Conceptboard: Always enjoy collaborative activities!

You might still remember my previous post about WebQuest, a web-based learning approach. The process of students taking on individual roles, working in small groups, and summarising and reporting back together is significant. (For new readers or those who can't remember, click here if you want to review.) 

Collaboration has been increasingly valued in learning and teaching. In China, in particular, the shift from teacher-centred to student-centred classes has seen a significant increase in collaborative tasks, both during and after class. In this context, a multifunctional and efficient tool or platform is vital!

Today we will introduce an online collaboration tool for completing learning tasks—Conceptboard🍒! 

With it, the days of running around with multiple devices and switching between chat apps and editing software will be over!

Its features can be seen at a glance in the picture below. Let's see it step by step!💖

⛳ The first step is to create a brand new board.

The board page consists of a top toolbar, a function bar, a chat window in the bottom right-hand corner, and a small window in the bottom left-hand corner.

There are eight main sections in the left sidebar.

Upload files

Inserting documents into the working panel eliminates the need for tedious switching and notes.

Insert sections

Insert sections of various sizes to keep the page organised.

Insert building blocks

There are many flowchart templates here that are useful for organising ideas, summarising key points, and reporting on presentations.

Insert templates

A wide range of templates are provided for various activities that require collaboration or can be done independently.

As an example, the image below shows a feedback grid template where students can write down their gains and progress and ask more questions and ideas about how they can make more progress and learn better.

Insert Icon

Lovely and minimalistic icon markers are provided.

Insert widgets

Voting is available in the standard version.

You can upload images, text, or the iconsas options on the poll page.

It has the option of being set to single or multiple choice. Once the members have finished, the system will automatically tally the results. 

 

Embedded audio or video

Inserting videos is also easy. There is no more need to switch pages.

Get screenshot extension

This is a plug-in for taking screenshots, depending on your needs. For me, the screenshot function of my computer is sufficient.

Strengths

🌀 The pages can be zoomed in and out infinitely, and the scale can be freely controlled.

🌀 At the same time, there is a small window at the bottom left of the page that gives you an overview and allows you to find the inserted board easily.

🌀 Multi-functional to meet multiple needs

🌀 Users can invite each other by scanning a QR code or registering an email address.

🌀 Once you have joined a team, you can edit your work pages simultaneously.

🌀 Also, there is a chat box at the bottom right so that group members can chat and complete editing tasks simultaneously. You can share ideas and move the process forward without switching between chat apps.

🌀 Multiple groups can also be created in the board folder, perfect for sorting.

Limitations

👾 The biggest limitation is that some features still require payment, but as I have highlighted in other posts, the free version is sufficient for most needs.

👾 The second point concerns the problems I have encountered in using it. For example, it is not possible to cancel a document during the upload process, and if it is a document with many pages, you have to wait until it is all uploaded. This can sometimes be a waste of time. Also, I can't seem to drag or delete videos after inserting them, but I'm not sure if this is a problem with my operation or my device.

👾 Students may have difficulty or lack autonomy in completing group activities on their own. A good solution to this is to include the teacher in the group. The teacher does not need to intervene too much but can supervise the process and give guidance when needed.

👻In fact, the first time I used it, it took me a long time to invite members to create a group, for which I found this video with specific instructions on inviting members.

If you want to try it out, click here. Feel free to share your feelings in the comments.😜

Image source: screenshots from Conceptboard (click)

Video source: video by Conceptboard via YouTube (click)