Before the invention of white board came about, there were the chalk boards. These were popular among teachers and students, however, many people were also allergic to chalk and its dust that would fly off when erased. No one knows who invented it, but by the 1960s, early versions of the began to appear, and by the late 1980s, reports of allergies towards chalk began to appear. This was when white board were started to be considered as a teaching tool instead.
While no one knows who invented the white board, many believed that it was from China. While that cannot be known for sure, the first company to mass produce them as porcelain on steel that could be written on and wiped off white board was by Claridge Products. They had melamine in them, and were rather costly. Cleaning was also difficult as the images that were erased could still be seen on the board, and would wear out easily. Then, Britain’s Magiboards produced enamel on steel write on/wipe off magnetic boards that were much more durable and smoother, although imprints from the marker would appear over time, and scotches left marks. On the other hand, in the US, Michael Boone popularized the Boone Board dry erase board. They did not suffer the similar problems the previous ones have. There were just many improved versions from various companies, but one of the most important innovations was reducing of the surface’s glossiness which caused glare and became a big distraction to students. Only in the late 2000s, high quality paint coats were used for the surface that made it easy to write on.
As of now, white boards have found to have more advantages over chalk boards. Not only that no dust is produced, teachers often use them as their overhead projector screen as well where they are able to write upon to highlight points. There is even a bigger variety of colors so teachers can emphasize their points more clearly. With that, white boards have become an important learning tool of today.