board – User guide for students

Version: board 2.9.0

This guide describes how you use board as a student – in maths lessons, but also in other subjects such as physics, chemistry, computer science or languages. It is written so that it also reads well with a screen reader: all important functions, buttons and keyboard shortcuts are named in full.

Note on terms: "Teacher" means your teacher; "board" means the shared digital workspace where you work together with your class or alone with your teacher; "organisation" means your school or institution, to which your account belongs.

Note on this translation: The buttons and menus of board appear in the language you have chosen. A few parts are not fully translated yet; where that is the case, the German label is given in brackets. The Graph page in particular still shows some German labels.

What board is and what it is for
Signing in
Layout of the screen
Personal board and shared board
Connecting to a teacher's board
Writing and rendering
Maths in board syntax
Structuring text with Markdown
Asking the AI for help
Opening, saving and exporting files
Material and sheet
Output in its own tab
Account: profile, password, signing out
Keyboard shortcuts at a glance
Accessibility
Frequently asked questions
Appendix: complete references

1. What board is and what it is for

board is a collaborative digital working environment for lessons. You type into a text field on the left, and on the right a cleanly rendered version appears immediately – with fractions, roots, vectors, matrices and so on. Everything you write is visible to your teacher live, and the other way round.

Typical lesson situations:

Maths – rearranging an equation together, solving tasks on your personal board while your teacher joins in and gives direct feedback.
Physics / chemistry – writing down formulas, units, reaction equations, tables.
Computer science – short algorithms, logical expressions, truth tables.
English / history / languages – notes, arguments, quotations, summaries in a clear preview – without any formulas, board is simply a collaborative place to write.

The central idea: you work visibly, and your teacher can read along at any time and carry on with you. This makes support much more direct than when you work quietly on your own laptop and only hand in a finished result.

2. Signing in

You find the student sign-in at https://board.buen.dev/.

Choosing an organisation: Above the sign-in form you see which organisation (your school or institution) you are signing in to. In most cases the right organisation is already selected and you do not need to do anything. If you belong to a different organisation, click change, search in the Choose organisation field for the name or abbreviation of your school and select it. Your user name is valid within your organisation.

Enter your user name (your teacher or the school created it for you).
Enter your password.
- When you sign in for the very first time, you are asked to choose a password of your own (at least 6 characters) and to repeat it for confirmation – you also need a four-digit code that your teacher tells you in person. Without this code you cannot set a password the first time.
Click Next or confirm with Enter.

You do not need an e-mail address. If you have forgotten your password, ask your teacher or the school administration – it can be reset there.

Why this matters for learning: Your own account makes your name visible on your contributions (for example in your teacher's participant list) and gives you a permanent working board of your own, in which your edits last for hours and weeks.

3. Layout of the screen

The main view consists of two areas side by side:

Input (left): a large text field that you type into.
Output (right): the rendered preview. Here maths is shown in normal formula notation; Markdown becomes headings, lists, bold and italic text and so on.

Above and below you find:

the title bar with the account menu at the top right,
the status line with messages such as "Ready", "Connected" or "Calculating",
the Board connection area below the input,
the Personal / Shared switch as a pair of buttons at the top of the input column.

Buttons directly at the input field:

Button	What it is for
Open	Load a local text file (ending ".md" or ".markdown") into the input
Save	Download the current input as a text file
Material	Opens the search in the material portal in a new tab (see section 11)
Sheet	Opens the worksheet that your teacher has just shared in a new tab (see section 11)
Help	Requests an AI hint on your personal board (see section 9)
Calculate	Calculates the current line numerically and inserts the result below it (see section 7.1)

Buttons at the output area:

Button	What it is for
Output	Opens the rendered output in a browser tab of its own – also with Alt + Shift + A (see section 12)
Format	Selection field with HTML, Word (.docx), PDF and E-book; the choice is kept on this device
Export	Downloads the output in the chosen format – also with Alt + Shift + E
A− / A+	Changes the font size of the preview in steps of 2 pt (default 12 pt)

Preview font size (A− / A+): The two buttons directly above the preview change the font size not only on screen but equally in browser printing and in the HTML and Word export – so the exported file is exactly as large as you last set it in the preview. The labels of function graphs from plot(...) grow as well – in the image in the preview and in the PDF download; only braille labels and the output for swell paper keep their fixed size. The setting is stored on this device and is kept the next time you open board. When the smallest or largest step is reached, this is announced to screen readers through a live announcement instead of simply disabling the button – so keyboard focus is kept.

4. Personal board and shared board

At the top of the input column there are two buttons:

Personal – your own working board. Nobody sees it except you and your teacher.
Shared – the board of the class or group, as soon as you are connected to one.

What this is good for in lessons:

You practise tasks on your personal board. Your teacher can join in specifically and write something directly to you without the whole class reading along.
As soon as the class does something together (board work, saving a discussion result, solving together), you switch to the shared board and work there.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt + Shift + W switches between the personal and the shared board.

Saving an interim version: On your personal board you find the buttons Save and Open in the Current board area. With them you can save your current state as an interim version (for example before you carry on with another subject) and load it again later. At most 8 interim versions fit at the same time – once the limit is reached, first delete an old one in the Open dialog before you save a new one.

5. Connecting to a teacher's board

For the shared board to work, you have to connect to it once per session. This is done in the Board connection area below the input field.

Fields:

Teacher abbreviation – your teacher's abbreviation (for example "mae").
Board name – the name your teacher tells you (for example "equations"). The full board name is then put together automatically, for example "mae_equations".

Then click Connect. Once the connection is established, there is also:

Link – copies a URL of your current connection to the clipboard. Save the link as a bookmark so that you do not have to type anything next time: one click connects you again straight away.

Write permission on the shared board: By default, only the teacher can write on the shared board – everyone else reads along. At any one time the teacher gives one student specifically the write permission. As soon as the teacher grants it to another person or explicitly withdraws it, the permission is gone again. In the status line you see immediately whether you may write yourself or are only reading along.

Why this matters for learning: The shared board is therefore not a free chat room but a guided workspace. Your teacher decides who contributes when – and in the meantime you carry on working on your personal board without your typing and thinking being disturbed.

6. Writing and rendering

Click into the input field on the left (or jump straight there with Alt + I).
Type text as usual. As soon as you pause briefly, the preview on the right is updated.
You do not need to save anything – the shared board is synchronised automatically. Your personal board also remains when you close the tab.

If your connection wobbles briefly, board rebuilds it by itself. In the status line you can see what is happening.

7. Maths in board syntax

For maths, board uses a linear input language of its own. You write mathematical expressions between two backtick characters. The backtick is the small slanted stroke that you usually reach on the keyboard at the top left (next to the backspace key) or via the key with the apostrophe. Example:

What you type	What you see in the preview
The solution is `x = (-b +- sqrt(b^2 - 4ac)) / (2*a)`.	The solution is $x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^{2} - 4 \cdot a \cdot c}}{2 \cdot a}$ .

In the preview this becomes the normal quadratic formula.

Basic rules:

Write decimal numbers in the number format of your board. With the format Decimal point (3.5), write 3.14; with Decimal comma (3,5), write 3,14. The owner of a board can change the format with the Number format button in the board; existing boards keep their format.
Use brackets when an expression has several parts: x^(n+1) instead of x^n+1.
Separate several arguments in functions with a semicolon: vec(1;2;3), gcd(a;b). This applies to both number formats.

The most important building blocks – you type them in linear form, and board turns them into the familiar formula notation in the preview:

Input	Preview	Meaning
`x^2`	$x^{2}$	Power: x squared
`1/2`	$\frac{1}{2}$	Fraction, stacked in the preview (numerator above denominator)
`(a+b)/(a-b)`	$\frac{a + b}{a - b}$	Fraction with several parts (a+b in the numerator, a−b in the denominator)
`sqrt(9)`	$\sqrt{9}$	Square root
`root(3)(x)`	$\sqrt[3]{x}$	n-th root (here the 3rd root of x)
`a*b`	$a \cdot b$	Multiplication with a multiplication dot
`x +- 3`	$x \pm 3$	Plus or minus
`pi ~~ 3,14`	$\pi \approx 3{,}14$	π approximately equal to (on a decimal point board, type 3.14 instead of 3,14)
`sin(x)`, `cos(x)`, `ln(x)`	$\sin(x)$ , $\cos(x)$ , $\ln(x)$	Function notation
`vec(1;2;3)`	$\begin{pmatrix}1\\2\\3\end{pmatrix}$	Column vector
`mat((a;b)(c;d))`	$\begin{pmatrix}a & b\\ c & d\end{pmatrix}$	2×2 matrix
`int_0^1 f(x) dx`	$\int_{0}^{1} f(x)\,dx$	Definite integral from 0 to 1
`sum_(i=1)^n a_i`	$\sum_{i = 1}^{n} a_{i}$	Sum from i=1 to n
`H_2O`	$H_{2}O$	Chemical subscript (also without backticks)

You see how the preview really looks as soon as you write in board. A complete overview of all mathematical notations is linked in the appendix.

Why this matters for learning: This linear notation is close to how you read a formula aloud – "square root of x", "a squared". So while typing you keep the mathematical thought in your head instead of fighting with a formula editor.

7.1 Numerical calculation

With two keyboard shortcuts, expressions can be evaluated numerically straight away – the result is inserted as a new line below:

Keyboard shortcut	Effect
Alt + Shift + B	Calculate the current line (or click the "Calculate" button)
Ctrl + Shift + B	Recalculate the whole document – after a confirmation prompt, all old result lines are deleted first, then all expressions are calculated afresh

Example: you write sin(30°) + 1/2 and press Alt + Shift + B. board inserts a result line below it that begins with a double arrow:

=> 1

This works with arithmetic, trigonometric functions, logarithms, roots, unit calculations and much more.

"Calculate" works numerically – it does not simplify symbolically. So x + x is not combined into 2*x but needs concrete numerical values.

Defining your own functions: With f(x):=x^2 you define a function of your own. It applies from that line on to all following lines in the document – if you write f(3) below it and calculate, you get 9. Simple constants work the same way: a:=5.

Setting decimal places and angle unit: With a directive at the very top of the document you control how many decimal places your results have. It applies to the whole document – to "Calculate" on single lines just as to recalculating. The keywords also exist in German (nachkomma, winkel); both spellings are valid:

Directive	Effect
`decimals: 3`	Round results to 3 decimal places (default if no directive is set)
`decimals: 2`	Round results to 2 decimal places
`decimals: none`	Full precision, no rounding

You can also set the angle unit for trigonometric functions (default: degrees):

Directive	Effect
`angle: deg`	Angles in degrees (default) – `sin(30)` = 0.5
`angle: rad`	Angles in radians – `sin(pi/6)` = 0.5

Recurring decimals such as 1/9 (board shows them with "…" at the end, for example 0.111…) are also rounded correctly by decimals – decimals: 4 gives 0.1111. On a board with the decimal comma format the results are shown with a comma, for example 0,1111.

If you change decimals after you have already calculated something, existing result lines still show the old value. Ctrl + Shift + B deletes all old result lines – after a confirmation prompt – and recalculates the document with the current decimals value.

7.2 Graph: creating function graphs

Next to the "Calculate" button you find the link "Graph" (German: "Grafik"). It opens a page of its own in a new tab with which you create function graphs – as an image in the preview and as a file to download.

If your cursor is in a line with a plot(...) command when you click "Graph", board takes over its settings (functions, range, title and so on) directly into the form of the Graph page – you do not have to type them in again.

How to proceed:

Enter your function in the field for the functions (German: "Funktionen, maximal drei"), for example f(x) = x^2 (up to three functions, one per line).
Optional: the title ("Titel") and the curve labels ("Kurvenlabels", for example f g h). If a function is called "f(x)=x+1", board labels the curve f; another name comes from the curve labels field. A term without a name, such as "x+1" or "y=x+1", stays without a label.
Optional: the points ("Punkte") – your own points that are drawn into the graph, in the usual notation, for example S(4|5). Instead of the vertical bar a semicolon also works: S(4;5). You separate several points with a semicolon, a space or a line break; the name is optional – S(1;2); (3;4) draws one point named S and one without a name. Each point gets guide lines with its coordinates to both axes. Points outside the set range are not drawn.
Enter x-min, x-max, y-min and y-max – the visible range of the coordinate system.
Click "Calculate" at the top (or press Alt + Shift + B).
The graph appears on the right in the preview. Clicking the preview (or the enlarge button above it) opens a larger view.

Changes that only affect the appearance (for example output type, country profile, title, curve labels, points, label mode, grid, grid values, frame) appear immediately in the preview without you having to click "Calculate". If you change function terms or the x/y range, however, board marks the preview as outdated (a note next to "Preview" and a dimmed image) until you click "Calculate" or press the shortcut.

Histogram: In the field "Darstellung" (display; at the very top of the form) you switch between function and histogram. Both in one image is not possible; in histogram mode the function fields disappear and the field "Daten" (data) appears instead. There you enter a binomial distribution (B(20;0.3)), a table of values (one entry per line, 3:0.0716; fractions such as 3/45 also work) or classes with relative frequencies (0..10:0.35). The range adapts to the bars as long as you do not set the x/y limits yourself, and the preview updates immediately. In addition you can highlight a range of bars by filling in from/to, for example for P(X ≤ 5) fill in only "to" – you choose the hatching type (diagonal, comb, vertical) as for the area under a function; "overlay bell curve" draws the normal distribution with the same mean and the same spread as a dashed line over the histogram; "label bar values" writes the value above the bars (in braille only where there is room). For swell paper and braille, board points out with a note line in the image when the bars become too narrow (under 3 mm); a narrower x range then helps. In the board the same works with plot(histogramm=B(20;0.3)); a function and a histogram cannot be mixed in one command.

Examples for the data field:

You want …	How you write it
a binomial distribution	`B(20;0.3)` – n = 20 trials, probability of success p = 0.3
your own distribution from a table	one entry per line, the value k on the left, the probability on the right: `0:0.729` `1:0.243` `2:0.027` `3:0.001`
the same table with fractions or percent	`2:1/36` `3:2/36` … or `7:16.7 %`
classes with relative frequencies	one entry per line, from..to and the frequency: `0..10:0.35` `10..20:0.45` `20..40:0.2`

The decimal sign follows the number format of the board (above with a point; with a decimal comma board, write for example B(20;0,3)). Between the entries come a line break, a semicolon or a vertical bar, never a comma. For classes the bar height is the frequency per unit, so that the area of a bar shows the frequency; the classes must not overlap. board reports an invalid input with a sentence in the status line, for example "Binomial distribution: p must be between 0 and 1."

Taking it over as a plot command: The button "Plot-Befehl kopieren" (copy plot command) creates the matching plot(...) command from the current settings (functions, range, title, label mode, output type, country profile, grid, marked points, export format) and copies it to the clipboard. So you can paste a view you tried out here straight into a board instead of rebuilding it by hand.

Font size (A− / A+): The two buttons at the top right above the preview enlarge or reduce the labels of the graph – in the preview and in the export. The setting is the same as for A− / A+ above the board preview. Braille labels and the output for swell paper keep their fixed size.

Exporting: Under "Format" choose SVG, PDF portrait or PDF landscape and then click "Exportieren" (export). SVG is an image file.

SpotDot (tactile graphic): If the output type is set to "Braille", the "Format" selection additionally offers "SpotDot (PRN)" and "SpotDot (PDF)". Both produce an A4 page in portrait format that is calculated entirely for the pin spacing of the ViewPlus SpotDot (Emprint): all pins at the same height, black only, grid lines one pin wide, axes two and graphs three pins wide. The PRN file (board-grafik-spotdot-tiger20-a4.prn) is a ready-made print job. You emboss it on the Windows computer to which the SpotDot is connected like this:

Share the printer in Windows (Settings, Printers and scanners, Printer properties, "Sharing" tab, share name without spaces, for example SpotDot).

In the command prompt, copy the file unchanged to the printer:

 cmd /c copy /b "C:\Users\Name\Downloads\board-grafik-spotdot-tiger20-a4.prn" \\localhost\SpotDot

Alternatively, open the PRN file in Tiger Viewer, look at the preview and print from there.

The PDF shows the same page. If you emboss it through the ViewPlus driver, open it in a PDF program and choose the printer "ViewPlus SpotDot", paper size A4, portrait, scaling 100 percent (not "Fit to page"); in the printer settings on the "Tiger" tab, Emboss = On and 2 in 1 = Off apply. The selection does not change the normal SVG and PDF export, and with the output type "Low Vision" there are no SpotDot entries.

Further fields on the page:

Field	Meaning
Output type	"Low Vision" for a higher-contrast, larger display with black-print labels, "Braille" for the swell-paper export (fuser) with braille labels
Orientation aids: grid	Shows subtle lines at the axis ticks – works the same in every output variant
Orientation aids: grid values	Shows the numerical values at the ticks, independently of the grid
Orientation aids: frame	Shows or hides the outer frame around the graph

Directly in the board: You can also create a graph without the Graph page – for example write plot(x^2) in a line and press Alt + Shift + B as for calculating (see 7.1). board inserts an image of the graph below, together with a PDF download link.

7.3 Edit formula

Alt + Shift + F (or the "Formula" button under the input) opens a small working window just for a single formula: an input field on the left, a live preview beside it, and below them the buttons "Save step", "Adopt" and "Cancel" – without the rest of the editor around it.
It is meant for quick trying out and is especially practical with a braille display, because a formula can be developed and checked straight away without navigating through the whole text.

If the cursor is in an existing formula (between the backticks) or in a line within a calculation block when you open it, its content is pre-filled for editing.
Tab moves between the input field, the preview and the three buttons.
Ctrl + Space opens a list of suggestions for board and LaTeX notations (see below). Arrow up/down selects a suggestion, Enter or Tab adopts it, Esc closes only the list.
The "×" next to the input field (or Ctrl + I) clears only the input field without closing the window.
Ctrl + Enter (or "Adopt") adopts the formula at the cursor position into the main input and closes the window. If there was already a formula or a calculation block line, only its content is replaced; otherwise a new one is inserted with backticks.
Esc in the input field closes the window without adopting anything. On the preview, Esc is deliberately left free for NVDA's formula navigation (see 15) – there you first switch back to the input field with Tab before Esc closes the window.
Alt + I jumps straight to the input field, Alt + O straight to the preview, Alt + P copies the current formula text to the clipboard – practical for transferring a finished rearranged line into another document.

Rearranging terms step by step: Instead of reopening the window after every line, you can use Shift + Ctrl + Enter (or the "Save step" button) to put the current formula content as a line into a connected calculation block. The window stays open and the field is not cleared – you edit the line you have just saved directly into the next one instead of typing it again. Only the last step is completed with Ctrl + Enter ("Adopt").

Minimal example – the derivative of f(x) = (x²+3)/(x+2) by the quotient rule:

Open with Alt + Shift + F and type: f(x) = (x^2+3)/(x+2)
Shift + Ctrl + Enter ("Save step")
Edit the field directly into: f'(x) = (2x*(x+2) - (x^2+3)*1)/(x+2)^2
Shift + Ctrl + Enter
Edit the field into: f'(x) = (2x^2+4x-x^2-3)/(x+2)^2
Shift + Ctrl + Enter
Edit the field into: f'(x) = (x^2+4x-3)/(x+2)^2
Ctrl + Enter ("Adopt") finishes.

The result in the document is a single calculation block with all four lines:

f(x) = \frac{x^{2} + 3}{x + 2}

8. Structuring text with Markdown

Outside the backticks the input is Markdown. With it you arrange your solution clearly.

The most important Markdown elements:

Input	Effect in the preview
# Task 3	large heading
## Solution	subheading
bold	printed in bold
italic	emphasised (in board style)
- Point A / - Point B	bulleted list
1. First / 2. Second	numbered list
> Note	highlighted quotation / note block
Three hyphens (---)	horizontal dividing line

Example (source text of a solution):

# Task 3 – Quadratic equations

Given: a = 1, b = -3, c = 2.

## Solution

1. Discriminant: D = b^2 - 4*a*c = 1
2. Root: sqrt(D) = 1
3. **Solutions:** x_1 = 2, x_2 = 1

> Check: 1 * 2^2 - 3 * 2 + 2 = 0. Correct.

(Inside this box everything stays unchanged as raw text – just as you would actually type it. Without the box, board would have rendered every formula immediately and you would no longer have seen the input syntax.)

Formula blocks (several lines of maths)

If you want to write several lines of maths one under the other – for example a system of equations or a longer rearrangement – use a formula block: a line with three backticks and the word math, then the formulas, then three closing backticks. The block is rendered in the preview left-aligned with a common alignment.

Optionally you can give the block a number or a title – it then gets a bracket line on the left:

a^{2} + b^{2} = c^{2}

A complete Markdown reference with all special cases is linked in the appendix.

Pasting formulas from Word, PDF or web pages

Copied formulas often bring mathematical special characters that exist on no keyboard – the sign for "less than or equal to", a double arrow, a Greek letter or an italic mathematical alphabet. You do not have to replace them by hand: board automatically rewrites them into its own notation when rendering. So the sign for "less than or equal to" becomes <=, the double arrow <=>, the symbol for the real numbers RR.

This is worthwhile not only for convenience: such characters cannot always be shown on a braille display. In tests, an italic mathematical alphabet makes the whole formula disappear there. After the rewriting it is output normally.

You should know two limits:

A difference in typeface is lost. A bold A – in physics and linear algebra often a vector or a matrix – becomes an ordinary A. For vectors it is better to write vec(a) in board right away.
Characters without a board equivalent are still rejected instead of silently disappearing. At that place in the formula you then see a message that names the character and its Unicode number.

Why this matters for learning: Structured solutions help you think. One heading per task, clear steps as a list, the final result in bold: this makes your work much clearer both for you when learning and for your teacher when reading along.

9. Asking the AI for help

On the personal board there is a "Help" button. It is active as soon as you are signed in to a shared teacher board at the same time – board then knows which subject context you are working in, and your teacher has enabled AI help for this lesson.

How to use the help:

Write your calculation or your thought up to the point where you cannot go on.
Click "Help" or press Alt + Shift + H.
The AI inserts a hint directly into your board – recognisable by the arrow prefix "->" at the start of the line. Not a finished solution path, but a nudge to keep thinking.

Important for learning: This help is not a cheat sheet, but a polite hint, such as your teacher would give if they were looking over your shoulder. Complete model solutions or a free AI chat are deliberately not available in the student view – that is an educational decision, not a technical restriction.

If the Help button is dimmed, the status line shows the reason when you click: usually "not in the personal board" or "no shared teacher board connected".

10. Opening, saving and exporting files

Local text files

Open – loads a file ending ".md" or ".markdown" from your device into the input. Practical for bringing along a prepared solution.
Save – downloads your current input as a text file to your device. Good as a backup before you leave the board.

Exporting the rendered output

Use the export button in the output area. Recommended for passing on: HTML – only HTML delivers both the correctly rendered formula and the readable MathML.

Format	What it is for
HTML (recommended)	Visually complete, with embedded MathML for screen readers. First choice for handing in, learning platforms, passing on to classmates.
Word (.docx)	Fallback for recipients who do not accept HTML. Maths is partly available only as linear source text – but well suited for further processing by JAWS users.
PDF	Fallback when only a print file is expected. The PDF is produced by printing the same HTML output – only the visual appearance of the MathML remains. The formula structure and the embedded linear version are lost. The PDF is tagged (headings, paragraphs, document language), but has no tags for formulas; displayed formulas carry their linear notation as alternative text, formulas in running text do not. It is therefore not suitable for screen readers or braille displays.
E-book (.docx)	Special format for accessible e-book services (for example DAISY production). Formulas are output as linear source text with the marking <L>…</L>. Not suitable for normal hand-ins.

Tip: Before handing in, briefly check the preview once more to see whether all formulas look rendered. If a backtick is missing, you see it on the right immediately.

11. Material and sheet

The "Material" button opens the full-text search of the material portal (/md/suche) in a new browser tab. Enter a keyword there (for example "chain rule") – the search goes through all sheets and shows for each hit the course, a link to the sheet and a short passage with the search term.

Sheet: the worksheet currently being worked on

Right next to it is the "Sheet" button. It opens in a new tab exactly the worksheet that your teacher has shared for the lesson – so you do not have to type an address or search the material portal yourself.

The sharing is tied to the shared board. As soon as you are connected to it, the button can be used – even when you are working on your personal board.
If the teacher switches to another sheet during the lesson, the target changes immediately, without you having to reload the page.
As long as nothing is shared, the button is marked as unavailable; a click then tells you why.

12. Output in its own tab

The Output button at the output area opens the rendered output in a large browser tab of its own. Useful when:

you want to look at the formulas in a comfortable font size while learning,
you work with a screen reader – the page in its own tab is a pure HTML page with real headings and embedded MathML. This allows the screen reader (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) to browse the structure and read maths out in a structure-aware way.

The input tab continues to run normally; changes are carried over to the output tab as soon as you reload it there.

13. Account: profile, password, signing out

At the top right you find your account menu (button with your name, arrow ▾):

Edit profile… – change first name, surname, e-mail address (if your account has one).
Change password… – enter your current password, set a new one (at least 6 characters, typed twice for safety).
User guide – opens this guide in a new tab.
Accessibility – opens the Accessibility reference in a new tab: a compact quick reference for working with NVDA, JAWS and a braille display, as well as tips for low vision (colour inversion, contrast designs, magnification).

The following three entries load their text into your input – which has to be empty for this:

Maths input – the complete table of all mathematical board notations.
Calculating – an interactive reference of all calculation commands with calculated examples.
Formatting text – the complete overview of all Markdown elements.
Sign out – ends your session. Sensible on shared devices (school PC, tablet trolley).

14. Keyboard shortcuts at a glance

All keyboard shortcuts are designed so that they do not override important browser shortcuts:

Keyboard shortcut	Effect
Alt + I	Focus jumps to the input – if you have previously gone to a heading in the preview (by keyboard or click), the cursor jumps directly to the corresponding place in the source text
Alt + O	Focus jumps to the output
Alt + Shift + H	Request help (AI hint on the personal board)
Alt + Shift + B	Calculate the current line (the result is inserted below)
Ctrl + Shift + B	Recalculate the whole document – with a confirmation prompt (deletes old results, calculates everything afresh)
Alt + Shift + W	Switch between personal and shared board
Alt + Shift + F	Open Edit formula (see 7.3)
Ctrl + Space (in the formula dialog, in formulas also in the main input)	Open the suggestion list for board / LaTeX notations
Shift + Ctrl + Enter (in the formula dialog)	Save the current step, the window stays open (see 7.3)
Alt + I / Alt + O (in the formula dialog)	Jump straight to the formula input field / the formula preview
Alt + P (in the formula dialog)	Copy the formula text to the clipboard
Alt + Shift + A	Open the output in its own tab (see 12) – useful with a long preview when the button is far down
Alt + Shift + E	Export the output in the chosen format
Esc	Close an open dialog (for example profile, change password)
Tab / Shift + Tab	Navigate through the buttons and fields
Enter in the sign-in form	Submit the sign-in

15. Accessibility

board is built with keyboard and screen reader use in mind.

Quick reference: All modes, quick navigation keys and board shortcuts at a glance are in the Accessibility reference – including tips on colour inversion, contrast and magnification. Linked in the account menu under Accessibility.

Skip links at the top of the page (for screen readers and keyboard use):

Skip to input
Skip to preview
Skip to board connection

Directly below the input there is also the area "Input preview for screen readers" – a version of the input text that can be read line by line (especially good for JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver). This area is accessible as a landmark / region.

Status messages are announced as an ARIA live region: when you connect, export something or request help, you hear a short response.

Maths is output as MathML and read out by a current screen reader in a structure-aware way – not as a bare string of characters but, for example, as "fraction, numerator a plus b, denominator a minus b". For blind and visually impaired users this is much more helpful than a plain image.

NVDA: browser recommendation

If you work with NVDA, use Google Chrome. Microsoft Edge does not read out formulas – this is a known problem in the interaction of Edge and NVDA that cannot be fixed at app level.

NVDA: formulas are read out in the wrong language

If NVDA reads formulas in a different language from the one you want (for example in English, "the fraction with numerator …", although you expect your own language), this is not caused by board but by an NVDA setting: open NVDA settings → Math and check under "Language" that the language you want is selected. If another language is set there, change it.

NVDA: navigating within formulas

When your cursor is on a formula, you can "enter" it and explore it step by step:

Key	What happens
Space or Enter	Enter the formula
← →	Move between parts on the same level
↓	Into a sub-expression (for example into the numerator of a fraction)
↑	Back one level
Escape	Leave the formula

Tip: If Caps Lock sticks as the NVDA key, press it twice quickly – NVDA releases it.

Navigating in tables

Inside a table you move from cell to cell with Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys. When you move, the screen reader normally also reads out the associated row or column heading. On web pages, T takes you to the next and Shift + T to the previous table.

Key	What happens
Ctrl + Alt + Right arrow / Left arrow	One cell to the right / left
Ctrl + Alt + Down arrow / Up arrow	One row down / up
Ctrl + Alt + Home / End	First / last column of the current row
Ctrl + Alt + Page Up / Page Down	First / last row of the current column

This applies to tables that the screen reader recognises as a real table – such as the tables in this guide and in the screen reader reference. NVDA and JAWS use the same shortcuts.

Notes on write permission: When the teacher grants or withdraws your write permission, this is not only visible in the status line but also announced as a live message.

Looking up braille

For formulas in braille there are two systems that you should not confuse: mathematics notation (Marburg system, 6 dots) and German computer braille (Eurobraille, 8 dots). Both sets of rules are published freely by the Braille Authority of the German-speaking countries (BSKDL). Both works are in German:

Mathematics notation: Das System der Mathematikschrift in der Deutschen Brailleschrift, 1st edition 2015 – version for the braille display
Computer braille: Das System der deutschen Brailleschrift, 2nd corrected edition 2021, chapters 1.2.5 and 2.11 – version for the braille display

An overview with both works to download is in the material on the sheet F050 Reference works on braille. How the two systems differ is explained in the Accessibility reference, section 18.

16. Frequently asked questions

I cannot write anything at the moment.
By default, only the teacher can write on the shared board. If you are supposed to enter something yourself, your teacher explicitly gives you the write permission – you see this in the status line. On your personal board you can always write.

I can no longer see the board name.
Ask your teacher. Tip for the future: click Link once and save the copied bookmark.

My connection was interrupted.
board usually reconnects by itself. If not: reload the page. Your previous contributions remain on the server.

I have forgotten my password.
Ask your teacher or the school administration. Student passwords are reset there.

I cannot find my school when signing in.
Click change and type part of the name or the abbreviation. If your school still does not appear, ask your teacher – the right organisation may already be preselected and you may not have to change anything.

The Help button is greyed out.
You are either not on your personal board or not connected to a shared teacher board. Look at the status line when you click – the exact reason is shown there.

A formula looks strange in the preview.
Check whether you have set both backticks and whether you use a semicolon instead of a comma in function arguments. See the Maths input reference in the appendix.

My result has too many or too few decimal places.
Put a decimals directive at the very top of the document, for example decimals: 4 (see section 7.1). It applies to all calculations in the document. If you have already calculated before, old result lines still show the old rounding – Ctrl + Shift + B recalculates everything after a confirmation prompt.

Can I use board without maths too?
Yes, of course. Just write normal text, use Markdown for structure and leave out the backticks. board is then a collaborative place to write.

What do my classmates see?
Only what is on the shared board. Your personal board is private – only you and your teacher can look into it.

17. Appendix: complete references

You can load the references for maths input, calculating and text formatting directly into the input from your own account menu (your name at the top right, arrow ▾) – the input has to be empty for this.

board is a tool, not the goal. If the preview helps you to write a thought down cleanly and discuss it with your teacher, it has served its purpose. Do not let the syntax hold you up – with small typing mistakes the preview shows you at once what is going wrong.