Screen Annotation for Teachers on Mac

Let each mark answer a teaching question

Before drawing, decide what learners should notice: a word, a relationship, a next step, or a result. One clear cue gives students a place to look while they listen. Several unrelated marks force them to work out which one matters.

TeacherPalette brings Pen, Highlighter, Arrow, Rectangle and Text tools to the Mac apps you already teach with. Use a quick screen annotation while the original material remains visible, then clear it when the class moves on.

Six ways to use screen annotation in a lesson

Explain a slide without filling it with ink

Underline the phrase you are explaining, then pause. If the next point is elsewhere on the slide, clear the first cue before drawing another. For a dense chart, frame the region under discussion and keep the axes visible.

Walk through a website

Use an arrow to identify the next link or button before you click. Turn drawing mode off to interact with the browser, and clear the mark before the page scrolls. A rectangle that made sense before scrolling can point at unrelated content afterward.

Demonstrate software

Separate “where to click” from “what changed.” Point to the control first, perform the action, then mark the result. Use Magnifier for a small label or setting instead of drawing over text students need to read.

Teach programming

Highlight the expression you are discussing and use an arrow to connect it with the output. Clear your marks before running or scrolling the code. For control flow or data structures, move to Whiteboard and sketch one step per page so the class can follow the sequence.

Highlight a diagram

Trace one relationship at a time. Spotlight can focus attention on a region while leaving the surrounding diagram available for context. Use a fresh Whiteboard page when a learner’s question needs a different diagram.

Explain PDF materials

For a quick reference, annotate the screen while your PDF viewer is open. When you want to preserve the document together with your notes, import the PDF into TeacherPalette’s Whiteboard, annotate page by page, and export the annotated pages as a PDF.

Move from the material to a worked example

1. Show the question. Bring up a slide, website, code sample or PDF and mark only the part students need to inspect.
2. Make the detail visible. Use Spotlight for a busy area or Magnifier for small text. Give learners time to read before continuing.
3. Build the answer. Move to Whiteboard when the explanation needs space. Put the setup on one page and the worked example on the next.
4. Return and connect. Go back to the original material and show how the example answers the question.
5. Keep useful work. Reopen saved Whiteboard sessions for a later lesson, or export annotated Whiteboard pages as a PDF to share afterward.

A saved Whiteboard is useful for revisiting an explanation. It is not a substitute for checking that each learner understood the step: pause for a question before moving to the next page.

Prepare the audience view before an online class

• Choose the display you will share and verify a test annotation in the shared output.
• Check text size, line thickness and contrast at the size students will actually see.
• Practice clearing marks and leaving drawing mode before you interact with the next app.
• Prepare Whiteboard pages and import PDF material ahead of time.
• If you write with Apple Pencil through iPad Sidecar, check that your writing appears on the audience display.
• For a scheduled break, choose the small floating or full-screen timer to make the return time visible.

The step-by-step screen annotation guide covers drawing tools, clearing and permission requirements. The existing PDF presentation guide explains the document workflow in more detail.

Shaped by a technical instructor’s own classes

TeacherPalette was created by Kim, a technical instructor and solo developer who wanted a lightweight way to explain things across his Mac. Reusing Whiteboards and having presentation tools ready during a real explanation were part of the need that started the product. That origin makes a practical classroom rehearsal a good way to evaluate it for your own teaching.

Bring one lesson you already teach. Try a screen mark, a closer look at a detail, and a Whiteboard explanation on a Mac with Apple Silicon running macOS 15 or later.