Information about Whiteboard

A whiteboard (also called a dry-erase or dry-wipe board) is the name for any glossy surface, most commonly coloured white, where non-permanent markings can be made. Whiteboards operate analogously to chalkboards in that they allow markings to temporarily adhere to the surface of the board. The popularity of whiteboards increased rapidly in the mid-1990s and they have become a fixture in many offices, meeting rooms, school classrooms, and other work environments.^[1]

Instead of using chalk (as on chalkboards) to make the markings, a special whiteboard erase marker containing removable ink is used (see non-permanent marker). Whiteboards are constructed with one of three material: the cheaper melamine resin, polyester coated steel and more expensive models made from porcelain enameled steel. Steel whiteboards are magnetic, so one can use magnets to affix notes or a magnetic eraser to them. Porcelain boards are more durable than painted steel and standard melamin boards. Melamine resin and painted steel will fade to a slight gray color over time, as ink of the dry markers enters into the pores of the material. Porcelain, or vitreous enamel, is practically impermeable for dry marker ink and will remain white throughout the lifespan of the whiteboard. Both porcelain, coated steel and melamine exhibit ghosting. Ghosting occurs as a result of the solvents (usually alcohol) in dry markers that effectively make the board cleaner where there has been writing. This remains visible after the ink is wiped off, but ghosting disappears after a short time. The term whiteboard is also used metaphorically to refer to features of computer software applications that simulate whiteboards. Virtual whiteboards allow one or more people to write or draw images on a simulated canvas. This is a common feature of many virtual meeting, collaboration, and instant messaging applications. Today, the term Whiteboard is also used to refer to interactive whiteboards.

History of Whiteboard

History of the Dry Erase Board

Modern whiteboards evolved from chalkboards.

Our modern day chalkboards, with their greenish cast and dustless chalk, have gone through many stages of evolution. At first, chalkboards were merely small squares of slate, framed with wood to keep them from breaking, and marked on with other shards of slate. In the early 19th century America, these rudimentary instruments were widely used in public schools, because paper was too expensive.

A leap forward occurred when a geography teacher in Scotland was reputed to have gotten the slates off student's laps and up onto the wall. The earliest record in America shows instructors utilizing them in academic military schools, such as West Point, in 1801. Teachers no longer had to spend so much time writing individual problems and lessons on a single student's slate, but could speak to an entire class where everyone had the benefit of seeing the board.

This revolution in educational method ran parallel to other innovations in America in railroads and mining. Slate, a dark, metamorphic rock, was mined in the states of Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and New York. It could then be transported via railroad to the thousands of prairie schools popping up across the frontier in the 1840s.

By the 1850s, most one-room schoolhouses were outfitted with the staples: a wood burning stove, benches, and a large blackboard. In poorer or more remote schools, teachers might resort to painting a plaster wall or wooden panel with dark paint to imitate the slate. An old rag served as eraser. Each school could now accommodate more students and teach them more efficiently.

In the 1990s, concern over allergies and other potential health risks posed by chalk dust prompted the replacement of many blackboards with whiteboards. A whiteboard, otherwise known as a dry erase board, uses special pens to make colored marks.

The first whiteboard was a melamine or enameled hardboard surface. It was the "perfect" solution to the chalkboard, except that it ghosted in a short time and was not easy to keep clean. The first porcelain-on-steel write-on/ wipe-off magnetic whiteboard, is believed to have been created by Magiboards in the UK.

Over the last 10 years, the Porcelain-on-Steel Magnetic Whiteboard has gone through many transformations, most of which are not visible to the naked eye. The surface has gotten much easier to clean. The glare has been reduced. And the cost for the product has become much more affordable. Whether it is new construction or replacement of existing chalkboards the magnetic whiteboard is by far the most popular product used in companies and schools today.

While chalkboards were once standard, chalk is messy and the boards can be difficult to read. The dry erase board has many advantages in that it is extremely light weight, its dry-erase markers or pens come in many colors, and the board itself is white, creating crisp, bright writing. It's also easier to erase the dry erase board than it is a chalkboard, and there is no dust or residue to clean up. Because dry erase boards are lightweight they can be hung easily on any wall. Small, personal boards are very inexpensive and commonly framed in white plastic. They can be affixed to the wall with simple double-sided tape, while larger boards are framed in aluminum or wood and can be hung traditionally. There is even a type of dry erase board sold in rolls of any length, 5 feet (1.5 meters) in height, to be used as wall covering. This can be handy for working on storylines, theorems, or other highly involved projects.

Advantages

Whiteboard ink markings are less susceptible to external factors, such as water or accidental erasure, because the ink adheres slightly better than chalk does to chalkboards. Using markers does not generate the dust that comes from using and erasing chalk, allowing their use in areas containing dust-sensitive equipment. Some who are allergic to chalk or are asthmatic use whiteboards as an alternative.

A whiteboard can be used as the background for a presentation from an overhead projector. This allows the person giving the presentation to fill in blanks or make comments by writing on the whiteboard. For instance, a form can be copied onto a transparency and projected, and the presenter can demonstrate how to fill it in on the whiteboard. Even so, projecting onto a whiteboard produces much more glare than onto a projection screen, making it difficult to read. Low glare projection whiteboards are available, but the dry wipe qualities and projection qualities of these boards are both sub-optimum.

Disadvantages

Whiteboards are slightly more expensive than blackboards. In addition, only special whiteboard markers are suitable for use on whiteboards. Using other markers that resemble whiteboard markers but contain the wrong kind of ink creates markings that are hard or impossible to remove. However, some techniques have been developed, which include filling over them using a marker with the right type of removable ink and then erasing the ink; wiping the marks with acetone or alcohol; or by using board cleaning sprays or prepackaged wipes commercially available from the whiteboard manufacturers.

The white background can cause contrast problems for people with vision impairment.

Some people are sensitive or allergic to the strong odour of most whiteboard markers. Reduced-odour markers are available.

Whiteboard markers may create a more persistent mess than chalk, as the ink is difficult to remove from anything other than the surface of the board; dry-erase ink causes stains in clothing.

Whiteboard markers use much more petroleum in their creation than chalk, which is formed from a naturally occurring mineral.

Whiteboard markers have a tendency to dry out making their marks hard to see, especially during the winter months when the air is dryer.

See also

• Interactive whiteboard

References