How Do I Add A Whiteboard To Microsoft Teams

  



People can view shared whiteboards when they're members of the space or even if they're not members of the space where the meeting is taking place. These guests can include people joining from:

Add

Microsoft has confirmed that it will enable support for ‘Whiteboard’ within the virtual breakout rooms. Whiteboard is a feature that allows users to draw, write notes, and share ideas together. Microsoft today announced that the Whiteboard app in Microsoft Teams has been updated with some new features, including the ability to add Sticky Notes, as well as the ability to add text objects.

  • Webex for Windows, Mac, or web who are not space members

  • Standards based video endpoints (SIP, H.323)

  • Skype for Business apps

  • Webex for iPhone, iPad or Android who are space members

1

During a meeting, go to More , choose New Whiteboard, and the new whiteboard is shared in the meeting.

Multiple people can edit the whiteboard at the same time. However, people who have joined from a different app can only view the whiteboard.

  • Color changes the marker color.

  • Eraser turns the marker into an eraser to remove edits or click eraser again to select Clear all and remove all edits. You can click undo to restore the edits you just cleared.

  • Stickies creates and adds stickies. You can add text, change the color, and move the stickies around your whiteboard.

  • Undo removes your last edit. You can continue to click undo and remove each edit until you return to the last saved whiteboard.

    On a shared whiteboard, if someone selects Clear all, undo is unavailable. However, if you select Clear all and nobody else edits the whiteboard, you can click undo to restore the edits.

  • There's no limit to the size of your whiteboard. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move around the whiteboard. You can use a mouse or a touchpad to zoom in or out on the whiteboard.


You can share an existing whiteboard or annotation. Click All whiteboards , select a whiteboard or annotation, and then click > Share in call

2

When you're finished, select Done.

3

Click to stop sharing your whiteboard.

Using a whiteboard is an integral part of most people’s teaching and by using a digital whiteboard instead, you can continue to take advantage of this pedagogic staple.

Whether you are helping visualise abstract concepts, or trying to make your online seminar more engaging, try using the Microsoft Whiteboard with Microsoft Teams.

It’s possible to add images, PDF’s, Word documents and PowerPoint documents to a whiteboard, allowing students to create a digital idea’s board.

In this example, I’m going to be teaching a seminar on Coffee. The seminar will make use of breakout rooms where I want each group to have a go at drawing the chemical structure for caffeine.

I’ve already established channels for each of my seminar groups, you can find the instructions for doing this on the Create breakout rooms in MS Teams post.

Accessing Microsoft Whiteboard

Whiteboard

I’m using the Microsoft Whiteboard app, that you can download from the Microsoft Store. You can also access Microsoft Whiteboard on the Microsoft Whiteboard web app.

When you open the app, you’ll see a dashboard of whiteboards that have been used in Teams meetings, or that you’ve created in the past. Otherwise it will be empty if you’ve not used a Microsoft Whiteboard before.

Create a new whiteboard for each group

I’m going to create two whiteboards, by clicking Create new Whiteboard.

When creating a new whiteboard, you’ll be taken straight into the whiteboard itself.

I’m going to add a note to each Whiteboard with instructions on what I want the group to do by clicking the Add note button in the toolbar.

Clicking the back arrow in the app, or My Whiteboards in a browser, returns you to the dashboard.

Clicking the ellipses on a whiteboard will open the settings. By default, whiteboards are named Untitled Whiteboard, to make it easier for myself to remember which group has which whiteboard, I’m going to click the pencil icon and rename them.

Now I just need to share them to the groups in MS Teams. As part of my setup for the breakout rooms, I’ve created a channel for each group, so this is where I’ll be sharing the link to the whiteboard.

Sharing with “Post to Teams”

On the Whiteboards dashboard, clicking the ellipses again reveals the Invite Participants option. A list appears to show current users who have access, and a button to add more.

At the top of this list is another ellipses which when clicked will reveal the option to Post to teams. You’ll see a list of teams that you are a member of. I’m going to select my team, after which I’ll see a list of the Channels in that team. By clicking the channel for the group, the option to Post to that group will become visible, clicking this will share the whiteboard with that channel.

You can now go into the team channel and see the shared link! Depending on how you named the whiteboard, the default message may not be very useful. Luckily you can edit your posts in MS Teams by hovering the mouse cursor over the message until you see the emoji, and clicking the ellipses for more options and selecting Edit.

Sharing with a “Sharing link”

How Do I Add A Whiteboard To Microsoft Teams Video

If you prefer to share the whiteboard another way, instead of choosing “Post to teams”, choose Create sharing link instead. This link can be shared via any method you like, and anyone at the University will be able to access the Whiteboard via the link.

Enable Microsoft Whiteboard In Teams

Viewing the work

Once my groups have done the task, I can easily navigate between their whiteboards from the dashboard in the Whiteboard app or web app.

Whiteboard On Teams

When in a Teams meeting with my groups, with their whiteboard open in the Whiteboard App or in a browser, I can click Share in the Ms Teams meeting toolbar, and choose the Whiteboard window from the sharing options.

How Do I Add A Whiteboard To Microsoft Teams Conference

Using Microsoft Whiteboards in this way is a fun and flexible way for students to learn. Try it out in meetings or in your staff teams for mind mapping exercises, sharing ideas or just for fun!