Countdown Timers on Microsoft Whiteboard and Google Jamboard

Illustration of Countdown timer for Microsoft whiteboard and Google Jamboard
Some virtual whiteboards include countdown timers. However, in two well known examples the countdown timer is either hidden entirely, or is tucked out of the way so as not to distract people. They both have a very noticeable finish, but that sort of defeats the point of a countdown.
We want people to be able to use a prominent timer to help them better manage their use of the time available. We don’t want to ‘catch them by suprise’.
Sadly, the whiteboards I am referring to do not support GIFs and therefore cannot operate the Toolchest countdown timers.
But, two simple, straightforward whiteboard solutions that CAN support GIFs are Microsoft Whiteboard, and Google Jamboard. Both of which are also free to most of us. And in both cases, the countdown timer is added by simply uploading it as an image from your computer.  Please note, you can save it to your computer in the first place by simply right clicking it, and choosing the ‘save image as …’ option.

Countdown Timers on Microsoft Whiteboard

Adding countdown timer to Microsoft WhiteboardMicrosoft Whiteboard is great for simple collaborations between people. It supports notes, typing, handwriting and drawing (annotation). Adding a countdown timer to the board is a very simple process:
  1. Save the timer that you want to your computer by right-clicking it and clicking ‘Save image as …’
  2. From within Microsoft Whiteboard , click the ‘Image menu’ button
  3. Select ‘Library image’, navigate to where you saved the timer, and select it
  4. Move it to where you want it on the Whiteboard, and lock it in position
  5. Use the play and pause controls which appear within the timer to control it

Countdown Timers on Google Jamboard

Adding countdown timer to Google JamboardGoogle Jamboard is a free web-based service with similar functionality to Microsoft Whiteboard. Unlike Microsoft Whiteboard it has a smaller canvas area, but it has multiple pages. This, latter, is useful for breakout groups, where they can each work on their own page, but can quickly flick between them.  Adding a countdown timer to the the different pages is very simple:
  1. Save the timer that you want to your computer by right-clicking it and clicking ‘Save image as …’
  2. From within the relevant Jamboard page, click the ‘Image menu’ button
  3. Select ‘Upload’ then ‘Browse’, and navigate to where you saved the timer to select it
  4. Use the blue handles to resize it and move it to where you want it on the page
  5. Refresh the website to restart all of the timers (each person will need to do this for themselves)
45 second quadrant timerTry it out in Whiteboard or Jamboard now, using the countdown timer on the right. Simply right click it, save it to your computer and then upload it.  Or find your own timer at: https://meeting.toolchest.org/timers

Zoom Whiteboard

There is no current way of adding an image or a timer to Zoom Whiteboard. But, the whiteboard is simply Zoom’s shared screen annotation facility on a blank (shared) screen. And therefore you can include images (and timers) by sharing their screen and switching on annotation tools. That said, it is not intended to compete as a collaborative tool, and should be used as such with caution.

 

 
 
 
 
Track your progress to ensure the efficacy of this strategy.