If you've ever used a digital whiteboard, but don't like how unnatural it feels to write on
them, then you're definitely going to like Limnu. With a digital whiteboard like Limnu, you're going
to want to be able to write on it with your hand instead of using a mouse or a trackpad, and I
think the pen tablets that Wacom makes are one of the best choices. This video is sponsored by
Wacom and I'm proud to partner with them, because digital whiteboards plus pen tablets equals a
significant whiteboard upgrade. Trust me, you'll never want to go back to a regular whiteboard.
Hey everyone, it's Sam Kary with New EdTech Classroom, and on this channel we show you
everything you need to know about teaching with technology. I think Limnu is one of your best
choices for a digital whiteboard if you want to use it for direct instruction, for sketchnoting,
for mind mapping, brainstorming, or small group collaboration. And that's because, in my opinion,
it's the most natural feeling digital whiteboard to write on. For that reason, I personally use
it as my preferred digital whiteboard when I'm doing professional development for teachers.
Limnu is really built for drawing, much like a physical whiteboard. On a Limnu whiteboard you'll
see that we can choose from a pen or a marker, and that you can also choose the thickness of that pen
or marker, as well as choose from different colors. When drawing on a Limnu whiteboard,
it's the small details that make a difference. Notice, for example, how when I draw, the color
disperses slightly unevenly, exactly like an actual whiteboard and marker. I will have to say
that drawing on Limnu really only feels completely natural when I'm pairing it with a pen tablet,
so that I can write with my hand, rather than use the mouse or a trackpad. One option for a
pen tablet would be the One by Wacom, which is the most affordable pen tablet that Wacom makes.
My personal preferred pen tablet is the Wacom One, and I like this one because you can actually
write directly on the screen, and that feels, by far, the most natural to me. Like I mentioned,
the reason why you would want to choose Limnu over some other digital whiteboards is because it looks
and feels like a real whiteboard, but of course since it's a digital whiteboard, it's better
than a physical whiteboard. Let me show you why. First, there's practically no limit to the board.
To expand the space on the board, you can use the Zoom In and Zoom Out tool, and then you can also
scroll all around the board, on essentially a giant open space. The expansive nature of
the board means that you never have to erase your notes. Plus, although Limnu really shines
the most when you're drawing, there are other types of tools like a line tool, an arrow tool,
and a box and oval tool that you can add quickly to your whiteboard. The line would be useful for
connecting ideas and doing a quick mind map, and like the draw tool, it's just really intuitive and
easy to use. Like the pen and marker, you can also change the thickness and color of all the other
tools, like this arrow that I'll quickly add to my board here. Even drawing these boxes and ovals
has a natural, strangely enjoyable feel to it, and that's amplified even more when using the
Wacom One in particular. I honestly look forward to when I get to use Limnu and my Wacom One,
because it's fun to use the shapes and drawing tools. Limnu also has this text box tool that you
can use to type text, and you can also add sticky notes if you want to add notes to your whiteboard.
Although Limnu doesn't have as many options for adding multimedia as other digital whiteboards do,
you can still add PDFs and images to your board. The way you want to do that is by going over to
the three dots and then selecting Add File. There you can find an image on your computer,
and then add it to your board. And notice that the images will import partially transparent, which is
going to allow you to still see what you wrote on the board, while also seeing the image. This would
be particularly useful if you had an image of a graphic organizer and you wanted to model filling
that in. So teachers can obviously use Limnu boards as a way to provide direct instruction,
but you can also make them collaborative. To share this board with others, you just need to click
on the lined menu, and then select Share Board. There, under the Individuals tab, you can enter
the direct emails for people with whom you want to share the board, or you can click Shared Link to
access a direct link or a code to access your board. Note that collaborators can erase each
other's work on a Limnu board, so I probably wouldn't use this for a whole class activity,
but you definitely could use it for small groups. One of the many advantages of a digital whiteboard
is that you can preserve the work and you can also do things like take screenshots and even screen
record what you're doing, as a way to provide asynchronous instruction for students, and also
just make your learning materials more accessible. So let's say that you had just written out the
steps to a math problem here. All you would need to do is take a quick screenshot of that,
and then you could repost it back to your learning management system. And you could also use a screen
recording program like Loom to actually screen record what it is that you're doing
on your whiteboard. You could also be explaining that process, and then you'd be able to post that
video back to your learning management system, and even share it with families as a way to
help keep them more in the loop about what it is that you're doing in class. I'm going to show you
really quickly here how you can go about getting a free educator account. To get your free account,
you just need to scroll up to FAQ and Support, and then select Educator Plan on the drop down
menu. There you'll see that you can follow steps to apply to get your free educator plan,
though you do need to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible for that plan. If it turns
out that you aren't eligible, you can still access Limnu for free. With the free account you'll only
be able to access a whiteboard for 14 days, but you can still have unlimited collaborators. Note
that the pro plan is five bucks a month, so if you plan to use it a lot and you don't qualify for the
free account, then it's still not that bad of a deal. If you're interested in learning more about
some additional digital whiteboard programs that you might want to use in your classroom, then be
sure to check out that playlist above. Thanks so much and we'll see you in the next video!