Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/52321
technology TOOLS OF THE TRADE Communicating In Pictures SmartDraw's 'visual processor' allows students to translate ideas into visuals with impact. In business, visual communication often can be more per- suasive than the written word. The software program Smart- Draw allows students to develop their visual proficiency by bringing business concepts to life through charts, graphs, bell curves, matrices, and animations. various timeframes, outline a business plan's primary com- ponents, or diagram an entrepreneurial firm's staff in order of responsibility and task delegation. SmartDraw gives users the ability to create mind maps that organize their thoughts around a central idea as they brainstorm or create animated storyboards. Such real-life exercises are important to help students learn to communicate through graphics—something that will help them get their ideas across more effectively in the workplace, says Hoffman. By working with visuals, he adds, they develop their critical thinking, research, and communi- cation skills. "Even the most advanced tools deliver mere flash and pizzazz if they're not effectively integrated in ways that facili- tate learning," he says. "Classroom success is contingent on how instructors harness these programs' power." For more information, visit www.smartdraw.com. Blackboard Offers Collaboration Tool for Education SmartDraw calls its software "the world's first visual processor," because it allows users to communicate with pictures, just as a word processor allows them to com- municate through text, says Dan Hoffman, SmartDraw's vice president of marketing. It includes 70 templates for different types of visuals, which can be customized with the students' own words, data, and visual styles. These visu- als include flow charts, organizational charts, Gantt charts, SWOT analyses, "Five Forces" analyses, maps, calendars, and timelines. Students also can use the tool to create decision trees and Venn diagrams, graph the cost of change to a project or multiyear revenue projections, develop cash budgets for 62 January/February 2012 BizEd Blackboard has launched Blackboard Collaborate, an education-focused platform for real-time collaboration. The aim of the platform is to help institutions improve the quality of education while reducing costs. Blackboard Collaborate combines the functionalities of Elluminate, a Web conferencing tool, and Wimba, an e-learning platform. Together, they offer the capability for online Web access, video capabilities, voice conferenc- ing, instant messaging, and voice authoring. The com- pany notes that the new platform integrates into existing learning management systems and also supports staff meetings, professional development sessions, and online campus events. Improvements to the original versions of Ellumi- nate and Wimba include a simpler user interface and enhanced video conferencing abilities. Current users of the original two programs can upgrade to Blackboard Collaborate at no extra cost. For more information, visit www.blackboard.com/ collaborate.