This page contains information about tools that have been used by Katy Wrathall when undertaking the case studies for Strategies for implementing ANCIL, or recommended for use by colleagues. The majority are free, or at least inexpensive, in order to facilitate the undertaking of an audit of skills in an institution at minimum cost to counter any objection being raised on the grounds of finance and budget availability.
Please add your recommendations and reviews to share with colleagues.
www.diagram.ly free, online diagram drawing tool which is based on drag and drop. There is a reasonable range of clip art, shapes and icons The diagrams are saved direct to your computer. It is very easy to use, and does not require registration.
www.dropbox.com free version. Used for file sharing between project members and between devices (computer, phone and tablet). Registration is required.
iThoughtsHD for the iPad , iPhone or iPod. This application on the iPad was used to create maps of the organisations in the case study. The maps can be saved as PDF or emailed, loaded to and from Dropbox etc. Simple to use, clear and inexpensive.
Notes (free) on iPhone and iPad used to take notes in meetings, feedback in workshops and jot ideas “on the move” which can then be synced across devices and shared by email.
www.slideshark.com requires registration to use. It converts PowerPoint presentations to be used on the iPad. It was used during the project to show interviewees relevant parts of the presentations created for various events to help understand the purpose of ANCIL and the project. It is free and very easy to use.
The following tools have been suggested to Katy Wrathall by librarians and academics via Twitter. This list should not be taken as a recommendation, merely suggestion.
www.readitlaterlist.com free, straightforward and works on many platforms. Saves pages for reading later.
Dragon-dictation in particular for iPhone. Straightforward speech recognition tool. Various versions available.
www.evernote.com Another free, multi-platform application, for collaboration, notes, saving pages and a lot more. Easy and user-friendly interface.
2do calendars, alarms, to do lists etc. application which allows users to group things according to their personal preference
www.instapaper.com Another way of saving pages from the web to read later.
Please add your recommendations and reviews to share.