Chalkboards, Blackboards, and Whiteboards
Board work should be simple and brief. Copying lengthy outlines or lists of subject matter is a waste of time to the presenter and the audience. If it is important for the audience to have a copy of the material, it should be duplicated and distributed.
The board is similar to a store window. Everyone knows that an overcrowded, dirty or untidy window has little appeal as compared to one that is clean, neat, and displays a few well-chosen items.
Six Reasons to Use Boards
- To record the audience's ideas
- To attract and hold attention
- To secure audience participation
- To add interest to a presentation
- To increase retention
- To speed up learning
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Advantages of Boards
- Cost minimal
- Are usually available
- May be used in a variety of ways
- May be changed during a presentation
- Are simple to use
- Attract and hold attention
- Deepen interest
- Increase retention
- Speed up learning
- May be used to secure participation from audience
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Disadvantages of Boards
- Do not provide a permanent record
- Can become common place
- Are usually stationary
- Cannot be used with large groups
- Are not often used creatively
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A Few Tips to Increase Effective Use
- Words should be printed instead of written. Draw a pair of light guidelines to mark the top and bottom row of letters. Form the letters in a clear, simple Gothic style. Avoid fancy scripts or print that is difficult to read.
- If the board is portable, be sure it is stable. Slant the board backward slightly to increase writing stability.
- Use chalk sharpened with a knife or sandpaper pad. It is easier to control the printing with pointed chalk. To keep the chalk point from breaking, grip the chalk so that your forefinger extends over the tip of the chalk. If using markers (for whiteboards), ensure there is sufficient supply and the tip is broad enough to show up against the background.
- Put the board where it can be seen by everyone, or use a section of a permanently located board that is similarly easy to see.
- Do not overcrowd the board. A few important points make a vivid impression.
- Make the material simple. Brief, concise statements are more effective than lengthy ones.
- Plan your boards ahead. Keep the layouts with your presentation.
- Get together everything you need for the board before the group meets - chalk, ruler, eraser and other items.
- Use color for emphasis. Yellow or pale green chalk are more effective than white chalk. In the same sense, use other colors of markers rather than the standard black.
- Print all captions and drawings on a large scale. The material must be clearly visible to all participants.
- Erase all unrelated material. Other work on the board districts attention. Use a board eraser or cloth, and not your fingers.
- Keep the board clean. A dirty board has the same effect as a dirty window.
- Prepare complicated board layouts before the group meets if at all possible. Work can be covered with poster board or paper until you are ready to show it.
- Check for any glare on the board and eliminate it by tilting the board or by removing or blocking off the offending light.
- Keep erasers clean. Learn to erase with straight up and down strokes rather than swishing the eraser in circles.
- Templates can be used to trace a reproduction of an object.
- Strips of paper can be fastened over printed material on a board so that information can be revealed step by step.
- Stick figures and designs can be traced on a board by using an overhead projector.
- Boards are readily available and one of the easiest training aids to use.
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