trusted outsiders

Treasure from my hours spent wasted on the internet. Worth it.

Resources for Writing

Probably one of the best and most comprehensive online writing resources, I've been using the Purdue OWL since I was myself a writing center tutor. It's got fantastic guides to MLA, Chicago, and APA formats, as well as great tips for job searches, subject-specific writing, and more. Definitely keep this website bookmarked.
A true hidden gem, Spry's ABC's of Writing series has real writers sharing brief craft essays that focus on one letter of the alphabet (think a Sue Grafton novel, but without all the murder). In addition to the "for Beginners" series, the ABCs cover a bunch of genres, including fiction, flash, creative nonfiction, and poetry.
Another hidden gem, this feature from the book world's social media site has a place where you can ask authors of best sellers the burning questions that keep you up at night. I've participated a few times, and I think my favorite is Michael Cunningham's answer to which writers are his 'spirit guides.'
A great resource for knowing the difference between consonance and alliteration, so you don't make an assonance out of yourself.

Resources for Teaching

I'm biased on this, but if you're as much of a public broadcasting nerd as I am, this is the best resource for finding clips from your favorite shows without needing to buy the DVD or bust out the old VHS tape. It takes the longest-form PBS media and cuts it into bite-sized pieces for the classroom, and even includes state common core standards and teachers' guides. It's free to join, and you can incorporate lessons into Google Classroom or use the LearningMedia client to do everything through the website. I used this resource as part of an integration into google classroom and it was a fantastic and seamless integration. I highly recommend using this resource as part of your classroom media diet.
Okay, I'm DEFINITELY biased on this one, but it's dope as all get out. Connecticut Public cultivates specific media modules using PBS, NPR, and other public media from around the country and the world to ask a single question about public policy, social studies, and science. It uses a research-based approach from the Center for Media Literacy to have students dissect the media and ask important questions to learn media literacy skills. Following an investigate, contemplate, debate model, students are able to engage in civic discourse and use research and critical thinking skills to learn about a topic that's both in the news and in their textbooks.
Another hidden gem, this feature from the book world's social media site has a place where you can ask authors of best sellers the burning questions that keep you up at night. I've participated a few times, and I think my favorite is Michael Cunningham's answer to which writers are his 'spirit guides.'
A great resource for knowing the difference between consonance and alliteration, so you don't make an assonance out of yourself.

Resources for Creating Media

One of the best free graphic design websites, Canva has a library of platform-specific templates for social media, print, and web. It also allows you to upload your own photos and assets to use in your designs. I probably use this every day.
Looking for a gorgeous trove of stock photos to get you by? Unsplash is the spot.
Man, I really wish there was an alternative to giving Adobe money every month just to use a nonlinear video editing softwa-OH WAIT there totally is! Blackmagic Design's new DaVinci Resolve is FREE for a base software, which is absolutely fine for anyone just looking to use it in the classroom.
THAT BEING SAID, Adobe's Premiere Clip app for iOS and Android is also a perfectly capable quick-edit vehicle for sharing video you shot on your phone. I've used this resource to create short, quick presentation videos with students. It allows them to take creative liberty but definitely keeps the project confined in a usable space.
There's also great photo editing capabilities in PS Express. So, you know, don't totally write Adobe off.
A treasure trove of 16,000 sounds free to use for educational, personal, or research purposes. Includes 6 dedicated files on "foyers."
Kevin MacLeod's offers his over 2,000 compositions free under Creative Commons license with attribution, which means he's probably one of the most prolific film composers of all time, with over 3,000 iMDB listings. Also, there's graph paper if you're into that sort of thing (I am).
One of my favorite places to fall into an internet hole, the Internet Archive hosts thousands of hours of public domain and government films, an in-browser emulator for MS-DOS games (including The Oregon Trail), and the Open Library - and that's just a few of the things you can find here.