With so many classes being held online, it is important that we learn how to utilize modern, digital tools like an online whiteboard. And, while many teachers, especially older ones, are still reluctant to give new technologies a try – you’re not one of those. You’re willing to learn. And, well, we’re willing to teach. So, let’s begin today’s lesson.
Set It Up
To begin using this tool, you must first set it up.
Start by firing up your conferencing software of choice, like Zoom, and set up a meeting. Once everyone’s connected, share your screen, and start interacting with your online whiteboard in the following ways.
Sketch
An online whiteboard is a very versatile tool, and as such, you can use it for sketching. Let’s say, for instance, you teach a design or an art class. Instead of relying on still images as examples, you can create your own right there on the spot. You can use your own skills to show to your students just how easy (or not so easy) it is to do or create something.
Draw A Mind Map
Use your powerful online tool to connect ideas through a mind map to help your students “connect the dots” a bit easier. Whatever it is that you do, through a simple process of analysis and mind map creation, you can make the lesson easier to comprehend and much more interesting to listen to.
Interact With Students
Interacting with your students is the best way to keep them engaged, so maybe instead of just showing them the notes on the whiteboard – you can get them to work with you through an online whiteboard sharing feature. Allow them to edit the content on the board and keep them engaged during the lesson, and we’re sure they’ll end up retaining more knowledge.
Write Notes
Just like any other whiteboard, an online whiteboard can also be just a tool for you to write down notes or outlines of the lecture you’re teaching. Just because this is an online tool doesn’t mean it can’t be used in a traditional way, right?
Sum Up A Lecture
In the end, you can help your students really understand the lesson by summing it all up on the whiteboard. Write down all the important stuff and show your students what they need to pay the most attention to. That way, you can once again go through the whole lecture in a matter of minutes, forcing your students to quickly go over all the information, helping them retain most of the basic and essential information regarding the lesson at hand.
Share Content With Students Directly
Finally, the best thing about an online whiteboard is that your students don’t really have to write anything down. They can be fully committed to the lecture, and at the end, you can just share the contents on the whiteboard with them, so they can download it in an instant, saving both of you a lot of precious time.
Conclusion
There you go. As you can see, an online whiteboard is just your regular whiteboard with a few extra features that you can use to your advantage. We hope you put this newfound knowledge to good use. Good luck!
