Moving from Discussion Boards to Jamboard

Abstract

Jamboard is a digital interactive whiteboard that allows learners to collaborate in real time. Jamboard was released by Google in 2017 and is one of the free products on Google’s G-suite. Prior to discovering Jamboard, I relied upon discussion boards in each of my classes. In my role as instructor, discussion boards provided me with insight into who was completing the course readings and acted as a form of assessment, both formative and summative. In this brief vignette, I discuss how Jamboards offer many of the advantages of discussion boards and provide students with the opportunity to interact with their instructor and peers. This results in a more enjoyable online course.