There are two main types of whiteboards that are similar to blackboards. The first is a simple white plank that has a flat surface on which writing or drawings can be done. This type of whiteboard served as one of the first replacements for blackboards. Most commonly, they are made from melamine or porcelain steel, and as the name implies, are white in color.
Blackboards are flat writing or drawing surfaces. Several decades ago, they were made out of slate. Since the slate usually was black in color, this gave blackboards their name. However, blackboards can be other colors, such as brown or more commonly green.
Blackboards and whiteboards are used almost identically. A person uses a writing tool on the whiteboard or blackboard, which usually is placed on a wall, to write words, diagrams, or pictures. However, the tools themselves are not the same. Chalk is used on a traditional blackboard, while the specialized markers are needed for the whiteboards. Both chalk and markers come in multiple colors.
Because the use of chalk results in chalk dust that can aggravate allergies, some people do not like to use traditional blackboards. Chalk dust also has to be washed from your hands after the board is used. In contrast, whiteboards use markers and therefore do not put any type of dust into the air. They do not leave any coating that has to be washed from your hands, and so are considered cleaner.
Both whiteboards and chalkboards can be reused as many times as desired. Blackboards are cleaned with erasers that typically are made from felt. Whiteboards are cleaned with special dry erase erasers, and if marker residue builds up, they are wiped down with a general surface cleanser. Users of whiteboards, however, have to be more careful of the writing utensil they select---only dry erase markers can be used on whiteboards, since permanent markers or other markers will not come off the whiteboard surface.
Blackboards and whiteboards most commonly are used in schools. Schools that are older or which do not have as much funding tend to have blackboards, while newer schools or schools that have more money tend to have whiteboards. Whiteboards also have come into use in conference rooms, laboratories and police stations.