When HN users recommended it
1 HN user recommended this between 2019 and 2022, in 2 comments.
20072026
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
1 HN user recommended this between 2019 and 2022, in 2 comments.
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
Professional Korean 70/30 Super Plush 500gsm Microfiber Detailing Towels (16x16, Blue)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GXRG64I/
In Germany they outfit classrooms with sinks and squeegees.
Over decades I've tried absolutely everything. I see colleagues in earlier stages of evolution on this (e.g. carrying a squeegee and a bucket), but mathematicians are unbelievably stubborn (think zebra) so one learns not to say anything. This is like debating programming languages: If all parties haven't written significant projects in all languages under debate, just learn to walk away.
Wet or dry, nothing beats a Korean microfiber auto detailing cloth. One or two passes damp (not wet enough to drip while walking) will clean a board better than the overnight cleaning staff. Dry will erase better than any eraser.
Most of the objections to blackboards or whiteboards can be mitigated by carrying one's own tools. For blackboards, I bring my own Hagoromo chalk [1,2] which has a wonderful touch and is radically less dusty, and several Korean microfiber auto detailing cloths [3]. I use a damp cloth to wipe the board before and after teaching, and a dry cloth as an erasor while teaching. Every month or so, I do a laundry load of all my cloths. I see colleagues in stages I've passed through, such as carrying a sponge, pail, and squeegee, and I've learned to say nothing. If there's a stage I haven't reached yet, however, I'm all ears.
Blackboards themselves also vary in quality; some ceramic surfaces can rival traditional slate. One can't really judge the experience starting with a cheap, dirty board and using institutional chalk and erasers.
I've enjoyed whiteboards in well-funded companies. In academics, it is profoundly embarrassing how often a speaker will have traveled for a lecture, only to find a dirty whiteboard and the local markers dried out. This is why speakers would rather lip-sync to PowerPoint slides. Were I using a whiteboard, I'd also bring my own tools.
Pad and paper is certainly easy, but artists brave serious messes to produce oil pastels for sale. In my case, students are carrying student loans half their lives. I prefer chalk over slides because it forces a live performance. I then share my Notability drawn notes, because they're better.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/HAGOROMO-Fulltouch-Color-Chalk-White/...
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Hagoromo-Fulltouch-72pieces-Yellow-Or...
[3] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GXRG64I/