@agiledoc
June 29, 2020, 9:00am EDT
A whiteboard is a great tool for collaborating with others. If you’re working remotely and can’t physically gather around one, though, you’ll need a virtual solution—like Microsoft Whiteboard.
Although Whiteboard is available for anyone with a free Microsoft account or any paid Microsoft 365/Office 365 (M365/O365) subscription, the collaboration features currently only work with members of the same organization.
So, if you’re using a personal M365/O365 subscription, you can’t collaborate yet; however, Microsoft has said this will change in the future.
Sharing a whiteboard is simple, and the process is the same whether you’re using the Whiteboard client or web app.
We’ll be using the Windows 10 client, as it has more features and is our recommended method.
How to Share a Board with Someone
To share a board with an individual, open it in the Whiteboard client, and then click the blue Invite Someone button.
In the “Invite” panel that appears, type name of the person with whom you want to share, or select their name from the “Suggested Contacts” list.
When you select someone, she is granted edit rights to the board by default. This means she can edit the board’s contents, share it with someone else, or rename it. If you don’t want that person to have those rights, click the Pen icon next to “Can Edit,” and change the permissions to “Read-Only.”
Next, click “Invite.”
The person with whom you’ve shared your whiteboard will receive an invitation via email with a link. When she clicks it, it takes her to the whiteboard. The whiteboard will appear on the front page of the Whiteboard app, so she can access it without returning to the email that contains the link.
To stop sharing a board with someone, go to the front page of the Whiteboard client. Click the ellipsis (. . .) next to the board you want to stop sharing, and then click “Invite Participants.”
Click the ellipsis (. . .) next to the name of the person with whom you want to stop sharing, and then click “Remove Participant.”
The board will be removed from her Whiteboard app, and the link she received will no longer work.
How to Share a Board with Multiple People
To share a board with multiple people, open it in the Whiteboard client, and then click the blue Invite Someone button.
In the “Invite” panel that opens, click the ellipsis (. . .), and then select “Create Sharing Link.”
Toggle-On the “Web Sharing Link Off” option.
A unique sharing link will be created.
Despite the text that says the link can be shared between personal accounts, Microsoft’s documentation says it only works with others in your organization. We were unable to share a board from a personal account with another personal account during our testing.
This will almost certainly change in the future, but, at this writing, you can only share a board with someone in your company.
Click “Copy Link” to copy it to your clipboard.
You can now send this link to anyone in your organization. When they click it, the board will open. It’ll also show up on the front page of the Whiteboard app, so they can access it without returning to the link.
To prevent people from accessing a board, toggle-Off the “Web Sharing Link On” button to delete the link. Anyone who clicks it afterward will see an error message telling them they don’t have access to that board.
Life is better when you share it with someone. It’s a lot better when you can share it with a lot of someones. Microsoft’s Whiteboard app for Windows 10 lets you do both. Welcome to Day 94 of 365 Ideas for Office 365- Collaborating in Microsoft Whiteboard.
Sharing with Individuals
If you just need to collaborate with 1 or 2 individuals, you can invite them Just type in their email address(es), or, if they are someone you already collaborate with often in Office 365, look down and click on them if they show up in your suggestions list for collaborating.
Another fun feature is that you can write their name instead of typing. This is convenient if you are already using a stylus on the Whiteboard canvas.
Just click on the little stylus icon
to the right of the invitation box.
This opens up a box for you to write user names in!
Collaborating with Groups
But what if you want to share with more than one or two people? There are several options for group collaboration. You can create a sharing link and post it anywhere you share links with students or colleagues.
But notice there are also options to send to OneNote and Post to Teams.
If you simply want to save the Whiteboard the same way you save anything else in OneNote, to organize and preserve your work, that’s pretty straightforward. But remember that once you have anything on any page in any OneNote Notebook, you can use Class Notebook to distribute that page to any class Notebook. That means you can distribute it to students through OneNote.
You can also distribute to students or colleagues by posting the Whiteboard to Teams. Whiteboard was made for collaborating. Tams was made for collaborating. It just makes sense! Like everything else in Teams, when your students or colleagues open a Whiteboard in Teams, they are still in Teams. There are always options to open files, apps and websites outside of teams for more space, but everything is designed to work inside Teams, so you can continue using the other communication tools there while collaborating inside the Whiteboard as well. With so many options for sharing an collaborating, and so many way s to interact within Whiteboard, its time has come.
If you like this style of directions and screenshots, walking you through ideas for using Microsoft tools in your classroom, check out my book,
A whiteboard is a great tool for collaborating with others. If you’re working remotely and can’t physically gather around one, though, you’ll need a virtual solution—like Microsoft Whiteboard.
Although Whiteboard is available for anyone with a free Microsoft account or any paid Microsoft 365/Office 365 (M365/O365) subscription, the collaboration features currently only work with members of the same organization.
So, if you’re using a personal M365/O365 subscription, you can’t collaborate yet; however, Microsoft has said this will change in the future.
Sharing a whiteboard is simple, and the process is the same whether you’re using the Whiteboard client or web app.
We’ll be using the Windows 10 client, as it has more features and is our recommended method.
How to Share a Board with Someone
To share a board with an individual, open it in the Whiteboard client, and then click the blue Invite Someone button.
In the “Invite” panel that appears, type name of the person with whom you want to share, or select their name from the “Suggested Contacts” list.
When you select someone, she is granted edit rights to the board by default. This means she can edit the board’s contents, share it with someone else, or rename it. If you don’t want that person to have those rights, click the Pen icon next to “Can Edit,” and change the permissions to “Read-Only.”
Next, click “Invite.”
The person with whom you’ve shared your whiteboard will receive an invitation via email with a link. When she clicks it, it takes her to the whiteboard. The whiteboard will appear on the front page of the Whiteboard app, so she can access it without returning to the email that contains the link.
To stop sharing a board with someone, go to the front page of the Whiteboard client. Click the ellipsis (. . .) next to the board you want to stop sharing, and then click “Invite Participants.”
Click the ellipsis (. . .) next to the name of the person with whom you want to stop sharing, and then click “Remove Participant.”
The board will be removed from her Whiteboard app, and the link she received will no longer work.
How to Share a Board with Multiple People
To share a board with multiple people, open it in the Whiteboard client, and then click the blue Invite Someone button.
In the “Invite” panel that opens, click the ellipsis (. . .), and then select “Create Sharing Link.”
Toggle-On the “Web Sharing Link Off” option.
A unique sharing link will be created.
Despite the text that says the link can be shared between personal accounts, Microsoft’s documentation says it only works with others in your organization. We were unable to share a board from a personal account with another personal account during our testing.
This will almost certainly change in the future, but, at this writing, you can only share a board with someone in your company.
Click “Copy Link” to copy it to your clipboard.
You can now send this link to anyone in your organization. When they click it, the board will open. It’ll also show up on the front page of the Whiteboard app, so they can access it without returning to the link.
To prevent people from accessing a board, toggle-Off the “Web Sharing Link On” button to delete the link. Anyone who clicks it afterward will see an error message telling them they don’t have access to that board.
Today, big and small companies alike are learning the benefits of collaboration. Aside from making the office environment more open and transparent, it also actually helps in increasing productivity. Add to this the fact that there are many apps that help encourage and facilitate collaboration. One of the new best apps that recently rolled out is Microsoft Whiteboard.
Microsoft Whiteboard is a free form digital canvas where people can creatively collaborate and even present remotely. The app, which is available for download on all Windows 10 devices, allows people to come together and contribute their content, ideas, and messages.
Work Closely with Your Remote Team
What’s great about collaborative apps like Whiteboard is that they allow people to work together seamlessly in one place. The apps allow them to also share ideas and information very easily as if they are just in one room, when in fact they are actually working remotely. So, it doesn’t matter if your colleague or teammate is in the next room or across the globe, the dynamics are still the same.
Whiteboard basically works like a free-for-all canvas, where anyone a part of the team has access to the limitless board or canvas. This digital canvas can be used for making illustrations, inserting images, creating tables and diagrams, writing down notes, and making handwritten comments on other people’s ideas. And this is only to name a few because there are still so many more things to do with Whiteboard.
For one, the app has a pen option that allows you to seamlessly use it especially with Microsoft Surface. You can just use the stylus and the device’s easy touch inputs to write and draw on Whiteboard.
Whiteboard also uses pen-first, touch-first technology that flawlessly translates fluid fingertip gestures and turns them into digital handwriting and other shapes. You can also easily swipe to different sections of the board, endless board just by using your fingers. It is also easy to switch to different tabs so you can just drag and drop images and other objects to and from your board.
Still, the app can also work across multiple devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and personal computers. A single user can also easily switch to different devices, or modify their whiteboards anywhere they are and while using different devices. They only need to have an Office 365 subscription to have easy access to Whiteboard.
Be More Open and Creative with Microsoft Whiteboard
In the workplace or in the classroom, for Whiteboard makes it easy for people to contribute their ideas more openly and easily. Anyone a part of the team can input their thoughts, and leaders can also inject their instructions, making communication much easier and therefore making less room for misunderstanding and mistakes.
As online collaboration has proven, bumps are taken out of the workflow with the help of tools such as Whiteboard. This is because transparency is increased, especially as people can easily see changes and updates to the document in real-time. They can also input their own thoughts and ideas simultaneously, making interaction clearer and more effective. Team members are not left in the dark regarding different aspects of the project and they can share their own ideas openly. And since everyone can share their ideas and the board automatically saves them, you and your team can easily pick up where you left off, allowing no room for downtime on work and creativity.
Since Whiteboard is limitless, the possibilities are endless as well. A canvas with borders or limits can hamper creativity, so Microsoft chose to create something endless. This is a great move that allows more freedom, movement, and a much freer flow of ideas for collaborating teams.
Open the Save File dialog by doing one of the following:
From the File menu, select Save and then choose Whiteboard.
The Select Screens dialog box appears. Choose whether you want to save all the screens in the Current Screen Group, only the Current Screen or Selected Screens. If you choose Selected Screens, you will then see a list of all the screens. Select the screen(s) you wish to save. Use Shift or Control to select multiple screens. Then click OK.
You can save the Whiteboard screens in the following formats:
WBD File:
When Whiteboard screens are saved as a Whiteboard file (.wbd), they are saved as one file that can only be imported and reviewed in an Blackboard Collaborate session.
WBP File:
When Whiteboard screens are saved as a Protected Whiteboard file (.wbp), they are saved as one file that can only be imported and reviewed in an Blackboard Collaborate session. These files are protected and cannot be printed, saved, or edited unless the moderator removes the protection flag by going to Tools, Whiteboard, and de-selecting the option Protect Whiteboard.
PDF File:
When Whiteboard screens are saved as a PDF file (.pdf), they are saved as one file and can be reviewed outside of the Blackboard Collaborate environment.
PNG File:
When Whiteboard screens are saved as Image files (.png), they are saved as separate images and can be loaded individually onto the Whiteboard as images or used in any other image processing application.
A whiteboard is a great tool for collaborating with others. If you’re working remotely and can’t physically gather around one, though, you’ll need a virtual solution—like Microsoft Whiteboard.
Although Whiteboard is available for anyone with a free Microsoft account or any paid Microsoft 365/Office 365 (M365/O365) subscription, the collaboration features currently only work with members of the same organization.
So, if you’re using a personal M365/O365 subscription, you can’t collaborate yet; however, Microsoft has said this will change in the future.
RELATED: What Is Microsoft Whiteboard, and How Do You Use It?
Sharing a whiteboard is simple, and the process is the same whether you’re using the Whiteboard client or web app.
We’ll be using the Windows 10 client, as it has more features and is our recommended method.
How to Share a Board with Someone
To share a board with an individual, open it in the Whiteboard client, and then click the blue Invite Someone button.
In the “Invite” panel that appears, type name of the person with whom you want to share, or select their name from the “Suggested Contacts” list.
When you select someone, she is granted edit rights to the board by default. This means she can edit the board’s contents, share it with someone else, or rename it. If you don’t want that person to have those rights, click the Pen icon next to “Can Edit,” and change the permissions to “Read-Only.”
Next, click “Invite.”
The person with whom you’ve shared your whiteboard will receive an invitation via email with a link. When she clicks it, it takes her to the whiteboard. The whiteboard will appear on the front page of the Whiteboard app, so she can access it without returning to the email that contains the link.
To stop sharing a board with someone, go to the front page of the Whiteboard client. Click the ellipsis (. . .) next to the board you want to stop sharing, and then click “Invite Participants.”
Click the ellipsis (. . .) next to the name of the person with whom you want to stop sharing, and then click “Remove Participant.”
The board will be removed from her Whiteboard app, and the link she received will no longer work.
How to Share a Board with Multiple People
To share a board with multiple people, open it in the Whiteboard client, and then click the blue Invite Someone button.
In the “Invite” panel that opens, click the ellipsis (. . .), and then select “Create Sharing Link.”
Toggle-On the “Web Sharing Link Off” option.
A unique sharing link will be created.
Despite the text that says the link can be shared between personal accounts, Microsoft’s documentation says it only works with others in your organization. We were unable to share a board from a personal account with another personal account during our testing.
This will almost certainly change in the future, but, at this writing, you can only share a board with someone in your company.
Click “Copy Link” to copy it to your clipboard.
You can now send this link to anyone in your organization. When they click it, the board will open. It’ll also show up on the front page of the Whiteboard app, so they can access it without returning to the link.
To prevent people from accessing a board, toggle-Off the “Web Sharing Link On” button to delete the link. Anyone who clicks it afterward will see an error message telling them they don’t have access to that board.
You can launch Blackboard Collaborate Ultra sessions from the Blackboard app if a link is provided within a course. You’re directed to a web browser to join the session.
Collaborate is supported on these devices and browsers:
- Android: Chrome browser
- iOS 11+: Safari browser
Collaborate Ultra is a synchronous web conferencing solution for high-quality virtual classes and meetings. Instructors can share files and video while interacting with the class. You don’t have to install anything extra to join a session.
Collaborate with the Original experience isn’t supported on mobile browsers.
If you don’t receive automatic app updates, please update now to ensure links to Collaborate sessions function as intended. Collaborate was updated in Blackboard app 4.3.3.
Join session from course
Collaborate Ultra sessions are listed within courses in the app. Access a course, tap Collaborate under Course Materials , and select a session.
- The Course Room is a default session in Collaborate Ultra. If your instructor disables this room, it will appear in the app as Locked .
- Tap an available session to launch it in your device’s mobile browser. You’ll join the session as a participant.
- Collaborate might ask you for permission to use your device’s camera and microphone. Allow access to continue in the session.
- Sessions that aren’t available to you right now appear in the list but you can’t access them.
- Repeating sessions show each occurrence.
If you can, join your session early and get to know your way around.
Join session from link
You don’t have to be enrolled in a course to join a Collaborate Ultra session. If your instructor provides you a link to the session, you’re all set. Just access the link on your mobile device, tap it, and the session will launch in your mobile web browser.
Collaborate features
Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time video conferencing tool that includes these features and more.
- Add files
- Share applications
- Virtual whiteboard
- Chat
- Polling
- Breakout groups
Microsoft Whiteboard: Where people, content and ideas come together
I discovered MS Whiteboard a couple months ago and immediately fell in love. It is a very simple tool, but it is powerful, useful, and growing. Let’s dig into what Whiteboard is and why it’s so amazing!
Microsoft Whiteboard is exactly what the name states. It is a digital whiteboard the includes the tools you wish you had when standing in front of the analog whiteboard in a conference room and adds the ability to share the whiteboard with other people in your meeting to allow immediate, simultaneous collaboration.
Have you ever attended a brainstorming session in which 10 people shout ideas and 1 person tries to write them all on the board? Have you used sticky notes to add ideas to the whiteboard and then rearrange them into categories? How many times have you handed markers to other people to allow them to draw on the board? At the end of the meeting, when the next meeting kicks you out of the room, did you take a picture of the whiteboard before erasing it? Microsoft Whiteboard takes care of all these scenarios for you.
I started by downloading the app to my Surface 4 from the Windows App Store, and after enabling its use in the Admin panel, I was immediately able to use Whiteboard. There was no learning curve! There’s no ribbon full of features and options that I had to dig through, just a white screen and an assortment of different markers and eraser across the bottom. I instantly knew what to do, so I pulled the pen off the side of my surface, selected a marker, and started drawing. Because the screen of the surface is not as wide as my imagination (or ability to draw inside the lines), I quickly started drawing past the edge of the screen. The whiteboard grew with my drawing.
To the right of the markers and eraser is a ruler image. I clicked on it, and a ruler appeared on my whiteboard. I was able to control it with 2 fingers of my left hand while drawing perfectly straight lines with the pen in my right hand. That never happens in freehand on the analog whiteboard!
Next, I noticed a + sign next to the markers, so I clicked it. It opened a list of options to put other elements onto my whiteboard. Check that out; I can add images from my hard drive or from Bing right there with my pen – no mouse required. And Sticky Notes. Oh look! When I add text to the Sticky Notes and move them around, the text moves with them – and I can set different colors of Sticky Notes. That makes organizing them later easier. When I clicked the gear, I figured out that I could create shapes and tables using my pen. Microsoft can figure out what shapes I’m trying to make and snap the lines in for me. Amazing.
I know I said “collaboration tool”, so here we go. The last major thing I noticed was the blue Person+ icon. Clicking the Person+ icon allowed me to use my pen to write my colleague’s name and add her to my Whiteboard. There’s another option to get a link to send out to meeting recipients. You don’t even have to give individuals permissions if you send them the link. Then you get into the meeting and have everyone open the whiteboard, and each person can collaborate on the whiteboard at the same time, even if they are not in the room with you. And instead of taking a picture of the analog whiteboard after the meeting, you can just close the app, and it is saved to the cloud. If you specifically need a picture to include in a PowerPoint or something, you can easily export the entire whiteboard to PNG file through the gear.
Microsoft has finally launched its Whiteboard app for Windows 10 devices. It’s a free tool for collaborating on ideas with as many people as you like, and it’s not half bad.
Whiteboard (which has been available in preview since last December) is designed for use with a stylus, so it’ll automatically recognize when you’re trying to draw shapes and tables, and help you out with your doodles.
Of course, it works just fine with a mouse or your finger on a touchscreen too. You can draw, add sticky notes, import images, paste text, and pull in pictures from the web using the built-in Bing search tool. All these elements can be manipulated and moved around the board as you wish.
It’s also easy to invite people to collaborate from wherever they are in real-time by sending them a link. Of course, they’ll need a Microsoft or Office 365 account to dive in.
There are several other whiteboard apps out there, but with this, Microsoft can offer it to Office users, integrate it into its Teams group chat app (which is now available for free), and sync your data across devices when it later arrives on the web, iOS, and Android.
So while Whiteboard isn’t impressive enough on its own to convince you to switch from similar apps, it might be the easiest one for you to get into, if you’ve already bought into the Office ecosystem.
You can give it a go by installing the app for free from the Microsoft Store.
