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Whiteboard


A whiteboard (also known by the terms markerboard, dry-erase board, wipe board, dry-wipe board, pen-board, and the misnomergreaseboard) is any glossy, usually white surface for nonpermanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to blackboards, but with a smoother surface 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.

According to one account, whiteboards were invented by Martin Heit, a photographer and Korean War veteran. When he accidentally marked a photographic negative with a marker and tried to wipe it off, he realized the marker ink came off very easily. He created a whiteboard with a laminate similar to that found on photographic negatives. The night before he was set to unveil his invention at a trade show, his prototype was destroyed by a fire. Rather than create another prototype, he sold his patent to Dri-Mark.

The second account is that Albert Stallion invented whiteboards while working at Alliance in the 1960s. Alliance (now known as PolyVision) produced enameled steel for architectural cladding, but Stallion noted it could also potentially be used as a writing surface. Stallion later left Alliance to form his own whiteboard production company, MagiBoards.

Whiteboards became commercially available in the early 1960s, but did not become widely used until 40 years later. Early whiteboards needed to be wiped with a damp cloth and markers had a tendency to leave marks behind, even after erasing the board. Dry-erase markers for whiteboards were invented in 1975.

Whiteboards started becoming commonly used by businesses in the early 1990s. They became more common in classrooms during the 1990s due to concerns over health problems in children with dust allergies and the potential for chalkdust to damage computers. By the late 1990s, about 21% of American classrooms had converted from chalkboards to whiteboards.


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