Frontline Tech

Category: Facilitate Online Group Discussion

Tools and platforms you can use to host online discussions, from digital messaging tools, to online discussion platforms, as well as interactive tools you can use to help with engagement during those discussions.

  • Slido

    Description

    Slido is an audience interaction online platform tool for
    meetings big or small, workshops, classrooms, events
    and conferences.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Slido can be used to brainstorm a concept, as an icebreaker, to test knowledge on learning, to create conversations, facilitate a checklist, conduct a reflection, rate satisfaction of a session, etc.
    • Slido is used during webinars for participants to ask questions anonymously. Other participants can vote questions up so session facilitators can choose what is of interest to the group.
    • Slido offers a number of additional ways to use their tools in meetings, conferences, training, classes, and more.
    • Slido can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival to create engaging and interactive activities that can be used during live sessions to help inform, teach, and engage with Newcomers.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Slido has a free version as well as various paid levels. The free version allows you to use 3 polls/event for up to 100 participants, with an Unlimited Audience Q&A feature.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Slido is easy to use for participants. They simply need a link provided, which can be done by copying the link into a chat box, or by sharing a QR code. Sli.do is also easy to use for practitioners, once you have become oriented to the tool and how it can be used.

    Slido can be integrated into other tools, such as Teams and Google Slides, or used as a standalone tool outside of presentations.

    Mobile friendly

    Slido is mobile friendly for participants, on any device, without having to download any apps.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    According to Slido “you can secure your event by adjusting its privacy settings. Basic events are visible in the search results and can be accessed by typing in the event code… You can hide your event code from the search suggestions. Only those participants who have the exact code will be able to access the event during the dates of the Slido event.”

    They have a useful overview of their security standards and practices. Note: they “provide organisers of the paid versions of the Slido Services with additional tools & settings to enable their own users to protect their data.”

    Multilingual capabilities

    Slido is multilingual and offers 30+ languages to choose from.

    Additional resources

  • Groups.io

    Description

    Groups.io is a privacy-focused group email list/web discussion tool. You can use announcement-only/broadcast, moderated, or restricted groups, or groups with other combinations of settings.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Groups.io can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival as an group communication and discussion tool with clients and communities.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Their free account allows for groups up to 100 members. Paid versions have more features, including additional collaboration tools (such as Polls, Calendar, Chat, Database, Photos, Files, Wiki).

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Easy to set up and use. If accessed through email by group members, easy and accessible.

    Mobile friendly

    Most users will access through email after signing up. However, the site and additional tools/features can be accessed on any device through the web browser.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    Groups.io has customizable privacy settings.

    Multilingual capabilities

    Additional resources

  • Google Groups

    Description

    Google Groups is a group email list/web discussion tool. You can use announcement-only/broadcast, moderated, or restricted groups, or groups with other combinations of settings.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Google Groups can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival as an group communication and discussion tool with clients and communities.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Google Groups is free for personal/individual use. According to Google, “There are two versions of Groups – the free version for everyone, and a version for organizations (work, school, and so on). The tasks you can do and features you can access depend on which version you have. If you’re signed in with a work or school account, the tasks and features available to you are customized by your administrator.”

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Easy to set up and use. If accessed through email by group members, easy and accessible.

    Mobile friendly

    Most users will access through email after signing up. However, the site and additional tools/features can be accessed on any device through the web browser.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    Google Groups has a variety of privacy settings that can be customized by Group owners/moderators.

    Multilingual capabilities

    You can choose different languages to be used for system-generated information such as notifications and email footers that come with each group email.

    Additional resources

  • Mentimeter

    Description

    Mentimeter is a tool you can use to add questions, polls, quizzes, slides, images, gifs and more to presentations, webinars, and other live online meetings.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Mentimeter is a commonly used engagement tool in webinars and courses with Newcomers.
    • Mentimeter can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools as a tool to engage with Newcomers visually, brainstorm ideas, capture Newcomer feedback, ideas, insights, suggestions, comprehension, etc.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Mentimeter has a free plan that allows you to create up to 2 question slides and 5 quiz slides. Additional paid plans have more features.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    After a slight learning curve, Mentimeter is easy to use and intuitive to include in your presentations and live sessions.

    Mobile friendly

    It is mobile friendly for participants to use.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    According to the Common Sense Media Privacy Evaluation for Mentimeter, “a small amount of personal information is collected, but it is not sold and it is only collected and stored as is necessary to run the service; behavioral advertising is used. The terms state, in exhaustive detail, exactly what types of security are used, from computer security to human resource security, including encryption; those who use the service are notified in the case of a data breach.”

    You can review Mentimeter’s policies, including privacy and security.

    Multilingual capabilities

    Additional resources

  • Kahoot

    Description

    Kahoot is a free participant-response tool for administering quizzes, facilitating discussions, and collecting survey data. It is a game-based tool you can use in real time. Questions are shared with participants as they answer the questions with their smartphone, tablet, or computer. The idea is to create a a social, fun and game-like environment. Kahoot allows for the design of multiple-choice quizzes as well as polls and surveys that populate on-the-spot data. Quiz questions and polls can be used to stimulate quick decisions as well as whole-class discussion.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Generally used in live video conference (eg. Zoom) settings to create additional engagement with participants.
    • Used to generate anonymous feedback.
    • Kahoot can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival as a tool to engage with Newcomers visually, brainstorm ideas, capture Newcomer feedback, ideas, insights, suggestions, comprehension, etc.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Kathoot has a free plan with limits, currently focused on teachers and students, and a number of paid plans. Registered nonprofits and NGOs are eligible for a 50% discount on all Kahoot for business plans.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Kahoot is easy to use, intuitive for participants. Once you have created your first Kahoot the interface is intuitive for workers.

    Mobile friendly

    Kahoot is mobile friendly on mobile browsers, and has a mobile Android and Appl app as well.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    If participants log in with Kahoot accounts to participate, some personal information can become viewable. Common Sense Media (which focuses on child and student privacy) has a very useful privacy, safety and security overview, with overall good ratings except when it comes to data security and sharing:

    • “The terms of Kahoot! state they use reasonable organizational, technical, and administrative measures to protect users’ personal information.”
    • “Kahoot! may share a user’s data with third-party service providers to support its services and if a user participates, data may be shared with sponsors of sweepstakes, contests and other similar third-party marketing promotions.”
    • “Kahoot! collects personally identifiable information and other automatically collected usage information through its services and may receive a user’s personal information from other sources, such as public databases, joint marketing partners, and other third parties. Kahoot! does not collect any personal information from a person who merely plays a Kahoot, except if a user participates in a Kahoot! which is hosted using the Player Identifier feature.”

    Multilingual capabilities

    The Kahoot app and platform are translated into English, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Turkish, Polish, Norwegian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Arabic.

    Additional resources

  • LinkedIn

    Description

    LinkedIn is networking and employment-oriented social network for job seekers, professionals, and businesses. Most use it to build professional networks, find business contacts, connect with recruiters, and use their LinkedIn profile as an online resume.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Promoted as a tool for Newcomer to build networks and connections, many organizations provide workshops/webinars on how to use LinkedIn.
    • LinkedIn is also a key outreach and marketing tool for nonprofit professionals and organizations to share information about their work and services.
    • There are a number of LinkedIn groups used for personal networking, mentoring, and employment-related settlement information and orientation.
    • LinkedIn can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools as a tool to share information with Newcomers as well as help them access employment and professional networks.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    LinkedIn is free. They also have a Premium account option with a monthly charge.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Easy to create account and use. According to LinkedIn, they continue efforts to make their site and services accessible.

    Mobile friendly

    The site is mobile friendly on smartphone web browsers, but probably best accessed on Android and iOS apps.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    LinkedIn has a number of profile and account preference settings that can make the service more private.

    Multilingual capabilities

    LinkedIn currently supports 24 languages.

    Additional resources

  • Facebook

    Description

    Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It includes personal accounts, organizational accounts (pages), groups and more. You can post multimedia (audio, video, gifs, etc.) as well as stream live video on Facebook (through Facebook or external streaming services such as Zoom).

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Many organizations have Facebook pages where they share information and interact with Newcomers, providing information and orientation services.
    • Organizations also have Facebook groups, which can be made open, closed, or private in order to provide additional services to Newcomers.
    • Settlement Practitioners create work-specific Facebook accounts to provide services, join work-related groups, and interact with Newcomers.
    • Facebook can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival to help inform and engage with Newcomers on one of the largest social networks.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Facebook is free.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Easy to use.

    According to Facebook, they have “features and technologies that help people with disabilities, such as vision loss and deafness, get the most out of Facebook.”

    Mobile friendly

    Facebook is mobile optimized and available through their Android and iOS apps.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    Common Sense Media has a useful Privacy Evaluation for Facebook. Additional information can be found on Facebook’s Privacy, Safety, and Security help articles.

    Multilingual capabilities

    Facebook can be used with different languages.

    Additional resources

  • Signal

    Description

    Signal is a digital messaging app that uses end-to-end encryption for privacy and security. This means that no one, including Signal, can read your messages or listen to your calls. Features include text messaging, making audio and video calls, send audio/video messages, and create group chats

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Signal can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival to communicate securely and effectively with Newcomers who prefer digital messaging as a way to stay connected and informed.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Signal is free. However, you need a Wi-Fi or data connection in order to use it.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Easy to use (if you use WhatsApp, it’s very similar). Signal doesn’t have information about accessibility on its site.

    Mobile friendly

    Signal is a mobile app for Android and iOS.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    According to Signal, “Signal conversations are always end-to-end encrypted, which means that they can only be read or heard by your intended recipients.”

    Multilingual capabilities

    You can change the default language on Signal.

    Additional resources

  • Facebook Messenger

    Description

    Facebook Messenger is Facebook’s digital messaging tool. It has text, voice, video calling and group video chat features.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Facebook Messenger can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival to communicate effectively with Newcomers who prefer using Facebook as a way to stay connected and informed.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Facebook Messenger is free.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Messenger is easy to use. Accessibility information about Messenger can be found in the general Facebook help information about accessibility.

    Mobile friendly

    Messenger is primarily used on the Android and iOS app, but can be used through the web browser as well.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    Facebook Messenger conversations between staff and clients must be in “secret” mode to ensure end-to-end encryption. To learn how to set up secret conversations, visit this link.

    End-to-end encryption for Facebook messenger is only currently available through the Messenger app for iOS/Android and not through website/desktop access. If you are seeking to have secure contact with Newcomers, you should only communicate with clients via Facebook Messenger using the app on smartphones. Communication with clients using Facebook for desktop (user-to-user messages or other methods of communication through the platform) or Messenger.com for desktop is not secure. You should take every reasonable measure to ensure that clients are aware that they are not communicating through a secure channel and to remind clients not to share personal information through these means.

    Multilingual capabilities

    You can change the default language in Facebook/Messenger.

    Additional resources

  • Viber

    Description

    Viber is a secure digital messaging app you can use to send messages (text, photos, videos, & voice), make audio and video calls, have group chats and calls, and join public groups.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • Viber can be used in Citizenship Preparation, Community Connections, Employment-related, Information and Orientation, Library Settlement Partnership, Settlement Workers in Schools, Pre-Arrival to communicate effectively with Newcomers who prefer digital messaging through Viber as a way to stay connected and informed.

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Viber is free. However, you need a Wi-Fi or data connection in order to use it.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    Viber is easy to use. Viber does not appear to have accessibility information on their site.

    Mobile friendly

    Viber is primarily a smartphone app you can use on Android and iOS devices.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    Only 1-on-1 and group chats are fully secured by end-to-end encryption.

    Multilingual capabilities

    You can change the default language on Viber.

    Additional resources