Whiteboard

A whiteboard, also called white board or white board, is a further development of the writable only with school chalk blackboard or whiteboard.

Design and operation

The white board has a special, smooth surface of mostly white plastic or white enamelled sheet metal, is written on with special markers. This marker board are available in various colors and line strengths in stationery stores. The writing is easy to wipe off with a dry sponge or paper towel. On the metal models you can also attach magnets.

In addition to simple blackboards also height adjustable Hubtafeln and large panels are available with folding wings. Similarly, there is the form of rolls mobile whiteboards.

Digital whiteboards

A digital whiteboard ( sometimes also called interactive whiteboard ) is an electronic panel which is connected to a computer. The image is projected as a rule of a projector. The interactive whiteboard is now over sensors, a coordinate system is that it allows the use of a computer with all its features and visible to all, so that represents a screen in principle. Controlling the computer is done depending on the model of your fingertips and / or with a cordless and battery- free pen. On the digital whiteboard, the menus are as operated with the mouse and it is written with the stylus or with the naked finger. With a digital whiteboard can be laid handwritten remarks about each image displayed by the computer. A software offers options such as annotations, layers and much more.

The most common are digital whiteboards as a modern blackboard in the classroom. According to a study submitted in early 2008 are in German schools around 26,000 whiteboards in British schools around 500,000 whiteboards available. More than 60 percent of schools there use digital whiteboards in the classroom.

Many teachers believe that the use of digital whiteboards, as they allow for example to store the developed panel and use it in a later lesson further or to provide to students as learning materials available. However, this is similar to a conventional panel of target group oriented and faster by simply photographing the panel painting and online sites by students in the media such as WhatsApp used by these possible.

Also the dynamic integration of media in the blackboard without a new device is required to be, repeatedly mentioned as advantage of digital whiteboards, so for example, a worksheet are placed under a Visualizer and added the notes with the digital whiteboard be. In order for the digital whiteboard replaces inter alia a flipchart.

Most manufacturers sell along with their digital whiteboard, a learning platform to support the blackboard, the integration of different elements, but also the exchange of data with students and their homework.

A less expensive version of a digital whiteboard developed Johnny Chung Lee, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University, based on the Nintendo Wii remote unit ..

With the Korean U- Pointer is since 2009 a mobile whiteboard on the market. The U- pointer consists of a CMOS camera, a pen and authoring software. The display area can be used by existing standard projector, from large screens or background screens on the PC.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of interactive whiteboards as compared to conventional tablets in the classroom, the following points are seen:

• High cost of initial
• Significantly lower work surface (usually about 1/ 3 to 1/ 4 of a conventional panel)
• Significantly worse writability by hand ( Fast response and resolution is not reached by far the values ​​of the chalk - board combination)
• Hard to read in bright light, thereby frequent need to darken the room with consequences for concentration and health of students
• Risk of theft of special pins
• Costs due to necessary training
• Canceled classes due to technical problems, as the reliability due to the complexity is less than that of a conventional panel
• Costs by replacing the projector lamp (For use as a blackboard replacement approximately every 2 - 3 years)
• Energy costs ( The power requirement is approximately 500-800 W is higher than that of the ambient light, which is required only in the winter, ie, increase the cost of electric power to approximately 300-400 %)
• CO2 emissions ( A school with 40 rooms produced in replacement of the panels through interactive whiteboards about 70 kg of CO2 per day of classes, in addition, that about 14 tons of CO2 per year )
• Heat, resulting in higher room temperatures in summer
• Costs due to the necessary replacement of the computer ( General: IT systems at least in the 5 -year cycle )
• Environmental consequences of electronic scrap
• Costs due to maintenance (software updates etc. )

Since many interactive whiteboards will be treated as a conventional panel, in most cases, many critics question the need for these devices in the context of its energy needs as well as frequently occurring errors that inhibit the flow of lessons.

Furthermore, can be used any conventional marker board with some digital whiteboard, but it need special pins of the respective manufacturer are used. Upon failure of the technology (eg, the projector lamp ) in these cases is its use as a normal whiteboard using conventional whiteboard markers possible. Because of the surface structure of the cleaning falls somewhat heavier. This gives rise to any spots that may interfere with the beamer projection. Therefore, the conventional letter should be taken on digital boards only in emergencies to complete.

Software

Internet-based whiteboard software such as Microsoft NetMeeting, Group Board, the XMPP client Coccinella, the system Bravis BTU or E-Chalk allows different users to draw or write with each other, without the need for special hardware. Each user connects to the whiteboard and sees the actions of distortion on his computer screen. The hardware-based interactive whiteboard suitable base software and the required drivers are included. The functions can vary widely between different manufacturers. For the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom, many textbook publishers now offer specially developed and tailored to the respective textbooks paintings and study materials for teachers. There are also free software for whiteboards such as that supported by the French Government Open - Sankore.

The authors - software I- Pro for the U- Pointer - board is provided free of charge in a restricted variant. The audience and students can use the I- Pro software to edit worksheets or watch solution recordings and films.