Apps for Real Time Collaboration

It seems that I hear more and more about folks wanting to use the iPads to help students put together group projects. So, sharing files becomes a bigger issue. Google documents work for a wide variety of real time collaboration apps, but they don't have much in the way of free form drawing and white board functions. A while ago, I  wrote briefly about using Conceptboard via Google Drive for multiple user brainstorming. Since then, I have bumped into the feature rich app, collaborative drawing app, You Doodle Pro which I wrote about in an earlier blog. However, I had hoped to be able to find something free that allowed multiple users to draw, type, and add photos without having to take turns. 

Just a warning... I've tried these out using two test iPads, but I haven't tried them actually in the classroom yet (except for Baiboard), so I'm not sure how they'll function in bigger groups. Let me know what you find out. :)

1. Talkboard. Basic drawing tools (pen, brush, fountain pen, and eraser). Good color choices. Login via Google and share easily via Bluetooth. The time delay between drawing on your iPad and seeing it on another is minimal. Smooth, clean, easy interface, and drawing on it feels good  especially with a stylus. If you want something simple that does its job well, I really liked this one.

Drawbacks: limited color palette and tools for the artists. No text boxes. No ability to import images. This is just for drawing together.

Here's what it looks like.

2. Baiboard. This one adds in more complexity with more features (generally), and you invite people to meetings via Bluetooth including a password if you wish. You can type, draw shapes, add images, and use clip art. However, the actually drawing tools are more limited than Talkboard with fewer colors and pen choices. 

Here's a sample board.

 

You start a meeting on a new board using "Start Meet."

You can also export and share in a variety of other ways.

   

This one seemed to be a really nice, all purpose collaboration app, with more flexibility than Talkboard. However, Talkboard did have better drawing tools. 

3. Share Anytime. This one got some really good reviews, has free and paid versions, and is as much a note taking organizer as a collaborative app. It has file structures and cloud services that the others lack. You get decent drawing tools, similar to Baiboard, clip art, inserting pictures and web pages, and a laser pointer. 

Its user interface is solid, but a bit more complicated to set up meetings with others since you need to email them an invitation (see below).

The initial downside is that it does require creating a cloud account with the company which takes a bit of time to activate. Not a huge deal, but it does take some time to get a student up and running. Once up, though, you get synced files that are stored in the cloud. The pro version (which I haven't bought) adds handwriting recognition and meeting organization tools but may require a purchased service plan.

I'm sure there are other apps out there for collaboration, and I'd love to hear what folks have found. 

For me, it looked like Baiboard was the sweet spot for versatility and simplicity of use. If you need better pen tools, Talkboard is worth a look unless you really want the full scale graphics manipulation in You Doodle Pro. Share Anytime looked solid, as well, especially if you want the cloud sync.

Normal app requisition procedures would apply. Enjoy!