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This website offers a collection of out of copyright recordings, which would greatly serve to enhance a podcast. The site is easy to navigate and allows the user to download the audio file (MP3) to his/her desired location. After this file has been downloaded to the computer, students could then import the file into Audacity in order to edit the audio file to better fit their podcast. Student created podcasts would be a great way for middle school and high school students to convey their ideas or topics to a class. These can be done as individual or group projects. I especially see this type of activity being well suited for a Social Studies context, especially as a way to present research information. The correct application of music, to serve as an intro in a podcast, could greatly assist in the development of a polished final product. However, I would recommend sticking with the instrumental music for most uses within the educational context. But, the creation of a podcast within a history course could be enhanced with the accurate incorporation of time appropriate music. I believe for these music files to be incorporated into a podcast, to benefit the listener, the creator must have a working knowledge of Audacity. However, with the ability to pair Open Music Archive with Audacity can give the individual the tools necessary to create a product that would benefit learners through the multimedia platform.

This is an archive of images that can be used without worrying about copyright. Some images are free and some have to be paid for. In order to use an image you simply click the download button. There are over a thousand different pictures to choose from. This would make this resource wonderful for teachers of any grade level or content area. You simply type in or search for the type of image you are looking for and browse for the one that you like the best. The images are high quality and there is a plethora of images files and types.

This site contains copyright free/royalty free images. The small sizes (267 x 400) are free but if you'd like a larger size you will pay from $3.00 to $10.00. If you use the images, you must have an acknowledgement to FreeDigitalPhotos.net and the image creator. You can search for images by photo, illustration, or ID. You can also sign up to be a member and/or a contributor. Teachers of all content areas could find useful photos to enhance their lessons.

This site has an immense amount of images that are copyright and royalty free and of good quality. Teachers at any level could use them to engage student and enhance learning by incorporating them into their lesson in presentations or as conversation startes for a wide variety of topics. Student can also download and use these images for their own visuals for projects and presentations. For each image used, you must publish a credit to the artist. They only issue I think may come arise with that is if students are using this resource to find images that they could use they may forget to acknowledge the artist. One of the parts of this site that I really loved was it tells you how to recongnize the artist in the media you are using the artwork in. A great teaching moment!

pdsounds.org offers a free sound library with a variety of interesting sound effects from a German bar to writing with an ink pen. The sound volunteers utilize recording equipment to capture hundreds of sounds for copyright free, public use and tag them with a set of tags that help in the search process. You do not need a membership to access the free sound files, and you are able to submit sounds to be added to the catalog. These sound effects are perfect for incorporation into presentations and videos. In my high school business education classroom, these sound effects will enhance our projects. For instance, if a student created a marketing video with still images of tea products, the tea pouring sound effect would be helpful. In commercials, the effects can be used to make the situation more lifelike...birds in the background of a kitchen scene, or cars in the background of a busy sidewalk. Students will enjoy searching the clip options and finding just the right combination. I give this site a 4 on a 1-5 scale, because of the variety of clips, the ability to post clips, and the ease of searching via tags and simple downloading. To improve, I would like to see thousands of sounds available for download.

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.