Talk:Whiteboard

Automated Whiteboards

Could last section explain automated whiteboards more clearly? --Daniel C. Boyer 18:56, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Tried to. What exactly are you looking for? Dysprosia 21:37, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Waste, cost & environmental concerns

I am not familiar with whiteboards myself since my school still used chalkboards, but I was thinking (correct me if I'm wrong) that whiteboards, or rather the pens used with whiteboards, produce much more waste than chalkboards, don't they? The pens are more expensive than chalk, can't be refilled afaik and usually get thrown away after they are used up. Some pens can probably be refilled if you buy special ink from the manufacturer, but that is still much more of a hassle and more expensive than using chalk. Also, what about the environmental issues involved? Disposing of the plastic and chemicals in old pens is probably a factor, isn't it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.15.105.61 (talk) 04:50, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

removing "permanent marker"

I've heard an old wifes tale that you can remove permanent marker from a white board by rubbing over the top of it with a dry erase marker. I don't know if it holds any truth (I don't have any permanent markers to test with) but it might be a good addition.

...if you write on a whiteboard with a permanent marker (eg, a vivid) you can simply remove it by tracing over the writing with an actual whiteboard pen and then erasing it as usual. Good tip since teachers always used to get permanent and whiteboard pens mixed up! --202.154.128.129 12:14, 29 January 2006 (UTC)

This isn't guaranteed, though. Dysprosia 12:59, 29 January 2006 (UTC)

Clear/ See through?

Recently i've seen transparrent like whiteboards on TV shows..what are these called?

Windows? :P GeeJo _{(t) (c)} 01:16, 11 December 2005 (UTC)

I think those are called "sheets of glass"

Advantages

Perhaps you could use a projector with a white board, but I have rarely seen this due to the glare. And depending on what is being projected, I don't know how well your marks would show up. I don't think that it is an advantage. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.247.43.80 (talk) 19:01, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

I used to do it all the time in my classroom. It works really well. The glare isn't that bad (depending on the throw), and the marks always show clearly, regardless of what's being displayed. 122.106.79.237 (talk) 03:36, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

How does a whiteboard "save paper" as listed in the article? It has no reference. Spock35 (talk) 20:59, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

You don't have to distribute what you're writing to everyone. Or draping a large piece of paper on the wall and writing on it. OOZ662 (talk) 04:37, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Disadvantages

The marker for whiteboards also limit the supply of ink useable in a classroom. Though this can be avoided by having a larger supply of markers, they don't write very well when they are low on ink and are also more expensive for their use compared to chalk. 70.111.251.203 00:42, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

They are very frustrating to use because of how quickly they dry out and how expensive they are. Are there any solvent-less pens that work? Something like a china pencil? At least there could be something refillable. I'm looking, if anyone has ideas. Whiteboards are here to stay for the rest of my teaching career. Rotiferphile 05:32, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

History

Anyone know the history of the whiteboard?--Dali-Llama 19:02, 6 August 2006 (UTC) I like pizza

I removed the paragraph: "Whiteboards provide their owners with the ability to present their own ideas in any given situation. They can be utilized at sporting events to display various messages to other fans or to players. They are also an extremely efficient way to get free tickets to Mets games."

The Mets comment is completely useless and the paragraph offers very little besides that one sentence.

Ambigera 01:29, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Whiteboards stink--literally

The "disadvantages" section needs to be expanded. Not only are whiteboards harder to read and less ecological, but the odor from the markers can be almost unbearable. Chalk dust did give some people problems, but for most it posed little difficulty. A significant percentage of people, on the other hand, suffer from bad reactions to dry ink pens--headaches from the chemicals being the main concern. I wonder how much cancerous stuff lurks within. And the clothing stains are no trifle, either; the old professor might have gotten chalk on his coat, but chalk, unlike dry ink, readily washes out. And the pens run out very quickly, causing both expense and inconvenience. Has anyone actually compared the costs? Just another example of hypocrisy (everyone whining about the environment but rushing out to buy the less environmentally sound junk because it's trendy) and the truism that what's "new and improved" usually isn't. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.27.73.102 (talk) 02:53, 28 April 2007 (UTC).

Funny, but no, a large piece of melamine is absolutely cheaper than a large slab of slate, painted wood, plastic rollers, or porcelain enamelled steel. And two, chalk has to be mined, processed, etc, where plastics are dirt cheap as a byproduct of massive oil production, and the ink is much more efficient by mass than chalk is for drawing. I can understand contrast issues if someone was learning with lights off, but in normal lighting conditions, whiteboards are easier on the eyes to read. How exactly are whiteboards "less ecological"? Maybe you could post some citable sources. Blackboards either use the same materials as whiteboards or materials that have to be mined from the Earth. Not really ecological. And for most people, chalk dust is SIGNIFICANTLY worse than marker smell. You can never trust anyone that claims "headaches" as a side effect, as those are clearly subjective tales. How about asthma? Chalk dust is known to massively provoke it to the point of attacks for most of asthmatics, but marker doesn't produce allergic reactions, period. And what cancer? Children have EATEN ink packs from markers for years and it has never been even linked to cancer and smelling it has also never been shown to be cancerous in anyone. And whiteboard markers DO wash out, that's the reason they use an alcohol/water mixture with erasers to ensure a better cleaning than eraser alone. The ink is water soluble, period. Markers "run out very quickly"? What about chalk?

To be honest, the main problems with whiteboards is not the whiteboards but the people who use them. Markers aren't meant to be stabbed, left without the cap, etc, and most people are just too dumb to remember to do basic things. Just like blackboards, if someone uses an abrasive cloth it's possible to ruin the perfectly smooth finish, making it impossible to clean out every little scratch that forms, making those letters etc you can still see after using liquid cleaner. But the truth is, most whiteboards are not enamel coated on steel, so it's like apples to oranges, the actually comparison of what they sell to what you get. Sure, slate might be great for blackboards, but it has to be in one piece, perfectly crafted, etc. Most blackboards they sell now are of cheaper material, not the stuff from 50s colleges. I have gone down to my local Home Depot and gotten a 8'x4' whiteboard for $12. Normal places can't even be arsed to stock the blackboards because they're just not convienent for easy application, both in terms of stuff like portability or ease of installation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.205.97.220 (talk) 22:36, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

Ah yes. So chalk dust is SIGNIFICANTLY worse than chalk dust. Kids have EATEN marker pens for years, which of course makes them absolutely safe. I don't suppose you have any citable sources for *your* claims? All whiteboards that I have used *stink*, the markers never work, can never be cleanly erased and I end up with stained clothes (I don't have laundry facilities in my office, do you?) Sure, I'm probably simply to dumb to use them. But a product that cannot be used by the average academic is not fit for the market. I wonder how long the fad lasts.213.160.108.26 (talk) 16:01, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

Harder to read?

The statement that whiteboards can be harder to read or can pose problems to people with vision impairments puzzles me. I have very poor vision and find whiteboards far easier to read than chalkboards due to the sharp contrast between the dark ink and white background. The contrast of chalkboards is horrid by comparison. ::Travis Evans 07:57, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

There is a difference in contrast between white-on-black and black-on-white? How come? --Tango 16:23, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

The reason is in bright light, whiteboards are easier to read because the black/dark ink contrasts with the bright surroundings. For blackboards, it goes from room brightness, to black/gray to lighter again. From a distance, you eyes adjust (dilate) to the dark board you're staring it, with the result being the rest of the room is brighter, making a sharper brightness difference. However, if you're up close, there's no problem, most of your vision is dark. I think the "ease of reading" issues (for whiteboards) is not by the people who are actually forced to read them but by the people who have to write on them. (whiteboards are one of the purest forms of white, they're highly reflective, etc) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.205.97.220 (talk) 22:43, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

No Glare Sprays?

Are there any sprays that will reduce glare on high gloss whiteboards that are used for projection? I know there are projection filters and low gloss boards available...but these are rather costly alternatives.

Ponders pen 01:11, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

No, you're talking about putting a matte finish over a glossy finish which isn't possible. Expensive boards come coated with an anti-glare treatment but this has to be done in the factory in a vacuum. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.135.245.202 (talk) 08:06, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Copyvio?

The History section includes significant phrases and organization taken from http://www.blackboards-uk.co.uk/history.html, but it's difficult to distill the cribbed elements from the non. Powers ^T 15:12, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

Deleted White

I know that this is a very minimal change, but I deleted White from the sentence: Personal boards are very inexpensive and are commonly framed in white plastic.--Jake Da Snake (talk) 06:25, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

Black Whiteboard?

Are there any "whiteboards" that are black? Not chalkboards, but whiteboards in the color of black. --213.112.157.199 (talk) 06:09, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

I have seen black ones that use neon-colored markers. More common are grey ones; I own one, in fact. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.206.156.240 (talk) 22:26, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Markers

Does anyone know the toxicity of the markers? Danger to children if they write on themselves with the stuff? Ingest? What are they made of? This seems relevant material, but unaddressed. 206.55.188.83 (talk) 15:14, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Wytebord vs. Whiteboard

I've seen the spelling "Wytebord" some times, so I wonder if this is a correct spelling. As for an example I got a marker that's called "PILOT Wytebord Marker WBMA-L JAPAN". Is this just a way PILOT likes to write it or is it correct?

Using solvents (like lacquer thinner) will damage whiteboard surface (urban myth?)

We regularly use lacquer thinner to clean our whiteboards. There are some people who strongly believe that using a solvent like that will dammage the glossy surface of the board and make it harder to erase new marks.

My observation or theory is that markings left on a white board over time (days, weeks, etc) are always hard to remove - even when using the proper marker type (dry erase or white-board specific markers) regardless if the board has been previously cleaned with a solvent like lacquer thinner.

Does anyone know the truth?

Is there a time-limit after which dry-erase markings are know to be hard to remove from a white-board?

Is the surface of a white-board irreversably damaged or changed if a solvent like lacquer thinner is used to clean it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.10.130.47 (talk) 17:25, 2 March 2010 (UTC)