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Whiteboard Tabs, Keyboard Shortcuts and Undo: A Teacher's Guide
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To work faster on an online whiteboard, split the lesson into board tabs, undo mistakes with Ctrl+Z and redo with Ctrl+Y, and use the right-click menu or keyboard shortcuts to copy, paste, group and delete. In Educastic, the Keyboard Shortcuts button on the right rail lists every shortcut for Windows and Mac.
None of this is glamorous, but it is the difference between a lesson that flows and one where you hunt for buttons while students wait. Five minutes learning these habits pays back in every class.
What are whiteboard tabs?
A whiteboard tab is a separate page of the same board, so one lesson can have several clean pages instead of one crowded one. In Educastic the tabs sit in a strip along the bottom of the board, starting with Home.
Files you open on the board, such as a PDF worksheet, get their own tab too, so the worksheet never gets mixed up with your free drawing.
How do you add, rename and close tabs?
Click the + button at the end of the tab strip to add a new blank tab. Educastic saves the tab you were on and switches to the new one straight away.
- Add a tab: click + at the end of the tab strip.
- Rename a tab: double-click it (the tooltip says "Double Click To Rename Tab") and type a name such as "Warm-up" or "Question 3".
- Switch tabs: click the tab you want. When the teacher opens a tab, the class's boards follow, for every learner allowed to see that tab.
- Close a tab: click the small close button on the tab and confirm Close Tab. You can tick the box so Educastic stops asking.
Guests can't see new tabs that have no resources in them, and Educastic shows a notice the first time you add one while a guest is in the session. Learners see the tab strip only when the teacher gives them tab access, which the teacher can grant or take back per student.
How should you organise a lesson in tabs?
Give each stage of the lesson its own tab, and name the tabs before class. A structure that works for most subjects:
| Tab | What goes on it |
|---|---|
| Home | The lesson title, objectives and a warm-up question |
| Worked example | Your demonstration, kept clean for later review |
| Practice | The worksheet or problems students solve on the board |
| Exit question | One question to check understanding before the end |
Tabs also make review easy: when a student asks about the example, click back to that tab instead of scrolling across one huge board. For more ways to organise the board itself, see the online whiteboard tools guide.
How do undo and redo work?
Click the undo arrow in the header (tooltip "Undo (ctrl + Z)") to take back your last action, and the redo arrow (tooltip "Redo (ctrl + shift + Z)") to put it back. Undo takes back a stroke you drew and also edits such as moving or restyling an object, and the change is sent to everyone in the class.
Each person undoes their own actions, so a student's undo never removes your work. Clearing the whole board clears the undo history, so check before you clear.
What can you do with the right-click menu?
Right-click an object on the board to open its menu (Ctrl and click on a Mac). If the object is not already selected, the right-click selects it first, so the menu always acts on what is highlighted. The menu offers:
- Cut, Copy, Paste and Duplicate
- Group and Ungroup for several selected objects
- Attach screenshot to chat, Attach screenshot to notebook and Save screenshot to Drive, each shown only where that feature is available
- Delete
Cut, Copy and Paste are also in the Other Tools group on the left rail. Paste is not allowed on a tab that holds a file such as a PDF; Educastic tells you to open a new tab with + to paste and duplicate there. For shapes and sticky notes you will copy often, see shapes, text and sticky notes on the whiteboard.
What keyboard shortcuts does the whiteboard have?
Click Keyboard Shortcuts on the right rail to open the full list, with a Windows / Mac switch. On a Mac, use Cmd where the table says Ctrl.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y or Ctrl + Shift + Z | Cmd + Shift + Z or Cmd + Y |
| Copy / Cut / Paste | Ctrl + C / X / V | Cmd + C / X / V |
| Delete selection | Delete or Backspace | Backspace |
| Save board | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Group selected objects | Ctrl + G | Cmd + G |
| Ungroup | Ctrl + Shift + G | Cmd + Shift + G |
| Nudge selection | Arrow keys | Arrow keys |
| Object menu | Right-click | Right-click or Ctrl + click |
| Full screen | F11 | Ctrl + Cmd + F |
| Back to Select tool | Esc | Esc |
Shortcuts don't fire while you type in a text field such as the chat box, so Ctrl+C there copies your text, not the board selection. The Keyboard Shortcuts button is there for every role, and learners with board access use the same keys; without board access the shortcuts are switched off.
Frequently asked questions
How do I undo on the Educastic whiteboard? Press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac) or click the undo arrow in the header. Redo with Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z.
Can students see every tab? No. Guests can't see new tabs without resources, and learners see the tab strip only when the teacher gives them tab access.
How do I rename a whiteboard tab? Double-click the tab and type the new name.
Why can't I paste on a PDF tab? Paste is blocked on tabs that hold a file. Add a new tab with + and paste there.
Where is the list of keyboard shortcuts? Click Keyboard Shortcuts on the right rail of the whiteboard. It has a Windows / Mac switch.
Set up your next lesson in tabs
Open the Educastic online whiteboard, add a tab for each stage of your next lesson and practise Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V before the students arrive.
