Best Digital Writing Pad For Teaching

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Online teaching has quickly become the new norm – allowing you to connect with your students from the comfort of your home. But it also comes with its own challenges.

digital pen tablet for online teaching

Teaching and explaining complicated math problems, scientific theories, and biological diagrams to your students through a webcam is difficult.

The "mouse" simply cannot give you the same level of dexterity that you get with the marker pen and a whiteboard.

One way to get around this problem is to film the whiteboard when teaching online. But the whiteboard may not be legible due to the bad lighting or camera angle (which happens very often).

Alternatively, you can use a pen and paper, but your hands may come in the way plus the text may still not be readable.

In short, these band-aid workarounds cannot be relied upon as the long term solution.

pen tablet is essential for online tutoring

Getting a digital writing pad that connects to your laptop is the best solution for online teaching.

It works like a digital whiteboard allowing you to write notes, draw diagrams, and explain stuff in a very natural way – giving your students an interactive learning experience.

There are literally hundreds of pen tablets that are available in the market but not all of them provide the same level of writing experience.

We have handpicked some of the best digital pen tablets for online teaching which will for sure make you say "Why didn't I get it before!".

Top Recommendations

Wacom Intuos

Area: 6 x 3.7 in
4096 pressure
4 buttons
Wired & Wireless
Windows, Mac, Android

Wacom One

Area: 13.3 inches
4096 pressure
Built-in screen
Wired
Windows, Mac, Android

Xp-Pen G430 cheapest graphics tablet

Xp Pen G430S

Area: 4 x 3 inches
8196 pressure
No buttons
Small and compact
Windows, Mac

1. Wacom Intuos – Wacom tablet for online teaching

When you are looking for a pen tablet, you want a reliable tablet that works flawlessly.

Wacom Intuos is one of the most popular pen tablets right now. It is a go-to device for those looking for a digital writing device.

The tablet comes in two variants – small and medium. The medium size can be a little too large so it is often recommended to get the smaller version.

Wacom Intuos small has a working area of 6 x 3.7 inches, which is plenty enough for writing and tutoring.

The tablet comes with fast, reliable, and accurate stylus. It tracks your handwriting with a high precision making you feel right at home when you draw with it.

The stylus has a special feature called pressure sensitivity which changes the thickness of your strokes depending on how much pressure you apply on it, this can be handy in certain situations.

Even though the tablet is made of plastic, the quality of plastic used is top-notch. The writing surface is made of scratch-resistant material which protects the surface from getting scratches.

The tablet is super easy to set up and connects to your computer using a USB cable. Alternatively, you can also connect this tablet wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The only thing to consider before getting this tablet is – it is slightly overpriced.

Wacom Intuos Features

Working area – 6 x 3.7 Inches
4096 levels of pressure sensitivity on the stylus
4 shortcut buttons
Precise pen tracking
Scratch-resistant writing surface
Easy to set up
Connectivity: Wired and Wireless
Supports: Windows, Mac, Android
Available in two colors: Black, Pistachio

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2. Xp Pen Deco 01 V2 – Most value or money writing pad for teaching

If you are looking for a tablet that has the right combinations of size, accuracy, and price – look no further than the Xp Pen Deco 01.

Starting with the size, the Deco 01 comes with a massive writing area of 10 x 6.25 inches. This is almost twice the size of the aforementioned Wacom Intuos.

The included stylus has two built-in buttons which allow you to quickly switch between pen mode and eraser.

On the left side of the tablet, you will find a number of programmable buttons that can be set to any shortcut of your choice – such as opening a browser, switching tabs o changing the size of brush and eraser.

The Deco 01 (v2) is compatible with Windows, Mac as well as Android devices.

xp pen deco 01 being used for taking online classes

There are other minor touches that enhance the experience of using this tablet. Such as the inclusion of four light at the corner of the writing area, which can be handy to identify the active writing spot in the dark.

The tablet connects to the computer using a USB cable with no wireless connectivity.

One of the best things about this tablet is – inspire of having a massive writing area, a good built quality, an excellent stylus, and programmable buttons the tablet charges no extra money for these features, and that makes it a great value for money.

Xp Pen Deco 01 v2 features

Writing area – 10 x 6.25 Inches
8192 levels of pressure sensitivity on the stylus
60-degrees of tilt sensitivity
8 shortcut buttons
Textured surface for better writing experience
Connectivity: Wired
Supports: Windows, Mac, Android
Available in one color: Black

3. Wacom One – Digital writing pad with a built-in screen

Writing on a pen tablet while looking at the screen takes a little time to build hand-eye coordination. What if a screen was built into the pen tablet on which you could directly write on.

This is exactly what you are getting with the Wacom One display pen tablet. This can be a great tool if you want to take your online teaching game to the next level.

Wacom One comes with a 13-inch full HD screen that provides a sufficiently large working area.

The tool surface of the tablet has a textured surface that provides a better writing experience. The screen comes with a matte coating which does a great job of minimizing reflections and screen glare.

wacom one tablet for writing and teaching students

The display-enabled pen tablet comes with a very handy foldable tablet stand that raises and positions the tablet at a more comfortable working angle.

In order for the tablet to work, it needs to be connected to a computer and that is done by a single USB-C cable. The Wacom One is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android as well.

All these top-of-the-line features and performance comes with a price to match. This tablet falls on the expensive side compared to any other tablet mentioned in this list.

Overall if you are looking for an ultimate teaching experience that leaves your student probably wondering what cool tech you are using – this is the absolute best digital pen tablet for you.

Wacom One features

Display size/writing area – 13.3 Inches (16:9 aspect ratio)
4096 levels of pressure sensitivity on the stylus
Foldable legs
Brightness – 200 cd/m2
Textured surface with anti-glare properties
Best writing and tutoring experience
Weight: 1 Kg (2.2 lbs)
Connectivity: Wired (USB-C)
Supports: Windows, Mac, Android
Color: White

4. Huion Inspiroy Dial Q620M – Wireless pen tablet with a shortcut dial (premium)

Huion Inspiroy Dial is a – top of the line premium pen tablet from Huion that comes with some very unique set of features.

Its design is one of the highlights of this tablet which integrates a simple minimalistic look with great functionality. It probably has the most robust build quality compared to any other tablet in the market.

The Inspiron dial comes with a 10.5 x 6.5 inches of working area, which is huge.

On the left, you would find a total of 8 programmable buttons. These buttons are extremely easy to program can be set to any quick setting of your choice.

The rotating dial located at the top left corner is the key feature of this tablet. You can simply rotate the dial in both directions in order to perform tasks such as changing the size of the pen and eraser or adjusting the volume.

Like the shortcut buttons, this dial is also programmable.

The Huion Inspiroy Dial supports both wired as well as wireless connectivity through a small USB adapter.

Huion Inspiroy Dial features

Working Area – 10.5 x 6.5 Inches
8192 levels of pressure sensitivity on the stylus
60-degrees of tilt sensitivity
8 backlit shortcut buttons
Excellent build quality
Thin form factor (8 mm thickness)
Connectivity: Wired, wireless
20 hours of battery backup plus the tablet charges in wired mode
Supports: Windows, Mac, Android
Color: Black color with silver accents

5. Huion Inspiroy Ink H320M – Dual writing modes

This is one of the most unique tablets that you would find in the market. The Huion Inspiroy ink comes with two writing modes.

One the top you have the normal digital Pen that works by connecting the tablet to the computer. In addition to that, there is also a second writing area at the back which has an LCD writing pad.

The LCD is a standalone writing tool that works on a button cell and does not need to be connected to a computer in order to work.

This dual-mode digital writing tool can be a great device for online teachers as they can use the pen tablet for teaching purposes and the LCD pad for writing down personal notes or bullet points.

huion inspiroy ink lcd pad — LCD writing pad at the back

The active writing area of the digital pen tablet is 9 x 5.6 inches, whereas the LCD pad has a surface area of 10.2 x 6.2 inches.

There are anti-slip rubber pads on the back which help the tablet in getting a better grip on a smooth surface as well as slightly raises the tablet above the surface to protect the LCD pad from getting scratched.

Other than that, the tablet comes with 11 programmable buttons and connects to the computer with the help of a USB cable.

Huion Inspiroy Ink features

Dual-purpose – Pen tablet + LCD writing pad
Pen tablet working area – 9 x 5.6 Inches
Pen tablet working area – 10.2 x 6.2 Inches
The pen has 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity
11 shortcut buttons
Thin form factor (8 mm thickness)
Connectivity: Wired
Comes with a pen stand
Supports: Windows, Mac, Android
Colors: Quartz black, Coral red

6. One by Wacom – Budget Wacom tablet

What if you don't care about all the bells and whistles these pen tables come with and just want a simple and handy writing tablet from a reputable brand.

The One by Wacom can be seen as a simpler version of the very popular Wacom Intuos.

The tablet comes in two sizes small and medium. The smaller tablet has a working area of 6 x 3.7 inches, whereas the medium size comes with an 8.5 x 5.3 inches of writing area.

Other than that, there is nothing else present on the tablet, no shortcut buttons, no dials. It makes the tablet look ultra-minimalist and some people like this design.

One by Wacom comes in two colors – black and red. It has no wireless connectivity and works with Windows and Mac computers with no support or Android devices.

The good thing about this tablet is – in spite of being a budget tablet, it stills comes with the same premium drawing surface that comes with Wacom Intuos.

Its writing texture is very balanced and the surface has scratch-resistant properties.

overall if you are looking for a compact teaching tablet from a good tablet brand, you should definitely consider this.

One by Wacom features

Working Area – small: 6 x 3.7 Inches, medium: 8.5 x 5.3
2046 levels of pressure sensitivity
No shortcut buttons
Excellent build quality
Thin, compact, and handy
Connectivity: Wired
Supports: Windows and Mac
Colors: Black, Red

7. Xp Pen Star G430S – Cheapest pen tablet for online/live teaching

The Xp Pen Star G430S is one of the cheapest digital writing pads that you can get in the market.

What you would really appreciate with this tablet is – in spite of being a cheaper tablet, the writing quality id this device is actually really good.

The tablet comes with an interesting design where all the electronics are shoved on the left side of the tablet. This enabled the tablet to be extremely thin from the writing side measuring just 2mm.

Writing on this tablet may feel a little cramped as it comes with a fairly small working area of 4 x 3 inches. There are no buttons present on the tablet, but the included stylus has two buttons which can be used to quickly switch between pen and eraser.

The cable that connects to the computer is non-removable and permanently attached to the tablet, which may make it prone to damage as it can't be replaced.

This tablet may not have the top of the line features that other tablets boast of, but the tablet is as good as other tablets when it comes to quality, responsiveness, and accuracy of the stylus. It proves that you do not need to spend a ton of money in order to get a decent pen-enabled digital drawing device.

This tablet is also available in a slightly larger version called Xp Pen Star G640 (Amazon) that is worth checking out.

Here is why you need to install the driver?

All the tablets mentioned in the list comes with a free driver. In order for these tablets to work – you need to install the driver.

The driver communicated with the computer and helps it understand the pressures and tracking data.

It also allows users to set custom shortcuts for buttons on the tablet as well as buttons on the pen.

If you use some special piece of software or tool for online teaching you can program these shortcut buttons to open that application in a single click.

How to pick the best digital writing pad for online teaching?

The first thing that you need to consider is the size of the tablet. When it comes to the size – bigger is not always better.

Some people like smaller tablets while others like tablets with a bigger working area. If you are not sure, simply get a medium-size pen tablet.

You also need to consider when you want a pen tablet with a screen or without the screen.

Tablets with a built-in screen such as Wacom One provides a better teaching and writing experience but they can be quite expensive, But if you re comfortable with spending that much money, get it.

Last but not the least, if you are looking for a cheap pen tablet – there are a number of options available in the market but not all of them are good.

So we have handpicked some of the better ones and included them in our list. The last two tablets on the list are good choices for those looking for a budget pen tablet.

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