Realtime Board is an online whiteboard tool that I have been recommending for the last half-dozen years. At its basic level Realtime Board provides a blank canvas on which you can type, draw, and post pictures. You can connect elements on your boards through a simple linking tool. Over the last couple of months it has had a few significant updates.

Realtime Board now includes an activity tracking feature. This feature is similar to the “version history” that is found in Google Docs. Activity Tracking will let you see the changes that have been made to a shared Realtime Board whiteboard. Another important new feature is the option to vote for favorite suggestions added to a board. You can set the voting period to be as short as one minute or as long as 99 hours. Watch the following video for an overview of some of the other Realtime Board features that were recently updated.

Applications for Education

One of the reasons that I like Realtime Board is that it provides both a blank drawing canvas and a the option to use sticky notes. The drawing canvas is great for students who prefer to sketch ideas while the sticky note option is great for students who would prefer a bit more order and structure.

Realtime Board grants teachers and students access to all premium features for free. In order to get the premium features for free you do need to complete the form here.