Stream Whiteboard Rocketboard

July 7, 2014

Rocketboard is one of the most amazing apps I’ve seen, like ever. It’s perfect for classrooms, board rooms and everywhere that there’s a whiteboard.

As a startup founder, entrepreneur and tech journalist my best work typically starts out on a whiteboard. My schedule is managed on a whiteboard, tasks that I need to complete are posted on a whiteboard, like I said everything happens on a white board. In fact, I recently got in trouble at our office when I ran out of whiteboard space and started whiteboarding on the interior windows of the building. Sure that happened every day at Google but in our office building that’s apparently a no-no.

I employ three large whiteboard, one affixed to the wall and one that’s got wheels and is double sided. Why in the world did I run out of whiteboard space? Because there’s no good way to archive a whiteboard session. For years I’ve asked my assistant to jot down my notes on the whiteboard and it appears in a line by line note either through iOS note pad or in an email. I can’t see how these ideas and thoughts were interconnected in array of beautiful blues, greens, reds and blacks. Transcribing notes from a whiteboard to a note taking app loses a lot of context.

Next, I began taking photos of the whiteboard with the camera on my iPhone. That may have added a little context but it’s really a pain in the ass.

All of these exact same ideas are what drove Boston based entrepreneur Joe Lemay to create Rocketboard.

I like a lot of things, over the past decade people have seen my reviews on everything, but I’m telling you Rocketboard has a permanent place in my top 5 of all time (just as soon as I can actually test it).

Rocketboard allows you to create whiteboard sessions that you can share with your team mates in real time or archive for playback later. It’s super simple too, put your iOS device in landscape position where the camera lens can see the entire whiteboard. Draw four triangles, one in every corner of your whiteboard and push the magic button on the Rocketboard app and voila. Your streaming and recording your whiteboard session.

As your working, simply step out of the camera shot for a second and the Rocketboard app refreshes for anyone watching the session. I know isn’t this the most amazing thing ever.

Educators

Whether you’re flipping the classroom, involved in some MOOC setting or have homebound students, now everyone can easily be on the same page with you as you teach your lesson on your whiteboard.

Once you’ve filled up the whiteboard, before you erase, just walk over to your iOS device, put your hand in front of the camera and then remove it and your last screen is saved.

You can share your whiteboard sessions via most of the popular sharing apps and even have it sent back to you via email.

Smart Technologies and other companies have created white boards that can connect to a computer to archive the session. But those cost hundreds of dollars and if you’re a teacher chances are you’re going to need a purchase order and a dozen approvals to get that in your classroom. Now your phone can make sharing your white board a breeze.

Check out Rocketboard here.