Multi-Column Blackboard Layout

Just like a real classroom blackboard, BlackboardView lets you divide your projected content into side-by-side columns — handy for comparing two ideas, separating a definition from an example, or organizing a multi-part problem.

How Columns Work

In your lesson file, a >> on its own line starts a new column within the blackboard section of a card. See The Lesson File Format for the full syntax.

For example:

>>>
Definition:
A noun names a person, place, or thing.
>>
Examples:
teacher, classroom, pencil

This creates two columns side by side on the blackboard: “Definition” on the left, “Examples” on the right — both visible to your class at the same time, and both shown on your iPad as well.

How Many Columns Can I Use?

Up to three columns are shown side by side, at equal width, on both your iPad and the external screen. This keeps everything readable at a glance without needing to scroll.

If a card has more than three columns, the extra columns beyond the first three are still there, but they’re presented separately (BlackboardView provides a way to scroll or page through them) rather than being squeezed into the same view. If you find yourself needing more than three columns often, consider whether splitting the content across two cards instead might be easier for your students to follow — but the option to use more columns is there if you need it.

Long Text Within a Column

If the text in a single column is too long to fit comfortably, BlackboardView will either shrink the text slightly to fit, or split it across multiple pages you can page through — depending on your Overflow Mode setting. See Settings Reference for how to choose between these two behaviors.

What’s Next

• Ad-Hoc Blank Blackboards — creating a new multi-column blackboard on the fly, choosing the number of columns as you go
• The Lesson File Format — the >> column syntax in detail
• Settings Reference — adjusting how long text behaves within a column