Whiteboard Use Case - collaborative brainstorming

Whiteboard Use Case - collaborative brainstorming

Audience

Teachers who want students to collect drawing, audio, video and text in real time similar to padlet.

Prerequisites

LSE account with full access to MS Office365 suite.

What is Microsoft Whiteboard?

Whiteboard is a digital canvas that allows real-time sketching, writing, and sticky note-style input. Available through Office 365 and integrated into Teams meetings, it's useful for visual collaboration.

Access Microsoft Whiteboard

Does it integrate with Moodle?

Not directly, but Whiteboards can be saved as images or links and uploaded to Moodle manually.

Why use it?

  • Enable brainstorming or idea mapping in online sessions

  • Support visual thinking, mind maps, or workshop activities

  • Integrate into Teams calls with live editing

  • Use for icebreakers, polls, or plenary activities

Hypothetical Example

In a hypothetical methodology workshop, participants use Whiteboard to map research questions, share initial ideas, and cluster themes during breakout sessions. The final output is saved and posted on Moodle for reference.

How might students use it independently?

Students can run their own Whiteboards during project planning or group meetings, using sticky notes and diagrams to share ideas or review concepts.

Digital/Web Literacy Opportunity

Fosters collaborative ideation, visual notetaking, and spatial thinking — especially useful for learners who engage better with diagrams than text.

Similar Tools

  • Jamboard (deprecated by Google in 2024)

  • Miro (advanced, non-free tier for HE)

  • Padlet (popular for education; limited free tier)

  • PowerPoint or Word drawing tools (for offline sketching)

Further Resources

⚠️ Warning about Microsoft Tools

Important Note:
While these tools are currently available via LSE’s Office 365 subscription, Microsoft frequently retires or rebrands services with limited notice (e.g. Stream Classic, Forms Pro, Jamboard deprecation). We recommend avoiding over-reliance on any one tool without a fallback option. Always download or back up critical work and avoid designing assessments around tools with uncertain lifespans