Whiteboards vs. Blackboards
 

Large writing surfaces are awesome thinking tools. But what is better, the chalk-based blackboard, or the marker-based whiteboard?

Blackboards let you draw thick lines easily, are easier to read from a distance, and don't glare like whiteboards. But you can't project onto them, they need their erasers clapped, and they're just all dusty.

Whiteboards are much easier to erase, don't make the room all chalky, and can be augmented with a computer projector. But the markers smell and die unexpectedly.

If you had to choose, would you install a blackboard or a whiteboard in your school's FIRST room?

Re: Whiteboards vs. Blackboards
 

And the whiteboard I voted for is a SmartBoard. Those things are wicked fun.

Re: Whiteboards vs. Blackboards
 

white board without question

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I would go with the whiteboard since overall I think it's more conveinent than a blackboard.

I've found that the colored markers seem to write better and are easier to clean off than some of the colored chalk.

Chalk has a habit of getting lost/misplaced/taken so it doesn't seem much better then the markers. Yeah, they can dry out but if you keep a few around it's not that bad. Just hope you don't keep getting people writing on the board with ANY marker they find laying around, otherwise keep a can of acetone around to clean the board of permanent marker, like we have to do at times at work. :rolleyes:

We changed the style of some of the light diffusers in the flourescent fixtures and glare doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. This isn't always a problem, it just depends on where the board is mounted in relation to lights and windows. I have seen some shiney blackboards where glare was a problem, either because they have a shine to the finish to begin with or because some people like to coat them with lemon oil.

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http://www.numonics.com/ipmindex.html

Interactive Presentation Manager - The team bought one with a grant.

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Whiteboard. I hate writing with chalk...

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AGREED! Those things are awesome...when my middle school had them and we had to align them, you felt like Vanna White (spelling- ?) on Wheel of Fortune clicking the little circles- ahh, the innocent fun of 7th grade.

No, but seriously- definitely whiteboards. Knowing my team, we would erase whatever was on it (especially if strategy was designing the robot at the beginning of the season) so many times that if we had a blackboard, we'd all have dust poisoning (???). Plus, (and I know you can do it on a blackboard) with a whiteboard, you can get tons of different colors to help illustrate subsystems and things behind/in front of other things.

Conclusion: Whiteboards.
Reason: Less of a mess overall.

The Canuck

Re: Whiteboards vs. Blackboards
 

definitely whiteboard and if possible a smart board because i have played fps's on that with someone using the keyboard and its aweome, oh and black boards are a no because they have the possibility to make that horrible screechy noise(i just suirmed thinkin about it)

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I hate writing on and listing to others use blackboards.

They are dusty, noisy and give me all kinds of weird shivers up my spine. It's hard to explain why they mess with my ears and skin so much, but using them is uncomfortable. I avoid it at all costs. I just despise them.

White boards on the other hand, aside from the funky smelling markers, are a pleasure to use. I like the smoothness of writing on them, the many colors, the clean erasure, and I think they help keep a room bright looking. Writing with a marker feels more natural then holding onto a small piece of chalk, and that means clearer text and drawings for me.

-Andy A.

Re: Whiteboards vs. Blackboards
 

Oh man, get the freaking blackboard. Chalk makes you think better, I'm telling you what...

But seriously, get what you prefer. I really do prefer the blackboards, but finding chalk in a school full of whiteboards can be difficult. Whiteboards can also be a bit easier when trying to outline points (colors!). But for some reason, chalk on the fingers makes it feel like you're doing something...


*By the way, SmartBoards are nice, but only if your faculty knows how to use them! Most of the teachers have followed a slow curve to get up to speed with them. Like 2 or 3 years up to speed...

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Blackboard. Period.

I may love technology, but I also love a ton of "old school" ideas. I've always loved analog watches and clocks, I love watching steam powered railroad locomotives, my favorite video game is Pacman, "classic" rock still rocks, and somehow I've always preferred blackboards. There is something about blackboards, a certain amount of resistance that the chalk offers while writing, that makes writing on them just seem more concrete, in the same sense that reading something from a newspaper or book has always seemed more concrete than reading it off the Internet.

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im big on the SMARTBoard

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Whiteboards beat balckboards any day. At my school they use yellow chalk and almost most all of my white shirts our yellow becasue of blackboards

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Whiteboard. Chalk just doesn't small as good as those scented dry-erase markers!

Blackboards are very messy, dusty, and when photographed are not as easy to insert into a presentation or paper. The black background looks very odd... Blackboards are also quite heavy compared to a whiteboard. Try setting one of those up in your pits.

Art, feel free to bring a blackboard to our meetings, but you'll probably be the only one writing on it. :)

BEN

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The chalk doesn't die either? It also disappears easily, but it is expected the chalk will disappear unlike the markers not writing anymore.

i like white boards, it makes it easier to read if different colors, also better quality in the sense of the lines aren't so thick when using chalk.


also it brightens the room up, unlike the darkness of a chalk board. haha (i had to add that in.)

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I prefer white boards simply for lack of dust, SMARTboards are nice but give me glass and a whole bunch of markers, and im happy :D

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I like whiteboards but with the small rooms at Columbia the markers tend to fill the room with a foul stench. On the other hand, chalk makes a grossly disgusting sound.
I say throw them both out of the window and put in projectors!

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i like both , a white board is nice for drawing up design ideas because you can easily erase and change part of it with out leaving a mark,
but i like blackboards for things like notes and final design ideas.

But then again a SMARTBOARD would always be nice. Our school has about 10 of them but we don't have access to use them.

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I'm totally with you on the glass. I voted for whiteboard because it's closest to glass, but glass is so amazing to write on. Nothing feels better, plus it's two-sided, just as erasable as whiteboard, and... awesome. Unforunately, most of the windows in the rooms we do our work in are covered by large sheets of paper to keep kids from getting distracted by other classes during school.

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I LOVE blackboards. I just love to write with chalk. I have "beautiful" handwriting and it's just much easier to use chalk. But it has to be BLACK, not green. Chalk is also less messy on your hands. I tend to touch the marker tips a lot and end up with black/blue/red/green/orange/brown/mauve marks on the tips of my pointer and thumb. I don't mind cleaning chalkboards...

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Personally, I find I prefer stuff written on a blackboard - as long as I'm not writing it. My preference is mostly due to the high contrast between a black board and white chalk. However, I voted for a white board, mostly because the dust from a blackboard seems to accumulate an awful lot and it doesn't erase as thoroughly with one swipe. A third reason for them which doesn't always apply is price. There are materials that can be picked up at almost any hardware store that can be used as a white board, all that needs to be done is affixing the piece to the wall or building a stand of some type. (Although you could just plop it on a table and use it there)

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I'm gonna have to go with a whiteboard. I love the squeaky noise markers make....and I like being able to write without worrying about scractching my nails on the board. Even then, if my nails do end up scratching on the board, it doesn't end up making me cringe.

Chalkboards are alright, but chalk does tend to make me sneeze, so it annoys me at times....but I can never forget the old days with chalkboards in elementary school...so, it holds a special place in my heart. =D

But I still like whiteboards better.

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I love the colors of whiteboards, hate the noise of chalkboards.

However, if you've ever seen the "Chalkdust" math video series, the instructor does a great job with a huge piece of white chalk. I think he uses soft sidewalk chalk. Of course, with video, you can edit out squeaks, and the boards are always clean and neat. But even in real life, the soft chalk he uses would produce a nice, thick line that's much more pleasing than what you can scrape out of the hard, skinny bits usually found lying around a classroom.

Notes on whiteboard cleaning: Our church has a ban on red dry erase markers (and red beverages) because they stain worse than anything. People keep the boards clean by erasing them after each use. Simple Green is used for more thorough cleaning. I've found that rubbing alcohol will remove permanent marker from some plastic surfaces, but I haven't tried it with a white board.

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Andy Brockway, my mentor from team 716, taught me a little trick to getting permanent marker off of white boards. Just trace over the permanent marker with another dry erase marker... and voila! It wipes right off. :)

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I always loved watching teachers write on a blackboard. Esp. when talking, they would cross their t's and dot their i's in sync with the lesson. Magic stuff.

Also, in music theory, I liked using the chalk tool that makes the staff for clef and note placement. The tool holds the sticks of chalk and you drag it across the board to make the lines. Usually, I would also try to make line art with it as well.

Projectors are not part of the choice but I like those when someone is presenting a new idea or concept.

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Don't they have those for whiteboards?

I think our band room has a whiteboard. You can never tell, though. It's too covered with papers about upcoming concerts and notes scribbled all over the place that are intended for everyone and no one at the same time. Not much use for one of those staff tools there.

Re: Whiteboards vs. Blackboards
 

I did a quick search and didn't find the tool, old or new.
I found blackboards, greenboards, whiteboards, smart boards that have/use the lined staff on them.

(The music conservatory where I attended was very old and everything in it was very old. The grand pianos in the practice rooms had the rich deep tones that come from aging. Good stuff for rock 'n roll stress breaks. :) That chalk writer was not as old as the pianos but it had seen its day, even then. This was around 1971.)