Online whiteboards for Aalto users
Image created with AI model : DALL-E-3
In Aalto, we use several online tools to collect and develop ideas and to capture knowledge. In this blog post, I’ll focus on the whiteboard tools currently available. Each tool has its strengths and weaknesses, so I’ll highlight features that can help teachers choose the best option for their teaching.
At the moment, there are two Aalto-approved options: Microsoft Whiteboard and Zoom Workplace’s integrated whiteboard. Both works on browser or in dedicated application. Both has mobile app available.
Microsoft Whiteboard
- Easy to set up and integrates with Teams meetings.
- Limited feature set, which means a low learning curve for participants.
- Includes starter templates and the ability to save personal templates.
- The final board can be exported.
- Users can join via invitation or shareable link, but all participants must sign in with an Aalto account—anonymous access is not available.
- The owner can choose not to display participant names. In that case, adding elements to the board won’t record the user’s name. However, if participants use “likes,” their names will appear in the like list.
- To make participation as anonymous as possible, hide collaborative cursors and turn off author attribution.
Microsoft Whiteboard is easy to use in Teams meetings, though its features are fairly limited—which can be an advantage in some cases. For simple, straightforward data collection in events where all users have Aalto accounts, it can be an excellent choice.
See short overview video on YouTube by Microsoft
We often think of Zoom Workplace as a video platform, but it also includes a powerful whiteboard app that works independently of meetings. You can open the Zoom app, select Whiteboard from the left sidebar, and start right away—no meeting required.
Zoom whiteboard
- Rich tool and feature set compared to Microsoft Whiteboard.
- Start from built-in templates, create your own, and export results after a session.
- Simply share a link for participants to join. The owner can allow participants to access the board without signing in, if desired.
- Integrates with Zoom Meetings.
A particularly useful teaching feature is multi-page boards. Instructors can create multiple pages—using the same or different templates—so several groups can work simultaneously on the same whiteboard without visually distracting one another.
How to start with Zoom workplace whiteboard and Collaborate with whiteboard