Today we are exploring various tools for communication and community. Most of these tools are designed to support collaboration, but the selection will depend on a variety of factors such as:
· Size of your group;
· Need for security (is it public or private, will confidential information be discussed?)
· Level of interaction from the presenter/instructor oriented distribution of information to the fully open and participatory option;
· Fit within existing online services (some organizations do not allow third-party or ad-supported services on their networks);
· Short-term meetings, conferences or classes versus ongoing exchange and shared office features;
· And of course, price.
I will describe a few tools and services, and hope you will give some thought about how they could fit within the frameworks introduced in the last couple of days. I hope you will suggest others, and if you have used them, tell us how these tools have helped your organization promote learning and build community.
First, let’s talk about what these tools do, then look at what services are available.
· Email lists:
Email lists are organized in two basic ways: interactive, which means subscribers can submit notices for distribution or announce, which means it is a newsletter that is distributed and while you may have a “letter to the editor” function, in general subscribers do not contribute content. Typically the adminstrator sets up a list to be moderated, which means someone approves the email before it goes out to the list of subscriber, or unmoderated, which means anything someone sends to the list is automatically distributed to subscribers.
· Shared calendar:
A shared calendar builds community by providing information about events, deadlines or any scheduled activity. Most can be set up to send out reminder notices to members. Once again, typically levels can be set to allow one person, or anyone in the group, to post events to the calendar.
· Shared documents and shared favorite URLs:
Think of a face-to-face office—you could have a file cabinet in your resource room with relevant articles, boiler plate press releases, articles or vacation policies. Shared document/shared URL features allow your organization to have an online filing cabinet with folders on various topics that include both documents and links to relevant online resourcs.
The shared document function is very useful for any of the formal or informal learning options we have discussed:
Workshop: Post agendas and handouts, which can be accessed after the workshop ends.
Class: Create a folder for each session, which could include an overview of the session, readings or worksheets.
Ongoing exchange: Folders for key topics of interest to the group can be established, and as members find materials to share, they can post them. This way the group builds an online resource room.
· Synchronous communication:
Real-time communications include instant message services, which can accommodate individuals or small groups. Chat rooms can accommodate groups, and typically are text-based. Web conferencing services can accommodate groups and may allow shared access to a white board or to PowerPoint slides or other visuals, and may also allow voice over the Internet or videoconferencing.
· Asynchronous communication:
Threaded discussion and bulletin boards are probably the most common tool used in online learning. They allow an instructor (trainer, group leader) to post content or questions, which participants can respond to at any time.
Let’s look at the services that offer either free or discounted tools for nonprofits. Needless to say, a few years ago there were a lot of free services, but many of them bombed with the dot coms. Advertising now typically supports free services. In some cases, you have a choice with a given company of a free service filled with ads, or a paid service without advertising. For organizations just starting with interactive, collaborative tools with a small group, using free services can help you determine what tools and features you really need. Often paid services offer a trial period you can use for a pilot test.
Email lists
Yahoo http://groups.yahoo.com/ is probably the most frequently mentioned free list. This ad supported service offers you the choice of moderation levels and subscription options, as well as shared files and an active calendar. Yahoo also offers an instant message and chat room options.
Topica http://www.topica.com/ is a service that offers a choice of free lists with ads or paid lists without. The paid option includes other features like HTML templates for newsletters.
NPOGroups http://npogroups.org/lists is fee-supported service with: “a set of tools both for communicating within an organization or group (however you choose to define the group) and for distributing information to people outside the group. For internal communications, NPOGroups provides discussion lists, in which all members of the group automatically receive copies of and can respond to the same email messages, and Web-based sharing folders, where they can store documents and bookmarks for access by all other group members.”
Constant Contact http://www.constantcontact.com is a fee service that focuses on email newletters and zines, for the organization that wants to get information out to a list with minimum input by subscribers. Lists with under 50 subscribers are free, and since the fee is per subscriber smaller or focused groups may find this an afforable option.
Shared calendar and files:
Shared calendars and files can be found through virtual office services. One that offers nonprofit discounts is Intranets.com. http://www.intranets.com/ProductInfo/Empower/NonProfit.asp?l=n It allows you to set up your own online world—with levels of access for various members/staff or volunteers. In addition to shared files, task and contact lists, expense reporting, synching with other software etc., threaded discussion and email make it an interactive option. This kind of service can be used for collaborative ongoing exchange, or for a workshop or class using shared document and discussion features.
I personally use this service, after being driven to distraction by blinking advertising. Morris Porter, Vice President of Sales (1-888-932-2600 X230 or mporter@intranets.com) told me, “I have personally worked with many nonprofit organizations, including Make A Wish Foundation, Children's Defense Fund, Habitat for Humanity, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Boy Scouts, numerous private foundations and others. We take nonprofits very seriously and understand many of the technological issues that they face.”
Additional options are: Groove Workspace http://www.groove.net/products/workspace/, and BrightWork http://www.brightwork.com/products/index.htm.
Synchronous communication:
In addition to Yahoo mentioned above, ICQ http://web.icq.com/ is a free service that offers one-to-one or group chat.
If you use Microsoft you probably have NetMeeting, since it is included in Windows 2000. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/default.asp which allows for a variety of conferencing options.
Isoph Institute offers affordable Web conferencing, and nonprofit learning resources. http://www.isophinstitute.com/siteIntro.aspx.
WebEx, a commercial service, allows you to use the online meeting on a pay per use basis. http://www.webex.com/
Web Crossing, a service that offers both synchronous and asynchronous tools is also available in a free service, World Crossing. http://www.worldcrossing.com/
Asynchronous communication:
Another kind of asynchronous communication is a free service offered by Bloki at http://www.bloki.com. This service allows a select group to collaboratively develop web content, or to post notes to each other about published web pages. The Jewish Community Federation, for example, it is using Bloki as a simple content creation and editing tool and an ongoing record/memory bank of individual and collective ideas.
Two that specifically offer e-learning options are: NiceNet http://www.nicenet.org/ itself a nonprofit, offers a free service called the Classroom Assistant. This site allows you to set up and offer your own classes! This low-graphics option is good for users without high-speed Internet, but it also has a number of features for threaded discussion, document, link and calendar sharing.
Icohere http://www.icohere.com will be the site for an online conference in September: Wired.Org: Nonprofits and NGOs Work the Web http://www.icohere.com/WIREDORG/. (I am collaborating with them on it, check it out!) Previous conferences on Collaborative Communities and Collaborative E-Learning have brought nonprofit and business people together. Their fully featured online collaboration platform allows for both synchronous or asynchronous communications. In addition to online conferences they offer intranet/extranet or e-learning services http://www.icohere.com/elearning.htm Icohere is a socially-responsible company that offers nonprofit discounts. Contact Soren Kaplan soren@icohere.com.
I hope that these introductions are helpful to you as you try to match your needs with the right tools and services, and that you will post your own recommendations.
Additional materials will be posted on my site: http://www.vision2lead.com/html/techsoup_day_4.html
First off, I want to thank you for trying address the issues in this dynamic, new, tumultous, changing, unfamiliar, and important workspace -- that of online learning and collaboration.
I think its really difficult to think about online collaboration and tools for getting work done in this medium. For my part, I''m increasingly seeing the need for these kinds of tools as peoples'' social networks expand and the technical capabilities increase. I''m looking forward to going through all the resources you posted here.
2nd, I also put a list together of online collaboration tools at http://penpixel.com/collab.htm
Third, I''d like to consider and hear how eLearning & online collaboration facilitate inter-organizational work on the same work, and what''s unique about this approach to online collaboration, since action and projects often result naturally from learning.
--best,
phil klein
Greetings Janet,
Thanks for a very interesting list. Here are some additions that may useful:
QuickTopic:
A way to collect feedback and annotation around a document or list.
http://www.quicktopic.com/
Wiki:
A collaborative writing environment where everyone has edit rights to everything!
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/apr03/mattison.shtml
Shared spaces:
Virtual environments for developing ideas and sharing knowledge - participation really matters!.
http://www.linezine.com/3.1/features/msmcosp.htm
Blogs:
or weblogs are fast becoming an important way for individuals to engage in distributed conversations.
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/blogging_part_1.htm
Thanks! I will add these to the list of resources I compiled.