I just want to highlight a few places you can find videos for the classroom or just to feed your intellectual curiosity. I haven't included MOOC or whole-course video sites, like Khan Academy, Coursera, or Academic Earth.
1. Films on Demand. (If the link doesn't work for you, check your local library for this one.)
Thanks to NCLive, the Jones Library provides access to this resource for all students, faculty and staff of Brevard College. The collection contains over 21,000 streaming videos from a variety of sources aimed at both academic and public library users. Academic areas covered include business, health, humanities, social sciences, science and mathematics. Also included are travel and fitness programs, home and DIY videos, indie films, and popular music performances. If you are using information from the videos in a paper or media creation of your own, FoD conveniently provides citations in MLA and APA formats--no excuse for plagiarism, folks.
2. NC Live Video Collection (Again, this is a Brevard College link. Check your local library for access)
This collection also comes to BC thanks to NCLive. The collection consists primarily of selected PBS videos, including series like Masterpiece (no, not Downton Abbey), Nova, Eyes on the Prize, and Ken Burns' work. Also included are videos specific to North Carolina history and the arts. Gotta love PBS when you're looking for educational video!
Thus ends our library promo of the week. The rest of these video resources are freely available on the interwebs.
3. iTunes U
From individual lectures to whole courses from colleges and universities schools, iTunes U is an amazing collection of free educational content. Quality of video and audio content does vary greatly, depending on the creator, so you might have to surf a bit to find the gems. If you happen to be a Brevard faculty member reading this blog, you might want to talk to Jodi in IT about posting your own material on Brevard's iTunes U site.
4. Curiosity
If you are an intellectually curious sort, this is a site you must explore. The videos are brief and interesting, and each teaches a concept of some sort. Today, I learned a bit about quantum physics, how to make my own disco ball, and the history of the Ouija board. You can search by keyword, browse subject categories or popular videos, or--my favorite--hit the "surprise me" button to see a random video on any topic. Just now, the surprise was a video titled "Are cockroaches good for your health?" I admit that I didn't watch that one. Just the opening image gave me the heebie-jeebies.
5. Ted
If you want to hear the best researchers and thinkers in the world talk for less than 18 minutes about great ideas, Ted is the place to go. Ted talks are fascinating, thoughtful, timely, and cover a wide range of subjects. These talks are among the best informational videos the internet has to offer.
6. BrightTalk
Focused on business topics, BrightTalk offers webinars and videos organized in the following "communities": accounting, management, facilities, healthcare and life sciences, information technology, investment management, marketing, and sales. These videos aren't the short bites of information you find elsewhere; rather, they tend to be full-length lectures or conversations.
7. Green.TV
It's not easy being Green, but this website of environmental videos provides far more than strategies for creating a greener, more sustainable planet. Science and social science combine to support the mission of the organization through thoughtful videos with strong production values. The group launched in 2005 in a partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and continues to work collaboratively with strong partner organizations.
Educational YouTube Channels
8. True Facts About...
Every week, Ze Frank releases a new video about a random animal. These videos are always hilarious and often NSFW. Ze Frank's formal and excessively plummy voice-over makes the scripting and side comments all the better, but between giggles and snorts, you learn a great deal of trivia about a particular animal in a short time. You will also learn more about the animals' genitals and excretory organs than Wild Kingdom ever shared--and that can be some weird stuff. Ask the ruddy ducks.
9. Crash Course
These videos run from 10-15 minutes and cover academic topics. John and Hank Green, the brothers who create this series, encourage using their videos with students, either as homework or in class, so they are designed to support classroom work as well as independent learning. They are interesting, fast-paced mini-lectures with fun examples, but the videos I sampled were a bit less infotainment than than the vids on the Curiosity site. Their playlists are in the categories of world and U.S. history, literature, biology, ecology, chemistry, and psychology.
10. VSauce
This site asks and answers random questions like "Why are we morbidly curious?" and "Why do we kiss?" Production quality is excellent, and the range of topics interesting. Some are less educational than others, but they are entertaining and informative, nonetheless..
11. Nerdwriter
Another YouTube channel, Nerdwriter's stated purpose is to "cultivate worldview." It is very much a video podcast from an individual perspective. The creator wants to cultivate "well-rounded individuals" who "live the intellectual life." I'd say that's the goal of a liberal arts education, too--especially the "well-rounded" part. As you might expect, the vocabulary and topics covered are intellectual and a little pretentious. Nonetheless, Nerdwriter's critical analysis of the world we live in can spark thoughtful reflection and conversations. The videos range from opinionated commentary to introductory discussions of topics.
