Monday 12 August 2013

Blackboard skills

When we first started teaching in the late 1970’s, written communication with pupils was via the chalk blackboard or the banda machine.

Nowadays blackboards are hardly ever used in schools, in fact all of ours were removed to be replaced with very expensive interactive whiteboards. We also have a few small metal white boards.

Although I use my interactive whiteboard constantly, I love the look of words written on a blackboard. Mind you, I can’t write in comic sans whereas I am able to type in it!!

Still, Tim has found a good use for all of that all of that redundant chalk …

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He takes a photograph of our kitchen notice board at Le Petit-Pressigny.

What he hasn’t got the knack of doing yet is to check the photograph of the list BEFORE we return to France!

20 comments:

  1. I love using chalk rather than an interactive whiteboard [but not fond of comic sans though!] My beloved bought a tin of blackboard paint in B&Q recently, in order to revive an old board which was due to be discarded. Now he is painting all sorts of surfaces black and there is chalk everywhere!! What does (H) mean though?? xx

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  2. Not certain. I'll have to ask!

    I'm dangerous with a paintbrush in hand. I'll paint anything that doesn't move...

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  3. So...
    you've put the list up to remind him this time...
    provided he reads the blog!!

    [H]...
    hand....?
    hair...? Brylcreem...
    household...? As opposed to car...
    hump...
    h'elbow...
    ....
    ...
    ..
    .
    ???

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    1. Oh... and the fire rope and glue is available in one package from most Bricos.

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    2. Thanks for the info Tim. Truth to tell life here is so busy at the moment that i was looking for a quick post... :0)

      Have forgotten to ask Tim about the H

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  4. Just a guess: Maybe 'H' stands for 'High Priority' ??? or 'Home'. But you'd better ask Tim, though! Martine :)

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    1. Could be... However Tim hardly ever ventures into a shop!

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  5. My guess is that "H" stands for home, whereas all the other stuff is to take to Le Petit-Pressigny.
    Have a safe journey.....hoping to catch up with you this time.

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    1. I suggest a rendezvous chez nous...
      then you can help us eat the potager...
      and it is about time we hosted!!

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  6. In the academy where I worked, we only had a blackboard and I loved using it for writing and drawing. But hated cleaning it - fortunately, the kids thought it was a special treat to be able to clean it!
    I would like one for our shopping lists - never thought of blackboard paint. Mind you - we'd forget to check it before we went shopping....
    Axxx

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    1. Ours is rather large and was on the kitchen wall when we bought the house.

      We make lists and then lose them. this is one list that is difficult to lose! I must take out some coloured chalk; that would cause us some senior moments...

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  7. The banda machine - oh that ghastly purple! Some things I don't miss. At the Poly we had roller blackboards with tears in, it was fun getting them to gallop.

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    1. Ahhh! But the solvent smelt wonderful!

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    2. I didn't miss the banda as you'd be hand writing a worksheet on to the carbon and then make a mistake and have to start again. Also invariably one would start the day covered in the banda fluid or purple smudges!

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  8. Yes I love using the blackboard too. I teach music from home so often use it during lessons and may I add that it is easier to clean chalk dust then try and get whiteboard marker pen off your furnishings and chairs and piano keys and floors and walls and......

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    1. Hi CorrieCooks,
      I know what you mean about cleaning off the board. It's almost impossible to remove all of the pen even with the solvent and I guess sort furnishings really do suffer.

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  9. I've always like the idea of having a blackboard in the kitchen - very practical.
    I'm not sure I understand the benefit of schools "upgrading" from an erasable black board to an erasable white board. Or is it the kind which can electronically capture what's on the white board so you can print it off for the students? That makes some sense.
    I'm thinking that perhaps H indicated the shop where the grease and superglue were to be purchased?

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    1. Hi Craig,

      An interactive whiteboard is linked to the computer so will display what is on the computer via a data projector but also with an electronic pen you can control the computer from the board and overwrite on powepoints and some other software called flipcharts.

      Yor can also write and get the board to change it into text, play games etc. You can also as you suggest electronically capture and print out. The board will ring a bell as a timer and all sorts. They are very sophisticated.

      Tim thinks that these whiteboards are the 'emperors new clothes' of education!!

      It is great kit but they are very expensive and my fear is that schools won't be able to replace them as they wear out.

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  10. I was always very proud of my blackboard historical maps....and now, I too have a little one of the kitchen wall in France. Jess is talking about painting a whole wall in her kitchen with blackboard paint so she can write notes on it. I will warn her about the chalky mess she will have to clear up on a daily basis if she goes ahead with the plan.
    The point about taking lists of things to get and things to do, between countries, rings a bell here too. I know I'll get back to Caunes in a couple of weeks time and see, on the blackboard, a list of things I was supposed to get/do whilst in the UK. Jx

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