Since its inception as Google Apps for Your Domain, later rebranded to G Suite and then to Google Workspace, Google has continually innovated to cater to user needs more effectively. Marketed as a comprehensive solution with the tagline “Everything you need to get anything done, now in one place,” it lives up to its promise.
Google Workspace encompasses more than just email; it includes contact storage, a digital calendar, and document management. A noteworthy addition is Google Jamboard, a feature gaining traction among educators for enhancing instruction.
Jamboard facilitates learner engagement, fosters educators’ collaboration, and enhances in-person and distance learning experiences. Exploring what Google Jamboard is, its instructional applications, and the strategies educators can use to integrate it into their classrooms become pivotal.
What is Google Jamboard?
Google Jamboard is a cutting-edge addition to digital whiteboards, offering educators an innovative tool to enhance classroom instruction. Unlike traditional interactive whiteboards like SMARTboard, Jamboard is a cloud-based platform developed by Google, boasting features designed to elevate engagement and interactivity in lessons.
Jamboard encompasses familiar functionalities in other digital whiteboards, including interactive pens, image embedding, and background customization. It enables educators to craft dynamic lessons and present information in a format that encourages student interaction and participation. Available as a standalone 55″ 4k touchscreen display or as a free cloud-based service, Jamboard offers flexibility in its utilization.
One of its standout features is its seamless integration with cloud storage, which ensures that work is continuously saved and eliminates concerns about data loss due to unforeseen circumstances. Furthermore, Jamboard facilitates collaboration by allowing students to access and contribute to shared boards remotely, fostering simultaneous participation and independent work.
Despite similarities to traditional interactive whiteboards, Jamboard introduces novel features such as real-time collaboration and the inclusion of sticky notes, which educators leverage to create engaging learning experiences. While it cannot currently embed videos, users can utilize extensions like GIFY to enrich their content.
Educators can employ Jamboard in various ways, from essential utilization to more tailored lesson plans that harness its full potential. By harnessing its interactive capabilities, educators can cultivate dynamic and immersive learning environments that cater to diverse learning styles and promote active participation.
What is Google Jamboard Appropriate For?
Google Jamboard finds its place across various classroom scenarios, offering versatility and ease of integration. It serves as a dynamic tool for educators to present information effectively, whether through direct projection or screen mirroring, negating the necessity for the physical Jamboard itself. In-person instruction benefits from pre-prepared Jamboard content, aiding teachers in guiding whole-group lessons seamlessly.
The collaborative nature of Jamboard extends beyond individual classrooms, enabling educators to share boards effortlessly with peers and collaborate in real time. An extensive library of pre-made templates further streamlines lesson planning, covering diverse needs from brainstorming to interactive math exercises.
In an era marked by diverse instructional models, Jamboard caters to all formats, including virtual learning environments. Through Zoom screen sharing, educators can deepen student engagement by integrating Jamboard activities seamlessly into online lessons. Moreover, by sharing board links via Zoom chat, students can access and collaborate on content, fostering interactive participation.
With its user-friendly interface, Jamboard minimizes educators’ workload while enhancing student engagement—all at no cost, making it an invaluable addition to educators’ toolkits. The following sections provide detailed insights into specific classroom applications of Jamboard.
Ways to Use Google Jamboard in Your Class
Morning Greetings
Morning greetings set the tone for the day and foster a sense of community within the classroom. Leveraging Google Jamboard adds an interactive twist to this daily ritual. Before the start of class, share the Jamboard link with students or display it in the classroom. Please encourage students to use sticky notes to share one highlight from their weekend or draw an emotion using Google Image search.
For younger learners, pose simple questions like “Do you prefer dogs or cats?” and have them mark their answers with check marks or smiley faces. Alternatively, you can type a message directly on the Jamboard for students to view during screen sharing. Even the most straightforward use of Jamboard during morning meetings can be engaging, especially with the addition of GIFY images or playful pen strokes.
Brainstorming
Jamboard serves as a dynamic platform for brainstorming sessions, fostering active participation from all students. Please encourage students to jot down their predictions for a story or topic using the sticky note feature. Create an interactive KWL (Know, Want to know, Learned) chart where students contribute their knowledge, questions, or insights.
Utilize the laser tool to emphasize specific points on the Jamboard during discussions. Thanks to automatic saving, revisit the Jamboard at the end to compare predictions with the actual outcome, providing valuable insights into student understanding and engagement.
Grammar
The English language, known for its complexity, can pose challenges in teaching and engaging students. However, Jamboard offers a solution to revitalize grammar lessons. During D.O.L. (Daily Oral Language) sessions, students may show increased interest in using Jamboard.
Shapes can serve as interactive highlighters to identify different parts of sentences. By adjusting fill colors to transparent and varying border colors, students can distinguish between nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more by moving them around.
For younger students, the focus can be on identifying specific letters, such as “Find all the A’s” or “Find all the vowels.” Teachers can also utilize Jamboard to annotate text by uploading a passage or article and having students drag shapes over essential parts for analysis. If the concept seems overwhelming initially, the simple highlighter tool remains available to convey the same concept effectively.
Math
Google Jamboard enhances math instruction by providing dynamic student engagement and collaboration opportunities. To explore data analysis, teachers can conduct class surveys and transform the data into charts on Jamboard. Students can personalize their charts with Google images or collaboratively construct charts in small groups on separate pages or multiple Jamboards shared with each group. Reconvening as a class allows for sharing student work via teacher screen sharing.
Jamboard facilitates interactive discussions in math problem-solving by having students highlight keywords and work through story problems using whiteboard pens. Patterns can be practiced lively, particularly for younger students, who can create patterns using GIFs. For older students, the challenge of crafting growing or repeating patterns using GIFs adds an engaging twist.
As part of Google’s ongoing mission to simplify living and learning, Jamboard emerges as a valuable tool for educators. Its capacity to foster student engagement, facilitate collaboration, and enhance in-person and remote learning underscores its significance in modern education. Once integrated into teaching practices, Jamboard often becomes an indispensable asset, aligning seamlessly with Google’s ethos of innovation and accessibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google Jamboard?
Google Jamboard is a cloud-based digital whiteboard developed by Google that offers interactive features for collaboration and presentation.
How does Google Jamboard work?
Google Jamboard operates through a web-based platform or mobile app, allowing users to create, collaborate, and share digital whiteboard content in real time.
What features does Google Jamboard offer?
Google Jamboard provides tools such as sticky notes, drawing pens, shape recognition, image embedding, and real-time collaboration, enhancing brainstorming, planning, and presentation capabilities.
Is Google Jamboard free to use?
Google Jamboard is free through Google Workspace accounts or as a standalone app. It offers basic functionalities. However, advanced features may require a subscription or the purchase of additional hardware, such as the Jamboard display.
Can Google Jamboard be used for remote learning?
Yes, Google Jamboard is suitable for remote learning environments. It enables educators to share boards with students, conduct interactive lessons, and collaborate virtually in real time.
How can educators integrate Google Jamboard into their classrooms?
Educators can use Google Jamboard for various instructional purposes, including interactive lessons, collaborative activities, formative assessments, visual presentations, and virtual brainstorming sessions.
Is Google Jamboard user-friendly for students?
Yes, Google Jamboard features an intuitive interface and simple tools, making it accessible for students of all ages to participate in collaborative activities and engage with instructional content.
Are there pre-made templates available on Google Jamboard?
Yes, Google Jamboard offers a library of pre-made templates for various educational purposes, including brainstorming, graphic organizers, concept maps, and more. These templates facilitate lesson planning and content creation.
Can Google Jamboard be used offline?
Google Jamboard primarily operates online, requiring an internet connection for real-time collaboration and cloud storage access. However, users can enable offline mode to access and edit previously saved boards without an internet connection.
Conclusion
Google Jamboard is a versatile and innovative tool for educators, offering many features to enhance teaching and learning experiences. With its intuitive interface and collaborative capabilities, Jamboard facilitates interactive lessons, virtual brainstorming sessions, and seamless integration into in-person and remote learning environments.
