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April 2008

WHITEBOARDS: THEY’RE GOOD FOR THE GRAY MATTER

Whiteboards are nearly a staple in just about every classroom these days, and it’s no wonder. They come in enough varieties to fit your classroom layout and teaching style, their uses are numerous and they are a green alternative to paper. From their types and benefits to helpful hints and tips, we’ve got the 4-1-1 on whiteboards!

Whatever whiteboard configuration fits your room and your budget – wall-sized, freestanding, group or individual – you can bet it’s probably available. If those aren’t enough options, then choose from magnetic, two-sided, mobile, portable, height-adjustable and more! We have the skinny on the configurations and features of each.

WALL-SIZED WHITEBOARDS
- are often preferred over chalkboards because of reduced dust and ease of cleaning
- are usually constructed from porcelain steel, which is magnetic
- allow the user to write large for others to see
- provide an extra-large surface for students to work side by side
- are great for all lessons, from sentence diagramming to math equations
- provide a surface for drawing straight lines for handwriting practice, creating timelines, graphs or music staffs. Our LASER LINE MAKER and THE LINE CREATOR create straight lines for you!
- provide a large surface for drawing shapes and flow charts. Our CHALK/DRY ERASE TOOL SET includes five different tools that make it easy!
- provide an extra-wide surface for projecting images

FREESTANDING WHITEBOARDS
- are ideal for situations where wall space is at a premium because you can use them anywhere
- are perfect for teachers without rooms because many of them have integrated STORAGE and are easy to transport
- are available in mobile versions with WHEELS, making them easy to move anywhere you need them
- are available with MAGNETIC-RECEPTIVE surfaces for classroom management or for using manipulatives
- are available in TWO-SIDED versions that provide added versatility
- are available in FOLDING versions for rooms short on storage space
- are available in HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE configurations for circle or whole-class lessons

FEATURES OF OUR FREESTANDING BOARDS

TOTAL TEACHING STATION: Storage, Wheels, Magnetic, Two-Sided, Height-Adjustable

ROYAL® READING/WRITING CENTER: Storage, Wheels, Magnetic, Optional Two-Sided

INTERACTIVE LEARNING CENTER: Storage, Wheels, Magnetic, Two Sided, Height-Adjustable

EARLY LEARNING TWO-SIDED EASEL: Storage, Wheels, Magnetic, Two-Sided, Folding

MOBILE TEACH AND STORE CENTER: Storage, Wheels

ADJUSTABLE MARKERBOARD EASEL: Folding, Height-Adjustable

MAGNETIC ADJUSTABLE MARKERBOARD EASEL: Magnetic, Folding, Height-Adjustable

PACK & GO PRESENTATION EASEL: Folding, Height-Adjustable

GROUP-SIZED WHITEBOARDS
- are smaller than freestanding boards, but larger than individual boards for group work
- are better than chart paper because information can be easily modified
- are great for collaborative-thinking projects
- provide an assessment opportunity as students explain their reasoning behind their collaborative answer
- are available in portable folding-easel versions, like our DEMONSTRATION TABLETOP POCKET CHART and 3-IN-1 PORTABLE EASEL, which allow a group of students to work on one board at the same time at any location in the room. These boards also have integrated storage for cards or sentence strips.
- are available in flat versions like our DESKTOP WRITE AND WIPE MAGNETIC STAND, which can be used in its stand or laid flat on a desktop or floor
- are available in hanging versions like our WRITE-ON/WIPE-OFF MAGNETIC POCKET CHART, which includes five rows for sentence strips

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT WHITEBOARDS
- are ideal as a green replacement for paper
- encourage participation by allowing students to hold up their answers instead of answering orally (Our HOLD-‘EM-UP PADDLE BOARDS have a handle for easy gripping.)
- provide a better practice medium because students can write and erase easily
- can be used as lapboards or to cover papers during tests
- are small enough to fit in desks
- are great for peer editing: students pass their board to another student, who uses a different-colored marker to correct
- are great for interactive lessons: tell a story and students draw it or say a word in one language and they write it in another
- are great for any practice activity such as spelling words, handwriting, vocabulary or math equations
- are available in both non-magnetic and magnetic-receptive versions (like our STUDENT DRY ERASE LAPBOARDS)

Collect boards or have students store them when not in use to reduce doodling opportunities, which drain markers quickly.

Instruct students to show their boards at the same time.

Store in bags (like our COLOR-CODE HANDLE BAGS) and write students’ names on the bags.

Use socks to clean boards (great use for socks without a match!), then store the markers in the socks.

Write numbers on the back to keep track of the boards. It’s also great if these numbers correspond to your student numbers.

GENERAL WHITEBOARD TIPS AND TRICKS

Before using new boards, wipe with a damp, soapy cloth and dry, or use whiteboard cleaner to reduce ghosting.

Always keep whiteboard glare in mind, whether you’re arranging students’ desks around your wall board or you are positioning a freestanding board.

Make sure all students are finished taking notes before erasing the board.

Make sure your notes are neat and organized on the board. Write them out on paper beforehand if that helps.

To get old dry erase marker off, first try soapy water. If that doesn’t work, try whiteboard cleaner, an art eraser, rubbing or denatured alcohol or fingernail polish remover with acetone. Test a small area of the board first before using the latter two items.

To get permanent marker out, first write over the permanent marker with a dry erase marker and wipe away. If that doesn’t work, try the solutions offered above.

Erase after every use with an eraser, paper towel, terry towel or washcloth, socks, cut-up sweatshirts or shop towels.

To keep boards conditioned, use whiteboard cleaner on occasion. Disposable BOARDGEAR™ DRY ERASE BOARD WIPES make it easy.

Do not use a chalkboard eraser or abrasive cleaner.

Attach dry erase markers to non-magnetic boards with VELCRO® DOTS & SQUARES. For magnetic boards, our MAGNETIC MARKER RINGS are perfect.

TIPS FOR USING WHITEBOARD (DRY ERASE) MARKERS

Use colored markers to call out important information, to denote parts of speech, etc.

If you need grids or lines that won’t erase, try using semi-permanent whiteboard markers like our WHITE BOARD PAINT. It stays on until you’re ready to remove it with a damp cloth.

Test markers on boards first. Make a small mark in the corner of your board with various colors of dry erase markers. Wait a week, then erase. If any ghost, do not use.

Replace older markers, even if they still work. The older a marker is, the more it will ghost.

To reduce odor, use markers in a well-ventilated area. LOW-ODOR MARKERS are recommended. Consider using WHITE BOARD CRAYONS or alternate days you use student whiteboards if odor is a concern.

TIPS FOR USING WHITEBOARD ERASERS

Markers with erasers on the ends (like our STUDENT-SIZE DRY ERASE MARKERS) are great for students to use with lapboards because they allow for quick corrections. For correcting small mistakes on a larger board, use KLEENSLATE® ATTACHABLE ERASERS on your markers.

When your eraser leaves more dust than it cleans, it’s time for a new one. Our GHOSTDUSTER® ERASER contains tear-off pads to keep your eraser going for a long time.

Do not use a chalkboard eraser on a whiteboard.

HOT TIP: Try these alternate dry erase surfaces: Write directly on your overhead projector screen with a dry erase marker – no need for transparencies. Also, our WRITE ON! PAPER-SAVER POCKETS provide an alternative to dry erase boards, and you can use them with your existing handouts! Dry erase markers work on glass, too!

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