This site is a digital image repository which offers over 13,500 stock photos organized into 84 indexes. The images published on this site are protected under copyright but may be used for free as long as credit is given to Free Images in the form of either a return link or printed acknowledgement. While this repository is free and does not require payment of any kind, it does require all users to setup an account. The account is used as a means of communication between administrators and members. This communication is focused on updating users on any changes to policy or terms of use. This requirement presents itself as a potential difficulty for faculty and students who may wish to utilize any images on the site. Many users are hesitant to create accounts and may see this additional step as a barrier to completing work or obtaining resources in a timely manner. In an effort to counteract this issue, I would create a brief Job-Aid outlining the steps needed to create an account and include notes on the purpose and use of the account moving forward - paying particular attention to the limited scope and minimal use of the account. This Job-Aid would allow users to quickly establish their login credentials and alleviate any concerns they may have about the responsibilities or repercussions of creating an account and providing their contact information.

Once users become familiar with the site and establish their usernames, they will be able to browse through a variety of image categories. In addition to graphics, these categories contain prompts for potential uses of each image group. This is an excellent feature for educators who are trying to brainstorm new ideas for incorporating multimedia. I noticed that Free Images contains several high quality images on nature and space. These combined categories could be used easily within an environmental studies course to depict features characteristic to Earth, both land and space. Specifically, I think that these images would work well within discussion prompts which require students to describe an ecosystem or astronomical feature in detail. Students could use this repository to find relevant images that correspond to their designated topics.

The overall quality of images published on this site is mediocre in terms of clarity, diversity, tonal range, etc. These images are able to successfully achieve and capture a strong singular subject however. The narrow scope allows the user to easily identify the focal point almost immediately. This singular focus could work to many educators'/students' advantages as images can be easily paired with topics and leave little room for misinterpretation. This basic composition would work well for young learners in elementary or middle grades. For me personally, I would feel comfortable using many of these images for individual projects but would feel the need to seek out more advanced repositories for higher quality images intended for long term or permanent use (i.e. embedded into content, used as stellar examples, etc.). I would recommend this resource to any educator or student who is just beginning to utilize open-resources and repositories and is in need of basic graphics to supplement written or verbal content.

This site is a digital image repository which provides a plethora of free photographs for use by the general public. The vast majority of images available on this site are part of the Public Domain and do not hold any copyright restrictions. Under Creative Commons Public Domain Deed CC0 (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/), users are permitted to download, adapt, and use these images freely without any requirements to attribute the original source or site (although recognition is appreciated). It is important to note that some images may depict content that is subject to additional copyrights and should therefore be reviewed prior to use. Additionally, users should note the availability of some Shutterstock images on the site which can be purchased on an individual basis. These sponsored images can be identified as having a gray background with the Shutterstock logo present. While users have the option to create an account, it is not required in order to search or download any images for use.

This site would be beneficial for any educator looking to enhance their content with high quality multimedia. The "Places/Monuments" category would be an exceptional repository for World Literature or World History instructors seeking to pair content with corresponding visuals. The images would help students make deeper connections to the written or verbal descriptions that otherwise may not be possible. Because of the large variety of international photographs, this site would also benefit foreign language courses. Students could use this site to gather images for various multi-cultural projects assigned throughout the term.

The categories provided on this site are fairly straight forward and allow for ease of navigation through the various forums. Each forum maintains a consistently high standard of images that offers a wide variety of subjects, angles, colors, etc. that will essentially meet everyone's needs. Overall, I feel as though the quality of resources is high and offers a great deal of diversity. My only concern relates to the potential use of images which are not published under the Public Domain. The Shutterstock images bleed into the open-resource images at times and could easily cause misuse by students or faculty who are unaware of the copyright restrictions and/or payment requirements. To counteract this potential issue, I would alert all students to the markers that distinguish Shutterstock photos from other images and require students to acknowledge their understanding of this extraneous resource on the site. Additionally, I would advise all students to review the license information at the bottom of the page prior to downloading any graphics. Any photographs not belonging to the Public Domain would be strongly urged against.

Overall, Pixabay is an excellent resource that offers a great deal of variety and perspective in the photographs that it publishes. Because the site allows members to upload images, the repository is constantly being updated and continues to grow. Images are reviewed and prior to being accepted to ensure high standards are maintained.

This site functions as a repository for text, audio, and video speeches from present and historical eras. The information presented would be helpful in both the k-12 and higher education environments across a variety of subject areas. In particular, I could see this site being used in a Public Speaking or American History course in the following way:
*Public Speaking - Students are required to find and analyze a speech on American Rhetoric which exemplifies one of the types of speeches covered in the course (i.e. argumentative, persuasive, etc). Students will be required to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the speech as described in their readings.
*American History - Students are required to find and analyze a historical speech and reflect on the historical relevance, speaker's/audience's views and opinions of the subject matter as it pertains to the historical context, and the overall impact of such a speech as it was presented in its original era.

The majority of resources provided on this site are in the public domain and may be used freely by any interested party; however portions of the site are copyrighted by American Rhetoric or private holders. Pages copyrighted by American Rhetoric specifically may be used freely for educational purposes and do not require additional permissions to be obtained. Some content which is copyrighted by private holders may require additional permissions to be requested by the original owner prior to use. All materials which are not under the public domain will contain copyright information at the bottom of the individual page in question.

Overall, this site attempts to organize speeches into relevant categories; however navigation and search capabilities may present an obstacle for some younger and/or inexperienced users. There are multiple speech categories which house similar speakers and subjects but are presented separately on the site homepage. Additionally, the search functionality is available but would not compete for students' attention as compared to the more flashy and grandiose text and graphics presented elsewhere on the homepage. To mitigate this issue, I would provide a brief instructional document to students to help better direct their attention and research. This document would encourage students to bypass links and graphics on the homepage and instead navigate directly to the "SITE SEARCH" option as their primary guide for the site. Despite these navigational shortfalls, the resources on this site maintain a high quality and are presented in a way that is consistent with the recording capabilities of the decade in which they were chronicled (appearance of color, audio clarity, etc.) . Each speech is paired with a corresponding transcript and in many cases a relevant image is included to enhance the historical context of the speech being presented. This is an audio and video repository that I hope to use in the future and would recommend to other educators.