A whiteboard (also known by the terms markerboard, dry-erase board, dry-wipe board, pen-board, and the misnomer greaseboard) is a name for any glossy, usually white surface for nonpermanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to chalkboards, allowing rapid marking and erasing of markings on their surface. 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.

The term whiteboard is also used metaphorically to refer to features of computer software applications that simulate whiteboards. Such "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. The term whiteboard is also used to refer to interactive whiteboards.

History

The whiteboard was invented by Martin Heit, a photographer and Korean war veteran. The idea was originally developed for having next to a wall phone to take messages down on. During his work with film realised that notes could be recorded on film negative using a sharpie and wiped off simply with water. Early whiteboards were made out of film laminate, the same glossy finish found on film negatives.

A prototype was made and ready to be revealed, however the showcase burned down the night previous to its unveiling along with the whiteboard prototype. Mr. Heit chose to sell the idea to Dry-Mark, who began to introduce them into the education world.

In the mid-1960s, the first whiteboards began to appear on the market. In classrooms, their widespread adoption did not occur until the early 1990s when concern over allergies and other potential health risks posed by chalk dust prompted the replacement of many blackboards with whiteboards.

The first whiteboards were very expensive and were made of a melamine surface. It was the "perfect" solution to the chalkboard, except that it "ghosted" (retained residue of erased markings) in a short time and was difficult to keep clean.

Enamel-on-steel magnetic whiteboard has gone through some improvements, such as cost reduction and a reduction in glare caused by the glossy surface. The current trend is porcelain-steel magnetic dry erase boards. These are regarded as the highest quality in the industry. They are now very common in schools, universities, and hospitals.

Glue-backed whiteboard sheets, posters, and rolls are available, permitting any surface, even if irregularly shaped or non-level, to be turned into a whiteboard writing surface.

Clear marker surfaces, made of glass or specially coated acrylic, also appeared on the market about 2007 and were popularized by TV and movies.

Surface materials

There are four types of materials commonly used for whiteboard surfaces:

; Melamine: A resin-infused paper which is typically used over a substrate that can range from particle board to MDF (medium density fiberboard). Melamine boards range in quality primarily due to the amount of resin deposited on the base material. Some melamine boards will remain clean (no ghosting) for a long time and others will fail prematurely. Generally these least expensive type of whiteboard and most commonly found in use in non-institutional applications. They are available in any office supply stores. It is not possible to quantify how well this type of board will perform due to the wide range of quality. The major brands are generally a good bargain, and institutional (schools, hospitals) and heavily used commercial applications are not a good application for melamine boards ; Painted steel or aluminum: Painted steel and aluminum dry erase also have a wide range of quality. Painted surfaces tend to be smoother, which leads to better methods of erasing. The painted surface is generally a multiple layer of coatings made up of a base coat in color (most commonly white) and a clear performance coating that is the dry erase component. Paint varies from electron beam cured coatings to UV and other coating systems. Good commercial grade painted steel or aluminum has excellent dry erase properties and many will able to have permanent marker cleaned from the surface. Any coated surface is susceptible to scratching. Painted steel surfaces are magnetic and allow the use of magnets. Painted aluminum surfaces are rarely used as a base for whiteboards as they are not magnetic and are more expensive than steel. Painted steel whiteboards are most commonly used for custom printed whiteboards. These products are used as tracking boards, patient information boards and tournament and training boards. ; Hardcoat laminate: Every laminate manufacturer makes a dry erase board or laminate. Here again the performance varies over a wide range depending on the amount of resin used in the manufacturer. Basically this category primarily uses melamine as its dry erase performance coat and therefore falls into the melamine universe. Depending on the manufacturer (and the price) these laminate often are less porous and highly resistant to staining. Less common than other whiteboard surfaces, because they usually are used in combination with something else (a cabinet, doors or table tops for example). (this statement applies to Procelain steel which is the only lifetime warranty available on the market) ; Porcelain, enamel-on-steel: Ceramic (glass) fired onto a steel surface in a kiln. They are the most durable surfaces and most carry a lifetime warranty. They are very common in high traffic industrial settings. Highly scratch-resistant, although materials harder than glass (like diamond) can scratch them. They do not absorb dry erase or permanent marker ink. They allow the use of magnets. Since it is glass, the porcelain surface can be cleaned with any non-abrasive cleaner, which must then be rinsed off with water to prevent smearing. Permanent marker can be removed by writing over it with a dry-erase marker and erasing it. Some porcelain surfaces provide LEED credit in new construction.

Advantages

Whiteboard ink markings are less susceptible to external factors, such as water, because the ink adheres in a different manner than does chalk to a chalkboard. 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. Proper dry wipe boards are high gloss to enable the dry marker ink to be wiped off easily and high gloss surfaces will reflect the projector light, creating a so called "hot spot", a glare back from the board. Semi-matte whiteboards are better suited for projection but more difficult to dry wipe clean.

A whiteboard pen is easier than chalk to hold and write with. This can benefit persons with limited mobility in their hands, such as those affected by diseases such as arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. In addition, marking on a whiteboard takes less time, effort, and pressure than marking on a chalkboard.

Like chalkboards, whiteboards help to save paper.

When compared to a chalkboard a whiteboard can have significantly more colors because markers have a greater range of color than chalk (sidewalk chalk).

Disadvantages

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, depending on the surface type (see surface materials above). 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 pre packaged 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. Similarly, right-handed people have this problem with right-to-left languages, such as Arabic. This limitation is also present with a chalkboard.

When writing with chalk, it is also much more possible to distinguish and draw heavier and lighter lines, as it is more pressure sensitive than writing with pen on a whiteboard.

Whiteboard markers are often sealed in opaque plastics and difficult to determine the amount of ink remaining, only fading in color intensity with use. Like other contemporary markers, they can dry out with if the writing tip is uncapped for long periods of time.

Whiteboard markers often have a pungent and strong odour (depending on brand and color) whereas chalk has a mild smell mainly from the chalk dust.

See also

Interactive whiteboard

Flip chart

Notes

External links

Tests of different cleaning products

Category:Office equipment Category:Writing media

A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads. Settlers are sometimes termed "colonists" or "colonials" and—in the United States -- "pioneers".

Terminology

The term settler is not usually used in relation to the later histories of well-established and/or independent, post-colonial countries with continuing immigration, like the present-day United States, Canada or Australia, where terms like immigrants are preferred. However, Canadian First Nations people often refer to all non-natives as "settler peoples", or "settler populations".

Historical usage

in the World Showcase pavilion of Walt Disney World's Epcot]]

In almost every real historical case, settlers live on land which previously belonged to long-established peoples, known as indigenous people (often called "natives", "Aborigines" or, in the Americas, "Indians"). This land is usually settled against the wishes of the indigenes, and then controlled, defended and expanded by force, or it is bought or leased from indigenous people on terms highly favourable to the settlers, sometimes under a treaty (e.g. the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand). In some cases (such as Australia), the legal ownership of some lands is contested much later by indigenous people, who seek or claim traditional usage, land rights, native title and related forms of ownership or partial control.

The word "settler" was not originally usually used in relation to unfree labour immigrants, such as slaves (e.g. in the United States), indentured labourers (such as in Colonial America), or convicts (such as in New York, 1674–1775; Australia 1788-1868).

In the figurative usage a "person who goes first or does something first", also applies to the American English use of "pioneer" to refer to a settler, a person who has migrated to a less occupied area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area, first recorded in English in 1605. In United States history it refers to those people who helped to settle new lands.

In this usage, pioneers are usually among the first to an area, whereas settlers can arrive after first settlement and join others in the process of human settlement. This correlates with the work of military pioneers who were tasked with construction of camps before the rest of the troops would arrive at the designated camp site.

More recently descendants of these immigrants may argue that they have as much right to use the word "settler" as the descendants of free immigrants.

settlers in the Caucasus region, circa 1910]] In Imperial Russia, the government invited Russians or foreign nationals to settle in sparsely populated lands. These settlers were called "colonists". See, e.g., articles Slavo-Serbia, Volga German, Volhynia, Russians in Kazakhstan.

Although they are often thought of as traveling by sea — the dominant form of travel in the early modern era — significant waves of settlement could also use long overland routes, such as the Great Trek by the Boer-Afrikaners in South Africa, or the Oregon Trail in the United States.

Anthropological usage

Anthropologists record tribal displacement of native settlers who drive another tribe from the lands it held, such as the settlement of lands in the area now called Carmel-by-the-Sea, California where Ohlone peoples settled in areas previously inhabited by the Esselen tribe (Bainbridge, 1977).

Modern usage

settlers from Europe often built crude houses in the form of log cabins.]]

In the Middle East, Israeli settlers are Jews who live in areas captured during the Six-Day war and claimed by Palestinians and Syria. Some historians and scientists maintain that Palestinians are descended mostly from Arab settlers in Palestine, after the Caliphate conquered the area in the 7th century. However, both Israelis and Palestinians claim partial descent from peoples who lived in the region in prehistoric times (see: History of ancient Israel and Judah, Ancestry of the Palestinians).

Other usages

Settlers in hypothetical societies, such as on other planets, often feature in science fiction or fantasy fiction and/or video games.

Causes of emigration

The reasons for the emigration of settlers vary, but often they include the following factors and incentives: the desire to start a new and better life in a foreign land, personal financial hardship, social, cultural, ethnic, or religious persecution (e.g. the Pilgrims, Mormons and Zionists), political oppression, and government incentive policies aimed at encouraging foreign settlement.

The colony concerned is sometimes controlled by the government of a settler's home country, and emigration is sometimes approved by an imperial government.

See also

Squatter

Indigenous people

Settler colonialism

Virgin Lands Campaign

Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme

Transmigration program

Israeli settlement

Naturalized TRNC citizens

Sooners

Lebensraum

Green March

References

Category:Human migration Category:Anthropological categories of peoples Category:Cultural anthropology