There are a number of advantages to using a whiteboard in a college classroom, the biggest being that the whiteboard allows for group work and collaboration between students. Whiteboards have been used in classrooms for decades, but once technology advanced to the point where students could collaborate online, many people began using online whiteboards for teaching math. For teachers who have used real-life whiteboards all their career, transitioning from a real-life classroom to an online one can be somewhat difficult because there are specific functionality issues that arise from doing so.
There are a number of tools that can help overcome these difficulties and make it much easier for teachers to convert a real-life classroom into an online one. Here are the best!
Ziteboard
Ziteboard provides you with an online whiteboard that requires no logging in or setting up, saving you valuable time. Once on the site, which can be used on all devices, you can draw, write notes, and collaborate with your students through the board. You can also insert images and PDF files onto your whiteboard and use the integrated whiteboard video and audio chat functions, making it a great site for online teaching. Once your lesson is finished, you’re also able to export your whiteboard as a high-resolution image or PDF, so your student can retain the work done in the lesson.
Miro
With over 4.5 million users, Miro is one of the most popular online whiteboards for tutors and businesses alike. Combining great teaching tools such as a zoomable whiteboard, board templates, and integration with tools such as Dropbox and Google Suite, Miro is a slick, easy-to-use teaching platform. Tutors and students can add to the board individually, allowing for real-time collaboration, and use board tools such as sticky notes, flow charts, and inserted images. It is free to sign up and use 3 boards, but there are also premium memberships available.
Conceptboard
Conceptboard is an online whiteboard that is great for teaching more visual subjects or learners. With the ability to integrate educational tools such as videos, images, and diagrams onto your board, Conceptboard allows for interactive and effective learning. The whiteboard also comes with the added bonus of video chat and screen-sharing capabilities, further enhancing the possibilities for tutor-tutee collaboration on the board, along with enhanced security, keeping your work private. The site is free to use, with the option of signing up for paid plans if you wish.
Tutorsbox
Tutorsbox is an online whiteboard that has been specifically created for online tutoring, and as such it incorporates functions such as multi-boards, file-sharing, and live audio and video chat. It also allows you to plan your classes in advance, set up the learning materials, and then send a lesson reminder to your student before the session. Moreover, with the ability to store your whiteboards on the site, tutees can log in whenever you want to and access the work that you completed during the lesson. It is free to set-up, and there are no downloads needed.
BitPaper
BitPaper is a multi-functional online whiteboard tool, allowing you to use its audio and video chat functions whilst you use the site to create interactive ‘papers’. Not only can you use the board to write notes, draw graphs and diagrams, and share educational videos, but you can also create art and play games too, keeping lessons fun and entertaining. An added bonus of BitPaper is that it also gives tutors the ability to reuse papers for numerous lessons, and also set students homework and check when it’s completed. Basic usage is free, but that only allows the use of one ‘paper’. Memberships start at $8 per month.
A pricier option, Lessonspace certainly delivers on a cost-per-use basis with its many useful features. Not only are you able to use their interactive whiteboard, but you can also create and edit documents, use the video chat function, and even teach and write code! Lessonspace also provides whiteboard space especially formatted for teaching Maths and for teaching languages, making it a great tool for tutors in these subject areas. Monthly membership starts at $29 per month, and this allows you to use all of Lessonspace’s features, and securely save all your documents and whiteboards to the site.
Limnu
Limnu provides tutors with an endless whiteboard space where you can sketch, collaborate, and play games all in one place. Available on all browsers for use on any device, Limnu has created a tool that incorporates video chat and calling features, along with a board where you can pin topics and notes for easy reference at any point during your lesson. It is free to sign up and use as many boards as you wish for 14 days, with monthly membership thereafter starting at just $5 per month. You can also share your boards with anyone who has a membership, be that free or paid.
Bramble
One of the main draws of this online whiteboard is the ability to record and playback your lessons, which is great for any students who may want to revisit certain topics. With video and audio chat capabilities, along with the ability to take snapshots of your boards, Bramble has really combined the best teaching tools with the features necessary for students to learn effectively. The whiteboard allows you to write notes and insert images PDF files, and the tutor dashboard shows you timesheets and session data for your lessons. Given the current climate, Bramble are now offering free access to all of their monthly memberships, so there’s never been a better time to sign up!
LiveBoard
Liveboard is an incredibly popular online whiteboard, with over 50,000 users comprising of teachers, tutors, and professors alike. With a dotted background perfect for creating graphs and diagrams, and a smooth pen and handwriting recognition function, the whiteboard is the perfect tool for tutors of all subjects. Liveboard also allows you to record your lessons and use their cloud storage to save all boards you have used during your sessions for future referral. They offer a 30-day free trial, with monthly memberships then starting at the now reduced rate of $5 per month, with a number of monthly membership options available.
AWW APP
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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.
AWW App is an online whiteboard that combines both a free and premium service, with excellent teaching tools and real-time collaboration. Available for both computers and smart phones, the AWW App whiteboard has a dotted grid allowing for the easy drawing of diagrams, and a text tool that lets you write notes on the board. Another great feature is the ability to privatise your board, then invite participants who can draw and add notes to the whiteboard.
WHITEBOARD.FI
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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.
LIMNU
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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
Online whiteboard software that can be used in teaching math, geometry and algebra. The online whiteboard allows the teacher to create and edit multimedia presentations which include mathematics problems and solutions.