Using an Interactive Whiteboard to Teach From Your Own PDFs
Most interactive whiteboard tools start with a blank canvas. But teachers rarely teach from a blank canvas — they teach from a worksheet, a past paper, a textbook page or a diagram they've already prepared. The interactive whiteboard that actually fits a lesson is the one that lets you teach on your own materials. Here's how to use ClassKite's smart board teaching as an interactive whiteboard built around the PDFs you already have.
Open your page, not a blank board
Upload a PDF and present it full-screen on the display. It opens exactly as it prints — nothing reformatted, nothing stripped out — so the page your class sees is the page you prepared. Slide decks work too; just export them to PDF first.
Write on it the way you'd use a whiteboard
With PDF annotation you have a full ink toolbox: pen, calligraphy ink, highlighter, shapes, text boxes and sticky notes. Work through the page live — underline the key step, sketch the diagram, model the method — exactly as you would on a physical board, except it's layered over the real material.
Keep every screen on the same page
What makes it interactive rather than just a projected PDF is that students can follow along on their own devices:
- Live stroke streaming sends your annotations to student screens as you write.
- Follow-me page sync moves everyone to the page you scroll to, so nobody gets lost.
- Push practice in a tap — go from explaining to a quick check without switching apps.
It runs in the browser, so it works on a smart board at the front, a laptop, or a tablet.
Annotate once, reuse next time
Your marked-up copy is kept as you go (and survives a dropped wifi connection); tap Save to store it. Next year, open the annotated version instead of starting from a clean page — the worked example you built live is still there.
Try it free — upload a PDF and teach your next lesson on it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a physical smart board?
No. ClassKite runs in the browser on a smart board, laptop or tablet. Any display at the front of the room works, and students follow on their own devices.
Can students see my annotations live?
Yes — your strokes stream to student screens as you write, and follow-me page sync keeps everyone on the page you're teaching.
What file types can I teach from?
PDFs. If your material is a slide deck or document, export it to PDF first and it will open as it prints.
Related reading: how to create digital practice from a PDF and best practices to get the most out of ClassKite. When the explaining's done, push a live practice straight from the board.