A video impression of Workbook’s whiteboarding capabilities (also applies to AlphaTeach)
Tutorials on how to get the most out of your Workbook or AlphaTeach whiteboarding software:
1. Getting started with Workbook
2: Finding your way around Workbook
3: Learn the Workbook Basics
4: Tools Talk for Workbook
5: Customising Workbook to work for you
6: Doing the Magic: Whiteboarding Tips & Tricks
So you’re ready to get started? Great! In case you get stuck, these videos will provide some help around downloading and installing your software.
In case you need more help, also see these articles: What is ‘whiteboarding’, and how does Workbook help? ● Getting Started with Xorro Workbook ● Problems with completing Workbook / Alpha Teach Activation
A video impression of Workbook’s whiteboarding capabilities (also applies to AlphaTeach)
The title says it all: How to access and set up your very own copy of the easiest and best whiteboarding software ever!
These videos provide a very quick orientation to Workbook’s layout: your whiteboard “canvas” (or page), page sorter, the various toolbars, the menus, a few of the key tools.
Become familiar with how Workbook’s layout is organised. Discover options to make working with Workbook or AlphaTeach simpler and easier than ever.
Discover the Page Sorter in Xorro Workbook / AlphaTeach. Explore page navigation, drag-and-drop between pages etc.
Explore the menus in Workbook & AlphaTeach. LDiscover the range of opportunities available to users.
Discover how different toolbars work in Workbook and AlphaTeach.
It’s so easy to change the size of your icons and handles in Workbook / AlphaTeach!
Changeg the size of your icons / buttons on your toolbar to make it easier and more comfortable to use Workbook or AlphaTeach
Let’s get you using the software…. These videos show how easy and quick it is for you to start whiteboarding.
Related Help articles: A Blank Canvas: Page properties, dimensions etc in Workbook ● Objects on the Workbook Page: Ink, text, lines, shapes, images, videos, animations, web streams… ● Actions on objects: Moving, resizing (scaling), rotating, changing properties, flipping, stacking, grouping, linking….
Opening a pre-existing Workbook file from within Workbook.
Saving your work in Workbook / Alpha Teach
Workbook (and AlphaTeach) can open files created using SMART Notebook. This video explains more….
Digital whiteboarding is all about ink and annotation – and its no surprise that this is a strong point for Workbook / AlphaTeach whoteboarding software. Learn to use different pens for different jobs: different colours, line types & thicknesses, opacities….
Whiteboards are for ink, right? Use Workbook / AlphaTeach to empower your digital whiteboarding. Learn how to set up and use different “pens” (buttons” for different types or colours of lines. Learn about erasing. See how to convert your handwriting into text.
Any object’s properties can be changed instantly in Workbook. Change fill, stroke, opacity, line properties, label properties etc…. Right click on the object and select “properties”, or (once the object is selected) just hit the relevant button the Properties toolbar.
So, it’s time to put an image onto your canvas…. manipulate it, change it’s properties etc….
How to create a basic highlighter in Xorro Workbook / AlphaTeach
On the Page Sorter, each page thumbnail offers a menu through which you can access a number of page formatting options. You can right-click on the thumbnail, or just click on the down-arrow in the upper right corner of the thumbnail to access this menu of options. Using this menu you ca adjust page size and orientation, background colour (or image i background), set grids and switch them on or off, clear pages of any content, and delete pages altogether from the Workbook.
Learn how to adjust page properties including size and orientation (portrait versus landscape) in Xorro Workbook / AlphaTeach.
Learn how to instantly delete all objects off your Workbook / AlphaTeach page – but not delete the page itself….
In Workbook / AlphaTeach, Page Zoom lets you see your whole page at once, set the page to “full width” so there’s no wasted space around the edges, or zoom right in to your canvas for a detailed session.
Got to the bottom of the page, and still want more? I nstantly add more room at the bottom of your Workbook / AlphaTeach page with page extend
Importing all or selected pages from other Workbook files is a very useful way of capturing work done in earlier files, and bringing it into the current Workbook activity.
Video demonstration on how to set the page background…. Backgrounds can be coloured, and they may have an image applied to them in various ways. Putting items in the background means they cannot be changed by mistake while using the canvas. Grids can be sued as well as backgrounds.
The Grids function lets you display a grid as a background. It’s much more as well however! You can choose from square or isometric grid types, or otherwise apply lined, handwriting or music score templates to your pages. You can also (with square or isometric grids) apply the popular “snap-to” functionality, resulting in perfect alignment of objects to the grid coordinates.
Video demonstration on how to use the Panning tool in Workbook / AlphaTeach
Layers are very powerful in whiteboarding. This video prepares you to learn the magic of hide & reveal using Workbook / AlphaTeach. Learn how to layer any objects on your canvas relative to each other.
Video demonstrates how you will soon be adding links from any object on your Workbook / AlphaTeach canvas. Links can launch web pages (internal or external browser), or other files on your computer such as slideshows, programs, sounds or videos.
Add links to any object on your canvas in Workbook / AlphaTeach. Launch URL’s or other files on your computer such as slideshows, spreadsheets, documents, sounds, videos.
You can integrate videos into your canvas in Workbook and AlphaTeach, and much more. This video shows you how to pause and replay videos embedded on your canvas; how to annotate over them with digital ink; how take snapshots and build a storyboard…. all in the blink of an eye!
So you’ve mastered writing and drawing, lines and shapes…. and you’re ready to discover a few of the tools that make Workbook / AlphaTeach so very powerful….
Annotation Mode in Workbook / AlphaTeach is also known as “Glass Mode”. Here’s where you can use your favourite Workbook pens or other tools right over any software or document in your computer. This is a great way to extend the power of Workbook to any other tools on your computer. Mark up documents; draw on images, maps and charts; use the magnifier or the spotlight to focus viewer attention on part of your screen…. It can all be done using Annotation Mode.
Use Resource Finder for instant, safe in-class resource discovery of copyright filtered multimedia (including YouTube) and deployment of this to your pages.
Short video introducing the math tools (ruler, protractor, compass) in Workbook/ AlphaTeach.
Video demonstration on how to use the compass to draw arcs and circles in Workbook / AlphaTeach.
The built-in (“internal”) web browser in Workbook / AlphaTeach makes it even easier to integrate web presented materials with your classroom activities. You can manage the view easily, and write or draw over the top of the web page without having to move away from your Workbook whiteboard page. Perhaps best of all for those interactive pages, you can take snapshots to record your progress, and build them up as a “stack” or a storyboard for later….
Select and use stamps such as tick marks, crosses, happy faces etc, to instantly apply frequently symbols onto the canvas. Drag them to create “magic pen” like streams of your chosen stamp. Great to apply speech bubbles, highlight key items, mark right / wrong etc.
Use the Polygon tool in Workbook / AlphaTeach to easily create any shape at all. You can then go on to define the properties eg stroke and fill colours, styles etc. Custom polygons are immensely useful for hide-and-reveal activities also.
Since you’ll be using images a lot in your whiteboarding, it’s only right that Workbook / AlphaTeach will offer some tools which give you a bit more control. This video demonstrates how to crop a selected image using the cropping tool.
Setting up well is the key to making Workbook work for you. Get your icons, buttons and controls sized correctly for your needs: it only takes an instant to do it, and pays big dividends in your enjoyment of our software. Your whiteboarding context sets you free to think, create, organise and communicate freely. This requires instant, easy access to just the tools and resources that you need. Setting up your toolbars, and sharing these around your department, wins productivity for everyone and eliminates confusing unwanted clutter from your screens. Why have it there if you don’t need it? Learn how to make life easier and more productive in the following videos….
It’s so easy to change the size of your icons and handles in Workbook / AlphaTeach!
Changeg the size of your icons / buttons on your toolbar to make it easier and more comfortable to use Workbook or AlphaTeach
Workbook’s custom toolbars are the key to making Workbook work for you. Choose just the tools and resource links that you need. Eliminate unwanted clutter & distraction. Share toolbars with colleagues to maximise productivity and ease of use.
Workbook’s custom toolbars are the key to making Workbook work for you. Choose just the tools and resource links that you need. Eliminate unwanted clutter & distraction. Share toolbars with colleagues to maximise productivity and ease of use.
So you’ve learned to set up your preferred tools in your toolbars… Now discover the productivity boost from putting toolbar links to your favorite folder locations, so you can go straight from your Workbook page to a resource library, select and drag whatever you need straight onto the canvas – where and when you need it!
As you will know, it’s not the software that creates a great learning or presenting experience; it’s the facilitation. These videos just scratch the surface to get you thinking on how you can make your activities more effective for their users or viewers. The sky really is the limit! Join the Xorro community to access loads of resources on many subjects prepared by people like you. We hope that you’ll share your resources with them too!
A simple Sentence Maker activity for your interactive whiteboard or display, using Xorro Workbook / AlphaTeach.
Video on how to create a calendar for use on an interactive whiteboard or display. Uses Workbook / AlphaTeach.
Create and use pull tabs and question tabs to reveal hidden content from behind an image or other resource.
A handy hide and reveal tip demonstrated using Workbook / AlphaTeach.
Use Workbook with hide-and-reveal techniques to create “magic boxes”.
Use hide and reveal methods in Workbook / AlphaTeach to aid categorisation activities