Hands-down, the best presentation and note-taking math class I recall in college (discrete mathematics, a graph theory course, heavy on drawings) was run through a Wacom pen display on the lectern, linked to a projector. The professor could accurately and cleanly draw the required notation with his hand flat. Why erase when space is infinite, just scroll and/or zoom in the desired direction. A full color spectrum was available. If something needed a chart or other graphic to better explain, that was a swipe away. And the output of the lecture was always available after class, so you could take notes on the important parts or follow-up questions, instead of having to try to scratch everything he narrated as fast as he could speak and write. It just made so much sense.
Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
31–40 of 126 posts
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#32> “Maintaining a clean whiteboard is much more of a pain,” he said. There’s the cleaning fluid, which costs money, and the chemicals can cause health problems. A clean blackboard is not that fun either. To clean it nicely you need to sweep the whole of it down vertically with a wet sponge. This requires a water source and it's a messy deal. In high-school there was a daily designated pupil who was responsible for wip…
Also the "cleaning fluid" is just isopropyl alcohol
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Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Also the "cleaning fluid" is just isopropyl alcohol
Is inhaling small amounts of isopropyl alcohol safe? I found conflicting information online. Apparently it's also used for pipe and vape cleaner.
For questions like these, I would start with the MSDS. While the MSDS doesn't always answer your questions, they tend to be reasonably conservative relative to typical use. For example, they sometimes recommend safety gear that people ignore.
Keep in mind that isopropyl alcohol is available at different concentrations, and the different concentrations have different MSDS. Here are the hazard / precautionary statments from the MSDS:
H335 - May cause respiratory irritation P261 - Avoid breathing mist, vapors, spray. P271 - Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
Note that "avoid breathing mist, vapors, spray" is not an especially strong statement.
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#34Porcelain whiteboards are, in my opinion, far superior to chalk. Color, distinct lines, easy to clean with just water (completely with no marks). Those who complain about whiteboards usually are only familiar with melamine boards. I got a big porcelain board for 5 bucks on eBay because one corner was dented. Best purchase of my life.
I never know there is such a thing, could you me a link?
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#35I had one lecturer in my 4 years at university that only used a chalkboard, and most pupils despised him because the pace as which he wrote far surpassed the rate at we we could sensibly copy notes. We wrote it out, but it gave little time to actually consider the concept we were learning. The rest of my lecturers all used PowerPoint presentations for the most part, in conjunction with print-outs so we could follow a…
In this day and age why not pay attention to what the prof is saying, take scarce notes and use a phone to take a snapshot of the blackboard and rewrite it later for better comprehension. One could also use audio or even video.
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#36This chalk looks much nicer than the usual one.
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#37If only this chalk was easier to erase then regular chalk (the dust chalk it creates is also a problem though).
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#38I had one lecturer in my 4 years at university that only used a chalkboard, and most pupils despised him because the pace as which he wrote far surpassed the rate at we we could sensibly copy notes. We wrote it out, but it gave little time to actually consider the concept we were learning. The rest of my lecturers all used PowerPoint presentations for the most part, in conjunction with print-outs so we could follow a…
In this day and age why not pay attention to what the prof is saying, take scarce notes and use a phone to take a snapshot of the blackboard and rewrite it later for better comprehension. One could also use audio or even video.
Many of us did just that, and we had one classmate who recorded the lecture using a high-def camera to replay later, but all it took was one difficult to read segment and the notes became illegible. The lecturer also got incredibly aggravated when people didn't write notes, which didn't help matters also.
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#39I studied physics and this at a time when faculty gradually changed from blackboard-based lectures to powerpoint. The blackboard-based lectures were far superior to any other way of lecturing (in my view). Main benefit was in the speed of presentation. Writing on a blackboard takes some time, the lecturer is slow enough in presenting that you can really follow along, while not "standing still". What a contrast to pow…
> Main benefit was in the speed of presentation. Writing on a blackboard takes some time, the lecturer is slow enough in presenting that you can really follow along, while not "standing still".
While I love chalk, and miss it since my current university uses whiteboards (actually stupid @#@#* WallTalkers, despite our pleas), it's hardly the case that the two options are 'chalk' or 'Powerpoint'. Also, Powerpoint slides can be delivered at a reasonable pace—I've seen many professors fruitfully use slides with blanks, distributed to the students in advance, on which students can take notes—and chalk-and-talk lectures are scarcely universal models of pacing—one 'remedy' often pursued by lecturers who want to go faster than they can write is just not to write anything.
Re: Mathematicians are hoarding a type of Japanese chalk (2015)
#40Porcelain whiteboards are, in my opinion, far superior to chalk. Color, distinct lines, easy to clean with just water (completely with no marks). Those who complain about whiteboards usually are only familiar with melamine boards. I got a big porcelain board for 5 bucks on eBay because one corner was dented. Best purchase of my life.
The problem I have with whiteboards, and especially porcelain ones, is that they are too slippery. Writing on a chalkboard offers a certain amount of resistance and texture that just feels better than on a whiteboard. This is also something that you really need a high-quality board to experience. The texture of cheap chalkboards is not very pleasant either.