Virtual Teaching: Interactive Whiteboard

Interacting with your students in a virtual class can be difficult if you do not have the right tools. In fact, this is a common complaint I see among teachers. For example, Zoom is a great resource to meet with students, but you can only share a screen, use the polling tool, and use the chat. The Zoom resources are meant for webinars not teaching a class. Also, there are resources, such as Blackboard Collaborate, which allow you to use whiteboard tools, polling tools, chat, app sharing, etc..., but great options like this cost money. What do you do when you want to interact with your students for free? Also, how do you interact with your students using platforms, such as Zoom? One option that you could use is https://www.whiteboard.chat/. In this platform, you have access to the following:

• Polling Tools: You can ask students practice questions. This allows you quickly check how students are doing with the material. Do you need to spend more time on a certain topic before moving on? Are there one or two students that you need to meet with to work through additional examples?
• Sending Links: You can send a link to a website that you want your students to view. This can become very useful because students can have the links at their fingertips versus taking 5 minutes searching for the link in the learning management system (LMS).
• Whiteboard Tools: You can show pictures, work on problems and have your students participate on the whiteboard. This can be very helpful because students can show you their work. You can see if there is an area that they are misunderstanding.
• Video Calling: You can video call and talk to your students. 
• Hand Raise: Students can raise their hand when they have a question.
• Timer: You can set a timer for a specific task. This is great for keeping the class flowing.
• Chat: You can use the chat feature to have a live chat with your students.
• Attendance: Each student can put their name on a specific board to show they are participating in class, and you can use this to take attendance at the end of class.
• Save: You can save copies of the whiteboards to look at later. Also, by saving a copy of a whiteboard with work on it, you can share the work with your students in an email.
• Collaboration: This tool can be used for a group project. Students can work on the same slide to answer a question and/or complete peer feedback.
• Invite: You can send a code to students, so they can easily log-in.
• Downside: To use some of the tools, such as the "Save" tool, you need to create an account.

An additional reason for why you should think about using Whiteboard.chat is that they are continually making improvements based on the needs of the teachers, students and the schools. Lastly, Whiteboard.chat is very user friendly.

Check out the following video for a tour of Whiteboard.chat:

Finding a way to interact with your students other than chat and PowerPoint slides is crucial, so students are interacting with your class and mastering the material. Using Whiteboard.chat is one way you can increase your students engagement in the classroom, work with students in an interactive way, provide help, and guide your students to mastery of the material.

Reference

(2020). In Whiteboard.chat. Retrieved from www.whiteboard.chat/