Use electrical tape to set up a pencil station like this one by @TheAlexNieves. Then have students write in their name when they need to borrow a pencil to save your pencil stash from going dry. Accidents happen! Fortunately, Kenarry notes that you can clean dry erase marker off a painted wall by rubbing gently with rubbing alcohol. (Test in an inconspicuous place first to make sure it’s safe on your wall.) 20. Revive dried-out markers If you’ve got a die cut machine, use it to cut out adhesive vinyl outlines of favorite characters or shapes. Then add them to the whiteboard like @messygorgeouschaos did, and you’ve got a DIY coloring wall! 10. Add focal points with dry erase dots

Toothpaste is a mild abrasive, enough to clean stubborn marks without damaging your board. Choose the plain white paste type for best results. Learn more at Wikihow. 17. Re-use dryer sheets to keep things cleanSave your used fabric softener sheets because they make terrific whiteboard erasers! Watch a video to see this in action at BTOD. 18. Refresh and protect an old board with WD-40 Did someone accidentally write on the whiteboard with a permanent marker? Good news! Imagination Soup confirms that all you need to do is write over it with a dry erase marker, and the alcohol in the ink will help lift the permanent marker up when you erase. Alcohol-based disinfecting wipes work too. 15. DIY some whiteboard cleaner If you think you might like to try one of them, this detailed comparison of the two apps might help you decide which one will suit your purposes. Considerations and further guidance

If you want something that can be used in a live session but also before and/or after the class then Padlet or Microsoft Whiteboard would be good choices depending on the activity. We have written several blog posts about Padlet which should give you an idea of the possibilities:Sometimes detergents cause their own problems, so I only use them if there is actual dirt on the board (from people's fingers or mishaps). My standard "deep clean" technique is as follows: You can buy pre-made whiteboard calendars or just make your own with paint markers or striping tape. Cute monthly decorations like the ones from @emily.ollis are optional, but so fun! 28. Add clothespins with removable adhesive strips Our office has installed new whiteboards over the last two years. Many of these boards are heavily used and have already devolved to the point of being useless -- the writing on them has become all but permanent and they are heavily stained. If there are stubborn marks, use a cloth dampened with isopropanol or 70%+ ethanol to gently remove them. When learning together, a digital space to capture and/or organise ideas can be useful. Whether in-person or remote, synchronous or asynchronous, activities using digital whiteboards can help students to build on each other’s learning. This post will look at a few types of activities and some tools that could be used for them. Whiteboard activities

Dried-out markers are inevitable. Sometimes, though, you can rescue them using this method from Preschool Inspirations. Run the tip under a very slow stream of water to re-wet it. Then wrap the tip in plastic wrap, add the lid, and let sit overnight. Test the marker to see if it worked. If you can add a magnet to it, you can use it on your whiteboard! Miss Giraffe uses this idea for base 10 cubes and rulers. 7. Frame off sections I've tried commercial white board cleaner. It's about the same as household cleaner, but is more expensive. Before we consider some of the digital tools available it is worth thinking about what your collaborative activity is intended to achieve and the context in which it is happening. Here are some examples of ways that digital whiteboards might be used in a learning environment: Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the board. For a badly gummed up board this will take some serious elbow work. I have cleaned with paper towels or cotton cloth. Both seem to work equally well.Depending on your activity there are a few tools that will suit you. This grid will help you choose which tool(s) to try. We have indicated whether there is an institutional licence, which tools are useful for remote, in-person, synchronous and asynchronous activities and provided a link to information about accessibility. If you teach handwriting, you’re going to love this washi tape idea from Bored Teachers. Use it to make lines on your whiteboard, plus try adding lines to the small whiteboards your students use too. 5. Try out magnet paper Miro and Mural are similar to each other and have more options than any of the whiteboards we have looked at so far. Neither is licensed by the university, but there is a lot that can be done with the free versions and Miro also has an educational licence. Both offer a range of templates so you don’t have to start from a blank board and finished boards can be embedded in Canvas. Members of TEL have tried these and like some of the features such as Miro’s ‘Follow’, ‘Bring to me’ and ‘Bring everyone to me’ as well as the timers, chat and presentation options. To get a nice, even coating, make a second pass after allowing the initial layer to dry for about 15 minutes. Bring your anchor charts front and center like Teach Create Motivate and hang them from a magnetic curtain rod. 9. Make a whiteboard coloring wall

I've found that simply cleaning them (with a household cleaner, such as Simple Green) goes a long way toward keeping them in a usable state. After cleaning, much of the marker (80%-ish) can be simply wiped away, but there is still a strong "ghost effect" remaining. Use a clean, soft cloth slightly dampened with plain water to gently wipe the last bits of dust off the board, again moving from top to bottom. Most of these could occur in either in-person classes or remote sessions and may be synchronous or asynchronous. Tools Good dry erase markers are worth their weight in gold. Protect your teacher markers by labeling them with bright tape and your name, like @mrsroordasroom. 25. Keep dry erase markers out of reach Use a terry cloth towel to rub off all the excess dried wax. This also requires some elbow grease and you want to really rub and buff the surface of the white board. If properly buffed out the board will be very smooth with none of the yellowish wax residue left anyplace on the board.Tap / scrape / vacuum the excess dust off of your eraser & thoroughly erase the board from top to bottom