How to Teach Online with a Whiteboard
A step-by-step guide for teachers: how to set up the whiteboard before class, screen share in Zoom or Google Meet, use the laser pointer and annotation tools during lessons, and send lesson notes to students as a PDF afterwards.
Before Class: Set Up Your Lesson Canvas
A little preparation makes your live teaching much smoother.
Open the Whiteboard â No Login
Go to onlinewhiteboard.org in any browser. No account, no login. Open it 5â10 minutes before class starts to have it ready.
Pre-Load Lesson Materials
Use the Image Upload tool to add any diagrams, worksheets, or reference images you'll refer to during the lesson. Place them on the canvas where you want to annotate them live. This saves time during class â no fumbling with files mid-lesson.
Use Multiple Boards for Multiple Topics
If your lesson covers several distinct topics, create a separate board for each using the Multiple Boards feature. Switch between boards mid-lesson rather than cluttering one canvas â this keeps each topic's content clean and separated.
Choose Light or Dark Canvas
Switch to Dark Mode if you're projecting to a class â dark backgrounds with white writing are much easier to read on a projected screen. For individual online lessons with students viewing on their own screens, light mode usually works well.
During Class: Screen Sharing in Zoom, Meet, and Teams
How to show the whiteboard to students on any video platform.
Zoom
Click Share Screen in Zoom's toolbar. Select the browser tab or window showing the whiteboard. Students see every stroke in near-real-time. For smoothest performance, share the window rather than your full desktop.
Google Meet
Click Present now at the bottom of Meet, then choose A tab and select the whiteboard tab. Tab sharing in Meet gives better resolution than screen sharing and only shows that tab.
Microsoft Teams
Click the Share button (box with arrow) and choose Window or Browser tab. Select the whiteboard window. Teams tab sharing works similarly to Meet â high resolution, focused on just the whiteboard.
During Class: Teaching Tools Explained
The tools that make the most difference in online lessons.
Laser Pointer
The laser pointer moves a red dot across the canvas without drawing anything. Use it to point at specific parts of a diagram or image while talking â it guides student attention without leaving permanent marks on your canvas.
Highlighter
Semi-transparent strokes for marking up text or diagrams while keeping the original visible. Draw over a word or formula to emphasise it â the highlight shows on screen without obscuring what's underneath.
Pen & Calligraphy
For live writing and explaining â write equations, label diagrams, draw worked examples. Calligraphy produces elegant brush strokes useful for language teaching and any subject where penmanship style matters.
Shapes & Arrows
Draw geometric shapes, flowcharts, and labelled diagrams live. Rectangles for boxes in a process flow, arrows showing relationships, circles for Venn diagrams â all built in and free.
Sticky Notes
Add sticky note questions or activities on the canvas. Useful for formative check-ins â place a question sticky, explain it, and ask students to respond verbally. Or use multiple boards and prepare sticky note activities in advance.
Undo (Ctrl+Z)
Make a mistake mid-explanation? Ctrl+Z undoes your last stroke. In live teaching this is essential â don't hesitate to draw freely knowing you can undo errors without losing the whole canvas.
After Class: Exporting Lesson Notes for Students
Turn your whiteboard into shareable lesson notes in one click.
Export as PDF
Click the PDF button in the toolbar. The entire canvas is exported as a PDF document â all boards, all content, no watermark. This becomes your lesson notes document to share with students.
Share via Your Usual Channel
Upload the PDF to Google Classroom, Teams, your school VLE, or email it directly to students. The PDF looks exactly like your whiteboard canvas â everything is captured exactly as you drew it.
Save the Board File for Next Time
Save the board as a project file (.owb) to your device. Reopen it before your next lesson to continue from where you left off, or use it as a template for a similar lesson with another group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do students need an account to see the whiteboard?
No â students just watch your shared screen. They don't open the whiteboard themselves (unless you want them to), so no account is needed on either side.
Can I use this on an iPad while teaching?
Yes â open the whiteboard in Safari on your iPad. Touch and Apple Pencil both work. Share your iPad screen to your video call using AirPlay or a direct connection.
What if I lose my content during class?
Save the project file regularly with Ctrl+S or the Save button. If your browser crashes or tab closes accidentally, reopen the project file and all your content is restored exactly.
Can I prepare lesson boards in advance and reuse them?
Yes â save each prepared lesson as a separate project file on your device. Open the relevant file at the start of each class. This way you build up a library of reusable lesson canvases.
Is this better than the built-in whiteboard in Zoom or Teams?
For most teaching purposes, yes. OnlineWhiteboard.org has more drawing tools, better sticky notes, image annotation, multiple boards, and a cleaner interface than the built-in whiteboards in Zoom or Teams â and it works the same regardless of which video platform you use.