Consumption

Design

Like other forms of educational technology, the design of blackboards was strongly influenced by the need of educators. Educators required apparatus that was cheap, adaptable to their needs. Teachers appreciated the possibility of adding and subtracting information that blackboards provided. As the proliferation of boards in the mid-19th century followed the expansion of education, blackboards became a common symbol of learning. An expanded school system required more materials, of which blackboards became a predominant item. Furthermore, the more the blackboard was in use, the greater it was able to act as a mediator of social relations.

The desire for institutions to possess blackboards was partially driven by the need to maintain existing social relations in the classroom. Adrian Forty, a notable design historian, has pointed to the transmission of ideas as a crucial factor in the design of objects. (Forty, 6) Educational thinkers were certainly aware of the transmissible powers of the blackboard. Clearly the basic design of blackboards proved effective, as later replacements such as the green board and whiteboard remained essentially the same in design.

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