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How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

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Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#81

Post by idleproc »

VSpike wrote: post #55

I was at school in the 80s and 90s in the UK and this brings back very fond memories of a highly eccentric Latin teacher I had, who mastered this technique and used it frequently. The other memorable thing about him was how he'd tell us he was going to do some photocopying and head off with no paperwork, only to return 5 minutes later still with no paperwork but smelling of pipe smoke. Some more modern classrooms had…

I too was at school in the UK during the 80s and 90s and don't have any fond memories. Maybe because it wasn't a school with Latin in the curriculum. I had two science teachers: a young one and one nearing retirement.

The young science teacher spent the whole lesson writing from his notes onto the blackboard, while the whole class just copied it verbatim. His only interaction was asking whether everyone had finished, before wiping one-half of the board clean to continue.

The other science teacher had us read from our textbooks all lesson, and his only interaction was to get annoyed when we made so much racket he couldn't read the newspaper. He always seemed the smarter of the two teachers to me.

I got the same grade in both exams.

Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#82

Post by ghaff »

NamTaf wrote: post #42
guntherhermann wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK they still call them "blackboards", I've never seen a green one over here.

Yup, as an Aussie my understanding is that UK English would call it a blackboard whereas US English would call it a chalkboard. AU English therefore followed the UK, regardless of if they're the dark angels-esque green or fully black colour.

I've pretty much always heard it as blackboard in the US though I wouldn't do a double-take if someone called it a chalkboard. I'm pretty sure I've seen green variants but not at all commonly.

Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#83

Post by gilleain »

nickdothutton wrote: post #64
VSpike wrote: post #55

I was at school in the 80s and 90s in the UK and this brings back very fond memories of a highly eccentric Latin teacher I had, who mastered this technique and used it frequently. The other memorable thing about him was how he'd tell us he was going to do some photocopying and head off with no paperwork, only to return 5 minutes later still with no paperwork but smelling of pipe smoke. Some more modern classrooms had…

I considered one of those rollerboards from Wilson and Garden, Ltd, in Glasgow, UK, for my home office. Somehow working with ipad+pencil is just not the same.

As a compromise, you can get blackboard paint, and paint any size of surface you want to be a blackboard.

Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#84

Post by ubermonkey »

The look of the chalk on the board in the photos there is just lovely. I often think about getting some high quality board and chalk for my home office, but then remember we have cats so adding ANOTHER source of dust is maybe not the best idea.

But chalkboards > whiteboards all day long.

Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#85

Post by typhonic »

I learned this technique in the mid 70s, but I didn't attend MIT. I still remember a math class in 1973 that was sort of rowdy. One of the students was presenting. He wanted to draw a circle on the board, but there were actual, occasional, spitballs. If he took his eyes off of the class he would have been a sitting duck. Not to be deterred, this student, Kem, stood at the chalkboard facing the class with a piece of chalk behind his back, touching the board near the bottom. He swung his arm out and up and, at the same time, began to pivot around. His chalk went up to the top of the board, all the way around, and back to the bottom just as he turned to face the class again. The circle was elegant, no one had time to launch a spitball, and he gained another level of respect in the class - he already had a lot.

Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#86

Post by layer8 »

wyclif wrote: post #4

He links to the whiteboard post, which is interesting because it shows the toothpaste technique for cleaning them. The best buy ever for me was this large, glass whiteboard which is so much easier to erase and clean than a normal whiteboard: https://www.glasswhiteboard.com/

Those create a shadow of what you write, because the glass creates a gap between the writing and the white background, right?

Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#87

Post by prashp »

idleproc wrote: post #81
VSpike wrote: post #55

I was at school in the 80s and 90s in the UK and this brings back very fond memories of a highly eccentric Latin teacher I had, who mastered this technique and used it frequently. The other memorable thing about him was how he'd tell us he was going to do some photocopying and head off with no paperwork, only to return 5 minutes later still with no paperwork but smelling of pipe smoke. Some more modern classrooms had…

I too was at school in the UK during the 80s and 90s and don't have any fond memories. Maybe because it wasn't a school with Latin in the curriculum. I had two science teachers: a young one and one nearing retirement. The young science teacher spent the whole lesson writing from his notes onto the blackboard, while the whole class just copied it verbatim. His only interaction was asking whether everyone had finished,…

I was in a school in the UK during the 00s and I have OK memories. It had Latin in the curriculum, so I think we can conclude Latin does not correlate with fondness of memories.

The teachers used annoying 'SMART' boards and if they ever got board marker ink on them they would freak out.

Re: How to draw dotted lines on chalkboards, MIT style (2021)

#89

Post by rationalist »

b112 wrote: post #44
gumby wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not an explantion, but I do remember when they first arrived (there was one the year I began high school -- new physics teacher got to set it up how he wanted) and no new ones when I left. I also saw then appear at MIT, again, mainly new construction/renovation. Chalk boards came in black or green. That name is lost in history, to me. Whiteboards were kind of a shock by comparison -- bright rather than dark -- so it…

"dry erase" means the ink comes off even when dry, as opposed to a permanent marker. Also, after a long time, even dry erase needs toothpaste to come off.

I've never heard of using toothpaste, but one can take off old dry erase or even permanent marker by going over it with fresh dry erase, then erasing normally.
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