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Welcome to Learning Tools: Online Whiteboards. This online learning module can be used individually or in groups during face-to-face professional development events and video conferencing.
Online interactive whiteboards are great for individual and team projects. They provide multi-sensory opportunities for learning in a hands-on, collaborative environment. Students who are absent or home-bound can join online whiteboard classroom activities. Whiteboards are great for drawing, planning, brainstorming, presenting, and recording work. Teachers and students who use online whiteboards in the classroom will be able to quickly adapt to them as distance learning tools.
Objectives
Objectives
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
Select one of the three free online whiteboard tools to work with. The instructions for each activity will be based on utilizing the AWW App tool. Please note that participants are not restricted from only using these tools.
Create an instructional activity using the whiteboard. This can include uploading a graphic or chart.
Invite others to join their whiteboard. Participants in each group should select one member to invite others to their whiteboard during instructional activities.
Complete the instructional activity as a group. Reflect on what worked and what didn't.
Brainstorm ways you might use an online whiteboard in the classroom and distance learning activities.
Discuss how the principles of Universal Design for Learning can be used to enrich an online whiteboard activity. Use the UDL Ideas website.
Stretch Your Skills: Select one or more optional activities to increase your technology skills.
Explore: Select one or more optional activities to explore.
Accessibility Tips
Accessibility Tips
When using online interactive whiteboards, students with disabilities may need accommodations and perhaps support from a peer or adult. Here are some things to consider:
Always provide accessible notes and instructional materials to supplement what's being presented on the whiteboard.
Give students options on how they respond by using text, drawing, images, post-it notes (in the whiteboard), text chat, audio, and video conferencing tools.
Be highly descriptive, especially for students who are blind or visually impaired.
Keep instructions clear and focused. Give students time and opportunities to become fluent in using the whiteboard tools. The more comfortable the students are using the available tools, the easier it will be for them to respond in various ways.
Use large, simple graphics and charts. Some students may be using a mobile device to access the instruction on the whiteboard.
Be aware of any accommodations, assistive technologies, and communication systems your students may be using. Plan your interaction with the students accordingly.
There are several online whiteboard tools available; and many virtual meeting services, such as Adobe Connect, include built-in whiteboards. The three whiteboard services below (AWW App, Ziteboard, and Web Whiteboard) are great places to start. Each of these services offer a free account version (with some feature restrictions) that can be used in the classroom. It should be noted that they have different features so you may want to explore each one. As you work with online whiteboards and become comfortable using them, consider working with your school to purchase premium subscriptions for added tools and features.
Activity 1 - Select an online whiteboard and explore its tools and features. For this module, we will be using the AWW App.
The free version of this online interactive whiteboard includes 3 free boards with unlimited participants.
The free version of this service includes unlimited whiteboards, but each one expires in 21 days.
AWW App Tool Tips
AWW App Tool Tips
Some of AWW's tools (on the left-hand side of the screen) include small triangles in the corner of its icon box, which indicate an expandable menu of options. For example, if you click on the pencil icon, additional drawing options appear.
The tools are:
Select
Undo
Color
Drawing
Erase
Shapes
Text
Post-it Notes
Upload
One activity that will be used often is selecting and moving an object on the whiteboard. In order to do this, start by selecting the arrow tool at the top of the tool menu. Then use the arrow to click and select an object on the whiteboard. Click and hold on the selected object and drag it to move it.
The + tool at the bottom of the tool menu is the upload tool. You will use this to upload images to your whiteboard.
Activity 2 - Create an instructional activity. For this activity, you will need to download the water cycle graphic and then upload it to your whiteboard. The instructional activity will require students to label each part of the water cycle. The labels can include evaporation, water condensation, cloud formation, rain, and surface runoff.
Activity 3 - Invite others to work through your instructional activity. Use the "Invite" button on the AWW whiteboard. You have the option of either sharing your whiteboard's URL link, or inviting participants through email. NOTE: If you are doing this as part of a small group, have the group select one person to share their whiteboard and invite the others.
Activity 4 - Complete the instructional activity using the online whiteboard. Talk about the water cycle and then have your "students" label the different parts of the cycle. The labels can be done with text, drawing, and/or post-it notes. Once you are finished, reflect on what worked and what didn't work.
Activity 5 - Brainstorm how you might use an online whiteboard in the classroom and in distance learning activities. Try to come up with at least 5 ideas spanning a variety of topics, such as reading, writing, math, science, etc. Be ready to share your activities.
UDL Ideas
UDL Ideas
Activity 6 - Adding Universal Design for Learning principles. Using the UDL Ideas website, click on a section for ideas on how to increase student engagement. Discuss how some of these ideas could be used to enrich the instructional activity you did on the water cycle.
Stretch Your Skills!
Stretch Your Skills!
This is optional. Choose one or more of these "skill stretching" activities.
Save a board. If you sign up for a free AWW App account you will be able to save a whiteboard. Prepare and save 3 boards with different instructional activities on each board. Once these are saved practice loading them back up.
Application: You can prepare lessons and instruction ahead of time.
Export a board. With AWW App, you can export a whiteboard as a PDF file or as an image file. There will be a watermark on each file if you are using the free version. Create a whiteboard with items on it and practice exporting it. As an alternative, you can use a screen capture tool and capture the screen as an image file without the watermark.
Application: You can save work to go into student portfolios.
Post-it Note Fun: Practice creating post-it notes on an AWW whiteboard. You can change the size and the color of the notes. Create several notes with a noun on them and several notes with a verb. Have your students sort the notes by noun and verb.
Application: You can create sorting games for students on a wide range of topics, saving them ahead of time so they are ready to use during instruction.
Explore!
Explore!
This is optional. Choose one or more of the items below to explore.
Select and read an article from the AWW App Blog on Digital Schooling.
Read this article by Marzano on "The Art and Science of Teaching: Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards."
Do a Google Image search for graphics you can use in an instructional activity. Try searches on; biology diagrams, 3D shapes, 2D shapes, historical figures, or other topics as deemed fit. As you do your search, refine it with additional search terms, or use the buttons across the top of the images to refine your search. Extra credit: Create a sorting game using images.
Great work! You have completed this module on using online whiteboards. For additional resources visit our website at https://www.tlc-mtss.com.
Great work! You have completed this module on using online whiteboards. For additional resources visit our website at https://www.tlc-mtss.com.
This resource was funded through the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services with IDEA Part B dollars. The information and resources are provided as a free awareness service to the educational community and do not reflect any specific endorsement by any parties involved.
Technology & Learning Connections Team
http://www.tlc-mtss.com
PS/RtI Project
http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/
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