Group items tagged

I re-located this resource, that has been around since the year 2000, while searching for AUDIO files for adding to multimedia presentations for but, the site also advertises that, "you can find over 1,000 pages of free resources, tutorials, PowerPoint templates and backgrounds, graphics, sounds for presentations and much more for everyday use and productivity." The sound clips are simple enough for students in grades 5 - 12 to use however, many of the other resources are probably more appropriate for educators. After brief teacher modeling, middle & high school students could easily click on the midi sound files, listen to the preview that opens in Windows Media Player, right-click on the sound title they wanted, "save-target-as" to a file, and insert the free sound clips into their multimedia presentations. Students will also appreciate the wide variety of clear-quality, relevant sounds, a few of which sound like renditions of background hip-hop/rap music that I believe they would enjoy like, "Dr. Tekno," "Nightfunk," and "R&B Bassbeat." In the "Terms of Use" the owner, Nan Shastry, states that "items marked 100% free" can be downloaded free for "personal or business or educational use" but users may not resell downloads, make available as downloads on your website, or link to items without prior permission. While the sound files and many other resources are 100% free, students who try to branch out and download many of the PowerPoint backgrounds or animated graphics will encounter zip file popups that ask/require them to evaluate "WinRAR" software for a 40-day trial before purchasing it, to continue using the download. Educators could mitigate this problem by distributing a list of preferred download link titles from the site that students could easily access without any difficulty or, by simply instructing them to click "cancel" or "close" on any of the downloads that require purchasing.

Photogen offers free images for commercial and personal use. There is no sign up or registration to download images. The images can be found through the direct search option or under the categories section on the homepage. It offers a wide range of categories of images. This site could be used for upper elementary, middle, and high school students in any content area. This site is easy to navigate and the images download in seconds. The only concern is that the homepage contains ads for other free image repositories that could confuse students and take them to another site. This issue could be fixed with having a 'teachable moment' students about internet advertising.

Users of resources found on this site are advised to read the terms of use page - there are some use restrictions. See here: http://www.photogen.com/terms-of-use/

This repository offers free images in the forms of: photos, backgrounds, and textures. The only request is that users give credit for the image used. The images are organized in galleries by topics such as, food or technology. This website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. There is sign up request to download images. This repository would be best used by middle and high school students for any content area. The only issue I encountered with this site is the advanced search option. I tried using specific key words (i.e sports) and only one image was found. I found that it was easier to browse through the galleries for more results. I could see this being a problem for those students who do not like taking the time to browse through the galleries.

This website contains collections of images from many different government agencies. For example, the National Parks Service, NASA, the U.S. Mint, branches of the Military, and many, many more. The photos could be very useful in Science, Social Studies, and probably other classes as well. From just some quick research, it looks like the collections of images might best be suited for middle and high school students. The website states that some of the images may be used without permission or fee but the user should read the disclaimers to make sure of the copyright status.

This website was originally created as a resource of 5,000 images concerning the American Civil War, but has since grown to include many more subject areas concerning U.S. History. The site is very easy to navigate and provides teachers and students with clear headings to find pictures from whatever specific area of U.S. History they are looking for. Here are just a few of the main headings used for categorizing the photos: Native Americans, Native American Culture, The Age of Exploration, Settlements and Colonies, Slavery in America, etc. I could easily see this resource being used by a high school U.S. History teacher, as well as by their students. A teacher could use this resource to add more visual meaning and interest to their own presentations or guided notes. Students, like-wise, could easily add relevant photos to their reports, presentations, or research projects. Students may require help with downloading the photos and embedding into their presentations, but this could be corrected with a simple modeling exercise where the teacher demonstrates how to navigate the site and download any desired photos. I really liked this site and have never seen it before. I plan on taking advantage of this year as I plan to create some new U.S. History assignments for my students.

This site provides a wealth of royalty free video footage for use in advertising, blogging, websites and even presentations. This resource provides video, photographic and audio resources on a royalty-free basis. This means that the user pays for the initial download of the content, without having to pay the original photographer or artist for each use of the material. The terms of agreement on this website also provides a $10,000 Legal Guarantee that protects the user of the content up to that amount. I personally, would use this site with middle and high school geography students. In many cases, geography falls into a social studies or science class if I recall correctly. Many of the video clips available have amazing video shots of different landforms and natural formations of nature. In order to show multiple sequences of various land forms, this site would be great for having instant access to incredible video clips. The quality of the work in the video portion of this website is remarkable. All of the content is shot in high quality and is downloadable in a range of size and quality. This site allows the for user to download in various frames per second as well to determine the exact quality available to the user for download.

This is a resource for music. It will allow usage of videos, music, and images and other content for free. It offers free copyright license that is available for any use. Songs and copies of music could be made for friends. They could also be used in videos. This resource could be used in upper elementary, middle, and high school. It could be used to help students create Animoto videos or digital stories in different content areas with music backgrounds. It legally allows people to share music. There may some stipulations to music that is licensed under a No Derivative Works license which prohibits transforming or changing the music. This resource can be used for anyone. It is a copyright free resource. : 

Sound Jay has an assortment of great sound clips to use in flip charts, presentations, or videos.  The sound clips are extremely realistic and so practical.  Students and teachers can really enhance their products with these well-placed sound bites. Did you know that fire had a sound?  Need a certain sound for a website button?  Students and teachers could use these very realistic sounds to accompany their video clips that do not have sound.  A literature class could have an audio assignment where the students create a scene from the book and these sounds would be the perfect addition to the podcast. The downloads are available in wav and mp3 format and they download very quickly.  The clips are typically very short and students might struggle with extending the sound in a loop.  The downloads are free, but there are a lot of advertisements and other "pay" options that might confuse younger users.  I would recommend this site for middle or high school students.

Edupics offers free downloadable coloring pages, pictures, and photographs.  The website images are clearly classified and easy to navigate.  There are word search and crossword puzzle image downloads, which would benefit primary and middle grades. There is even a collection of school appropriate animated videos. The color online tools available appear to target the primary age group, however, there is a variety of content appropriate for making any subject interactive. The only limitation I see to this site, in comparison to others is the limited content available.

Free coloring pages, crafts, drawings and photographs. Children can use these images to learn about many different subjects. Pictures for educational use. This site is loaded with pictures, ways to create coloring pages, already created coloring pages, puzzle maker, games, and crafting ideas. This site is geared to the k-5 education setting. You can do a multitude of activities with this site and the resources available. The pictures can be used for any activity. There is no fee listed, and you do have to create a login.

This website is loaded with opportunities for teachers. It is a very well organized, searchable website that contains pictures that may be colored, photos, black and white printables, crafts. This site is Great for all grade levels pre-K through high school. For social studies teachers, it has religious categories, history, famous people... Science- animals, energy, environment and more... Language arts- emotions, fairy tales, film and television...

There is a wide variety of copyright free music that is free for some educational uses and some student uses as well as personal YouTube videos. However, there is a price involved with using the audio clips in other formats. You can search by music type, and then you are presented with a great selection. You can also upload a video clip and apply your audio selection to it. Another useful tool is the ability to create playlists of your favorite selections. Music can add that extra element to a presentation or lesson and this would be a wonderful site to use for that. This site could be used in any subject area and all grade levels.