Use this guide to help you identify tools that can support communication and planning for group work. These tools are divided into categories designating the type of task which they can help you and your group accomplish.
Brainstorming/Sharing Ideas
Digital concept/mind mapping tools support brainstorming by allowing you to identify concepts and ideas and then map out relationships between them. These tools have the benefit of providing nonlinear and highly visual ways of understanding and representing knowledge. While the number of applications varies, they can be especially helpful in defining a topic for a project, e.g., to brainstorm ideas on a topic and display sub-components of a topic.
Web-based tools (with some free services) supporting the creation of digital concept mapping include: Coggle, Mindmeister, Mindomo, MindMup, and Popplet.
Online whiteboards provide a very useful way for groups to engage in brainstorming by promoting idea sharing and collaborative development.
The following tools offer the capacity to engage in virtual whiteboarding (where available through York, this is indicated; otherwise tools listed are available on the web with some free features/functionality): Lucidspark, Miro, Stormboard, and the Zoom Whiteboard feature (available via students' York Zoom accounts)
Citation Management
These tools will help groups to manage, store, share, and generate in-text citations and reference lists for the resources they use as part of group assignments. They save time by avoiding manual creation of citations. Remember, however, to always check the final result against the style guide of relevance, e.g., MLA or APA.
There are a wide range of citation management tools available (some free of charge, some with free and fee-based elements, and some fee-based only). They vary in quality. We recommend Mendeley or Zotero as reliable, freely available (subject to cloud storage limits), easy-to-use tools featuring regular upgrades. Check out York University Libraries Mendeley guide and Zotero guide (including videos) for extensive help and information.
Collaborative Writing & File Sharing
Collaborative writing tools allow groups to both write and edit documents in real-time which can streamline the document creation process and foster co-creation of reports, assignments, etc. Useful features of many tools include version history tracking, track changes, tagging, commenting, some freely available cloud sharing and storage, and drop and mobile device accessibility.
The following tools offer the capacity to engage in collaborative editing or writing (where available through York, this is indicated; otherwise tools listed are available on the web with some free features/functionality): Bit.ai, Dropbox Paper, Google Docs, and Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Office 365 Software - York Students)
File sharing tools allow groups to share and manage their documents using cloud storage, facilitating ease of access and collaboration.
Several of the following tools are available through York, while others are offered for free on the web offering some storage capacity free of charge: Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Office 365 Software - York Students), and WeTransfer.
Creating Presentations/Videos
Presentation software tools can help groups to collaboratively create dynamic and engaging slideshows. Multimedia capability and a wide range of customizable templates is now routine with these softwares.
The following presentation softwares support the collaborative creation of group presentations (where available through York, this is indicated; otherwise tools listed are available on the web with some free features/functionality): Google Slides, LibreOffice, Microsoft Powerpoint (Microsoft Office 365 Software - York Students), Zoho Show, and Slidesgo.
Check out the Software and Tools listed under Media Creation Resources compiled by librarians at the Scott Library Media Creation Lab. This web site highlights video creation tools that are free to use, easy to learn, and that respect your privacy and data rights. These software and tools are divided into three categories: (1) Audio Production Tools, (2) Video Production Tools, and (3) Other Solutions.
Instant Messaging & Video Conferencing
Most commonly used for chatting purposes, messaging applications abound and are usually used on smartphone devices. Often these applications also support the capacity to make voice and video calls, as well as photo sharing. They can be used to support both synchronous and asynchronous communication modes and can support group communication when members are in different locations.
The following messaging tools are freely available as apps for Windows, Android or iOS smartphone/mobile device operating systems, and some are also available for use on laptop or desktop devices: WhatsApp, Discord, KIK, Messenger, Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Office 365 Software - York Students), Signal, Slack, Telegram Messenger, and WeChat.
Online conferencing is very useful when synchronous or real time communication is important by facilitating meetings with multiple participants through video calls. Other popular features of these tools include built-in screen sharing, file sharing and chat features.
The following tools offer the capacity to engage in video conferencing (where available through York, this is indicated; otherwise tools listed are available on the web with some free features/functionality): Google Meet, Microsoft Stream and Teams (Microsoft Office 365 Software - York Students), Jitsi, Slack, Skype and Zoom at YorkU.
Task/Project Management & Scheduling/Polling
Many examples of task and project management tools exist. Some are very expensive and complex in nature. Mastery and access to such advanced tools is not typically required for group projects at York University; yet building familiarity with the tools York provides or those available on the web with free features is very much worthwhile. For example, many of these more accessible tools can make it easier to set out group project timelines, designate task assignments, visualize or prioritize goals and workflows, and monitor group outcomes and progress as a project advances.
Several of the following tools are available through York, while others are offered for partially or completely free on the web: Asana, Jira, Microsoft OneNote and Planner (Microsoft Office 365 Software - York Students), Notion, Quire, Slack, Trello, and Wrike.
These automated scheduling/calendaring tools enable groups to share their calendars and schedule meetings by easing identification of mutually convenient times and by avoiding back-and-forth emails.
The following list features web-based tools with some freely available features or they are softwares available to registered York students: Arrangr, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Office 365 Software - York Students), and NeedToMeet.
Use these polling tools to poll the group for the most suitable dates and times for meetings among a shared list.
The following tools are web-based and offer the capacity to set up polls for group scheduling: Arrangr, Doodle, NeedToMeet, Rallly, and Xoyondo.