Lynx Tip 1 Whiteboard Background Layer Templates User Guide
- May 15, 2024
- LYNX
Table of Contents
Tip 1 Whiteboard Background Layer Templates
Product Information
The Lynx Whiteboard is a versatile tool that allows users to
create interactive worksheets and scenes. It features a background
layer function that protects creations when erasing annotations and
allows for the replication of templates. The whiteboard supports
touchscreens with up to 20-point touch capabilities.
Product Usage Instructions
Using Background Layer Templates
-
To create a worksheet, save the Lynx Whiteboard file as a
.pdf. -
To present the worksheet on screen for annotation, use the
background layer feature. -
To split a slide into different areas, use the Add Shape tool
to add differently colored rectangles. -
Add content to each zone using text boxes.
-
Select everything on the screen by dragging the cursor across
and send it to the Background Layer. -
To make additional slides with the same template, click on the
Slide Viewer icon, followed by the Hamburger menu of your
slide. -
In the Slide Viewer, select Background Options and Use On All
New Pages. -
To change text boxes into different equations, open the Plus
icon from the toolbar and select Edit Background. Make the
necessary changes. -
Children can annotate on each slide and erase when needed.
Making an Interactive Scene
Page 1 of 3
-
From the Lynx Whiteboard dashboard, select Create and choose
your canvas size. -
In the bottom toolbar, click on the + symbol and select Content
from the pop-up menu. -
A content menu will appear to the side of your screen.
-
Use the Media Search to select a background image.
-
Drag the selected background image onto the page and press Fill
Page to set it as the background layer. -
Return to the Content Search and find images by typing in the
search field. -
Drag the desired image onto the page and click the Tick symbol
to accept it. -
To remove the white background from an image, click on the
Raindrop with a line through it. -
To remove any remaining white areas, use the Crop tool and
select the Paint Pot with transparent option.
Page 2 of 3
- Repeat the steps above to add additional characters and remove
their backgrounds.
Tip 1
Background layer templates
Exit Background layer
1
Lynx Whiteboard files can be saved as .pdfs and is a great tool for
quickly creating worksheets. These same
files can then be presented on screen
for students to annotate on at the front
of the class. Using the background layer
feature, not only can you protect your
creations when erasing annotations, but
you can also save time when creating
multiple pages by replicating your
templates. Gareth Middleton explains
how with a mathematical example.
2
I have split my slide into three differentiated areas using
differently coloured rectangles from the
Add Shape tool. I’ve then added content
to each zone using text boxes.
My plan is to invite a child from each
ability group up to the screen to
demonstrate how to complete each
calculation. Three kids at a time are no
problem for our 20-point touchscreens!
Arrange and
Send to background
transform
3 By dragging the cursor across
the whole screen, I can select everything I have added and send it to the
Background Layer. To do this, click on the icons indicated in the image above.
Hamburger menu
Slide viewer
4
Now children can annotate over the sums, and I can erase their
work without affecting the template
underneath. But what if I want to quickly
make some extra slides so other children
can have a go? Simply click on the Slide
Viewer icon, followed by the Hamburger
menu of your slide.
5
From there, select Background Options and “Use On
All New Pages”.
6 Any new pages will now look
exactly like the first slide. To change the text boxes into different
equations, open the Plus icon from the tool bar and select Edit Background.
Make your text changes and you’re done!
7 Now the
children can annotate on each slide and erase when needed, as shown above.
Tip 2
Making an interactive scene
pg 1 of 3
1 From the Lynx Whiteboard dashboard. Select Create and then select your
canvas size. (I usually use Default)
2 From
the bottom toolbar click on the + symbol. This will open a pop up menu. Then
select Content.
3 A content
menu will then appear to the side of your screen.
Use the Media Search to select a background image. For this one I have used a
GIPHY.
4
Once you have found a background click and drag it onto the page. If you are happy with it you can press the Fill Page which will set it to the
background layer.
5
Return to the Content Search. This time I am looking for images. Type
what you want to search for in the search
box this time I will search images.
6
Just like before, click and drag the image you want onto the page.
This time click the Tick symbol from the floating toolbar to accept the image.
7
You will notice the image has a white background. To remove this
click on the Raindrop with a line through
it to remove the white background.
8
By removing the background it has removed most of the white but not
all of it. To remove this, click on the Crop
tool from the toolbar at the bottom. This
will give you another set of options.
9
Click on the Paint Pot, then select transparent and click on the area
to remove.
Tip 2
Making an interactive scene
pg 2 of 3
10 Repeat steps above to add additional characters and remove their backgrounds
11 I want to create a den to link to
the next slide. Following the same instructions as above, click and drag the
image onto the page and use the nodes to resize it.
12 Now select the Crop tool and then
crop freehand.
13 Once you have drawn around the
section of the image you want, it will create a duplicate of this area. You
can then select the original image and delete it.
14 Once you are happy with your
scene, it is now time to animate it.
15
Click on the character/item you want to animate. From the floating
toolbar click on the three dots which will
reveal another pop out menu.
I am going to set the Gruffalo to be editable while presenting.
16
I am not going to set an action for the mouse with the nut. When
in present mode it will just zoom in on
the image.
17
Clicking the Three Dots for the other mouse I am going to set it
to Replicator. This means that you will
be able to create multiple mice when in
presentation mode.
18
For the owl I will create
a sound button.
To do this click on
the Three Dots on
the floating tool
bar again and then
click on Link.
19
Another pop up will appear. Click on Select File.
Tip 2
Making an interactive scene
pg 3 of 3
20 Select the file you want to use for this instance I am going to use an MP4 owl hoot.
21 Once you have chosen your file it
will appear in the link menu. Then
click OK.
22 We have currently been working
on one page. To add another page, click the + symbol for the bottom toolbar.
You will notice that the navigational arrows change from 1 / 1 to 2 / 2.
23 On page 2 / 2 select an image
for the background as in previous steps.
24
Return to page 1. Click on the cave to reveal the floating
toolbar and then click on the
Three Dots.
Select Link from the pop-up menu.
25
Another pop up will appear. This time click Select Slide.
26
Another pop up will appear, choose the slide you want the link to take
you to. In this case it will be slide 2 so
click OK.
27
The slide number will appear in the search bar so click OK.
28
Your interactive scene is now ready to present. Go to the Stacker
(hamburger) menu in the bottom left
corner and click on Start Presenting.
Your scene is ready to enjoy!
Tip 3
Layered images
Lynx’s media search makes finding engaging content easy. In this tip, Gareth
explains how layering your images can make for an enhanced learning experience
beyond merely hiding one image behind another.
1 I have found a great image that depicts
the different systems of our body in separate diagrams. Rather than just show
this as it is, my plan is to layer the images on top of each other and allow
students to slide them apart when in presentation mode. The first step is to
use either the “Crop Freehand” or “Knife” tools to make each layer a separate
image.
2 This places copies of each figure
on top of the original the original can then be deleted once each figure has
been cropped. Each separate image may have a white background that needs
removing as you can see on the yellow background to the right. You can do this
either with the Remove Background icon (see first image right) or by “filling”
the white area using the Fill tool set on transparent (see far right).
Transparent fill
3 Just concentrating on the four
images above, I now decide to add text labels, joining the text boxes to each
image using the “Group Items” tool from the floating tool bar after selecting
the image and text box at the same time. See above left.
4
Now it’s time to layer them using the Arrange and Transform tools.
First, I select the image that I have
chosen to be at the bottom of the pile,
and I select the Move to Background
icon (see above). Exiting the background
layer, I then move the other images on
top using the Stacking icons to order
each image as I wish.
5
Finally, I need to make sure all the images are movable in
presentation mode, so the images
beneath can be revealed. To do this, I
select each image in the Normal Layer
(ignoring the one in the Background
layer) and select the “Editable While
Presenting” option from the three dots
option on the floating tool bar.
6
Now, when presenting, I can simply slide the different layers aside (see above left) or use the Transparency slider to reveal the images hidden underneath (see
above right).
Tip 4
Shape split
pg 1 of 2
1 First you
will need to create a shape to split. You can split rectangles and circles.
Click on the + symbol on the toolbar at the bottom.
Then click on Content this will open an additional pop-up window.
2 From the
content pop up, select Local Content.
Then select the Shapes folder.
Click and drag a circle onto the page.
3 You can
use the nodes to resize the shape.
Click on the pen tool to change the colour and thickness of the outline.
4
Clicking on the
Paint Pot from
the floating
tool bar
enables you
to change the
colour of the
shape.
From the bottom toolbar select the Knife tool.
5
Then select the crop symbol from the bottom toolbar.
From the pop-up tab select Shape Split.
6
Click inside the shape
and move the
cursor to the
desired number of
sectors.
The Finger Pointer from the bottom toolbar enables you to edit and move each sector of the circle.
7 Clicking inside each Sector enables
you to resize or change the colour. A great feature for explaining fractions.
8
Follow the previous
steps to open
the content pop
up, select local
content, followed
by shapes. This
time click and
drag the square or
rectangle onto the
page.
Again use the Nodes to resize the shape and the tools from the floating tool bar to adjust the outline and colour of the shape.
From the bottom toolbar select the Knife tool.
9 Then select the Crop symbol from
the bottom toolbar. From the pop-up tab select Shape Split.
10 Click inside
the shape to split it.
To create rows, move the cursor vertically.
To create columns, move the cursor horizontally.
Tip 4
Shape split
12 Using the floating tool
bars for each segment you can continue to edit by changing the colour,
outline, and text font.
When splitting a rectangle or square you can also double click in each segment
and type. This is great if you want to create quick tables or jumbled
sentences.
pg 2 of 2
13 Using the Finger Pointer from the bottom toolbar you can jumble or order your sentences.
Tip 5
Flow quizzes
pg 1 of 2
Creating flow pathways between slides is one of the greatest joys of using
Lynx firstly because of how easy it is do to and, secondly, because the
transition effect looks so cool. Here, Gareth explains how to utilise this
awesome feature to set up an interactive quiz.
1 The trick with setting up a flow quiz is to write the question on one slide
and
the possible answers on separate slides. The multiple-choice option will be
created thanks to the flow windows later. Check out the four slides I have
prepared as an example:
2 Now it is time to drop a flow link
from the answer slides onto the question slide. I need to open the slide
viewer by clicking on the icon indicated from the tool bar at the bottom of
Lynx Whiteboard:
Chain Link icon for dragging flow windows onto slides.
So, the first slide is just an image plus the question text box. The others also have an image (found using the Media search, of course) with text boxes showing the possible answers and another saying whether that option is right or wrong. Notice that I have also added an arrow from the Shapes Folder in the Content area.
3 By clicking and holding the Chain
Link icon on each answer slide, I can drag the tile onto the question tile and
drop it there. Eventually, I end up with three flow windows on my question
slide, as shown above.
4
While resizing and positioning each flow window, it’s clear that I have
two issues to sort out. Firstly, the white
background to the side of each slide is
a little annoying. Secondly, the words
Correct and Wrong are visible in the flow
windows, making the quiz a lot easier
than it should be. Luckily, solving both
issues is easy in Lynx Whiteboard.
To solve the visible backgrounds, I click on each flow window to reveal the floating tool bar. Selecting the “Reference Options” icon, I can toggle off “Show Border” and “Show Background Colour”.
5
Next, I head to each of the answer slides. I want to hide the words “Wrong” and “Correct”, as well as the arrows I added. To do this, I repeat the following process
on each answer slide. I select the item I want to hide and choose the “Visibility”
Eye icon. Then I simply toggle on the “Hide in Preview” button.
Returning to the question slide, we can now only see the images and the answer options. (See the final image.) But what about those arrows? They are for links to either take us back to the question slide if the wrong answer was chosen, or to advance us to the next question. Creating these links is also easy.
Slide Viewer icon activates the side bar.
Tip 5
Flow quizzes
6
From the floating
tool bar of each
arrow, I open the
Three Dots menu
and select Link.
This opens the
hyperlink window,
from where I can
select the slides
I would like each
arrow to direct the
user to.
pg 2 of 2
7
Click OK twice to set the link and I’m all set. Naturally, I need to repeat this process
for other questions; but before long I’ll have an
engaging quiz that children can flow through in
Presentation Mode.
Tip 6
Creating Counters
1 First I created a background
template in which to use counters. Follow Tip 1: Background layer templates,
if you are not sure on how to create a background.
2 To create
your counters click on the + icon on the toolbar at the bottom.
Then select Content.
3 From the pop
up content menu select local content.
Then select the shapes folder – this will open a selection of shapes which you
can choose from.
4
Click and drag the shape you want from the content folder and drop it
onto your background.
5
Click on the shape to
reveal the editing
tool bar.
Use the Cross Hairs to move the shape.
Use the Pen to edit the colour and thickness of the outline.
Use the Paint Pot to change the colour of the shape.
6
Double click inside your shape to add text or digits use the drop
down menu to adjust the size, font
and colour.
7 You can copy and paste the shapes
if you want multiple ones the same size. Using the options you can then change
the colour of each counter and the text/font etc.
8
Once you have finished
creating your
counter, click on
the 3 dots on the
toolbar.
A drop down menu will appear. From this select Replicator.
(When in present mode this will then create multiple replicas of the counter.)
9 When you are ready to present
go to the bottom left and click on the Stacker menu.
Then select “Start Presenting”
10
Whilst in present mode
you can make
multiple replica
counters. These
are especially
good when
demonstrating
models and images.
Tip 7
Interactive diagrams
Presentation mode allows teachers to create content that isn’t just a linear presentation. Children can really get involved and complete activities within Lynx whether that’s stood at the front of the class or on any device back at their desks. Here, Gareth explains how creating interactive diagrams is just one application of presentation mode.
1 My plan is to create a diagram of a Roman legionary where the children
move the words to the correct arrow label. Alternatively, I could position the
words around the soldier and get the kids to draw their own linking arrows. Or
I could crop each feature from the soldier and ask the students to dress him
themselves… but creating movable Text Boxes is so quick that I’ve decided to
keep things simple.
First, I use the built in Media Search to both find the perfect image and
research the features that I want the children to identify. Before deleting
the extra images, I make separate text boxes of each feature. (See the two
diagrams above.)
2 Next, I reposition the labels to one side and add instructions text and a
coloured
rectangle from the Content area. Then I send the image of the legionary and
the rectangle to the background layer using the “Arrange and Transform” icon,
as shown below.
3 Then, I drag my cursor
across all the labels. On the floating tool bar, I click on the “3 Dots” icon
and select “Editable While Presenting”. Now all the labels can be moved freely
while in Presentation mode. (See the image on the right.)
Arrows need to be added to help the children identify the features, so I head
for the inbuilt Content area again. In the Shapes folder is an arrow just
waiting to be dragged into use, as shown right.
4 The floating tool bar can quickly
help me recolour the arrow as well as make instant copies using the “Clone”
icon in the 3 Dots menu. Once each arrow is set in place, I’m done and the
diagram is ready to be completed.
Tip 8
Maths Recognition Tool
1 From the
Toolbar at the bottom of the page, double click on any of the pen tools.
This menu will appear.
Select the Maths pen.
2 Using the
Maths Recognition Pen, write your calculations e.g. 24 x 12 =
Wait a few seconds and the Recognition Pen will do the rest.
It will insert a removable text box to reveal the answer.
3 Click on the Finger Pointer on the
bottom tool bar.
4
Click and drag the
answer box
to reveal the
calculated answer.
The Maths Recognition Pen will also convert algebraic and other mathematical symbols correctly.
Tip 9
Lynx Screen Recorder
The Lynx Screen Recorder is an extra free app, available for Windows, Mac and some Android devices. It allows you to record an .mp4 video file of whatever you’re up to on your device and record a commentary via your device’s microphone. A great tool if you want to record tutorial videos. Gareth explains where to get it from and showcases its use within Lynx Whiteboard.
1 To download and install the Lynx Screen Recorder app, visit
www.lynxcloud.app and head for the More Downloads section. Scroll down to the
Additional Downloads and you’ll be able to download the right version for you.
(Extra tip 1 I found it easier to download the Android .apk file on my
laptop and email it to my Android tablet. Then I used an .apk installer app to
install it.)
2 You can also download a version onto our Impact touchscreens but I prefer
to
use the version on my laptop. After all, it is from there that I usually
create my files. When activated on a laptop, this is what the Lynx Screen
Recorder looks like:
3 I pin the app to the desktop, so it is out of sight during the recording
remembering to turn on the microphone if I want to record a commentary. The
microphone WILL NOT pick up what your speakers put out, but you can record
your own comments over a video clip, for example.
For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to use it to record a handwriting
video that I can play on a loop. The image below shows the Lynx slide I have
created to demonstrate a handwriting join on. When filming, this is the slide
I will use the built-in pens on to demonstrate the join.
4 When I have finished recording,
the recorder prompts me to name the file and choose a save location. Once
that’s done. I can drop it onto my Lynx slide. To do this, the quickest way is
to “right click and copy” the video file, then “right click and paste” in
Lynx. In the final image below, I’ve made the screen window larger than needed
so you can see it but you can shrink this down so it is out of the way when
not in use. You can zoom into the video when activated and opt to play it in a
loop.
5 (Extra Tip 2 there’s a
great pen for teaching joined handwriting: the Rainbow pen! If you’re joining
your letters correctly, the pen will stay the same colour. But every time you
lift your pen from the screen, the pen will change colour! This creates a
great challenge for the children. There’s also the Animated Rainbow pen, for
those who like seeing the different colours. Give them a try!)
Tip 10
Plotting graphs and adding grids to the background
pg 1 of 2
1 From the
toolbar at the bottom of the page. Click on the + symbol.
This will open another menu tab.
From the menu tab select Content.
2 From the
content menu select Local Content.
Then select Backgrounds.
Choose the background you want and click and drag it onto your page.
4
From the toolbar at the bottom of the page double click on the Pen
icon to open the menu tab.
Then click on the Line tool.
Change to a different format e.g. lines, dots
Change the colour of the grid lines.
Change the scale of the grid.
3 Using the pop up tool bar you can edit your grid.
To select the colour and thickness of the line click on the coloured lines and select thickness and colour.
5 You can now draw lines and move
or edit them into position. In this instance I have drawn x and y axis lines.
6
Using the bottom toolbar, you can use one of the other pen tools to annotate your axis.
7
From the bottom
toolbar, select the
Elbow tool.
8 Draw a line on your graph. It will
appear at first as a straight line. This is also the same if you chose the
curve line.
Tip 10
Plotting graphs and adding grids to the background
pg 2 of 2
9 Using the Finger Pointer from the
bottom tool bar select the line you created.
This time you will notice some green nodes and another floating tool bar.
10
From the floating toolbar, select the Line Type icon. Another drop down
menu will appear. You can then add or
remove addition points.
11 Using the green nodes on the line
you can manipulate the line to create your graph.
12
You can switch between the different line tools by selecting the
line type and clicking on a different one.
13 Using the method above I can
continue to add or remove additional points to manipulate the graph.
Tip 11
Sound buttons
Any item placed onto a Lynx slide can be turned into a hyperlink. In this
blog, Gareth demonstrates how this feature can be used to create instant sound
buttons.
1 The first thing you need to do is create or download some sound files. There
are plenty of websites with whole libraries of free sound files for you to
download. Alternatively, most Windows devices come with the Voice Recorder app
if you fancy creating your own. Once you have your files ready, head for Lynx
Whiteboard and start to design your slide. In this case, I’m going to create
some phonic buttons using recordings of my daughter’s voice. Related to the
sound “oo”, I need to use the Media Search from the + icon’s Content area to
find images that depict the “oo” words I am using in this case: moon, blue
and flew.
3 Drag the images you require onto your slide. You can remove white
backgrounds using the Remove Background icon on the floating tool bar.
2 Type what you are looking for
into the search bar and select the website you’d like to look in. You can
always return to the list to try another website, if the first one has no
appropriate images.
4
Now I need to turn each image into a hyperlink. Select an image and click on the “3 Dots” icon on the floating tool bar. Then select “Link” to open the Link
window (see the two images below).
5
You need to choose “Select File” and then navigate to your sound
recording. Click Select followed by OK
and the link is set.
6 To activate the sound file,
you can click on the link icon that appears in the top left of the selected
image. However, to really make it come to life, go into the stacker menu and
“Start Presenting”. Try hiding some on a slide for children to discover!
Tip 12
Using the whiteboard
Click Create Click Default
3 Thumbnails
of pages
1 Open Lynx Whiteboard 2 A blank page will open with the below tool bar.
Add a Page
Navigate pages
Tools
Undo/Redo Delete Navigate Pages
View All Pages
Pens
Crop & fill
5
The three Pen icons all look
different, but take you
to the same menu of
pen options for you to
change as you wish.
Text Pen will recognise handwriting and convert it to text.
4 Select
Text
Additional
Shape tool will recognise hand drawn shapes and convert them to shapes.
Eraser
6
Clicking on the Stacker
Rainbow enables
you to change
the colour of the
pens and their
thickness.
Text tools click and type on the screen.
7 Floating Toolbar
Background
8
Fill
Position Colour
Font Style
Block highlighter
Crop Tools