{"id":7806,"date":"2020-12-10T18:40:07","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T02:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/?p=7806"},"modified":"2026-06-05T12:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:14:21","slug":"how-to-use-wacom-tablets-with-teaching-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/how-to-use-wacom-tablets-with-teaching-software\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Wacom Tablets with Teaching Software"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teachers during quarantine have been using the internet in a very different way than the general public\u2014making use of a world of extensions and programs most people have never even heard of* to simulate the classroom environment.\u00a0 Today, I\u2019m going to focus on three newer ones:\u00a0Kami<\/span>,\u00a0Flipgrid<\/span>, and\u00a0Pear Deck<\/span>.<\/p>\n

*I didn\u2019t know this myself going into this article, so excuse any omissions.\u00a0 If you have any corrections, feel free to tweet them at me.<\/sup><\/p>\n

And at the end, I\u2019ll discuss the overarching questions of how tablets can be useful in the online classroom, and if you as a teacher need one. Let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n

Kami<\/h1>\n

Get three months of Kami free when you purchase a Wacom Intuos<\/a> or a Wacom One<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kami (pronounced Cammy, not like Kami-sama) is a feature-packed PDF annotation app billed as \u201cYour digital pen and paper in the classroom.\u201d\u00a0 It works like Google Docs\u2019 comment system, but instead of just notes and suggestions, it lets you add extra formatting, highlighting, strikeouts, drawings, and audio\/video comments to passages.\u00a0 It can import said docs too, and automatically convert them to PDFs, as well as syncing to your Google Drive to autosave your work.<\/p>\n

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From Dan Stitzel on Twitter<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s primarily a Chrome extension, but also has a paid version that adds the ability to integrate with Google Classroom and Schoology\u2014as well as the ability to insert JPGs, new pages, and video comments.<\/p>\n

Visit their website for more info<\/a>\u00a0or download the extension\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How do you use a tablet with it?<\/h3>\n

The \u201cdigital pen and paper\u201d bit should explain it.\u00a0 As will be the case for all three apps, the most Wacom-relevant feature is the drawing tool, which can be used for something as simple as red-circling passages to something as involved as an illustration.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a lot easier if you have a stylus to draw directly onto the page,\u201d says<\/a>\u00a0Aden Cooper of their customer success team.<\/p>\n

Not to mention a pen on an infinite canvas will always be better for demonstrating equations than fill-in-the-blank boxes or equation toolbars that are nowhere near as intuitive as writing.<\/p>\n

Pear Deck<\/h1>\n

Get three months of Pear Deck free when you purchase a Wacom Intuos<\/a> or a Wacom One<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pear Deck is an add-on for PowerPoint and Google Slides\u2014supposedly the most popular one for the latter\u2014that lets you make your presentations interactive.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s such a huge mod that it changes the format itself.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest: Slideshows can be boring, especially with Google Slides\u2019 minimal design.\u00a0 Pear Deck is a great way to build engagement: Create multiple-choice slides, Q&A slides, and of course, slider slides, that can be used to solicit responses from students, conduct polls, and even pop quiz students. ...And to check in to make sure they\u2019re actually paying attention.<\/p>\n

The Orchard, their templates gallery, lets you download premade designs, but also serves as great inspo for what can be done with the app.\u00a0 Turns out that\u2019s a lot of things:<\/p>\n

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(And we\u2019re really liking the consistent pear theme.\u00a0 Not to mention it has this fun little loading screen.)<\/p>\n

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Only tens kids will remember this.<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you use a tablet with it?<\/h3>\n

Pear Deck allows freehand drawing on slides with a mouse\u2014or, should I say, an input device.\u00a0 EdTech\u2019s Stacy Roshan\u00a0wrote an entire article<\/a>\u00a0on why Wacom tablets are great with Pear Deck.\u00a0 She teaches calculus, and says she relies on tablets to demonstrate complicated equations, and when she hands out worksheets, \u201cStudents are free to handwrite their responses directly on the question I\u2019ve presented, just as they would write on a piece of paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

It allows you to watch students in real-time as they write, a feature she calls \u201cparticularly powerful,\u201d explaining, \u201cAs a math teacher, it is far more important for me to see a student\u2019s process than their final answer.\u201d\u00a0 She can then switch to the projector view to share the student\u2019s work with the class (without revealing their name, if they don't want to), opening up a discussion that would never occur if the answer was merely told to them.<\/p>\n

Flipgrid<\/h1>\n

We saved\u2026 well, not the\u00a0best\u00a0<\/span>for last, since all of these programs have very different uses, but the most full-featured one.\u00a0 Microsoft\u2019s Flipgrid is a stand-alone app that, in the words of teacher and Youtuber Sam Kary, \u201ccan combat some of that feeling of loneliness from distance learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea of Flipgrid is to recreate the face-to-face discussion aspect of the classroom:\u00a0 Teachers record lectures and questions on video, and then students do the same for their responses. It\u2019s free and integrates with Google Classroom without you having to pay for a subscription plan.<\/p>\n

You can even post your course materials for the public if you want them to reach a larger audience, or check out the gallery for ideas and sample course material from other schools.<\/p>\n

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From the discover section<\/em><\/p>\n

This one does come with a couple warnings, though:\u00a0 First, be aware that some students are uncomfortable recording themselves speaking and then being forced to rewatch it, which can cause a reluctance to participate that wouldn\u2019t exist in a one-way lecture with responses through text, or even in the spontaneous setting of a live videochat.\u00a0 And secondly, it can create disparities, as Google Play reviews say Flipgrid doesn\u2019t run very well on slow phones and tablets, which may create a barrier for students without computers, especially low-income ones.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tool with a lot of potential, but see if it\u2019s right for your subject and teaching style before going in on it.<\/p>\n

How do you use a tablet with it?<\/h3>\n

Flipgrid includes \u201cdraw over video\u201d and whiteboard options as well, and they have more uses than you might think.<\/p>\n

For the former, both you and your students can write, draw, or circle things over the video, whether it\u2019s playing or paused.\u00a0 The same goes for the photo sticker tool, which lets them add uploaded images to the video as well.\u00a0 And the latter is live, which means students can watch you, say, work out a math problem as you verbally walk them through it, and (if you want them to) add to it themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cDigital inking can take ideas and explanations to a whole new level,\u201d say teachers slash tech bloggers The Merrills.\u00a0\u00a0They have a whole article on it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Oh, and by the way:<\/h3>\n

All of these programs have image uploading, so if the in-program draw feature is too unwieldy, you can always prepare images in advance.<\/p>\n

What tablet should I use these with?<\/h1>\n

Early this year, I did a whole article about how the tablet you should use is the one you\u2019re comfortable with: The goal is to get so fluid with it that you forget it\u2019s there\u2014to be able to use it as casually as a marker on a whiteboard. But since we\u2019re working towards a specific purpose, here are some specific recommendations:<\/p>\n

First up, the Wacom One<\/a>.\u00a0 It\u2019s fantastic for notes.\u00a0 For those of you who are used to using pens and the whiteboard in the classroom, the One mimics the feel of physical media better than any input device I\u2019ve ever used.\u00a0 Other tablets are clearly geared towards digital painting, but the One just feels\u00a0<\/span>like it\u2019s meant for sketching and casual use, in a way that\u2019s hard to fully convey unless you\u2019ve tried it. \u00a0 It feels very much like paper\u2014certain types, anyway; while not exactly as toothy as copy paper, it\u2019s very similar to Bristol board.\u00a0 And where other drawing monitors\u2019 big, thick pens are good for stability, the One's is designed for zippiness, with the same diameter and weight as a ballpoint.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been using it full-time for my next article project, both for drawing and as a second monitor, and I can attest that it\u2019s also the most comfortable tablet I\u2019ve ever used for writing.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s an image intended for my next article, but it\u2019s relevant here too.\u00a0 Done on the One in <\/span>Bamboo Paper<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

But I can also admit my own bias.\u00a0 I got mine for working here, and I completely understand why you\u2019d be reluctant to drop $399 on a drawing monitor if you\u2019re only going to use it for this.\u00a0 If you already have an iPad or Android Tablet, any of\u00a0our line of smart styluses<\/a>\u00a0will get you the same result.<\/p>\n

They all do the same thing, but with differences in handling and features. And all of them are smaller and lighter than the Apple Pencil, which I've personally found like trying to draw with a telephone pole.<\/p>\n

For Microsoft Surfaces and other Windows devices, we have the Bamboo Ink<\/a> and Ink Plus<\/a> (the Plus has an eraser and tilt support).\u00a0 For iOS, we\u2019ve got the Bamboo Sketch and Fineline, offering two different nib precisions, which are in the names.\u00a0 For multiplatform use, there\u2019s the Bamboo Tip, with a laundry list of compatible devices.\u00a0 The full lists for each one can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have either kind of tablet yet, give the One by Wacom<\/a> a try.\u00a0 (...it\u2019s not the same thing as the Wacom One, no.)\u00a0 It\u2019s our entry-level flat tablet, meaning there will be a definite learning curve to writing and drawing on it\u2014I\u2019ve always said that learning to use a flat tablet for the first time feels like fingerpainting.\u00a0 But it\u2019s still miles better than a mouse, and once you get used to it, it\u2019s perfectly fine.\u00a0 At only $60, I\u2019d recommend this one for people who want to give drawing tablets a trial run to see if they like them.<\/p>\n

If you're looking for a good deal, both the Wacom One<\/a> and the Wacom Intuos<\/a> come with 3 months of free access to five pieces of education software: Pear Deck, Kami, Limnu, Explain Everything and Collaboard.<\/p>\n

Finally<\/strong><\/h1>\n

If you liked this article and would like more information on these programs before picking one, check out Stacy Roshan's panel on this exact subject from last month's Connected Ink:<\/p>\n