You’ve used a whiteboard to teach your entire life, your teachers use a whiteboard to teach your teachers. Well there is software called whiteboard software that will help you to create online classrooms and online lesson plans, but before you do this be sure to check out these free online whiteboards.
Here are the best whiteboard for you.
Whiteboard app in Windows
If you have a Windows laptop (or Surface tablet), this has been waiting for you all along! Just type the word “whiteboard” in to the search next to the Windows button. It offers a variety of pens, a ruler, and a lasso to move items around. You can even add text, notes, lists, templates, images, and more.
Learn more: How to Use Whiteboard.fi: Free Digital Whiteboard
Crickweb: Looking for teaching resources for students from ages 4–11? Check out Crickweb, which offers educational games and interactive activities that are ideal for IWBs.
Eduscapes: With an array of activities, ideas, and tutorials covering a variety of subjects, Eduscapes is a wonderful resource for teachers looking to make the most out of their interactive whiteboards.
Fit Brains: Launched by Rosetta Stone, the award-winning Fit Brains program offers over 60 fun and engaging games, more than 500 personalized training programs, and in-depth performance reports to help students perform at their best.
Math Playground: For teachers looking to engage their whole class in a variety of math topics, Math Playground is the place to go. Choose from an array of stimulating math games, including logic puzzles, problem solving, and Common Core activities.
MimioConnect® interactive teaching community: You can find and share an array of lesson plans and activities with fellow educators in our online teaching community. Learn how other teachers are using their interactive whiteboards, share your tips, and find out what has—or hasn’t—worked in other classrooms.
MimioTraining: With On-Demand resources and Quick Learn sessions, our collection of training materials—including video tutorials, recordings, user guides, and reference cards—help educators learn how to use classroom software and create effective lessons.
NASA Space Place: NASA’s award-winning Space Place website helps educators teach their students about space science and technology with a collection of games, activities, and videos.
NCTM Illuminations: Designed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Illuminations offers teachers access to quality resources for mathematics as well as instructional support. Teachers can choose from PreK through 12th grade lessons and interactives that meet NCTM or Common Core standards.
PBS KIDS: Vetted by educators, PBS KIDS offers a collection of educational games for interactive whiteboards that are fun and engaging for younger students.
Scale of the Universe: This simple tool effectively demonstrates the differences in sizes of objects ranging from miniscule atoms and particles to humans, dinosaurs, famous monuments, countries, planets, and beyond.
Scholastic: Scholastic’s collection of interactive whiteboard-friendly activities, lessons, and tips cover topics in science and math, social studies, and language arts.
Sheppard Software: Offering hundreds of interactive educational games for just about every subject and age level, Sheppard Software can help teachers make learning fun and engaging for their students.
Stellarium: This free planetarium brings the night sky to your interactive whiteboard. It’s a simple, yet realistic, way to show your students illustrations of the constellations, the Milky Way, the planets, and more.
TeacherLED: Teachers can access an array of free, high-quality teaching resources from TeacherLED, a site that focuses on whole-class learning with interactive whiteboards. These resources help teachers explain and demonstrate lessons with examples designed to further student comprehension.
Topmarks: Offering IWB resources for a range of subjects and age groups, Topmarks regularly updates their content to ensure your lessons contain the most current information.
Aww app (awwapp.com)
This online whiteboard app offers lots of the features you’d expect: a vareity of pens, shapes, notes and text. You can also upload PowerPoint slides and images. But here’s what makes Aww App stand out: others can join your board and add to it in real time. FYI: Your boards disappear after a period of inactivity, so if you want to keep what you created, you might export it when you’re done.
Learn more: 10 ways to collaborate digitally + visually in class
AWW APP
Image: source
A Web Whiteboard (AWW) App is a free browser whiteboard app. It is touch-friendly, making it ideal for drawing especially on touch-screen devices. AWW App has an intuitive interface with the tools tab on the left hand side, and the controls on the right hand side. Tools available include the basic markers, erasers, and a sticky note function. AWW App also allows you to zoom in and out or to pan across your whiteboard, freely navigating the space throughout lesson time. AWW App is convenient as it does not require any downloading or installation to use, and you can simply create a new whiteboard and share the link with your students.
However, after the lesson is completed, the free version only allows you to export your notes with an AWW watermark that cannot be removed, meaning that materials created during class cannot double as customised notes for each class of students. Alternative methods include taking screenshots of your whiteboard, which is time consuming. Furthermore, the free version does not allow you to manage your participants, posing a potential threat to class progress as just about any student can hijack their classmates’ work by erasing or drawing on the whiteboard. In order to enjoy other premium features on AWW App, you will need to create an account starting from $10/month. The free premium trial only lasts for 14 days. Demonstrations on how to use AWW App’s functions can be found on their Youtube channel.
2. WHITEBOARD.FI
Image: source
Whiteboard.fi is an online whiteboard created by a teacher turned developer to mimic the mini whiteboard individual students used to have in physical classes. On Whiteboard.fi, your students can draw on their own individual whiteboard, which only you (the teacher) will be able to see. This feature can allow even the most shy and self-conscious of students to participate in class without the unwanted attention from other classmates. By posing questions on your whiteboard, you will be able to check every single student’s understanding of class contents.
However, a crucial shortfall is the lack of human touch. On Whiteboard.fi, you will not be able to see or hear your student and vice versa. This may prevent you from accurately assessing their level of interest and engagement as the class is being conducted, limiting your ability to dynamically adapt to your students’ needs, unless you complement Whiteboard.fi with another video-conferencing app. The use of 2 applications concurrently might make online learning less seamless.
Whiteboard.fi
Whiteboard.fi is super simple. You create a class and let your students join, using a link, room code or QR code. Each student gets an individual digital whiteboard. They can draw, write text, annotate, add math equations, and more! As the teacher you get to see all of your students’ work in realtime. Students can only see their own work and the teacher’s whiteboard. No registration or log in needed!
Learn more: How to Use Whiteboard.fi: Free Digital Whiteboard
Whiteboard.chat
This free online whiteboard app offers lots of the features in addition to drawing such as the ability to add text, math equations, images, backgrounds, online media, dice, compass, pointer, animation and more! You can connect up to 100 people to one board or observe and coach multiple individual users.
Learn more: Whiteboard.chat help and how-tos
Canva (Canva.com)
We often think of Canva for creating beautiful graphic designs. But did you know that they have an online whiteboard option build in with tons of templates (see templates section below) or a blank whiteboard option. The online whiteboard offers the same design tools you are used to in Canva along with some cool animation tools. You can share your whiteboard as a view only or editable link for collaboration. You can also present and record directly in Canva. Share publish your online whiteboard to Google Drive, MS One Drive PowerPoint, embed it in a site and more.
Learn more:Getting started with Canva
LIMNU
Image: source
Designed with collaborative work in mind, Limnu’s selling feature is its name-pinning function. On Limnu’s whiteboard, you can pin names to specific parts of the whiteboard, allowing you to direct each student’s or each group of students’ attention to specific places on the board. This can help incorporate group work exercises into your lesson, and more importantly, allow you to cater to each individual student, providing everyone a level of attention that might not have been possible in a physical classroom.
However, Limnu only provides users with one page, which means that different students will have to work on different assignments all on the same page. This might be distracting for some students, which is not conducive for individual learning and growth. Similar to other free online whiteboard software, the free version also does not allow you to save your work. To access other functions, you may need to opt for a paid plan (free access to limnu only lasts for 14 days). You can check out its demonstration on Youtube here.
Conclusion
Whiteboard software or whiteboard app for free? That sounds just about perfect to me! Online Teaching Tools Whiteboard is the number one choice tool for teachers. It is easy-to-use, interactive and fun online whiteboard software.