Online Tools Guidebook

From COSEE ENTS

Welcome to the COSEE Online Tools Guidebook.

This guidebook was created by the COSEE Excellence in Networking Tools Sub-group (ENTs). The purpose of the guidebook is to help COSEE Network members become familiar with a wide variety of online tools and choose the tools that best fit their needs. The tools are grouped into function categories. The individual tool pages define each tool, describe relevant features, the tool's uses in the COSEE Network, examples, reviews, pros and cons, and resources.

Editing of this wiki is ongoing. Ideally, we would like to have one representative from each Center to be designated as a wiki editor. Suggestions and comments are welcome, and additional reviews would be particularly helpful. For more information contact the ENTs co-chairs Catherine Cramer and Carla Companion. For technical questions please contact Sage Lichtenwalner.

PLEASE NOTE
It may be helpful to first check with your center's partner institutions and their IT departments to determine if site licenses already exist for the applications/software below.

	The small COSEE swirl logo designates a tool that is widespread use across many centers and/or is suggested by the ENTS workgroup for use by the network.
	The dollar sign logo is used to denote the costs involved with each of the tools below. One dollar sign corresponds to less than $50, two dollar signs indicates a cost between $50 and $250 and three dollar signs indicates an expense of greater than $250.
	The wrench icon denotes the technical difficulty in using the tool below. For tools that are easy to set up, one wrench was used. If a tool is easy to use, but might take some skill to set up, then two wrenches are used. A tool that is complicated to set up and requires technical maintenance is denoted by three wrenches.

WEBINAR ARCHIVE
The ENTs group is hosting a series of webinars to review tools listed in this wiki. You can access a video archive of these sessions below:

  1. View Webinar #1 - Elluminate, Moodle and Adobe Connect

[edit] Promotion of Events, Programs and Center Activities

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Twitter	NCO, Central Gulf of Mexico	Free to join
Facebook	Networked Ocean World, Ocean Systems, Pacific Partnerships, West, OCEAN	Free to join
Listserv	Central Gulf of Mexico, Excellence in Networking Tools, NCN, Pacific Partnerships, Web Working Group, West

Not Yet Reviewed: Mail Chimp

[edit] Highlighting Programs, Events, and Past Accomplishments

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Blogs (Wordpress, Blogger, or other)	Networked Ocean World, New England, Pacific Partnerships, West	Some are free to get started
Facebook	Ocean Systems, Networked Ocean Systems, Pacific Partnerships, West, OCEAN	Free to join
Center website pages	COSEE Network
YouTube	California, Central Gulf of Mexico, Ocean Systems, West
Flickr	Central Gulf of Mexico, West
PhotoBucket	Central Gulf of Mexico
Picasa	None at this time
e-Newsletters	COSEE Network

Not Yet Reviewed:

[edit] Sharing Produced Videos with the Public

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Center website pages	COSEE Network
YouTube	California, Central Gulf of Mexico, Ocean Systems, West
TeacherTube	None at this time
Facebook	Networked Ocean World, Ocean Systems, West, OCEAN	Free to join
Vimeo	West	Free to join

Not Yet Reviewed:

[edit] Online Meeting, Class or Presentation

Live Meeting:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Adobe Connect	Central Gulf of Mexico, West
Elluminate	Networked Ocean World
Webex	Excellence in Networking Tools, Web Working Group
iLinc	None at this time
Scopia	Central Gulf of Mexico

Not yet reviewed DimDim, Sametime, Fuze Meeting, ReadyTalk

Content Design tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Captivate	None at this time
Camtasia	None at this time
Jing	None at this time	Free
ScreenFlow	None at this time

Course Delivery:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Moodle	Central Gulf of Mexico	Free

Not yet reviewed Sakai

[edit] Videoconferencing

Special equipment, such as a webcam or external microphone) may be required

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Lifesize	Networked Ocean World
Skype	Central Gulf of Mexico, Networked Ocean World, NCO, Ocean Systems, Pacific Partnerships, Scientist Engagement Working Group, OCEAN	Free (with some paid features)
Scopia	Central Gulf of Mexico
Ustream	None at this time	Free
Xmeeting	None at this time	Free

Not Yet Reviewed:

[edit] Collaborative Editing

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Google Docs	Networked Ocean World, New England, Ocean Systems, Pacific Partnerships, West (internally)	Free
Wikis	Excellence in Networking Tools, New England, OCEAN	Free
Confluence	Great Lakes, Scripts	Free and
Basecamp	Networked Ocean World

Not yet reviewed: VoiceThread

[edit] Connecting Groups of People in a Network (Social Networking)

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Ning	None at this time	Free and
Facebook	Networked Ocean World, Ocean Systems, West, OCEAN	Free to join
BuddyPress	Networked Ocean World	Free
Forums	Networked Ocean World	Free and
Listserv	Central Gulf of Mexico, NCN, Pacific Partnerships, Web Working Group, West, OCEAN
LinkedIn	COSEE Network (there is a COSEE group page)	Free and
Intranet	None at this time	varies

Not Yet Reviewed:

[edit] Discussion of a Topic (non-chat)

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Forums	Networked Ocean World	Free and
Ning	None at this time	Free and
Facebook	Networked Ocean World, Ocean Systems, West	Free to join
Listserv	Central Gulf of Mexico, Excellence in Networking Tools, NCN, Pacific Partnerships, Web Working Group, West

Not Yet Reviewed:

[edit] Project Management

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Basecamp	Networked Ocean World
Google Docs	Networked Ocean World, New England, Ocean Systems, Pacific Partnerships, West (internally)	Free
Wikis	Excellence in Networking Tools, New England	Free
Doodle	Pacific Partnerships, West	Free
Wiggio	Ocean, NEOSEC, Pacific Partnerships, OCEAN	Free

Not Yet Reviewed: Project Pier, Sakai

[edit] Automatic or Immediate Notification

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
RSS Feed	None at this time	Free
Widget	None at this time	Free

Not yet reviewed:

[edit] Graphics/Visual Tools

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Google Earth: Ocean	West	Free

Not Yet Reviewed: Wordle

[edit] Evaluation, Data Gathering and Feedback

Reviewed tools:

Tool	Usage	Cost	Technical
Survey Monkey	NCO, West, Pacific Partnerships, OCEAN	Free
Qualtrics	West

Not Yet Reviewed: Morae

[edit] File and Information Sharing

Not Yet Reviewed: YouSendIt, TinyURL, DropBox, Bit.ly