A Teaching and Learning Softboard Application

A TEACHING AND LEARNING SOFTBOARD APPLICATION
Andresile Peter and Benedict Oyo
Department of Computer Science
Gulu University [e-mail] and [e-mail]
Abstract:
A soft-board application allows users to write, draw, and manipulate graphics just like they would do with physical aids such as chalk/white boards or pen and paper. These applications have over the years advanced from basic shapes and colouring to merged shapes, rotating shapes, patterns, and web themes. At the same time, existing tools on soft-board applications are limited to texts, selections, arrows, pencil, connectors, basic shapes, stars, and flowcharts, hence less appropriate for teaching and learning. This paper investigates tools needed in teaching and learning and develops an extended soft-board application with most tools for physical and biological sciences. A comparative analysis with related applications is made, scoring our application highest on easy of use, learnability, and usability features of effective user interface design.
Introduction
A Softboard application is a software application that can be used by learners, teachers, and facilitators, among others, to perform activities such as illustrations, drawings or other writings just like they would do on a chalk/white board, or using pen/pencil and paper. The application can be used as a teaching/learning aid instead of physical teaching/learning aids such as chalk/white board, charts, to mention and allows work to be saved for future reference.
This application ultimately provides all those and even many more utilities (functionalities) that a teacher/learner needs in an educational well-being especially in this era where education is diverting away from hard-materials such as text books and chalk boards in preference to soft-materials such as e-learning tools and soft board application.
State-of-the-art

Critique of related applications
Despite of the increasing influx of computer technology in education,

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