Scriblink

Scriblink is a virtual whiteboard. With all the other tools we have these days, I'm still trying to come up with a great use for this, but I'm sure there's something! If you think of an idea on how to use Scriblink while you're reading this, I'd love to hear about it in the comment box. :) Here's what I came up with:

If you were giving a presentation in, say, a library or something, and you didn't have a chalkboard or whiteboard to write on, you could write on this. Instead of purchasing individual whiteboards and markers (which get expensive!) for each student, you could save paper if students use Scriblink to do their work, instead. (You would either need computer lab access for your students, or you'd need each student to have his or her individual laptop in class for this to work...)

This reminds me of a popular app for iPhone (of course, I can't think of the name at the moment). I wasn't sure why, but it was wildly popular with the younger folks (and by this, I mean younger than me!). Maybe it was popular simply because it was something different. If that's the case, then Scriblink would fit that bill -- it's definitely different. You could use it to "spice things up" in your classroom.

Up to 6 people can "share" a Scriblink whiteboard. With this in mind, I suddenly had the image of multiple classes in the same school connecting on a few different Scriblink whiteboards and collaborating that way! Educators are always talking about "cross-curricular learning," where English teachers throw in a dab of history, or math teachers preach a little science. At the moment, I'm picturing some school-wide assignment that incorporates several different subjects, and I'm seeing the kids collaborate across classrooms using something like Scriblink. I don't know if that would ever actually work, but it just popped into my brain, so I thought I'd write about it before I forgot!

I particularly like the math capabilities in Scriblink, though. Although the "math board" is currently disabled (not sure why or when it will be available again...?), I like that it has a pi symbol, which I take to mean that more complex math symbols are available for use on a normal day. You don't find a lot of programs that have complex math symbols readily available like that. I also like the fact that you can place a grid (coordinate plane, anyone?) onto the board. So, math teachers, if you wanted to avoid getting out the ol' coordinate plane overhead transparency (does anyone use transparencies anymore?!), you could just project Scriblink onto your whiteboard and put the grid in place. Plot coordinates, make hyperbolas (uh, right? I'm an English teacher, so I don't claim to know anything past the first month of Algebra I anymore!), etc.