Digital whiteboards can be much more than a place for students to draw or post virtual sticky notes. In an English or EAL classroom, they can become interactive spaces for practising vocabulary, building sentences, organising ideas and preparing students to speak.
For English language learners, visual support and opportunities to interact with language are especially valuable. A shared digital space allows students to move words, match pictures, organise information and contribute ideas without always having to speak immediately in front of the whole class.
Although Google Jamboard is no longer available, the teaching ideas associated with collaborative digital whiteboards can be adapted to whichever school-approved tool you use.
Here are six practical ways to use digital whiteboards with EAL learners.
1. Build Vocabulary Visually
Vocabulary learning becomes more meaningful when students do something with new words rather than simply copying them.
Create a digital board containing pictures and vocabulary items. Students can drag each word to the correct image.
For example, during a unit about food, learners might match:
apple – bread – cheese – rice – milk
to corresponding pictures.
For more advanced students, increase the challenge by asking them to sort words into categories such as:
fruit | vegetables | drinks | dairy products
You can also ask students to create vocabulary connections.
For the word happy, for example, they might add:
excited – cheerful – smile – good news
This helps students see relationships between words rather than learning them in isolation.
Support for beginners
Add:
- pictures;
- first-letter clues;
- colour-coded categories;
- simple definitions;
- example sentences.
The board becomes both an activity and a visual vocabulary reference students can return to later.
2. Practise Sentence Building
Digital whiteboards work particularly well for sentence-building activities because words can be moved around easily.
Give students individual word cards such as:
is / the / dog / sleeping
and ask them to arrange them into:
The dog is sleeping.
For beginners, you can colour-code different parts of the sentence or provide a model first.
Once students are comfortable, add extra words so that they have to decide which ones belong in the sentence.
More proficient learners can practise longer structures:
because / stayed / it / we / raining / home / was
Students can then compare answers and explain why the words need to appear in a particular order.
This turns grammar practice into a more interactive problem-solving task.
3. Use Pictures to Encourage Speaking
A digital whiteboard filled with pictures can provide excellent support before a speaking activity.
Show students an interesting scene and ask them to add words or short phrases describing what they notice.
For younger or beginner EAL learners, provide prompts such as:
I can see…
There is…
There are…
The boy is…
I think…
Students can first add their ideas to the board individually or with a partner.
Then use those ideas as preparation for speaking.
This approach is useful because students have already had time to think about vocabulary and organise their ideas before being asked to speak aloud.
For more confident learners, you can ask:
What happened before this picture?
What might happen next?
How do you think the characters feel? Why?
One image can therefore generate vocabulary, grammar, prediction and speaking practice.
4. Sort and Discover Grammar Patterns
Instead of always explaining a grammar rule first, allow students to investigate examples.
Place several sentences on the board:
She plays tennis every Saturday.
They are playing football now.
I usually walk to school.
He is reading a book at the moment.
Ask students to sort them into two groups.
They might eventually identify:
Present Simple
and
Present Continuous
Then ask:
What do you notice?
Students can highlight time expressions, underline verbs or move similar structures together.
For EAL learners, this visual approach can make grammatical patterns easier to notice.
The same technique can be used for:
- singular and plural nouns;
- regular and irregular past forms;
- adjectives and nouns;
- countable and uncountable nouns;
- prepositions;
- question forms.
Grammar becomes something students investigate rather than simply receive.
5. Prepare for Reading and Writing
Before reading a text, use a digital whiteboard to activate students’ existing knowledge.
If the text is about animals in danger, for example, write the topic in the middle of the board and ask students to add anything they already know.
They might contribute:
habitat
pollution
tigers
forests
plastic
Do not worry if their English is not perfect. At this stage, the aim is to activate ideas and useful vocabulary.
After reading, return to the board.
Students can:
- correct inaccurate ideas;
- add new information;
- organise vocabulary;
- write key facts;
- create questions about the text.
The same technique works before writing.
Before students write about My Favourite Place, for example, create sections for:
Where?
What can you see?
What can you do?
How do you feel there?
Students contribute ideas before beginning their individual writing.
This provides valuable scaffolding for learners who may know what they want to say but need help organising the language.
6. Use Digital Exit Tickets
A digital whiteboard can also provide a quick picture of what students understood during a lesson.
At the end of class, give students a simple prompt:
One new word I learned today is…
Today I learned how to…
One thing I still find difficult is…
One question I still have is…
Students can add their responses anonymously or with their names, depending on the activity and the tool being used.
For younger EAL learners, simplify the task.
Create three areas:
😊 I understand
😐 I need more practice
😕 I need help
Students move their name, symbol or sticky note to the appropriate area.
This gives the teacher immediate feedback and helps students reflect on their own learning.
How to Support EAL Learners
Digital tools do not automatically make an activity accessible. Students still need appropriate language support.
Before beginning, consider adding:
- sentence starters;
- word banks;
- pictures;
- model answers;
- useful phrases;
- clearly labelled sections;
- examples of what students need to do.
Keep the first activity simple so that students learn how to use the tool without having to process difficult language at the same time.
For collaborative activities, you can also give students specific roles.
For example:
Reader – reads the task aloud
Writer – adds the group’s answer
Vocabulary helper – checks useful words
Speaker – explains the group’s ideas
This can help ensure that every learner has a way to participate.
Digital Whiteboards Should Support Communication
It is easy to become excited about the features of a new digital tool. However, technology should not become the purpose of the lesson.
Before creating an activity, ask:
What language do I want my students to practise?
If the answer is vocabulary, sentence structure, speaking, reading comprehension or writing preparation, then think about how the digital whiteboard can make that practice clearer, more visual or more collaborative.
Sometimes the best activity may involve only a few words and pictures.
A complicated board is not necessarily a better one.
Combine Digital and Face-to-Face Interaction
Digital whiteboard activities do not need to replace classroom conversation.
They can actually prepare students for it.
For example:
Think → Add an idea to the board → Discuss with a partner → Share with the class
For an EAL learner, those extra preparation stages can make a significant difference. Instead of being asked to answer immediately, students have time to find vocabulary, organise their thoughts and rehearse what they want to say.
The digital activity therefore becomes a scaffold for real communication.
Final Thoughts
Digital whiteboards can be particularly useful in the EAL classroom because they bring together visual support, language practice and collaboration.
Students can manipulate vocabulary, build sentences, investigate grammar, prepare for speaking, organise ideas before writing and reflect on their learning.
The specific platform is less important than the purpose behind the activity.
When used thoughtfully, a digital whiteboard is not simply another piece of classroom technology. It can become a shared space where English learners experiment with language, learn from one another and gain confidence before communicating independently.
Source inspiration: Linnea Lyding, “6 Ways to Jam on Jamboard: Using the Digital Whiteboard in a Hybrid Classroom,” Edutopia. The activities in this Love4English article have been adapted and developed specifically for English and EAL teaching.