There are more powerful collaborative whiteboard tools than Jamboard, but its ease of use makes it a winner. The ability to easily add and manipulate images and sticky notes makes this tool great for activities where visual representation of ideas helps clarify aspects of the critical inquiry process.

Here are some situations where Jamboard could be a perfect fit:

• pairs, groups or teams rank items in terms of importance, sequence, preference, etc.
• bringing post-it note and whiteboard activities into a virtual space
• capturing visual thinking
• creating hierarchical org charts
• PDF mark up done in front of a group or a whole class during
• simplicity is paramount, so you want no sign ins, and no time spent learning a new interface
• quickly sketching something and drawing attention to certain parts of the doodle

A quick note

We don't know of Jamboard being used in any classes yet, so here are some example prototypes we created.

Examples of possible activities created in Jamboard

Ranking activity (largest effect sizes)

Blank classification activity

Completed classification activity example (view only)

Visual thinking example (from The Back of the Napkin)

Simple timeline activity (put events in order)

Org chart activity

Jamboard vs. Lucidchart vs. Miro vs. Google Slides

The same ranking activity (on effect sizes) created in four different platforms:

• Jamboard
• Miro
• LucidChart
• Google Slides

Other resources

• How to find Jamboard

Some nice features of Jamboard

• The interface is super simple
• There is an iPad app which makes drawing really easy and has additional "Assistive drawing tools" not available in the PC version.
• The laser pointer feature works well for live presentations or demonstrations
• You can insert images and PDFs directly from Google Drive, the web, or your computer's hard drive.
• You can access your saved Jamboards through Google Drive.

Be careful. . .

• As with most Google products, you have to be careful to get the share settings correct or your activity won't work correctly

Possible limitations of Jamboard

• You can't add various shapes (just images and square "sticky notes")
• You can't edit images
• It doesn't have an "infinite canvas" like some virtual whiteboards, so the space can feel limited.

Analog Jamboards

• The Albertson's Library has two analog Jamboard interactive whiteboards you can use

More powerful alternatives to Jamboard

• Lucidchart
• Miro

Privacy, accessibility, etc.

• OIT has vetted this tool for accessibility and other concerns

Support

• The Boise State Help Desk provides technical assistance with this tool to faculty and students
• If you would like instructional design and technical support for integrating this technology into your online course, email stephaniechism@boisestate.edu

Jamboard is available as part of Boise State University's Google Suite.

To access it after logging into your Boise State Google account, click on the nine dots in the top-right-hand corner of the Google page, and then locate the Jamboard icon. You can see how from the screenshots in this document.

Alternatively, the Albertson's Library has two analog Jamboard interactive whiteboards you can use.