Justick boards are an item that has actually been around for about 10 years over in Europe and recently made their debut in the United States and are being distributed by Smead. It's a line of display boards (whiteboards, bulletin boards, lobby boards, tabletop presentations and promo stands) that gives you the ability to display items without using tape, push pins, glue or magnets.
Today I'm going to show you the whiteboards.
The whiteboards are a combination bulletin board, corkboard and whiteboard. You place your paper on the surface of the board, underneath the overlay, and it just sticks (Justick - get it?) due to the electromagnetic field that runs through the board. Other brands of board use a sticky surface to allow you to post items without pins or tacks, but there is nothing sticky on these boards - it's all held on by the electromagnetic field.
If you only want to display items, you're done. But wait........there's more! The clear overlay is the whiteboard part. You can use any dry erase or wet erase markers and write on the overlay, then erase when you're done. That allows you to interact with your audience - you can put a template underneath the overlay, then write on it, point out things, etc.
Write instructions or notes on the side
Your students/children/etc can reply as well
Now, if I'm being honest, I have to tell you that when the manufacturer's rep was showing me this product I really didn't see what all the fuss was about, but when he started talking about all the different applications and uses, I got it. Hospitals and schools are fantastic markets for this item (as are offices and conference rooms). Think about those little display boards that hang by every patient bed in a hospital. There's usually a checklist of meds or other items that need to be handled daily for the patient and then nearby is another paper with icons to indicate what kind of day the patient is having. This board can consolidate all of those into 1 item and it can be reused - just erase and start over tomorrow! And schools - yes, most schools today have whiteboards instead of chalkboards, but the Justick board could eliminate the need for overhead projectors - you can interact on the board itself. Take a peek:
The boards can be powered by batteries or with the optional AC adapter. Now the manufacturer says that the overlay will never ghost or stain. I played with one of these for about a week and I will confirm that I had no problems with that, however, it will get a cloudiness to it after a while from the marker dust, so you do need to clean it off with a damp cloth once in a while.
If all you want is a whiteboard, then this product probably isn't the best choice for you. The value in this product is that it is a 3-in-1 board - bulletin board, whiteboard and interactive display. It's pretty cool really - there are tons of different applications for it and it comes in a variety of sizes and configurations. There are 18 different products in the line and a couple of accessories. This product line falls under my "I wish I had thought of that" category and I give it 5 paperclips!
