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 Their web-based interface works well for reading these historical documents online.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/.

Website Review: MIT's App Inventor

MIT’s APP INVENTOR is a website for teaching and learning how to build mobile apps for Androids.

The website contains field-tested tutorials that beginners can use to learn programming and app development.

The website is divided into two sections: Learn and Teach.

The Learn section provides access to a “course in a box”, video tutorials, a book, and other learning materials.

The Teach section section contains useful resources to help teachers design courses and modules that use the App Inventor software. It contains lesson plans, teaching ideas, and lots of suggestions and examples.

Librarians will find this to be a useful resource for technology teachers developing instructional materials related to programming. It’s also a great website for students who want to learn on their own apps. Computer clubs and after-school groups may also benefit from the resources at the website.

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