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Archive 1

[Untitled]

This article properly belongs at Chalkboard. The name blackboard is a misnomer because they are commonly dark green. 66.32.142.216 23:07, 19 May 2004 (UTC)

That's not really reason enough to move it. Some people call it a blackboard, some people call it a chalkboard, regardless of its color. -Branddobbe 03:13, May 20, 2004 (UTC)
Well, what advantage is there of having this article at Blackboard?? Any other Wikipedia articles you know of that this question has been asked about?? 66.245.107.192 23:32, 21 May 2004 (UTC)
"Blackboard" is, at least where I live, far more common that "Chalkboard", indeed I have never heard of anyone call it "Chalkboard" except on TV (is it an americanism?). If you think that Blackboard is wrong because it is a dark green then one should not call it a chalkboard but rather a "gypsumboard" - because sticks of chalk are not made of chalk but gypsum, as the article points out.MrWeeble 17:57, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
I agree with MrWeeble. i c u r i t e 05:43, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)
"Chalkboard" is way more common where I live, and I'd prefer to see the article there (if only because that's what I say), but I don't think it's really worth requesting a move. It's fine the way it is. -Branddobbe 01:52, 19 October 2005 (UTC)

The problem for me with redirecting the blackboard page to chalkboard is that I can't see how to include a link to AI blackboards (which are definitely not called chalkboards). There is already a Wikipedia entry for AI blackboards (see Blackboard (computing)), but searching under "blackboard" does not currently find it. How do we fix this? Santaclaus 11:53, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

Blackboard technology

I agree that this page ought to be a disambiguation page. Blackboard technology was a major AI thrust and will continue to be of use. For instance, see KBE as an example.

Unless I hear otherwise, I'll do this on 12/29 am. Thanks, jmswtlk (I'm registered but need to find out where the page went)
Changed to dismbiguation with each of the other pages pointing back. Blackboard has a history over 20 years in duration for AI systems. jmswtlk 15:51, 29 December 2005 (UTC)

Chalkboard scratching

The scratching of fingernails on a blackboard is a sound that is well-known for being extremely irritating.

It would be nice to add some psychological/physical information explaining what in the nature of this sound make it so irritating. SaintCahier 01:31, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

Blackboard and AI

Reference added to BBTech as reminder of the history of and future use of this type of system. My thought is that Blackboard ought to be a disambiguation page. (jmswtlk)

I'd be against that, IMAO chalkboard is still the most common usage of the word. --H2g2bob 20:01, 21 May 2006 (UTC)
I thought chalkboard was a PC term for blackboard (despite the fact that whiteboard is considered acceptable). It's certainly taught as such in UK teacher training.
—Preceding unsigned comment added by Jameskeates (talk • contribs)


indeed or whether it is even a valid point must be questioned. The point seems to to be mere opinion without any supporting evidence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.232.36.109 (talk) 20:54, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Chalkboards in science & math disciplines

Maybe someone knows why chalkboards are especially being used in science&math disciplines (over whiteboards or whatever)? 85.65.54.142 12:22, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Lack of funding ;-) Actually, I've not noticed this (I'm at Exeter University, where whiteboards are more common than blackboards), and most of the time PowerPoint (or OOo Impress) is used. I think the most likely reason for that to happen is if the lecturers prefer chalkboards - after all the whiteboard pens run out really easily, which is bad because science people tend to write quite a lot on the boards. --H2g2bob 20:10, 21 May 2006 (UTC)
No, it is not lack of founding. Most lectures I know from math and physics absolutely hate to work an whiteboards. To my personal experience it is more difficult to write clearly enough on a whiteboard and still be readable from the last row of a large lecture hall. I do not why, maybe the pens float to easily on the whiteboard surface. Also all the whiteboards I have seen so far for university teaching featured a much smaller space than the blackboards. When you present lengthy proofs you often lack the space to keep definitions and lemmas needed for the proof. (This is even worse if you use PowerPoint for presenting a proof.) In addition, it is hard to guess if those whiteboard pens will keep working until the end of the lecture. With chalk sticks it is comparably easy. I think whiteboards are OK when you just draw an occasional quick diagram for illustration. For writing a serious amount of content give me a backboard ... --Lars 17:46, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Please Add

I'm no expert, so I ask others to contribute along these lines. I came to this article looking to learn:

How is modern-day chalk made, and along those lines, how is the dye added? Alvis 03:56, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Why is yellow chalk so common? Cstaffa 02:10, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, and why is so many white? And also, maybe seeing as this article is so small, maybe it can merge with chalk?--Nick54321blastoff (talk) 10:49, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Blackboard

Google:

Blackboard: 18,200,000 hits
Chalkboard: 3,460,000 hits

Yes yes, the Google test is not always a great indicator of what should be used (an argument I have used myself before), but that's only if there are other factors to consider. This is quite clear cut. Should be moved! Opinions, anyone? EuroSong talk 11:26, 2 October 2006 (UTC)


This topic should indeed belong under Blackboard. Even if it is usually dark green, this is the most common name, and it also makes a nice contrast with whiteboard. The word blackboard is replaced by chalkboard just because of a deviated sense of political correctness. LHOON 11:23, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
To be honest, I don't really mind if this gets named "blackboard" or "chalkboard". But it might be an idea to open this to a Wikipedia:Straw poll to get wider consensus.
Playing devils advocate though, a chalkboard could be preferable, as it would include similar colour-based chalkboards. Google trends shows chalkboard is searched for more, but there are quite a few other uses of "blackboard" - blackboard itself is a disambiguation page.
I don't think this is a clear-cut decision, so discussion is probably the best way to go --h2g2bob 15:14, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I almost always hear people calling them blackboards in the UK, almost never chalkboards, although anyone would understand you if you used either. --Tango 17:48, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm from Canada, and I've always heard them refered to as blackboards. I had never encountered the term "chalkboard" until I looked for the Wikipedia article for "blackboard" and found the reference to "chalkboard" on the disambiguation page. I'm guessing "chalkboard" is used in the US and "blackboard" in the Commonwealth. AlexPlante (talk) 09:06, 24 June 2011 (UTC)


Political Correctness

Would it be worth noting that in the UK, possibly other English speaking countries I'm not sure, it is considered politically incorrect to call it a blackboard as the black part is considered racist? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.209.198.251 (talk • contribs)

I've never heard that before. There are some people that object to any use of the word "black", but it's a tiny minority, and as far as I know, doesn't include many black people. --Tango 17:48, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm removing this line from the article: "Some think that the term "chalkboard" is used rather than "blackboard" for reasons of political correctness.[2]" The bbc citation (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/1988952.stm) is not about chalkboards---the only relevant part of the linked page is in a user posted comment to the bbc article.Wpegden 20:20, 6 December 2006 (UTC)


I reverted this, a simple search yielded hundreds of references to this discussion, so it seems worth mentioning, however with a specific reference to the UK where it seems to be the biggest issue LHOON 11:42, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
I've reverted it back. If there are hundreds of references, reference one of them. The BBC reference is just one guy telling an anecdote. --Tango 13:05, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
The combinations "blackboard chalkboard political correctness" gives over 600 hits on Google. This is a clear illustration that there is some discussion mentioning these otherwise unrelated terms, and that it is an issue to be mentioned. If I have some more time the next few days, I'll have a look to find a link that clearly illustrates the point. LHOON 14:17, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
It depends what those hits are - you need a reputable source, not just a few bloggers. --Tango 20:23, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Just to make a point - political correctness has gone mad in London, and I can't speak for the rest of the UK, but I think its the same in most places. I've certainly been involved in an argument or two over the use of the term 'blackboard'. Also, I've heard of many London schools (and one in Kent) removing the word 'black' from the nursery rhyme 'Baa baa black sheep'. Its renamed things such as 'Baa baa rainbow sheep'. As I said - political correctness gone mad. It should definately be mentioned, even if its just in one brief sentence. --Zestos 18:21, 19 December 2006 (GMT)

I fully agree. It should be mentioned again indeed. LHOON 18:27, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
If you want to mention it, find a reliable source. Anecdotes are not reliable. --Tango 17:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


I take this whole thing with a pinch of salt. I've heard numerous people say that the word "Blackboard" is supposedly racist while clearly not agreeing that it is, yet I've NEVER heard anybody who actually DID think it was racist. And through my entire time at school and college in England from the 1980s to the 21st century I always heard it referred to as a blackboard and always thought the word Chalkboard was a an Americanism. (so it confuses me when people talk about this as a presumably mostly British problem when I'm under the impression that the supposedly PC variation is far more commonly used America)

Of course as I got older blackboards started to be replaced by whiteboards. Now first of all not only was the word WHITEboard specifically used in class (which, if the word BLACKboard really was racist then so too would the word WHITEboard be), but also one could take offence because the Whiteboards were taking over the role of Blackboards, presumably because they were better, and that could be seen as symbolic of 'Superior' Whites taking over 'Inferior' Blacks like some kind of European Empire. (Yes I know that sounds idiotic but I'm trying to apply the same warped logic that is supposedly behind the word Blackboard being somehow racist)

Furthermore according to this Wiki article the word "Chalkboard" originates from the 1930s, a time when there were far more important civil rights issues than the colour of a board for writing on.

Oh and let us not forget the obvious reason why I think the whole this is BS... THE COLOUR OF 'CHALK'BOARDS HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SKIN COLOUR OF PEOPLE WITH AFRICAN ANCESTRY!!!!

Presumably the name comes from the fact that not all Chalkboards are black and somebody added the PC bit later either as a joke or because they know nothing gets right-wing parties and newspapers support than an anti-PC crusade. To me the whole thing just sounds like "PC Gone Mad!" Gone Mad!!!

(Waiting for somebody to tell me I can't use the word crusade in 4... 3... 2...)

- Rich 23:59 08 May 2007


Blackboard / chalkboard

User:82.20.11.157 changed all the "chalkboards" to "blackboard". I'm leaving it like that for the moment so I can get people's reactions to it. Personally I like chalkboard better. They don't need to be black (can be dark blue, dark green or even a dark magenta), so chalkboard is a more general term. If the consensus is for chalkboard, then just undo those edits. But if the consensus here is for blackboard, then the page should probably be renamed (moved) to blackboard. --h2g2bob 17:47, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

If the article is titled Chalkboard it should use the word chalkboard. It might be a good idea to move the article to Blackboard, but whatever word we use we should be consistent between title and article. --Tango 14:15, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Now the article uses "chalkboard" half of the time and "blackboard" half of the time, as if it can't make up its mind which word it's going to use. It makes the article read kind of oddly. ::Travis Evans 08:16, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

Using wet cloths

The article says: "The chalk marks can be quickly and easily wiped off with a damp cloth". Doesn't this ruin chalkboards? -Rolypolyman 16:33, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

You have to wait for it to dry again before it will work properly, but I've never heard of it doing permanent damage. When I worked in a pub we used to clean the menu board with lemonade - apparently the sugar cuts through the chalk in some way. --Tango 18:02, 27 July 2007 (UTC)
I recall once we did this with a couple of dirty boards, and I think it did damage them by causing further chalk markings to bond with the board, making them difficult to erase. Then again, maybe the cause-and-effect is not clear and maybe the board was already damaged by the time we got to this point. -Rolypolyman 22:23, 4 August 2007 (UTC)
I think it depends on the type of board - some may take the water better than others. What also comes into consideration is that a well used board has a layer of chalk all over the surface and so makes the chalk go on easier - a freshly washed board is totally clean and so the stick of chalk can "stutter" a bit on the pure surface. SFC9394 20:00, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
It does depend on the type of chalkboard. Chalkboards were once generally made of slate but this is not longer the case since slate is expensive to purchase and install. Chalkboards made of composition board are more affordable but can be damaged by wet cleaning methods. Chalkboards can also be made of porcelain-coated steel which can be can be wet-cleaned. Even when chalkboards are not damaged by wet cleaning, it is possible for the pores in them to fill with the paste that is formed of chalk dust and water. This makes writing on them difficult if not impossible. Such boards must be cleaned by special methods and then "re-chalked" (chalk is rubbed on the board and then erased). Boards that are not "chalked" can leave shadows when erased. Dale M (talk) 01:11, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Political correctness

Being little more than a politically motivated rant the reference for the following is hardly valid "In the United Kingdom, several local authorities have instructed to schools that blackboards should be reffered to as chalkboards for political correctness reasons, amid fears that the word "blackboard" is offensive towards black pupils." It looks more like Daily Mail-esque scaremongering rather than a genuine local authority directive. To remain it needs legimtate citations. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.151.154.226 (talk) 14:55, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Political correctness gone too far

This is ridiculous seeing how political correctness is seeping into our education systems. I myself am regarded as a "black student" despite being south Asian; none of my fellow south Asian or black friends find it offensive in anyway to mention words such as black coffee, blackboard or black market. This political correctness is merely a liberal agenda PR technique promulgated to the public to hide the true nature of racism in first world countries. What ever happened to common sense? Please revert it back to blackboard.

124.185.145.183 (talk) 08:15, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

It has nothing to do with political correctness. As the article says the term chalkboard started to take hold in the US in the 30s long before the civil rights movement in the US, when blacks were known as negros or worse and lynchings still occured etc. Because the term has taken hold in the US, this article was started as the chalkboard article probably by an American and so stays that way until there is consensus for a change per wikipedia policy Nil Einne (talk) 15:16, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
People (the government usually) who say calling them blackboards are the true racists. They see it as something people could be offended by when really, not many are. I'm not offended by "whiteboards", why does the government make a big thing out of it. What's next? Blackmail? Whoniverse93 talk? 23:39, 11 July 2009 (UTC)
Can you provide just one instance of when the government has made "a big thing" out of this, to justify your apparently politically motivated rant. And after that, you can explain what improvements in this article your rant is intended to bring about, as that is the purpose of an article's talk page. Kevin McE (talk) 20:12, 12 July 2009 (UTC)

Right board?

Good grief. I come here to see if there's any reason that blackboards are often green these days and find that very modern equivalent of "fingernail scratching on blackboards".

People, the reason blackboards are called blackboards is because they were most often made from very dark slate, so that chalk marks would show up well. They were referred to by their most outstanding characteristics - dark and flat - 'blackboard'.

Just so you know, the first appearance of this article was as (duh) Blackboard back in May 2003. And that was fine for over two years. Then one IP editor took exception to the article name, started a discussion with "but I see green ones", didn't listen to some negative opinions, and unilaterally changed pages and redirects around back in October 2005.

The posited back formation that blackboards should be called 'chalkboards' because you put chalk on them as a means to write/draw simply demands the question: why not inksheet for paper? Why is a Wax tablet not "bee-house-scratcheroo"? I have to assume (and hope) that if I unilaterally switched around whiteboard and markerboard that people would object. And yet it has the exact parallel to this change. In my experience it was called a markerboard. In the IP's experience they saw green boards.

This change, rather than being due to the even more fallacious PC skittishness, was due to the limited experience and world view of the IP editor. They were fixated on what they saw - color. They didn't know the history or background behind the word and just couldn't accept the use of that word 'blackboard' as a neutral noun.

Oh, wait, that does definitely remind one of PC ...

Yes, now that you ask, I am one of those people who think it important not to change things willy-nilly, like 'license' to 'licence' or 'labour' to 'labor' without a good reason.
And I still don't know why blackboards are often green, red, or even orange. I can't read the chalk marks as well as against a black background. Style wins over utility? Shenme (talk) 02:24, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Removing some advertising (a particulary good example of this style can be found at [1]) which links to http://www.loulabellechalkboards.co.uk/ - please excuse my lack of correct formatting 203.123.84.51 (talk) 06:44, 5 August 2009 (UTC)


Leave Slate separate

Slates and chalkboards are not the same thing.Both can be written on, and the writing later erased. So can pencil writing on paper. They don't need to be combined just because they serve similar functions in some respects. In others they do NOT - the slate is portable, has a much longer history (by a few thousand years), almost totally substituted for paper for many of those (and for generations of barely-literate pupils), and has given rise to several well known sayings. Burying it as a minor section in Chalkboard would also bury its historical importance in the getting of literacy by millions. Ever heard of someone being given the chance to "start with a clean chalkboard"??? If anything, the Slate article needs some historic uses sections added. -KoolerStill (talk) 20:20, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Can ever such a mundane article have been illustrated by so many prosaic photos. Suggest deletion of whole section, perhaps retaining the 1900 image in the body of the text, although even that is 100 years behind anything historically relevant, according to the article. --Kevin McE (talk) 09:25, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Hmm..

Imagine you are writing with white chalk on a black chalkboard. Draw a small circle. Blacken the circle. What color is it? Hmm... AlexPlante (talk) 09:15, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Survey On Correct term For Blackboard/Chalkboard

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.
Discussion on page move happening below. Closing this discussion to centralize discussion on article name at #Requested move below. --KarlB (talk) 12:59, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Should this article use "chalkboard" or "blackboard", and what should it be titled? 00:50, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

Please sign your name using four tildes under the position you support, and please add a (hopefully brief and well thought out) comment. If you are happy with more than one possibility, you may wish to sign your names to more than one place. Extended commentary should be placed below, in the section marked "Discussion", though brief commentary can be interspersed.

Polling is not a substitute for discussion:

Use Blackboard

'Chalkboard' is purely a US-regional term while 'Blackboard' is the globally-recognised, international English language term. I am concerned that the subjugation of the article name may be considered an attempt at cultural imperialism. A shrugging of shoulders and a sly nod to 'political correctness' as the cause bears little weight. I noted an editor who edited out the word 'blackboard' on the grounds that 'it uses other colours', I am sorry but you have to use the internationally recognised term Twobells (talk) 11:51, 29 June 2012 (UTC)
Wp:Engvar does indeed recommend commonality, but there would need to be clarity, and evidence, as to what is "the internationally recognised term". Chalkboard is by no means an exclusively US term. Kevin McE (talk) 17:51, 29 June 2012 (UTC)
What measure should we use to determine correct usage? If we use global search engines the result is obvious but I am happy to consider other ways to measure usage. Twobells (talk) 13:00, 30 June 2012 (UTC)
You are the one declaring that there is a "globally-recognised, international English language term", that something is "the internationally recognised term", so it seems to be incumbent upon you to demonstrate it. As to how, have you read wp:commonname? Kevin McE (talk) 13:47, 30 June 2012 (UTC)

Use Chalkboard

Why would one use Chalkboard and ban blackboard? only reason I can see is that said person is a fucking idiot that thinks its racist to call a board what is(black or white)

the board is not a being, its a piece of fucking material that you write on.

Discussion

First of all the article's globally-recognised name which was in place originally should never have been allowed to be hijacked. Anyway, I've been doing some research on the two terms and without a doubt the vast majority of world-wide search engine hits use the term 'blackboard', the origins of the word 'chalkboard' seem to be based out of Memphis starting in 1935 thereafter around 1941 referred to as an 'Americanism'. The fact that 'chalkboard' is a local geographic word to describe the global term blackboard demands that the global word is re-applied to the article's name. Until article name resolution I have included both words in the piece. Twobells (talk) 11:58, 29 June 2012 (UTC)

It is thoroughly inconsistent to argue for a vocabulary in the article that is not accepted for the title of the article. Any such change should only be enacted after a successful Requested Move discussion. Kevin McE (talk) 17:51, 29 June 2012 (UTC)

And here we have the problem, Blackboard has been hijacked by Chalkboard, we need to rectify that, but what is the best method to do so? Also, it seems we do have consensus already over usage (if you read 'talk history') but nothing was done to rectify matters. Also, I noticed you used ENGVAR to undo my edit, yes it does look untidy but it is crazy to have a regional variant used to define an object globally recognised by a different name, subsequently I don't think ENGVAR is appropriate here, over to you. Twobells (talk) 12:58, 30 June 2012 (UTC)
We do not use synonyms every time a word is used in an article: that was plain silly, and that policy is part of wp:engvar ("within a given article the conventions of one particular variety should be followed consistently"), so I don't understand how you deem that inappropriate. "Hijacked" is inappropriately confrontational vocabulary. We agree what is the appropriate article name, default to that throughout the article, and mention synonyms once and once only. If you want to change the text, the best place to start, as already stated, would be a Requested Move discussion. Kevin McE (talk) 13:47, 30 June 2012 (UTC)
Were this a new article, it would make sense to apply the guidance on "commonality," meaning blackboard would be a better choice than chalkboard, since it is universally understood whereas chalkboard is used primarily in the US and Canada. For example, see here and here for references indicating that "chalkboard" is chiefly an American variant. For existing articles, the guidance at WP:RETAIN is clear that the English variant established consistently within an article should not be changed. If there is a lack of consensus on which variant should be used, it is the first non-stub article that sets the precedent. In this case, the first non-stub article was under the title "blackboard", and the version can be seen here The article was subsequently moved to the page titled "chalkboard" on October 19, 2005, but that doesn't change the fact that the original article was established using the word "blackboard" instead of "chalkboard". Ultimately, whether you use the guidance on commonality or the guidance on which variant to use when there is a lack of consensus, the result is the same: "blackboard" is the correct variant to use in this article. The only reason to consider doing otherwise is that the article is titled "chalkboard". However, since the article was inappropriately moved from "blackboard" to "chalkboard" (2005) this shouldn't dissuade us from following the guidelines. The correct thing to do here is:
  1. use "blackboard" throughout the article
  2. move the article from "Chalkboard" to "Blackboard"
  3. fix the primary topic at the top of "Blackboard (disambiguation)" to refer to "blackboard" instead of "chalkboard" (that should be fixed regardless!)
  4. redirect "Chalkboard" to "Blackboard"
  5. update the redirect hatnote at the top of the Blackboard article to: {{Redirect|Chalkboard}}

Coastside (talk) 00:02, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

So start the RM: that's what I had suggested to Twobells. Kevin McE (talk) 06:24, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Invention

Are the dates certain about the "invention" date? I find the claim a bit dubious, especially considering the speed of which it was also allegedly adopted in the US of America — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.228.182.191 (talk) 20:00, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

I would prefer a phrasing like "the invention is attributed to James Pillan." As far as I know, he claims to to have invented the blackboard and the colored chalk to teach Geography in his book "Physical and Classical Geography" (1854). No date is given. George Baron is credited for the first use of the blackboard in teaching (West Point, 1801). It wasn't used in public schools in the US before 1809 (first in Philadelphia, see http://www.personal.psu.edu/mas53/timln800.html). Pillans graduated with degree of M.A. in 1801 (!), was a private tutor on graduation until he became Rector at the High School in Edinburgh in 1809 (according to http://archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb237coll-343). Doesn't seem to fit well with the data on the usage in the US. Lars (talk) 15:31, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

I've added a reference that makes the blackboard clearly in use by 1814. Also James Pillans now exists. Charles Matthews (talk) 17:58, 14 February 2013 (UTC)

Advantages / Disadvantages

  • One advantage over a whiteboard is that "A whiteboard can be confused with a projection screen (of the rigid type). The lecturer can then start writing on the projection screen with the marker pen. Any attempt to wipe it off just smears it about." Can this be added or is it OR? QuentinUK (talk) 13:01, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
    That is not so much an advantage of blackboards over whiteboards as it is an advantage of employing a leturer with some awareness of his/her surroundings over one who is careless. However, if you can find a reliable source that genuinely proposes that blackboards should be preferred for this reason, it can't be described as OR. Kevin McE (talk) 20:33, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
  • "On the other hand, chalk produces dust, the amount depending on the quality of chalk used." Personally the black/colored "dust" from white board markers irritates me as well (if not even more), especially if it gets accumulated in the cleaning pad over a long time. Is anyone aware of studies comparing the "dust" emerging from the usage of black and white boards, resp.? Mpy (talk) 13:03, 5 February 2014 (UTC)


  • Chalk requires no special care; whiteboard markers must be capped or else they dry out.
  • Chalk is an order of magnitude cheaper than whiteboard markers for a comparable amount of writing.
  • It is easier to draw lines of different weights and thicknesses with chalk than with whiteboard markers.
  • Dashed lines can be drawn very quickly using a technique involving the friction of the chalk and blackboard.
  • Chalk has a mild smell, whereas whiteboard markers often have a pungent odor.
  • Chalk writing often provides better contrast than whiteboard markers.
  • Chalk can be easily erased; writing which has been left on a whiteboard for a prolonged period may require a solvent to remove.
  • Chalk can be easily removed from most clothing; whiteboard markers often permanently stain fabric.
I disagree with a few of these statements.
Chalk is very difficult to write with, and takes a very long time to write compared with markers.
What does it mean, better contrast? It is much more difficult to see chalkboards!!
Chalk takes forever to erase, and requires the use of water or some cleaning solution to effectively clean the chalkboard. The statement of removing dry erase ink stains apply to cheap paneling, not porcelain or metal whiteboards.
Can I delete those statements? In Correct (talk) 21:19, 12 July 2016 (UTC)

Nails scratching

Would a reference to the scene in Jaws done by actor Robert Shaw be relevant and appropriate?? or is it too limited in scope?

'Quint : [Quint first scratches the chalk board to get everyone's attention] Y'all know me. Know how I earn a livin'. I'll catch this bird for you, but it ain't gonna be easy. Bad fish....' — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:CF99:2080:497D:264:E2B0:F46 (talk) 16:15, 23 November 2017 (UTC)

Blackboard --> chalkboard

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.
As of 9 Jul 2012, most of the refs are for blackboard and not chalkboard. This is in line with the recent page move, so this discussion can be safely closed. --KarlB (talk) 16:11, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

I've changed the references to a "blackboard" to "chalkboard". As much as I may detest the political correctness in the UK, the article is entitled "chalkboard". In addition, as noted both in the article lead and above, chalkboards may be of different colours. Please keep consistent in the article. 79.79.72.105 (talk) 18:59, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

You had no right to do that without board debate, please rename until the results of the survey are in. Twobells (talk) 12:25, 29 June 2012 (UTC)
Nonsense: he/she was perfectly properly making the article content consistent with the article title. That requires no discussion to confirm consensus: tacit consensus existed by virtue of the lack of any attempt to move the page. Kevin McE (talk) 17:51, 29 June 2012 (UTC)


Nooo that’s not right — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.132.221.105 (talk) 20:29, 24 June 2019 (UTC)

Actually, it's not proper to change the variant used in the contents of an article simply to make it consistent with the title. WP:RETAIN specifically says "An article should not be edited or renamed simply to switch from one valid use of English to another." There is no exception for this on the basis that a different language variant was selected as the the title. Just because blackboard is a redirect and chalkboard is the article title does not establish "chalkboard" as the preferred variant in the article. On the contrary, the guide says "When an English variety's consistent usage has been established in an article, it is maintained in the absence of consensus to the contrary." The term "consistent usage" is defined with emphasis on the phrase "within a given article." In this case, the article was originally written with the title "blackboard" and the original author used that term. On October 19, 2005, the article was moved to chalkboard, which was inappropriate. It is ironic to argue that the variant inappropriately applied for the title should be cascaded to the article's contents. The guidance is rather clear that the original variant used should not be changed. Coastside (talk) 22:52, 1 July 2012 (UTC)
Stop and think. Are you really suggesting that we should use one version for the title and the other in the text? Think how confusing this is and remember that helping the readers is more important than blindly following rules. Usage must conform to title, or readers will be greatly confused; if you object to one or the other on WP:ENGVAR grounds, you must first request that the page be moved. Nyttend (talk) 12:41, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
Stop and think. You are all responding to a change made by an IP in 2009. I don't think the IP is listening, frankly. And the discussion about a rename is happening below. Thus, let's have the discussion about the rename, once that's done, then consider how to use the various words in the article itself.--KarlB (talk) 12:55, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
Keep up guys. We had stopped. Since the RM was started, no-one other than the two of you, telling us to restrict comment on this to the RM discussion, have posted anywhere but in the RM discussion. Kevin McE (talk) 08:19, 8 July 2012 (UTC)
The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Requested move

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: moved per request. Favonian (talk) 15:13, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

Chalkboard → Blackboard – The word "blackboard" has more commonality than "chalkboard", which is chiefly used in the US and Canada. Also, the original article was written using the term "blackboard" throughout, and the article was titled "Blackboard." Someone inappropriately moved the article to "Chalkboard" on October 19, 2005, and this RM reverses that move.Coastside (talk) 08:05, 2 July 2012 (UTC) Coastside (talk) 08:05, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

Survey

Feel free to state your position on the renaming proposal by beginning a new line in this section with *'''Support''' or *'''Oppose''', then sign your comment with ~~~~. Since polling is not a substitute for discussion, please explain your reasons, taking into account Wikipedia's policy on article titles.
  • Support Had they not been largely superseded, at least in wealthier anglophone educational systems, by whiteboards, I suspect that chalkboard might have become prevalent, but I would judge the balance of usage in identifying terms according to wp:commonname to lie with blackboard Kevin McE (talk) 17:08, 6 July 2012 (UTC)

Discussion

Any additional comments:

Some statistics: Google Ngrams for worldwide English, American English both significantly favour blackboard. Brigham Young Uni Corpus of Contemporary American English has 498 for chalkboard and 910 for blackboard. Time Magazine Corpus has 19 for chalkboard (mostly 1990s) and 325 for blackboard (significantly tailing off in 1990s and 2000s). Article traffic statistics are not very useful here as many readers may arrive through links from other articles, particularly Classroom. Hope that helps. SpinningSpark 20:48, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Racial Significance

The term "blackboard" is politically incorrect and deemed racist by many people with low intelligence. Generally, most schools call it a "Blackboard" or a "Whiteboard". The word blackboard is perfectly fine to use, and anyone who does assume it is racist to state what said object is, is a complete idiot. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.228.134.97 (talk) 22:07, 23 September 2012 (UTC)

Is there any basis for why anyone thinks that is racist? It's the first time I have ever heard of that. If it is indeed true, would calling a whiteboard a whiteboard bring forth similar negative connotations as well? BlackHay21111 (talk) 15:50, 24 March 2014 (UTC)
Above is how I react when someone labels a term racist simply on the basis that it contains the words "black" or "white". No matter how dark or light a person's skin colour is, no human is ever truly black () or white (). Back to the topic at hand, in Australia at least, blackboards and whiteboards are common terms and I have never heard any one from any racial group here react negatively to either of them.124.176.96.80 (talk) 10:25, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

Agreed. It brings to mind the era when ordering 'black' or 'white' tea was deemed racist, and it should be with/without milk'. I consider myself a feminist, anti-fascist & ant-racist, but for pity's sake... Ride the Hurricane (talk) 19:31, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

But blackboards are green! This should mean something. --94.134.89.148 (talk) 20:52, 23 August 2018 (UTC)
Ride the Hurricane, I CANNOT believe you just referred to yourself as an "ant-racist", that's horrible. Ants are extremely hardworking, and dependable. For you to demean them with your speciesism is beyond reproach! I demand you withdraw this bigoted statement of pride! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:C7F:2C93:3200:6069:9B33:E664:915C (talk) 20:16, 2 November 2019 (UTC)

Science 3rd class

What is a blackboard made of 223.239.24.108 (talk) 11:11, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

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