5 Reasons To Use FigJam This School Year

Guest Post by Tom Mullaney. Tom infuses professional development with creativity, collaboration, and fun based on his experience as a Special Education and Social Studies teacher.

FigJam is a collaborative whiteboard that students and teachers can use to brainstorm, ideate, and collaborate. From simple drawings to sticky notes and comments, FigJam is a fun and engaging way to engage students in the classroom.

Here are five reasons FigJam will be your go-to edtech tool this school year.

1. Templates

Let FigJam work for you with its plethora of ready-to-use education templates! From popular education templates such as K-W-L charts, Venn Diagrams, and timelines to story arcs and student check-ins, FigJam has the templates teachers need to get started.

Teachers are prompted to add templates when creating FigJams and can add multiple templates to a FigJam when editing.

The screen users see when creating a FigJam. Click the options to add a template:
- Brainstorm
- Agenda
- Flowchart
- Bug bash
- Design crit
- User journey
- Retrospective
- More templates — Users are prompted to add a template when creating a FigJam.

2. Sections

Sections allow teachers to organize content and give students and groups distinct spaces to collaborate in a FigJam. Teachers can also hide sections and unveil them to guide students through a lesson.

An image of a stream going through mountains in a FigJam. Sections for “Transpiration from Plants” and “Precipitation” are visible. Three other sections are hidden. — Guide students through content by hiding and unveiling sections.

A FigJam with the prompt, “Use the images to replace the words “Which President?” with the president’s name.” Sections labeled “Richard Nixon” and “FDR” are visible. There is a section labeled “Which President?” with content including “Man on the Moon Goal Set,” “Bay of Pigs Invasion,” Cuban Missile Crisis,” and “Berlin Wall Built.” There are three hidden sections. — Unveil sections and ask students what connects items to review content.

3. Making connections

FigJam’s Connector tool gives students a visual representation of connections. Students can customize connector color and thickness, make dashed or solid connections, and choose from six start and end point options. They can even write text in the connector. An even more visual connecting tool is washi tape. Use it to show what two things have in common.

A FigJam with content about World War I’s long-term causes. FigJam connectors are used to connect causes. Washi tape with an image of King George V of England connects Czar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. — Use FigJam connectors and Washi tape to visualize connections.

4. Multimedia

Students can watch YouTube videos, record and play their voice, add images, and add GIPHY animated GIFS without leaving a FigJam. Have students click play on a YouTube video in a FigJam. They can type their reactions without having to pause the video!

A YouTube video in a FigJam. There are instructions for students to add sticky notes based on what they see in the video. — Add a video to a FigJam and have students respond to it.

5. Sticky Notes

FigJam is like Padlet on steroids. Sticky notes display their author’s name. Add hyperlinks and tag collaborators in sticky note text. Build on ideas and make connections by clicking the plus sign on any side of a sticky note to add another sticky note.

A FigJam sticky note surrounded by three sticky notes. Hover over the sticky note to add another sticky note. — Add sticky notes to a FigJam by hovering on a sticky note and clicking the “+” button.

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