There are a number of whiteboard apps in the App Store but the one I’m getting great use out of at the moment is called Show Me. I think that part of the reason why I like it so much is its simplicity. It’s fairly basic, without the bells ‘n whistles, but that is what I and many teachers want. You have a choice of seven different pen colours to draw with (it is best to invest in a rubber-tipped stylus to use with this app). There is an eraser to manually erase some of your work. There is also a button to erase everything on the screen. You can also import a picture from your photo album or take a photo of something and import it onto the screen and annotate it.
I’m using this app on my iPad in class a lot for explaining maths. I simply connect the iPad to the IWB using a VGA cable (I must get this done wirelessly soon!) and it’s easy for the pupils to see what I’m explaining. However, what I really like about this app is that you can record what you are doing on screen and save it as a video. The app records all of the strokes you do on screen as well as recording your voice doing the explanation. This video can then be saved to the Show Me website, where you can copy the embed code and embed the video into your blog or website. I’ve just started doing this and making the maths videos available to my pupils on our Kidblog site. I’m hoping that it may be helpful for parents in helping their children with homework. Below is a sample maths video I’ve done. (Maths teachers: please forgive me if my explanation is not accurate, but it’s my way of explaining the problem!) The best thing about this app is that it is free in the App Store. I think it’s a great addition to a teacher’s toolkit.
