Website Review: C-SPAN

C-SPAN is a public service providing audio and video access to proceedings related to public policy.

Providing over a quarter million hours of content, this free service includes regular series along with the proceedings of Congress, the Executive Branch, and the US Supreme Court. Series include American History TV, Book TV, and more. Viewers can check their regular schedule of events or search by key word. Users can also narrow their search by videos, clips, people, organizations, mentions, and bills.

Librarians will find this video library to be an excellent resource across the curriculum. Use videos to jumpstart questioning related to public policy and social issues. For classroom resources, go to C-SPAN Classroom for bell ringers, lesson plans, and more.

To visit the website, go to https://www.c-span.org/.
To vist C-SPAN classroom, go to https://www.c-span.org/classroom/.

Technology Review: Anchor

ANCHOR is an app and website for creating podcasts.

This free resource allows users to record high-quality audio programs, then easily share their work. Available in both the App Store and at Google Play, this podcasting tool is also available in a web-based format. Although a sign-in is required, the resource is free for both short and long form audios.

Librarians will find this to be a useful tool for teachers and students wishing to create their own podcasts. Use it across content areas for engaging audio projects.

To learn more about the app, go to https://anchor.fm/

Website Review: A Bear's Eye View of Yellowstone

A BEAR’S EYE VIEW OF YELLOWSTONE is an interactive exploration of the world of bears.

Created by National Geographic, this interactive project uses text, images, audio, video, maps, and infographics to provide insights into the life of bears living in Yellowstone National Park. After exploring one bear’s journey, users can follow other bears including both black bears and grizzly bears.

Librarians will find this website to be an excellent resource for reluctant learners. The mixture of audio, video, and images along with small text segments will draw interest. Use this interactive journey as a springboard to an inquiry-based learning experience focusing on animals.

To visit the website, go to https://www.nationalgeographic.com/…/yellowstone-national-…/.

Digital Spotlight: American Archive of Public Broadcasting

AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING shares historic programs of publicly funded radio and television in the United States.

Contents: Users can browse the collection such as agriculture, dance, energy, fine art, or literature. Another option is to explore curated exhibits on topics such as climate change and the Civil Rights Movement. Students can also explore content by participating organization.

Classroom Connections: Librarians will find quality programs across the curriculum. Partner with teachers to identify audio and video segments that match specific curriculum needs.

Featured Digital Objects:
Protesting in America http://americanarchive.org/exhibits/first-amendment
Voice of Democracy http://americanarchive.org/exhibits/presidential-elections
Civil Rights Movement http://americanarchive.org/exhibits/civil-rights

To visit the collection, go to http://americanarchive.org.

Technology Review: Midomi

MIDOMI is a music website with an audio search tool, exploration options, and a singing feature.

Users can either do a word search for an artist, song, or album. One of the most interesting aspects of this music tool is the ability to “sing or hum” a tune. Simply sing or hum at least second seconds of a song like “you are my sunshine” and it identifies places on the web where that song is available. The website also contains a section where users can explore a wide variety of music by genre or language. Finally, users can try their skills at singing with the Studio Tool.

Librarians will find that young singers will enjoy the singing and humming options available. Teachers may find it a useful tool for locating specific songs or music in particular genre.

This music search and discovery tool is also available as an app called SoundHound.

To visit the website, go to http://www.midomi.com/.
To download the app, go to http://www.soundhound.com/soundhound.

Digital Spotlight: Behind the Veil

BEHIND THE VEIL is a digital collection documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South.

Contents: Housed at the Duke University Libraries, this collection includes 410 recorded oral histories tracing African-American life in the segregated American South through the mid 20th century. Users can locate oral histories by interview state, birth state, interviewee, gender, or occupation. Audio interviews include a transcript.

Classroom Connections: Teachers will find that these interviews provide personal insights into life during the Jim Crow era. Students will be attracted to the audio format. Ask students to listen to an interview and compare it with the experience of others in their small group.

Featured Digital Objects:
Dora Strong Dennis, Domestic Worker http://library.duke.edu/digitalco…/behindtheveil_btvct01115/
Easter Hinton Sanders, Educator http://library.duke.edu/digitalco…/behindtheveil_btvnc03032/
Booker T. Federick, Day Laborer http://library.duke.edu/digitalco…/behindtheveil_btvct03034/

To visit the collection, go tohttp://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/behindtheveil/.

Technology Review: Matoola

MATOOLA is a search tool that locates podcasts across the web.

This easy-to-use website allows users to do a word search to find podcast programs on a wide range of topics from science and social studies to sports and health issues. Results includes the name and date of the podcast, a description, and a control bar to play the podcast. This control bar displays direct links to where the keyword is located in the podcast, the program length, volume controls, and a play button.

Search results can be narrowed by time such as just the past week, month, or year. They can also be sorted by relevance or currency.

Librarians will find this resource a valuable tool in student research and curriculum development. For instance a search for history displays dozens of fascinating podcasts that could be woven into class activities. Young researchers will find this tool to be a effective way to locate information for projects. For instance, a search for autism brings up dozens of recent podcasts on the topic.

To conduct a search, go to http://www.matoola.com.

Digital Spotlight: Listen to Nature

LISTEN TO NATURE

British Library

Contents: This large collection includes 400 sound recordings related to wildlife and the language of birds. Users can browse by location, animal group, or habitats. A section of the website also includes information about the language of birds.

Classroom Connections: Encourage students to incorporate sounds into their animal projects.

Featured Digital Objects:
Land Mammals https://goo.gl/oD3aUa
Animal Habitats https://goo.gl/WtqK5I

To visit the collection, http://www.bl.uk/listentonature/main.html.

Technology Review: Kids Learn Out Loud

KIDS LEARN OUT LOUD is a resource for audio and video learning on the web.

This audio and video learning portal contains thousands of educational audio books, podcasts, and videos designed for K-12 students. Content is organized by subject area.

While the website links to free content, the portal also contains fee-based resources. Use the Kids Free Stuff section for free podcasts and audio/video resources.

Librarians will find this website a valuable tool in locating audio resources for free and purchase. Of particular note is their audio sections on children’s literature and foreign language.

To visit the website, go to http://kids.learnoutloud.com/.

Website Review: Stuff You Should Know

STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW is a website featuring informational audio and video programs on a wide variety of topics.

From the makers of the popular HOW STUFF WORKS website, this website contains content on topics such as animals, anthropology, art, economics, history, and more. While most of the episodes are audio, video segments are also included at the website.

Each episode can be downloaded and users can subscribe on iTunes and Google Play.

Librarians will want to mine the website for videos that connect with specific curriculum areas. Keep in mind that the podcasts begin with a sponsor announcements. In addition, many of them are more than 30 minutes in length.

To visit the website, go to http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/.

Technology Review: Lytten

LYTTEN is a search tool that allows users to search within audio programs.

Whether looking for information within a historical broadcast to exploring current events topics, Lytten provides an easy way to find relevant information within an audio program. For instance, a search for “honeybees” brings up podcasts focusing on the disappearance of bees. Users can then listen to the entire audio program or jump to a particular section discussing honeybees.

Librarians will find this tool useful in developing curriculum materials. This website allows the user to quickly locate audio clips related to key concepts. Use to search podcasts across the curriculum. In particular, share this tool with at-risk and special needs students who use their auditory senses for learning.

To explore this website, go to http://www.lytten.com/.

Technology Review: Listenwise

LISTENWISE is an educational website focusing on listening comprehension through audio programs.

The website is organized into three sections: Social Studies, Science, and English Language Arts (ELA). Users can search for lessons in their area of interest. Results can be narrows by subject, language challenge, grade level, and type.

A current events section is particularly useful. New news items are added every day. Each entry contains a title, short description, question, and audio. Tags are provided to assist users in locating related topics.

A blog contains up-to-date information about resources and how they might be used in teaching and learning. A research section provides information about listening comprehension.

Librarians will find endless curriculum applications of this website. Mine each section for programs that connect to local standards. Although a premium service is offered, many high-quality resources are available for free.

To visit the website, go to https://listenwise.com/.

Technology Review: Internet Archive

INTERNET ARCHIVE is a large website containing access to millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

Sponsored by a nonprofit based in California, this digital collection coordinates with many universities, libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies to provide public access to digital resources.

A basic and advanced search tool provides access to individual digital objectives. Users can also explore sections focusing on text, video, audio, software, and images.

The WayBack Machine allows users to enter a URL or keywords and see the history of over 279 billion web pages.

The website’s entry page provides links to top collections such as American Libraries, Live Music Archives, and Community Audio.

Librarians will find this website to be one of the best starting points for difficult to find historical materials, particularly books. Their web-based interface works well for reading these historical documents online.

To visit the website, go to https://archive.org/.

Technology Review: Storyplace

STORY PLACE is a children’s digital learning library.

Sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, this engaging website is filled with engaging activities for children. Available in both English and Spanish, the website provides resources based on dozens of themes. The resources including online stories, web-based activities, videos, reading lists, home activities, and more.

In addition to StoryPlace, the library also houses a preschool activity library and book hive children’s literature section.

Librarians will find the colorful, attractive interactives to be popular with primary-aged children. The website’s thematic approach connects on-computer and off-computer reading and learning activities that teachers can easily adapt for the classroom.

To visit the website, go to https://www.storyplace.org/.

Technology Review: Short & Curly

SHORT & CURLY is an Australia Broadcasting Network fast-paced podcast aimed at inquisitive children.

Each 20 minute, fun-filled podcast focuses on a different ethics topic related to technology, animals, school, pop culture, or some other interesting theme. Designed for children and families, the podcasts are designed to stimulate conversation.

Librarians will find these engaging podcasts address topics of interest to children. Consider an activity that involves asking students to listen to an episode and write their reaction to the ethics issue discussed.

To visit the website, go to https://soundcloud.com/short-curly.

Technology Review: Brains On!

BRAINS ON! is a website containing engaging science podcasts for youth.

Produced by MPR News and Southern California Public Radio, these short, informative podcasts ask and answer fascinating science questions. While some podcasts interview experts and scientists, others are presented in the form of plays or songs. Each podcasts is co-hosted by a different child.

Users can listen to the latest podcast or explore archived programs. Children can also go directly to a list of podcasts focusing on interviews, music, activities, or audio.

Librarians will find that children enjoy the website’s approach to presenting science information. Use these podcasts to inspire teachers and children to create their own class programs.

To visit the website, go to http://www.brainson.org/.

Technology Review: StoryNory

STORYNORY is a website presenting free audio stories and poems to children.

This website contains 100s of free audio stories for young people. The stories are divided into original stories, fairytales, classic audio books, educational stories, myths and world stories, junior stories, and poems and music. Most of the works contain both text and audio. Within each sections, the stories are categorized. For instance, the fairy tale section includes stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Brother’s Grimm, Aesop, and more.

Librarians will find this website to be a useful resource for classroom teachers seeking short, classic stories. The easy-to-use format is appropriate for children. Although the website contains ads, they aren’t distracting.

To visit the website, go to http://www.storynory.com/.

Technology Review: Find Sounds

FIND SOUNDS is an easy-to-use search engine for locating sound files.

From sound effects for use in podcasts to bird calls for science projects, Find Sounds is useful for locating a wide range of sound files. Users can locate audio files by file format, number of channels, resolution, and sample rate.

The website provides a useful page of example searches for topics such as animals, birds, holidays, household, insects, mayhem, musical instruments, nature, office, people, sports, tools, vehicles, and entertainment.

Librarians will find this tool to be useful when working on audio projects with students. Use the search engine to locate file types that can then be edited using software such as Audacity.

Keep in mind that the website doesn’t include an option for identifying copyright information so students should check out each individual sound to determine how they might be used and the process for providing credit for use.

To visit the website, go to http://www.findsounds.com.

Technology Review: The Moonlit Road

THE MOONLIT ROAD is a website sharing ghost stories, folktales, myths and legends and tales of the American South.

Designed for older children and adults, this engaging resource contains hundreds of strange, dark stories from the American South. This free site includes original stories, adaptations, and old folktales passed down through oral tradition.

The resources are organized into categories such as Civil War era, creature stories, and kids stories. Users can read or listen to the story. Many of the stories have an accompanying image that connects with the tale.

The schoolhouse section contains lessons created by and for teachers using stories from the website.

Librarians will find this website a great way to bring traditional storytelling alive for students. Share the website with English teachers and students who enjoy traditional tales and spooky stories. Involve students in writing and sharing their own stories.

To visit the website, go to http://themoonlitroad.com/.

Technology Review: Listening to Nature

LISTENING TO NATURE is audio-rich nature exploration of California.

Sponsored by the Oakland Museum of California, this short online project presents users with an interactive map of California. Students can choose a region and learn about the natural world in that area.

Librarians will find that the combination of text, images, and audio keep readers interested. This website would be useful for an activity related to habitats.

To visit the website, go to http://explore.museumca.org/naturalsounds/.