How to use Google Jamboard with ESL Beginners

Did you know you can use Google Jamboard with ESL beginners? Did you know that it is a great tool for both remote and in-person teaching of your English learners?

With the abundance of online educational tools, it is easy to get overwhelmed. 

While the decision to use Google Classroom or Canvas may not be up to you, you do have control of what would work well during online instruction for your English learners. 

In my blog post about the tech tools to use with English learners, I shared a list of apps and websites to use when teaching online. 

In this blog post, I am going to zero in on one of the resources I did not mention before, and that is Google Jamboard. 

What is Google Jamboard?

It is basically an interactive digital whiteboard that is perfect for collaboration, idea sharing, brainstorming, and – you guessed it – language learning. 

While there is a physical Jamboard product, i.e. the whiteboard and styluses you can purchase, in this blog post I am focusing on the Jamboard app. It is something that is more readily accessible and works great for teaching English learners. 

How do I get Google Jamboard?

If you are a Google Suite user, you already have access to this app. 

Go over to the hamburger icon in the top right-hand corner of your Google account, click on it and scroll down to the bottom until you see a big yellow and orange J. Click on it and you are there. 

How to use Google Jamboard?

When using Google Jamboard for teaching, you can focus on things that are really important for English learners: 

• Visuals
• Text (reading and writing)
• Creativity
• Guidance towards independence
• Immediate feedback

As soon as you open the app, a blank canvas shows up on your screen. At the top of it, you can choose to name it, change the background, make it bigger, or undo your actions.  To the left of the canvas, you will see a dashboard, where you can pick a function that you want to perform:

• Create a sticky note, on which you can write
• Add text
• Insert an image
• Draw
• Erase
• Circle, etc.

To create a new jamboard, all you have to do is click a plus sign at the bottom right hand corner of your screen and you are good to go. 

Using Google Jamboard with English learners?

Using Google Jamboard with any English learner is great. It is especially user-friendly for beginner ESL students. 

Here are a few activities that you can consider when teaching with Google Jamboard. 

• Warm-up, where the students have to drag a sticky note or a picture to the appropriate location. For example, to show how they are feeling today.
• K-W-L chart
• Background building
• Vocabulary practice
• Vocabulary word wall
• Team activities for those who are using breakout rooms in Zoom or Google Meets
• End of the class exit tickets

It is a little bit more challenging to write about something that is so highly visual. That is why I created a short video where I demonstrate how to start a Google Jamboard, and three activities that work well for English learners. 

Here are a couple more resources to get your ideas on how to teach ESL beginners with Google Jamboard going. Templates https://ditchthattextbook.com/jamboard-templates/

Activities https://www.techfairies.com/10-google-jamboard-activities/

What is your go-to way of using Google Jamboard with ESL students? Share in the comments below!