Whiteboard · Laser Pointer
The pen that cleans up after itself.
How do you teach?
The Laser Pointer in Pencil Spaces is a vanishing pen for the board. Hold and draw over a word, a step or part of a diagram, and a red trail shows everyone where to look. A few moments after you let go, it fades, so there’s nothing to erase.
Circling things to show your student where to look leaves their board covered in marks. Trace it with the Laser Pointer instead. They follow the red trail, and it fades a few moments after you let go.
“Look at the top right” leaves half the class looking somewhere else. Trace the exact spot with the Laser Pointer, and every student follows the same red trail before it fades.
Walking a group through a diagram needs pointing, not drawing. The Laser Pointer guides every participant to the step you mean, then fades before you move on.
Pointing at the classroom display with your hand blocks the view for half the room. Trace the spot with the Laser Pointer instead, and the whole class sees it without a mark left on the board.
A handheld laser pointer only shows on the screen at the front of the room. The Laser Pointer in your Space also shows on every laptop with the Space open, and it leaves no marks.
When you’re helping your child, point at the exact word or number without drawing over their work. The red trail fades on its own, and the page stays theirs.
Free for 2 weeks on any paid plan. Card required. No charge when the trial ends.
Laser Pointer
Hold and drag on the board. A red trail shows everyone where to look, then fades a few moments after you let go.
Hold and drag on the board to point. Let go and it fades.
Pointing shouldn’t leave a mess.
To show where to look, most of us circle it or draw an arrow. A few marks later, they hide the work everyone came to see, and someone has to stop and erase them.
In the room, pointing means walking up to the screen and blocking the view, or circling things that have to be wiped off later. The people at the back still aren’t sure which line you mean.
When you’re helping with homework, it’s tempting to draw on the page to show where to look. Soon the page is full of your marks, and it’s hard to see what your child did.
The usual way
- Circle the spot you mean.
- Add an arrow so they follow.
- Stop to erase the marks.
- Or describe it: “top right, second line.”
- Walk up to the screen.
- Point with your hand and block the view.
- Or circle it on the board.
- Wipe it off later.
- Draw on the page to point.
- Fill their work with your marks.
- Erase around their answers.
- Lose track of what they did.
With the Laser Pointer
- Press Shift + L.
- Hold and draw over the spot.
- Let go. Everyone saw it, and the trail fades on its own.Let go. The whole room saw it, and the board stays clean.Let go. Your child saw it, and their work stays theirs.
How the Laser Pointer works.
It sits with the pen tools in every Space, and one shortcut picks it up.
1
Pick it up.
Open the pen tools on the left of the bottom toolbar and choose Laser Pointer. Or press Shift + L.
2
Hold and draw.
Hold down and move your mouse or trackpad. A red trail follows your hand, and everyone in the Space sees it.
3
Let go.
A few moments after you release, the trail fades. There’s nothing to erase and nothing left on the board.
4
Back to the pen.
Pick any other tool to stop pointing, or press P to write again.
What to point at.
Math
Walk through the steps.
Trace each line of a worked example as you explain it, and nobody loses their place.
Science and maps
Follow a path.
Trace the route through a cell, a circuit or a river delta without drawing on the diagram.
Reading
Read along.
Sweep under each word as you read aloud, so every eye is on the same line.
Their work
Show what to check.
Point to the line that needs another look, without writing on their answer.
Numbers
Walk through the report.
Point to the figure that matters, one at a time, so nobody asks which number you mean.
Process
Trace the workflow.
Follow each step of a process map as you explain where work gets stuck.
Documents
Find the line.
Point to the clause, field or chart you mean in a document on the board.
Their work
Talk it through.
Point at a participant’s sketch while the group discusses it, and leave it unmarked.
Reading
Read along.
Sweep under each word as your child reads, so they keep their place.
Math
Check one step.
Point to the step to look at again, and let them find the mistake.
Spelling
Sound it out.
Trace each syllable as you say it: but, ter, fly.
Pictures and maps
Find it together.
Point to the place on a map or the detail in a picture.
It works on anything on the board: handwriting, images, documents and diagrams.
It works on anything in your Space: handwriting, images, documents, diagrams and screen shares.
In a real lesson.
In a real workshop.
At the kitchen table.
A teacher sweeps the Laser Pointer under a sentence as she reads it aloud. Her student follows every word, and when she lets go, the board is as clean as it started.
You trace a path through the diagram as you explain it. Your student follows the red trail, and the diagram is untouched when you’re done.
You point to each step of the worked example in turn. Thirty students follow the same trail, and nobody asks which line you mean.
You guide the group through a dashboard, one number at a time. Nobody asks which figure you mean, and the board is clean for the next question.
You trace each river on the map on the classroom display. Students with the Space open on their Chromebooks see the same trail at their desks.
You trace the workflow on the screen at the front of the room. Participants following on their laptops see the same trail.
You point to each syllable as your daughter reads “but-ter-fly.” Her worksheet stays clean, and the reading is all hers.
For schools and teams
Every teacher can point without the mess.
The Laser Pointer is built into every Space, next to the pen. There’s nothing to install or roll out, and one shortcut is all anyone needs to learn.
For tutoring companies
Every tutor can point without the mess.
The Laser Pointer is built into every Space your tutors teach in. There’s nothing to install, and a clean board makes every lesson easier to follow.
For training teams
Every facilitator can point without the mess.
The Laser Pointer is built into every Space, for virtual and in-person workshops alike. There’s nothing to install or roll out.
300M+
minutes of live learning
162+
countries
4.8
rating on G2
Questions about the Laser Pointer
How do I use the laser pointer in Pencil Spaces?
Open the pen tools on the left of the bottom toolbar and choose Laser Pointer, or press Shift + L. Hold and move your mouse or trackpad to draw a red trail. Let go, and the trail fades after a few moments. Pick another tool when you’re done pointing.
Does Pencil Spaces have a vanishing pen?
Yes. The Laser Pointer works as a vanishing pen. You draw with it like the pen, and the red trail fades on its own a few moments after you let go. Use it to point, underline or circle while you talk, with nothing left to erase.
Can everyone in the Space see the laser pointer?
Yes. The red trail shows for everyone in the Space as you draw it, so nobody has to ask which line you mean. That’s what makes it useful for pointing during a lesson. When it fades, it fades for everyone.
Yes. The red trail shows for everyone in the Space as you draw it, so nobody has to ask which line you mean. That’s what makes it useful for pointing during a workshop. When it fades, it fades for everyone.
Yes. The trail shows on the screen at the front of the room and on every device with the Space open, so the back of the room sees it as clearly as the front. When it fades, it fades for everyone.
Can I use the laser pointer on a screen share?
Yes. Use it on a screen share the same way you use it on the board, to point at a button, a line or a chart without marking it. To draw marks that stay until the share ends, use Annotate Screen Shares.
Does the laser pointer leave anything on the board?
No. The trail fades a few moments after you let go and isn’t saved to the board. When you want a mark that stays, switch to the pen (P) or the highlighter (Shift + P), and use the eraser (E) to clear it later.
What’s the keyboard shortcut for the laser pointer?
Press Shift + L in any Space to pick up the Laser Pointer. Press P to go back to the pen, Shift + P for the highlighter or E for the eraser. More than 30 keyboard shortcuts cover the tools on the board.
Can I use it on a classroom display or projector?
Yes. Open your Space on the computer connected to the display or projector, and use the Laser Pointer as you would at your desk. The trail shows on the screen at the front of the room, big enough for the back row, and fades on its own.
More board tools
Point at anything, leave no mark.
The Laser Pointer is in the pen tools of every Space. Press Shift + L and try it.
New to Pencil Spaces
Try it in your own lesson.
Try it in your own workshop.
Try it on tonight’s homework.
Sign up and open any Space. The Laser Pointer is in the pen tools, ready to go.
Free for 2 weeks on any paid plan. Card required. No charge when the trial ends.
Already teaching in Pencil Spaces
Press Shift + L next time you teach.
Or open the pen tools on the left of the bottom toolbar and pick Laser Pointer.
