Whiteboards are useful; they can be used for many different things, from in the classroom, to at home or the office.
They are the perfect tool for explain concepts to a large group, Everyone get the same information at the same time. You can take a photo of the information, then wipe it off and repeat the process. They are also great for group work. Again, having a single surface where everyone can get their ideas down visually, leave them up there to ponder, and discuss is very helpful as it lends itself to most learning types. Visual learners (approx. 65%) can see the information and get a visual representation of the concept. For Auditory learners, they can read it aloud from the whiteboard, it can be especially help if you categorise the keywords onto whiteboard for these people, and kinesthetic learners, should probably be the ones doing the writing. It will help their learning process to connect the movement with the new information.
They are great for orgnising the family, or creating to-do list for chores, maintenance and projects that need to be done around the home. We use ours for all of the above, and for a shopping list. We have a wall in our kitchen covered with a WriteWall, as we run out of food, we put it up on the board, by the end of the week the shopping list has pretty much written itself. The shopping list is kept at eye-level. Maintenance and projects are up the top, as they are slower to tick off. Down the bottom is where the kids draw and play.
They can be great for discussing how a project will work. Consider, when you are building something, say a framing system, it is best to be able to talk with your fabrication team, discuss exactly how you will do it, before going to structural drawings. Whiteboards are perfect for this as they allow you to draw a plan, elevation, or cross-section, or multiple different versions to discuss. It is easy for any team member to make edits to the method in real-time to aid the discussion. This engages employees, and gives purpose to their role, increases the speed of the development process and leads to better results for the customer and company.
There are many other uses for whiteboards, like daily to-do list. Hint: try having a Think Space on your desk, I have a 400mm square one on mine, and using it to write down the most important thing you need to achieve that week, the things that will really move the needle, so to speak. Then focus on working through these. We have found this incredibly helpful
Other ways to use whiteboards, are for as a clock for kids. The Goal dot is a great tool to use a clock with it’s circular shape, you can design a clock which shows when your child can play, do homework, when dinner is and teeth and shower. This help set the expectations and form routine which important for your children.
However you use your whiteboard, we certainly thing that they are useful. We would love to hear how you use yours.