Using the Whiteboard Tools
This is the primary instructional tool that comes with eLive and is similar to the whiteboard in Blackboard’s Virtual Classroom collaboration tool.
With the toolbar on the left-hand side, instructors can click one of the options and put a variety of information on the whiteboard before or during the session. The drawing tools are outlined below. These are the basic tools for everyone. Instructors (Moderators) will have additional tools outlined below.
NOTE: Whenever one of these tools is selected, there are additional options just below the whiteboard.
If the whiteboard gets full, there is no need to erase material – clicking on the white icon with the starburst will create a new white board. By clicking multiple times, multiple whiteboards, called screens, can be added. To maneuver to the next screen, the navigation buttons next to the drop down menu can be used.
To view the different screens in the session, one just has to click on the screen title, in this case, "Public Screen 4."
Additionally, if one must jump back to a screen out of order, the drop down menu shown earlier allows one to move to any screen at any time – just a click on the screen name changes the whiteboard.
To bring a PowerPoint or image to the whiteboard, the following icon is used. This is covered in more detail on Loading PowerPoints page. The other tools below are for those creating materials only in eLive and will not be covered.
Pros:
- Allows for some instruction "on the fly"
- Easy to use for small amounts of typed information, like a session agenda
- Students using the breakout rooms for cooperative work can use the whiteboard for sharing ideas
Cons:
- Clumsy to draw and write on it, unless in conjunction with a TabletPC, pen tablet or SMART board
- Text tool does not "wrap" - when typing gets to the edge of the whiteboard, the ENTER key must be hit (like manual typewriters)
- If wanting to use whiteboards from the breakout rooms, instructor must bring those files back to the Main Room
