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A whiteboard (also known as a markerboard, dry-erase board, dry-wipe board or a pen-board) is a name for any glossy surface, most commonly colored 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 materials; the cheaper melamine resin, polyester coated steel and more expensive models made from enameled steel. Steel whiteboards are magnetic, so one can use magnets to affix notes or a magnetic eraser to them. Enameled steel boards are more durable than painted steel and standard melamine 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. Vitreous enamel is practically impermeable for dry marker ink and will remain white throughout the lifespan of the whiteboard. Enameled, coated steel and melamine all 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.
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Whiteboard history
Modern whiteboards evolved from chalkboards.
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 whiteboards were very expensive and the markers were not non-toxic. Other whiteboards were made of 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 enamel-on-steel write-on/ wipe-off magnetic whiteboard is believed to have been created by Magiboards in the UK. Inventor Michael Boone of the United States, was the first to successfully mass-market the "Boone Board" brand dry-erase board. He essentially re-invented the entire system by dramatically improving the surface (using proprietary UV coatings and "Teflons" that balance non-porous properties with perfect surface tensions so the ink neither "beads" nor sticks/"ghosts"); reduced the cost of the boards (using lower-cost substrates like foam-boards and pulp boards); made the the markers non-toxic as well as better functioning (special low-odor formulations that also "ghosted" less on the boards); and employed keen skills in packaging and merchandising to bring the otherwise unfamiliar product into the homes of over 35% of every North-American in the early 1990's.
Over the last 10 years, the enamel-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 can be messy, cause allergic reactions and 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 a dry-erase board than it is a chalkboard, and there is no dust or residue to clean up. Communication boards have been very common nearby computers and computer labs, and a switch from chalkboards to whiteboards can be positive as chalk dust can land inside sensitive technology.
Dry-erase boards can easily be hung on any wall due to their light weight. Small, personal boards are very inexpensive and commonly framed in 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.
Although the concept of dry erase boards remains the same, many manufacturers are adding design subtleties to keep the concept a favorite in offices and training areas. Executive style boards with wood frames blend in to traditionally furnished rooms. Glass and clear boards have found their way onto TV and in movies, influencing the emergence of high-tech styling.
Whiteboards are now used in countless schools and offices around the world. Many companies are ensuring whiteboard use continues beside technology by connecting them with computers creating an interactive experience. The writing on these interactive whiteboards can be printed for immediate distribution to students or colleagues, or saved into computer memory to be stored or emailed.
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 projecting medium for an overhead or video projector. This allows the person giving the presentation to fill in blanks, edit, underline and make comments by writing directly onto the whiteboard, which in turn shows through the projected image.
A dry erase marker is easier to hold and write with. This can benefit anybody that has little mobility in their hands, such as people with joint movement affected by diseases such as arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. Marking on a whiteboard takes far less time than marking on a chalkboard.
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. Additionally, whiteboards cause some problems for those who write left-handed as many write with their hand curved around the pen, therefore causing their hand to drag across the board, smearing the marker strokes previously made. This obviously wouldn't be a problem if writing Hebrew, Arabic or another language which reads right to left, or if one can hold the marker in a more 'right-handed' fashion.
Another disadvantage of the whiteboard is concerned with the issues of the actual usable ink remaining in a dry-erase marker. Since the markers are often tightly sealed in plastic, it is not possible to accurately gauge the amount of ink available. In contrast, blackboards that use chalk do not have this problem as the chalk visibly reduces with use.
See also
- Interactive whiteboard
- Magiboards One of the oldest manufacturers of whiteboards
- http://www.freshpatents.com/Glass-dry-erase-board-dt20060406ptan20060073466.php Patent for Glass Dry Erase Board
- http://www.clearmarkerboard.com Manufacturer of modern dry erase style
- http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/numb3rs-for-success/2005/08/16/1123958056982.html Television Show "Numb3rs" shows modern whiteboard
References
