Chalkboards vs Whiteboards

In the past, all businesses and schools used chalk boards but lately we’ve seen a switch to using whiteboards. Why is this and what are the advantages and disadvantages for different uses?

Chalk Boards

Advantages

There are quite a few advantages of using chalk boards, particularly for business. They are cheap and so is the chalk you use to write on them. As well as this, as long as you have chalk, you can write on a blackboard. The same is not true for whiteboards. You need special pens or else you’ll permanently mark them, and that’s annoying as well as costly.

Chalk boards tend to be larger as well. Whiteboards are commonly set up on an apparatus whereas chalk boards can take a whole wall. You can even buy special chalk board paint which will allow you to change any surface into a chalk board! So, if you have some large and complex formula that you want to present, chalk might be the way forward.

Disadvantages

Chalk boards can be environmentally hazardous and irritating. When you clean a chalk board, dust particles from the chalk blow into the air. This isn’t particularly helpful in a room full of employees. Therefore, you should only use a chalk board in a room that is open with plenty of space. Even then it may cause problems.

Chalk is more difficult to write on too. It’s certainly not what you’re going to want to use in a long business conference. You’ll have blisters on your skin and cramp in your fingers after the first half hour!

Whiteboards

Advantages

The biggest advantage of the whiteboard is that it’s easier to read. Research shows that information on a white background can be read and understood far more quickly. That’s why these days businesses conferences use white boards. You hardly ever see a presentation with a black background.

Writing on a whiteboard is a lot faster too. It can take a while to get to grips with writing on a chalk board. With a whiteboard, you’ll breeze across the broad, and your writing will still be legible. Perfect if you need to write a lot of info down to a deadline such as during a presentation.

Disadvantages

Whiteboards aren’t great for lefties, though. So, if you’re left handed you may want to steer clear. Left-handed people often smudge their writing across the board. The info you need to deliver to a boardroom filled with people can quickly become illegible.

You also can’t draw heavier or lighter lines on a whiteboard as you can on chalk. Due to this, they may not be best suited for presenting graphical information. Particularly, if you want one part to stand out more than the rest.

Then, there’s the issue of marking. Almost every whiteboard you can buy needs to special pens to write on it. If you use the wrong one, you could damage the board. You just need to make sure you have a healthy supply of the special pens on hand at all times.

So which board gets the vote? Well, if you need to convey key information, you should use a whiteboard. Your audience will be able to read and dissect the information quickly without any problems. For larger presentations with more complex info, a chalk board might be best. Though not as clear, it gives you more freedom when you are chalking it all down.