who enters the room through the waiting lobby and then allows you to lock the room to prevent new users from joining.
Whiteboard.fi is our favorite free online whiteboard for tutoring.
The features of Whiteboard.fi are why it’s on the top of our list. You can ask students questions, and the students will answer their Whiteboard. Then, you can see the answer instantly and give feedback. Other features include inserting images, backgrounds, arrows, shapes, and text. A new math tool was added in May 2020 to enter symbols, expressions, or equations with the math editor. Also, new in May 2020 is the feature to save the whiteboard as a PDF. This allows you to send the tutoring lesson to absent students or reuse the lesson. Whiteboard.fi has a color palette, undo/redo, easy to draw shapes with a straight-line tool, text edit, demo walkthrough, accessible on all platforms, and multi-user lessons. The company supports its users with how-to videos and blog posts.
Whiteboard.fi was created as an instant formative assessment tool that allows the tutor to give real-time, instantaneous feedback and a quick overview. Created by an IT consultant who is also a web developer who previously taught elementary school, Whiteboard.fi’s mission is to support teachers and tutors. “It’s not about the tools -it’s about the teachers. But the best teachers should have the best tools!” Users and supporters of education can donate Whiteboard.fi through Patreon. These donations help improve Whiteboard.fi. In May 2020, Whiteboard .fi add the new math tool and the ability to save your classroom as a PDF. The constant improvements and updates is another reason we love Whiteboard.fi.
2. Liveboard for Tutoring
With 250K tutors, Liveboard is a useful tool for tutors. Unlike Whiteboard.fi, Liveboard offers five different packages with a free package. The free package is fundamental that only allows two participants per session. However, the free package does give you unlimited boards, unlimited groups, and PDF export. Liveboard is excellent for tutors by design. The design is for students, individuals, and side-by-side collaborators. Another difference between Liveboard and Whiteboard.fi is the need for an account. Liveboard does require you to register for an account. However, the Liveboard is very useful. Tutors can record, export, and share lessons. Students can learn and interact in real-time.
Liveboard is flexible, simple, and reliable. The creation of a Liveboard is relaxed and interactive. Tutors can create groups and virtual classrooms and have full control over who gets to access their boards. They invite students to join the online tutoring session, which allows them to ask questions directly, and the students answer.
Liveboard has many features. You can create multi-page boards from PDFs. Storage is a feature that allows you to keep lessons in one place and reuse them. Liveboard gives you instant feedback on any device. Using Google Sign-In, you can easily use Liveboard and its features. There is a dotted background great for math, a smooth pen, a mobile app, online support, and handwriting recognition. You can upload images to help teach your lessons. You have color choices and are able to make adjustments. If you make a mistake or want to fix something you did, you can use your computer quick key to undo and redo.
Liveboard is not at the top of our list because it is fundamental, and you have to pay for all of the features. The basic package is useful and will help better your online tutoring sessions.
3. Ziteboard
You can get started with Ziteboard right away. When you go to ziteboard.com, a yellow button says, “Start Drawing Now.” This button will take you to the online whiteboard. The online whiteboard has words and pictures that you have to delete away. If you create a starter account, you won’t have to remove the images when you open an online whiteboard.
A starter account gives you three whiteboards, unlimited shares, unlimited collaborators, limited data traffic, and three basic colors. Ziteboard offers real-time collaboration with public online boards. Using Ziteboard is intuitive. Tutors can import low-resolution images and integrate chat with audio and video. If you want to boost your online tutoring sessions, use Ziteboard. Students will collaborate and be able to collaborate using Ziteboard visually.
Our favorite feature is the infinite amount of whiteboard space you have. You drag the screen across, and a new white space appears. If you want to go back to what you wrote, you pull the other way to where you were. Like the other online whiteboards on this list, Ziteboard allows you to export and use it on multiple devices.
We like the sticky notes, wireframing tool, white-label service, graph plotter add-on, and the smart shape tool. The wireframing tool allows you to sketch, do freehand drawing, do line smoothing, and do shape recognition during your tutoring session. Other whiteboards online will enable you to add text; however, Ziteboard has the easiest way to add text. You click and then start typing, and it will add it in. The rubber tool will allow you to delete anything you add to change your mind or make a mistake. The infinite space and text tools make Ziteboard an excellent online whiteboard for online tutoring.
4. Miro
For those looking for a slightly different whiteboard option, Miro is a great choice. The platform, primarily made for those working remotely, offers a huge number of tools, templates and tips which can be used to create dynamic and exciting lessons.
Miro offers many tools which are available on any online whiteboard. With the free version of the software you can utilize the following tools:
- Easy to use annotation and drawing
- Ability to add texts, arrows and shapes
- Easy interface for leaving feedback and comments
- Easy sharing options for collaboration
- Export features
- Screen sharing and text chat
On top of the basic features Miro also comes with a plethora of unique features which tutors can utilize during their lessons. The premium version of Miro allows your students to vote on things, which could be used to test students’ knowledge. Furthermore, the software comes with dynamic presentation capabilities, and can be integrated with a huge number of apps such as google image search and icon finder, which can help you create unique and eye catching presentations.
Things to keep in mind:
- There is a paywall for certain features within Miro such as the video chat, timers, and voting.
- While quite intuitive, Miro does have a huge number of capabilities, so chances are it will take a bit of time to learn to use it.
3. BitPaper
If you are looking for a reliable, easy to use, intuitive, and affordable tool BitPaper is a great choice. The whiteboard boasts a simple and effective user interface, allowing you to spend more time tutoring and less time on distractions. BitPaper like all the other whiteboards provides you with the basic features you can use for tutoring online, such as:
- Annotation, and smooth drawing
- Text editor
- Video, voice calls and chat
- Ability to add shapes, drawing and images
- Exporting whiteboard
While a simple software on the surface, BitPaper offers a large variety of little tricks which can make your online tutoring experience much easier. For example BitPaper offers a great tagging system which allows you to label whiteboard sessions with key words, so they are easy to find. You can also add special symbols so this is a great tool for teaching maths.
Things to keep in mind:
- BitPaper does suggest on their website that getting a digital pen is a good idea.
- Their standard pricing is on a user by user basis so you are a company looking to get a whiteboard for all your tutors you will need to get in touch about business pricing.
2. Lessonspace
Lessonspace is a great option for people looking for an all-inclusive functional whiteboard. This tool offers a wide range of tools which can come in handy for anyone tutoring a large variety of subjects. This whiteboard comes with all of the standard features you would need, including:
- Video, voice call and chat functions
- Screen share capabilities
- Annotation and drawing
- Importing function
- Shareable unique lesson URL
- ZIP export
Aside from the traditional functionality Lessonspace offers users a number of features catered towards specific types of teaching. They have created an easy to use equation tool for anyone teaching maths, an in-app word editor for helping with essays and gives tutors great options to use visuals to engage language learners. The whiteboard also comes with advanced troubleshooting capabilities, meaning technical difficulties are easy to handle.
Things to keep in mind:
- The Lesson Space is definitely a more premium product, with the recommended package for a full time tutor starting at $99/month.
- The software does come with a large number of capabilities so it might take a bit of time to get to know the software.
- There is no free version available.
1. Bramble
For anyone looking for a premium whiteboard, Bramble is a great option. The tool, which is free during the COVID-19 pandemic, offers users a wide range of tools and options. Bramble is kitted out with all the standard whiteboard tools you would expect, such as:
- Realtime annotation and sketching
- Resource sharing of images and PDFs
- Live video and voice chat
- Screen and session recording
- PDF Exports
- Easy URL access
However, on top of the basic whiteboard features Bramble have been working hard to create unique tools to help tutors in managing their material. The whiteboard offers its own reporting tools, allowing tutors to track teaching time and other important figures. They also use artificial intelligence to automatically caption videos, and create transcriptions. This way your students can easily look through old recordings and find the areas they want to look through.
Things to keep in mind:
- While Bramble is a free service now they do plan to reintroduce pricing at some point in the future.
If you would like to find out more about tutoring online, you can read more of our blogs here.
Are you looking for a better way to manage your tutoring business? TutorCruncher offers an all inclusive software solution, to make admin work simple, intuitive and manageable. Start a free trial today.
Conclusion
Whiteboard is a free tool for education. It is geared primarily toward teaching basic computer skills to kids and others who might not be familiar with how to use a computer. The concept behind whiteboard is simple: you choose a student and the online tutor, and the whiteboard tool will bring you together.