Glass Whiteboards

Interactive Whiteboard Statistics

by Team Clarus on May 14, 2012

Interactive whiteboards are steadily growing in popularity for the past ten years. Interactive whiteboards offer educators a fully integrated board that allows a variety of features, and while they have taken a few years of undergoing a public research and testing phase, they are becoming an extremely useful tool for many teachers and professors. The numbers don’t lie, and an annual survey carried out by The British Educational Suppliers Association reported that in 2004 26% of primary schools in the United Kingdom had an interactive whiteboard of some kind. This number was up 5% from 2003. Furthermore, 73% of primary schools have at least one whiteboard in the school.

Not only have they seen rapid growth over the pond, but one U.S. company reported that 557,000 interactive whiteboards were shipped in 2008, which was a huge 32% increase from 2007. Now there are over two million interactive whiteboards installed worldwide and whiteboard companies foresee the one out of every five classrooms will have an interactive whiteboard by the end of 2013.

Since interactive whiteboards are obviously here to stay there are two important factors in choosing which one is best for your curriculum. As with any technology, the interactive whiteboard is constantly evolving and becoming better. The marketplace for interactive whiteboards has become extremely competitive in the past few years, which gives schools and colleges great options and even a bit of bargaining power, based on how large their order is.

One of the most important things to look for in an interactive whiteboard is a quality product. While whiteboards have been out for over a decade now, it doesn’t mean their prices have dropped or that you can find a high-quality board for a steal. Being a cheap or faulty interactive whiteboard can create problems, since many teachers will avoid using certain technologies if they aren’t consistently working.

This is why quality is one of the biggest factors in how long your board will last. Some glass whiteboards will have upgradable software and tools, so investing in a good board can definitely pay off in the long-run. One of the best boards you can get now is a glass dry erase interactive board, since the glass not only gives a sleek and modern look, but never has problems with ghosting and streaking. Glass lasts for many years and won’t need to be replaced like an ordinary whiteboard.

About Clarus Glassboards: Clarus is the leading manufacturer and innovator of glass whiteboards and glass visual display products. For more information about clear dry erase boards and our other glass architectural systems, please call 888-813-7414 or visit www.clarusglassboards.com.

Part II: Most Effective Study Tools for College Students

by Team Clarus on May 11, 2012

Preparing your child for college can be an exciting and overwhelming time. While some parents worry about their children living on their own for the first time, and adjusting to their new homes, many parents will overlook their children’s grades for the first few semesters. One of the best ways to keep your student on track is to supply them with the best study tools possible and to stay involved in their daily or weekly academic schedule. Here are a few more great study tools:

Highlighters – Books for school have become outrageously expensive. Some classes can tack on another $200 or even $300 in books and study materials in addition to the cost of tuition. While you may want your child to keep their books in pristine condition for the buyback value, it’s not realistic to expect them to do so. Highlighting is one of the best ways your student can stay focused on written material, and the more colors they use, the better they can categorize the information in their head. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to only find about a 10-20% return on a book that’s re-purchased, and it’s not worth the money to keep a book spotless. Even worse is that sometimes a professor will switch editions for future semesters and your book will have close to no buyback value whether it’s highlighted, ripped and torn or in manufacturer’s condition.

Recorder – A recorder can be a great tool for many new college students, since professors can be much less accommodating on repeating information or re-writing formulas and equations. A recorder is discreet and can be used in conjunction with note-taking, or can be an extremely valuable tool for auditory learners, since they much rather hear the information on repeat than read the notes they were able to take down.

Whiteboard – Personal whiteboards are a great studying tool for college kids, since they are used to taking notes and having a visual representation in most classes. Whiteboards are great for dorm rooms, since your student can use them for studying, leaving messages to their roommates or even keeping track of their class schedules. Not only are magnetic glass boards great for personal use, your student can host study groups or brainstorming sessions in their communal space if their whiteboard is large enough. Whiteboards make sense not only because your student is used to learning from them, but because the information can be left up the week before an exam to help keep information fresh in their minds.

About Clarus Glassboards: Clarus is the leading manufacturer and innovator of glass whiteboards and glass visual display products. For more information about clear dry erase boards and our other glass architectural systems, please call 888-813-7414 or visit www.clarusglassboards.com.

Part I: Most Effective Study Tools for College Students

by Team Clarus on May 11, 2012

College is an exciting time in any young adult’s life; most are on their own for the first time in their lives, and while they’ve been studying for years in grade school, college can be a whole new world. Often times, college and university classes are so large, professors won’t even bother taking attendance or asking where your assignments are. While it may be a nice change for some kids, less supervision in the classroom can lead to slipping grades. So how can you prepare your kid for their first few years of college?

It’s important to stay involved in their education. Parents tend to worry about their children adjusting to their new living situation, whether or not they are making friends, and if they have enough money to get by. While these are all valid concerns, parents can quickly forget that their child is at school for their education first and foremost. Many kids can get off track in the first couple semesters, since they are completely unsupervised for the first time in their lives. While it’s a common mistake that can be easily corrected, some colleges are less tolerant of slacking scores and your child can find themselves on academic probation very quickly. Setting your college student up with the right tools can help them stay on track:

Laptop – One of the best tools you can get your college student is a laptop, since they can take it with them to class and take notes, give presentations and bring it to study groups. While a laptop can be extremely useful, it’s important that your student have a personal computer of their own, even if it’s not portable. Libraries do offer computers and sometimes extended computer times, but come exam time your student may find it extremely difficult to find an open computer and their studying may suffer.

Flash Cards – Flash cards may seem like an antiquated study tool, but for many majors, it can be one of the most effective forms of studying. Pre-med students find flash cards extremely helpful, since they are often tested on hundreds or even thousands of vocabulary words for anatomy, biology, chemistry and pharmacy classes. Flash cards are a great study tool, since they can take them from class to class, study during their lunch break and even take them to a friend’s place to study.

To read more about effective study tools, check out Part II on our glass whiteboard blog, Clarus.

About Clarus Glassboards: Clarus is the leading manufacturer and innovator of glass whiteboards and glass visual display products. For more information about clear dry erase boards and our other glass architectural systems, please call 888-813-7414 or visit www.clarusglassboards.com.

Whiteboard Staining and Ghosting

by Team Clarus on April 23, 2012

Whiteboards have been the better chalk board alternative for over twenty years; you don’t need any messy chalks, you can write in multiple colors, and they wipe clean—most of the time, at least. While whiteboards have become one of the most popular boards in classrooms, offices, and even home, their streaking, staining and ghosting can become frustrating fast.

So why do whiteboards streak and stain to begin with? One of the biggest problems with whiteboards is that you should only use dry erase markers on these surfaces, which can dry out quickly and leave you in a bind when you’ve run out of ink.

If you’ve accidentally used a permanent market or grease pen on the board, you will need to specially clean your board before it’s ruined. The pigments in permanent markers contain extremely water-resistant chemicals, which can make cleaning a pain. Nail polish remover and acetones can typically remove the permanent marker without too much staining and damage to the board.

The more common reason a whiteboard will ghost or stain is because dry erase marker ink is made of color pigments similar to permanent markers. In fact, the only real difference between a permanent marker and a dry erase marker is that dry erase markers use an oily silicone polymer that keeps the pigment from sticking to non-porous surfaces.

While the dry erase marker typically wipes clean from surfaces, most whiteboards have a slight static charge to help the pigment stick to the surface. Over time whiteboards no longer wipe clean and can leave ugly stains and ghosted images. Once your board starts staining, you will need to clean it every few uses, to ensure a clean and streak-free board. Not only can it be a pain to constantly clean your boards, but the additional chemicals will add wear and tear and reduce your board’s lifespan.

One of the best ways to avoid whiteboard staining and streaking is to invest in a glass whiteboard, which will never stain or streak. Glass whiteboards can come in black, white, clear or even custom colors and are more eco-friendly. A glass whiteboard will never stain, streak or ghost because the surface is completely non-porous, and the glass is tempered for extra strength. Glassboards are a great investment, because you won’t need to constantly replace them due to staining or wear and tear.

About Clarus Glassboards: Clarus is the leading manufacturer and innovator of glass whiteboards and glass visual display products. For more information about clear dry erase boards and our other glass architectural systems, please call 888-813-7414 or visit www.clarusglassboards.com.

Why Buy a Magnetic Glass Whiteboard?

by Team Clarus on April 20, 2012

Magnetic whiteboards are one of the best ways to communicate in schools, offices and especially at home. Glass whiteboards are the newest and best product on the market that replace the traditional whiteboard. Glass whiteboards offer a cleaner, more durable surface without the worry of streaking and staining. Not only are can you choose between a clear or a back-painted board, but they even have magnetic boards available. So why opt for a magnetic board?

College Teaching Board – Professors love magnetic whiteboards because often times, they don’t have their own classrooms. Many colleges will schedule a professor in a classroom based on their schedule, class size and building. Professors have their own offices, but when they have no name papers and exams, they need to display them to the class. Magnetic boards allow a professor to post no name papers, lists of group projects and even exam grades up for their classes to see. Not only are they a great resource for memos and missing assignments, but many professors utilize these boards to help them illustrate their lectures. History professors can attach pictures of historic figures for visuals, and science teachers may want to hang the periodic table for referencing during class.

Office Memo Board – Most organized offices have a Go-To meeting area or memo board. These memo boards may keep information like employee schedules, holiday notices and important office updates. Using a glass whiteboard as your office memo board helps you to keep the information all in one place. You can use your conference or presentation room and clear the memos whenever you need to write or present to your employees or clients. This way you are condensing the important information to one room, so your employees know exactly where to go if they have any questions.

Home Organization Board – Keeping a young family organized and on top of schedule is much more difficult than you’d think. A few years ago, many of us used our refrigerators as a magnetic board; which held our dearest paintings, good grades and important reminders. Any family with younger children knows how impossible this is to do. Magnets can be a choking hazard for younger children and can be pulled off or fall off every time the refrigerator door is slammed shut. Using a separate magnetic glass board is great, because you are no longer confined to the kitchen, you can install it as high up as needed, and you can keep it looking organized and neat.

About Clarus Glassboards: Clarus is the leading manufacturer and innovator of glass whiteboards and glass visual display products. For more information about clear dry erase boards and our other glass architectural systems, please call 888-813-7414 or visit www.clarusglassboards.com.

Why Universities Should Switch to Glass Whiteboards

by Team Clarus on April 5, 2012

Since the recession hit, public Colleges and Universities have been feeling the financial strain of constant budget cuts. Entire programs have been cut and curriculums slashed due to the lack of funding. While Colleges and Universities are cutting back, they are still looking to spend their money on long-lasting and cost-effective products and services to ensure their survival. We tend to look at public institutions, like schools and hospitals, as a public service, when they are, in fact, businesses. Since Colleges and Universities have a strict budget, they are looking to get every penny out of their choices.

Many new students are baffled by the walls of chalk boards when arriving to College. While some students may be used to the antiquated boards, others have had their entire education taught on a whiteboard and don’t understand the switch. One of the reasons these schools have stuck with chalk boards is for durability. Colleges and Universities have to think long-term when making purchasing decisions and a typical whiteboard does not have a long enough lifespan to justify the purchase.

Whiteboards tend to ghost and streak, even in the first year of use. While you can buy cleaning products and chemicals to clean these products, the boards still become dirty and illegible very quickly. Not only are the cleaning chemicals an added expense, but they are not typically environmentally friendly by any means. With a typical lifespan of 5-10 years, many people can’t blame Universities for sticking with the outdated chalk boards, but now they have a better option.

Glassboards are the newest and best products on the market, as an alternative to both whiteboards and chalk boards. Glassboards are made with an extremely durable, tempered glass that’s up to ten times stronger than ordinary glass. The non-porous surface makes glass boards extremely easy for writing with dry-erase markers, permanent markers and even grease pens, making the boards even more versatile. Not only can you use various markers and pens on this product, but clean up is extremely simple and you never once have to worry about ghosting or streaking.

Glass whiteboards are an ideal product for Colleges and Universities, since they are durable, long-lasting and low-maintenance. Teachers can keep information available to students longer by keeping a board with information written in permanent marker. As an added bonus, many glassboards feature a magnetic pull, which allows teachers to post exam grades, group projects and nameless papers on the board for students to see before and after class.

About Clarus Glassboards: Clarus is the leading manufacturer and innovator of glass whiteboards and glass visual display products. For more information about clear dry erase boards and our other glass architectural systems, please call 888-813-7414 or visit www.clarusglassboards.com.

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