Tag Archives: resources

Watch Thousands of Free Movies at Documentary Heaven | Lifehacker

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Documentaries aren’t just informative; they’re also fun to watch. And if you’re a fan, Documentary Heaven has thousands of titles to choose from. The website doesn’t host any movies itself, but it curates and embeds free titles from sites like YouTube and Vimeo. You’ll find both the popular and the obscure…Topics range from politics to economics to biographies, and some topics are a bit more specific: gangs, conspiracies, evolution. You can browse these topics from their list, or use the search tool to find something specific.

via Watch Thousands of Free Movies at Documentary Heaven | Lifehacker

30 Useful Apps For Students You Probably Don’t Know About | InformED

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The number of college students taking at least one online course has nearly doubled over the past five years according to a report by market research agency Refuel.

Online students are often faced with the challenge of juggling their academic responsibilities alongside families or full-time jobs, which is certainly no easy task.

Technology can help students better manage their learning by providing everything from study aids and research tools to time-management apps, so it’s somewhat surprising to learn that few students are actually using such tools for learning purposes.

The majority of students use online and mobile apps primarily for entertainment according to the Refuel report, with over 70% using them for games, 67% using them for music, and 64% using them for social networking.

If you want to encourage your students to start taking advantage of the many technology tools available to them, here are a few examples of the types of productivity and learning apps that can support them in their studies.

SEE THE LIST OF TOOLS: 30 Useful Apps For Students You Probably Don’t Know About | InformED

Poster Sessions – A Beginner’s Guide [Originally Posted December 2013] | Hack Library School

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Though June, July and August might seem like ages away, many conferences use January as their deadline for submissions from students.  So today is as good a time as any to talk about a type of submission that can seem foreign to a lot of library students- the poster session. Let’s dive in! READ MORE: Poster Sessions – A Beginner’s Guide | Hack Library School

How do I start playing video games? A beginner’s guide | The Guardian + Top 20 best video games for beginners | The Guardian

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Recently, several non-techy friends have sidled up to me and asked, in hushed conspiratorial tones: “Keith, should I be playing video games?”

It’s an interesting question for two reasons. First, I write about video games for a living; that’s my job. So what did they think I was going to say? “No, they’re a massive waste of time”? Secondly, a few years ago, people my age were feeling guilty about playing video games, now there are people feeling guilty that they’re not. This is progress.

So for all the potential gamers out there who are thinking about taking up a joypad but don’t know where to start, or which games to try, or what a joypad looks like, here is a quick guide

READ MORE: How do I start playing video games? A beginner’s guide | Technology | The Guardian.

So you’ve bought a shiny new games console, or a ridiculously powerful PC, or the latest smartphone iteration, and now you want to play games on it. What happens next?

Well, if you’ve been doing the whole gaming thing for years, you’ll know which review sites to go to, what developers and publishers produce the best stuff and what everyone is looking forward to playing. But if you’re just starting out, it can all be a bit … overwhelming. Every year around 1,000 new titles are released on consoles and PC, and there are more than 300,000 games available on the Apple App Store. So how are you supposed to work out what to play?

Following our Beginner’s Guide to Gaming, here are 20 titles which will get you started. We’ve included smartphone, console and PC titles, and instead of focusing on titles aimed specifically at non-gamers, we’ve tried to select excellent recent titles that will introduce you to more complex gaming experiences and represent where the medium is right now.

READ MORE: Top 20 best video games for beginners | Technology | The Guardian.

Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries [Blog] by Ellyssa Kroski

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Ellyssa Kroski of iLibrarian fame said farewell to the iLibrarian blog in late 2014. iLibrarian was one of my top resources for emerging technologies in libraries and information services. I will miss the iLibrarian posts but am excited about the new website she has launched called Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries. I’ve participated in coding and medieval times events over the past few years and am surprised at how quickly these events are transitioning into the mainstream. With the increasing popularity and growth of these activities, CCGC in Libraries is sure to be a great resource for librarians and fans of cosplay, comics and geek culture.

Speaking of geek culture, I’ve been watching TNT’s The Librarians series and I guess I’m hooked. It’s silly and over the top but I enjoy the mix of science fiction, mystery and adventure. IMO each episode’s concept/theme is more interesting than the overarching storyline. Cassandra’s outfits are way too distracting though! The remaining 2 episodes of Season 1 air tonight, January 18, 2015, on the Space channel in Canada. 

Via the CCGC in Libraries website.

Welcome everyone to Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries! This is an exciting time for geeks of all kinds to be involved with libraries as today’s savvy libraries have begun to embrace new ways to engage library patrons such as fandom events, comic book and graphic novel collections, comic cons, cosplay events.

The intersection of these interests with libraries is a perfect match as libraries are striving to develop entertaining and educational new programs and services that will appeal to not only children but young adults as well as “kids at heart” of all ages. And these new programs and resources fit well with the interests of cosplayers who can utilize the equipment in library makerspaces such as 3D printers and sewing machines to create many of their props and costume pieces, as well as comics fans who can come to the library to read comics and graphic novel collections, video and board game enthusiasts who attend library gaming events, and geeks of all types who are drawn to “nerd nights”, Dr. Who marathons, and Harry Potter socials, etc.

I decided to start this blog, not only because I am a self-proclaimed geek, cosplayer, and comics reader and collector myself, but because this is a cutting-edge area of growth in libraries with significant appeal to today’s patrons. I think that there is much that we can do to expand and develop this type of programming and collection development. And I’m not alone. I’ve been joined by a talented group of international writers, librarians, information professionals, and library patrons to provide articles and inspiration to libraries seeking to incorporate cosplay, comics, and geek culture in their libraries!

The Latest in EdTech Trends: 70 Resources Roundup | OEDB.org

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Lists recently posted resources related to MOOCs, big data, Gamification, The Flipped Classroom, 3D Printing, Mobile Learning and Digital Textbooks. READ: The Latest in EdTech Trends: 70 Resources Roundup | OEDB.org.

DPLA Community Reps Produce Hackathon Planning Guide, Now Available | DPLA

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We’re excited to announce the release of a new Community Reps-produced resource, GLAM Hack-in-a-box, a short guide to organizing and convening a hackathon using cultural heritage data from GLAM organizations Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums including DPLA. We hope this guide will serve as a useful resource for those either unfamiliar with or inexperienced in pulling together a hackathon.

via Digital Public Library of America » Blog Archive » DPLA Community Reps Produce Hackathon Planning Guide, Now Available.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2014 | Jane Hart

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A Guide to Little-Known Image Collections with Millions of Free, Hi-Res Images | OEDB.org

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I’m often asked where to go to find high-quality and hi-resolution still images for reuse so I’ve put together this guide.  There have been several new image collections that have opened up to the public just within the past year that not many people are aware of yet, but they offer access to thousands, or in some cases millions of outstanding photographs that can be downloaded for free.  Here’s a quick guide to finding those collections.

READ MORE: A Guide to Little-Known Image Collections with Millions of Free, Hi-Res Images | OEDB.org.

British Library gives teachers tools to inspire | Books | The Observer

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Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians from British Library Learning on Vimeo.

While Discovering Literature is an important cultural resource that can be enjoyed by all ages, it has been carefully tailored to appeal to GCSE and A-level students. The British Library’s research among teachers showed that original manuscripts, with their edits and revisions, dodgy grammar and messy handwriting, can be a powerful way of engaging pupils. Contextual material can also be a source of inspiration, and the site is packed with items such as letters, diaries, dictionaries, newspapers and illustrations that illuminate the historical, social and political contexts of classic works.

READ MORE: British Library gives teachers tools to inspire | Books | The Observer.

See Also: The British Library Launches New Online Collection of 1,200 Romantic and Victorian Literary Treasures | InfoDocket