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Cacoo

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Image take from Elizabeth's Blog.

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Cacoo

In one of my previous posts I mentioned the tool Cacoo but I didn’t go into much detail about it. Today I want to revisit and talk about it in a little more depth. Have you ever been a situation and needed to create a diagram to illustrate something? I know that answer is yes. This is something we all do at one point or another.

What I would I like to know it what do you use to create those diagrams? Many of you are probably like me and use a combination of tools that you have on hand. My combo includes a mix of Word, PowerPoint, and Fireworks. Now that I have discovered Cacoo I can add it to my mix. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes my go to diagram tool and here’s why.

Cacoo is an online Web 2.0 tool that allows you to create, save, and share various types of diagrams very intuitively. If you have followed any of my other posts you know that I am all about ease of use. The easier things are, the more people are inclined to use them without much frustration. Not to mention it helps when you teaching it to others. Aside from intuitiveness the area where it really shines is in collaboration. Cacoo allows real time collaboration among users. Think of all the possibilities. You can create flow charts, mind maps and more with anyone regardless of location as if you were in the same room. That feature alone has so much value.

One thing that I didn’t like is that the graphic library is rather limited. Although it doses have the basics for creating flow charts and network infrastructure diagrams. I think most users won’t find that as an issue. I personally just like to have a lot of choices. One the upside it does allow you to upload and insert your on images into the diagrams. Next time you need a diagram go create a free Cacoo account and try it out for yourself.

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SmarBuilder

As I sat down I started to blog about Cacoo; a tool that I stumbled across recently while I was reading a tech news site that I frequent often. Cacoo allows users to create diagrams and flow charts in real time with multiple people simultaneously. I encourage you to check it out it’s quite impressive.

So why the sudden change of mind? I wanted to talk about Smart Builder. I’ve been using this software over the course of the last 8 months or so and I would like to share my experiences.

Smart Builder is a course-authoring tool that I use to create e-learning courses and simulations for my organization. Unlike some of the other tools of its nature it’s hosted online and can be accessed via a supported web browser. There is no software to install so it can be used virtually from any computer with Internet access. The other benefit to this is that the courses and media that you work on are stored online as well. So there’s no need to worry about files stored on a hard drive. Another great thing about this tool that is highly collaborative. It allows my teammates and I to work on the same course, but not at the same time. There is also an option that allows others to review your work and give feedback on a screen-by-screen basis.

As far as ease of use is concerned, I would say its somewhere in the middle. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. When I first started using Smart Builder there was a huge learning curve. There was so much flexibility in what and how you could create things that I became overwhelmed and downright frustrated at times. To be fair I was trying to convert simulations with a new tool that was completely different from how I created them over the last few years. Also when working with something as complex as an authoring tool a certain level of new learning is expected. From where I stand today, I appreciate that flexibility as it allows me to be creative in how I do things.

Like any other software SmartBuilder has its gripes. What tool doesn’t? I don’t think the perfect solution exists. Since it’s an online tool, it’s only as good as your connection. If you don’t have a solid connection your in trouble. There have been times when I was working and the tool stop functioning because it lost connection to the network. Tools that are installed locally on a computer don’t have this issue. The good thing is that Smartbuilder has in incorporated and Autosave feature that comes in handy if you lose network connection or power.

What I can’t speak to enough is about the level of customer service and support that SmartBuilder offers. Whenever I have had a question or issue whether it was big or small they always delivered. It’s not everyday as a customer that I have had the opportunity to develop a rapport with a software developer of a tool I use. SmartBuilder is not free but they do offer a free trial. If you are in the market for an authoring tool I suggest you give it a further look.

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RSS Feeds

American Society Of Training and Development

I am a member of this organization. It’s the largest and most respected training and development industry in the world. They provide a lot of up to date information, seminars, and conferences.

Society for Human Resources Management

Training and Development is one of the functions that compose Human Resources. Although a majority of my focus is on learning, there are times when I work on other HR related projects. Staying current helps me put other HR functions in perspective.

Training Magazine

This site provides a lot of good information on the latest training trends.

E-Learning Guild

Good insight from training from an e-learning perspective. It’s also a good place to find out about learning tools and solutions.

Tech & Learning Magazine

Although this magazine focuses on technology in K-12 environments, I still find some of the articles interesting.

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Wikispaces

One Web 2.0 tool I found was Wikispaces (2010). Basically as it’s name implies it’s a wiki platform. Creating an account was simple. I was amazed at how intuitive it was to create a post. Anyone familiar with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and most web email systems will feel right at home with Wikispaces. I applaud the developers on the overall layout and functions of the site. An intuitive layout allows for an easier implementation and adoption into the curriculum without worrying about a steep learning curve.

My initial thought is Wikispaces could be beneficial to one of the leadership development programs at my organization. The program is composed of a group of high potentials. These are employees that have the characteristics of leaders and could potentially be a good future candidate for an executive role. A wiki would be a good medium to collaboratively capture their discussions, ideas, and best practices. I envision a wealth of knowledge not only for current participates but future participants as well.

Since these individuals will be discussing propriety and confidential information security is always a concern. Wikispaces provides a private label option that is secure and can restrict access to wikis based on user name. This is great feature, since it will allow us to create wikis for several of our learning and development programs; and control which users could see and post to their respective wiki. Looking through their site I noticed that several large organizations use their platform including IBM, DOW, and Pitney Bowes (Wikispaces, 2010). Clients like those attest to how secure their service is.

I think Wikispaces definitely deserves a deeper look. I will propose the idea to my colleagues to see what they think about it. If not Wikispaces, a wiki solution of some sort would be a great asset to the learning and development programs at my organization.

References

Wikispaces. (2010). Your own hosted wiki environment. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from http://www.wikispaces.com/site/privatelabel/business2

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Blogs The New Compostion Notebook

Blogs can be used to supplement a wide variety of curriculums. Not only do they engage leaners but they are fairly easy to use as well. Glenco/McGraw-Hill (2006) stated that the use of blogs in classrooms could serve four basic functions. Those functions were classroom management, collaboration, discussions, and student portfolios.

Think about the first three functions for a moment. They really spoke to me. Classroom management, collaboration and discussions are vital to any learning environment, regardless of the content or classroom. I challenge anyone to come up with a learning environment where they are not. These functions are just as relevant to grade school students as they are to students who participate in post secondary and corporate learning programs. Granted, one could argue that a blog may not always be the best implementation of those functions. The same is true for any educational medium. Success lies in finding the best delivery medium that will reach the targeted learner.

Although I work in the realm of corporate training, I couldn’t help to but to reflect back my on learning experiences in grade school. Many of you, like me can more than likely remember keeping a journal in those green composition notebooks. I’m twenty-six, and those notebooks were used years before my time and they are still used in classrooms today. Shouldn’t things have changed by now? Considering how much technology has advanced. Perhaps some schools would rather avoid the risk associated with blogs. After all, blogs can be public and students must have a clear acceptable use policy to adhere to (Glenco/McGraw-Hill, 2006). This is still unacceptable to me. Imagine the collaboration and discussion that could take place in the classroom if students were able to blog their journal entries. The benefits far outweigh those stated risks. Not to mention there are blogging solutions like WordPress out there that could be hosted inside an organization’s firewalls (Daly, 2006). That would solve the exposure to the public.

Before closing, I want to leave you with one more thought. When was the last time you composed a document for work or school with a pen and paper? The reality is that technology is here stay. As educators our obligation is to prepare students for what lies ahead. It’s time to embrace and incorporate technologies that are used in our daily lives into our curriculums.

References

Daly, P.G. (2006). Building an internal blog with WordPress. Retrieved April 2, 2010, http://www.intranetjournal.com/articles/200603/ij_03_10_06a.html

Glenco/McGraw-Hill. (2006). Using blogs to integrate technology in the classroom. Retrieved April 1, 2010, from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/4

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