And what exquisitely revealed discovery, accidentally erased by custodial staff! Never to be repeated again. Oh no! Now we a have a replacement tragedy. Several ways to lose computer memory.

When I began teaching my first college class, I couldn't hold chalk in my hand splint. I nearly panicked until I found at the local drugstore/office-supply a chalk holder with a convenient clip to put in one's breast pocket where the cigarettes went unless you were an academic or engineer with the plastic ink guard housing all kinds of handy instruments.

With the chalk holder holding the chalk steady and keeping it from breaking, in a one hour class I often filled the entire board twice and always assigned one student to wipe it clean because I couldn't. I was amazed that my own output trying to draw pictures of problems so that my students would get it into their numbskulls what the numbers were doing. By 1980 I was doing handcrafted overhead transparencies that I copied for the students as their notes so they wouldn't have to write down everything I said or had put on the transparency. It worked well because they paid closer attention to my discussion.

I never liked whiteboards because of the smeary colored inks, but I guess it was better than chalk that got on everything, especially dark suits. PowerPoint came along and the rest is history. Now it is zoom, but talking heads aren't better.

Ron

What history lurked beneath blackboard surfaces, indeed. Powerful imagery. If only history were remembered...much less taught. What lessons we could learn.
Blessings,
~Ann

We all probably remember the blackboard and chalk with mixed feelings…
But there was a human voice encouraging learning…with connection,
and interaction…
Now sterile technology, and often solitary learning has replaced this…
My belief is we take information in better with human communication…
What I don’t miss however, is that edge of teeth feeling when the
chalk squeaked on the blackboard!!
Interesting topic!…

Diana…