To be fair, the debate over the relative benefits of whiteboards and blackboards is not one that the Gods of Math-Whizz have been following closely of late.
Even so, the Gods noticed a short piece by Slate.com’s Green Lantern discussing the environmental impact of either device.
The piece is worth a read, if nothing else, for the recognition that education about our individual and collective environmental impact starts at elementary school, and that teachers play a huge part in this, whether or not they’re deciding on the merits of Magic Marker over Stick-O-Chalk:
…there are plenty of free, easy things you can do to reduce your classroom’s footprint.
For example, you can shut off all the lights if the room is going to sit empty for more than a few minutes. According to Pacific Gas and Electric, up to between 8 percent and 20 percent of a school’s lighting energy can be saved this way. Keep computers, printers, televisions, and other electronics powered down when not in use.
Better yet, involve your students in your monitoring efforts. If you can help them understand how small choices made in individual classrooms can add up on an institutional level—a lesson that they’ll hopefully take into adulthood—you’ll be doing a lot more for the planet than you would by personally choosing one type of writing utensil over another.
Whichever writing method your school (or your child’s school) uses, it’s worth pointing out that Math-Whizz works best on an interactive whiteboard – something that never requires pen refills or new packs of chalk.