For this issue of the Southface Journal, with our focus on education, it seemed important to highlight how our organization’s own educational capabilities will be enhanced by the features in the Eco Office’s training space, The Home Depot Foundation Green Training Center. The training space, located on the ground floor of the Eco Office, will accommodate up to 80 people in a classroom setting
A major feature of the training center will be an innovative system introduced early in 2006 by PolyVision Corporation, a Steelcase Company, the world leader in visual communication products. Thunder Virtual Flipchart System, is being called “an industry changing visual communication tool that has created a new market and methodology for collaboration.”
A group of Southface employees and members of the Eco Office design team were treated to a demonstration recently and came away anxious to share this new technology with others. The Southface team could easily envision how the Thunder technology will be used as the ultimate charrette tool, as well as an engaging, interactive tool for training classes. The technology design, which essentially functions as an electronic flipchart, provides for an entirely new level of collaboration within groups by allowing information, in any format, to be communicated, stored, displayed and organized – all captured on an unlimited, shared group canvas in real-time.
“Imagine the ability to collaborate anywhere, any time; develop ideas; communicate concepts and information; and never have to take another note or wish everyone was together in one place,” said Mike Dunn, CEO of PolyVision. “Thunder solves a problem that has plagued the industry for years: how do people share and expose information easily, without barriers and without complexity? We have broken the code and we are excited to finally share Thunder with the thousands of companies around the globe that need it.”
The Southface team found the Thunder Virtual Flipchart System easy to use, intuitive and simple to learn.
The elements of the technology are:
The group easel that allows input and sharing of any media image – analog or digital. As easy to use as a flipchart, participants control functionality and jot notes and drawings onto a “page” with a stylus or finger. As they are completed multiple pages are “posted” – projected – onto the wall in high resolution, allowing all the information to remain visible to all participants.
By downloading software, participants in remote locations — other sessions, classrooms, or even other countries can join a session and see all of the posted information, exchange data and share ideas. Drawings, tables, charts and other data can be imported and projected and then these images can be notated, redesigned and edited by local or remote participants. Thunder helps solve traditional problems of collaboration by connecting teams and providing an ability to share data across town or around the globe.
Southface is currently teaching approximately 600 training classes annually and foresees increasing this number with the opening of the Eco Office and The Home Depot Green Training Center. While many of the trainings will continue to be held in other cities and regions of the country, the Southface staff looks forward to welcoming industry professionals and interested citizens to training opportunities in our new home.
About PolyVision Corporation
PolyVision Corporation produces a broad portfolio of information sharing products. Since 1954, PolyVision has focused on creating products and services that allow users to be more productive, effective and creative when collaborating and communicating visually. Creators of the world’s number one selling ceramic steel® surface and the industry’s first walk-up-and use interactive whiteboard, PolyVision has an unparalleled track record of new breakthroughs in the visual communication market. For more information, visit www.polyvision.com.
