Free Multimedia Resources

There is an increasing sensitivity to mis-use of copyright material in Education. The following sites offer free or Creative Commons access to images, clips and music.

 

 

Free Picture Sites for use with Education

There are many places to find pictures for use with an educational project. Some of them include the following sites.

• http://www.Pics4Learning.com– Free photos to use for multimedia projects. 
• http://commons.wikimedia.org – Wikipedia’s image files are stored here and most of the pictures are copyright friendly.
• http://www.flikr.com – Use the advance search feature to find pictures which have been granted permission to use copyright free.
• http://www.freedigitalphotos.net – Free Digital Photos.net allows you to have free low-res photos which are perfect for multimedia projects.
• http://www.freefoto.com/ - Free Foto allows you to use their pictures for free provided you credit the site

Free Picture and Video Sites for use with Education

• http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com – Discovery Education will allow you to use their pictures and videos provided you adhere to their terms of use found at this link:
   http://www.discoveryeducation.com/aboutus/terms-of-use/streaming.cfm
• http://www.freestockfootage.com – Free Stock Footage allows free use of their low resolution video stock and images.
• http://kitzu.org/ - Digital kits with photos and videos

Free Music Tracks

There are many sites which allow Creative Commons use of music. Since the music is not always appropriate, you should preview the music before using it in your video.

• Jamendo - http://www.jamendo.com/en/
• Dmusic - http://dmusic.com/
• Opsound - http://www.opsound.org/
• Sound Click - http://www.soundclick.com/
• Royalty Free Music - http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/
• Incompetech - http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/
• Free Play Music - http://www.freeplaymusic.com/
• Flash Kit - http://www.flashkit.com/loops/
• Royalty Free Sounds - http://soundbible.com/royalty-free-sounds-1.html

I recommend...some Activtips

Promethean Planet hosts many short videos that show facets of Promethean software... they're called Activtips and it's worth a root around if you're looking for ideas on how to make the most of having a Board.

So here come Five of the Best

Search for Developing Collaboration , Adding Pace in a Lesson, Compare & Contrast, Introduce a Topic or Powerpoint in the Secondary section

A word from our sponsors ... not

Thought this might interest everyone - a 15% back-to-school pass for your next visit to STAPLES Office Supplies (Northampton's is on the St James Retail Park (?))

Tomorrow's post will feature links to my Top 5 ActivTips videos on the Promethean Planet website - remember Promethean Planet is free to join and gives access to not only other teachers' flipcharts, but also Professional Development resources.

Windows 7 and Office 2010

By the time staff return on September 1st, the Academy will be using Windows 7 and Office 2010, a new Operating System and Productivity suite, replacing Windows XP and Office 2003. For many of you this software will be familiar from your home PCs, but for some they will be completely new. The challenges and opportunities thrown up by each one are very different.

Windows 7 simplifies Windows for the user, (see video) but also adds some easy-to-use tools that improve the experience for expert and light users alike. The look of Windows 7 will be familiar to previous users of Windows, whilst pinning, snapping, jumping and snipping (see video below) will quickly become the quick ways of doing things that used to take you ages.

Office 2010 is more of a challenge. Much better software than previous versions, it is designed to present all the most frequently used commands quickly and simply. The problem is that at first look, it appears that what they've done is hidden everything! This can confound even expert users on first view but some dedicated furtling around will help. Our training session on September 1st will help this process - I promise. If you want to pursue another path to enlightenment then try downloading Microsoft's own learning game to help you navigate Office
 - Ribbon Hero 2 .

Progress... and Access?

The ICT implementation has been proceeding apace during the Summer. There follow some pictures which are indicative of the installations in classrooms. Some final finishing work has not yet been done - so please excuse the coverings over vulnerable bits of the installations and coils of wires which have yet to be hidden in trunking.

66% of the new Promethean Boards have been installed, usually taking the place of whatever IWB was previously positioned. The vari-height boards are fixed tot he floor and anchored to the wall, reducing their vulnerability to losing their calibration.

To supplement the Board's on-board speakers, Soundfield systems have been fitted which can amplify both the voice of the teaccher via a neck-worn microphone and any multimedia sounds. 

Some of the peripheral devices are also in place - such as the new Gladstone money-loaders for the Cashless system, whilst others are in storage (like the visualisers below) awaiting deployment.

Plans for the training are in place for September 1st with staff having received a letter from Joan Mackness about arrangements for the day. That day - and the support provided at the start of term is designed to ensure staff are able to use the new resources from the beginning of term.If you want access to enable you to have some practice on the Promethean boards before terms starts, please email alex.constant@northgate-is.com for confirmation about when that will be possible. August 23rd is likely to be the earliest that Teacher PCs in classrooms will be ready to be used.

Remember that the Promethean software can be downloaded from Promethean World for free. (see earlier blog post)

All Action On Site

Visited the site today. Northgate's IT team had more than 15 bodies on-site today - Project managers, solutions experts, network engineers, cable pullers, Whiteboard installers.. and it seemed like one guy just taking rubbish to the skips! With Wireless Network, Access Control and CCTV teams to come, it'll probalby get busier before it relents!
The install is going very well, but with redecorating also taking place, it will only be tomorrow (5th) when the first whiteboard install is fully completed... though another 20 are 85% there!

The Training Day on 1st September is programmed to start at 0845.