Digital Whiteboarding Tools for Classroom Teaching

  • Faculty & Staff

The cameras used in classrooms are meant to capture an image of the instructor and are not meant to capture writing on chalkboards or whiteboards. If you need to make a lecture recording that includes handwriting, or if you plan to have students connected remotely through Zoom and need them to see handwriting, please see the solutions below.

  1. Instructor Touch Screen Monitor solution
    In classrooms that have an Instructor Touch Screen Monitor at the podium, run Zoom on it and use Zoom's whiteboard feature. Interact with your whiteboard using your fingertip or self-provided stylus.
    Note: To find classrooms with this option, go to Penn Central Pool Classroom Search and check the option for "instructor touch screen monitor", near the bottom.
  2. iPad solution
    • From the classroom machine, run your Zoom classroom session as usual.
    • On your iPad device, run Zoom, join your Zoom classroom session, and use Zoom's whiteboard feature. (Yes, you'll be in the same Zoom meeting twice.) Interact with the Zoom whiteboard on the iPad using your fingertip or self-provided stylus.
  3. Wacom solution
    If neither of the first two solutions will work for you, you may borrow a Wacom tablet and stylus by sending a support request to instructional-support@sas.upenn.edu. You may attach the Wacom tablet to a laptop and join your existing Zoom classroom session.
    • From the classroom machine, run your Zoom classroom session as usual.
    • On your laptop, run Zoom, join your Zoom classroom session, and use Zoom's whiteboard feature. (Yes, you'll be in the same Zoom meeting twice.) Interact with the Zoom whiteboard on the Wacom using the stylus.
Note: When connecting to Zoom using your iPad or laptop, you can login as another account and use your Host privileges on the SSO/primary account to make the iPad or laptop login a Co-Host. As Co-Host, share the Whiteboard.

Other Useful Links: