Last week we held the last Teaching with Technology workshop before Shain library reopens and we focus on new resources and services in the renovated building. The topic was new streaming media resources available through the library to the Connecticut College community. If you missed the workshop, here are the resources we covered: Kanopy and VAST.
Described as a “Netflix for colleges,” Kanopy provides immediate access to 2,249 full length educational and documentary films from BBC, PBS, Media Education Foundation, Documentary Educational Resources, and many other production houses. Some interesting collections include: Education (279), Visual Art (240), Foreign Language Film (638), Gender, Race & Diversity in Media (18), Dance Collection (62), and much more. Here are some features:
- Each film can be viewed full-screen and includes closed-captioning
- Create clips from full films (a welcome and easy to use feature)
- Share clips or full films with students by embedding them in Moodle or provide access via a link or through social media channels
- Create playlists of clips and/or full films for your students then share playlists
- Films include public performance rights, so you or your students may host a viewing outside of class time
VAST provides access to thousands of films and is particularly strong in anthropology (1,847) , historic newsreels (3,823), and music and performing arts (526,905 albums and 1,732 videos), education (3,949), and psychology and counseling (1,517). Features include:
- Each film can be viewed full-screen and includes an interactive transcript and citation tools.
- Create clips and playlists (free account required)
- Share video via links, social media, or embed videos or clips directly in Moodle
Feel free to explore these resources and share them with your colleagues and students. If you need assistance locating films or using any of the features, please contact a librarian.
Great post, Jessica. You summed up the two products beautifully.