NBC Learn - Week of July 15 through July 21

 

 

The NBC Learn databases allow users to access thousands of engaging and informative resources that may be used for personal research, be incorporated into the classroom, or be used to supplement an online learning program.  The databases target two broad education levels: K-12 and Higher Education.  The K-12 resources complement the school curriculum by including subject areas such as Social Studies, Science, and Language Arts.  It is searchable by grade level, state, and subject.  The Higher Education database complements college-level courses by covering subjects such as Global Studies, Business, and Sociology.  The NBC Learn resources consist of brief videos (2-5 minutes in length), documents, images, and audio files. 

The most distinguishing feature of the NBC Learn databases is the CueCard, which functions as a video player, image and document viewer and flash card. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cue Card incorporates a “patented flip card technology” that allows the viewer to “flip” the card over to see additional information while watching a video or viewing a document or image.  This additional information includes the source, the creator, the air/publish date, the copyright date, a description, and a citation.  While watching a video, a full transcript may be easily accessed by clicking on the Transcript link located along the right side of the Cue Card.  Most videos and documents are accompanied by transcripts.  Videos also include a Closed Captioning feature.  Both the Cue Card and the accompanying transcripts are printable.

A Cue Card also may be saved by adding it to MyPlaylists, a personal library that allows easy access to resources that the user may want to view again.  By clicking on the Save tab located at the bottom of an opened Cue Card, the viewer can save the card to an existing playlist or to a new playlist.  My Playlists may be accessed by clicking on the link located along the main navigation bar that appears at the top of every page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, NBC Learn offers users the option to download their videos for future viewing, sharing, and embedding in documents and presentations.  Downloading videos requires the installation of their Offline Video Player, a program that enables the user to view, organize and share downloaded NBC Learn Cue Cards. 

 

Sharing a Cue Card to colleagues, students, friends, or family is easy.  To share a resource, simply click on the Share tab located at the bottom of an opened Cue Card and select an internet service.  (To see a full list of internet services to which a Cue Card may be shared, click on More… from the Share options.)  The Cue Card link also may be shared by copying the URL link and pasting it into emails, documents, and presentations.  The videos are cleared to use for educational purposes, so users wishing to share the videos through presentations, etc. do not have to worry about copyright infringement.

Since NBC Learn is subscription-based, the user must first be sure that their educational institution is subscribed to the service.  Non-subscribers who receive a link to an NBC Learn resource will only be able to see a 15-second preview.  Normally, the database will prompt the user to enter a registration code for their institution.  Once the code is accepted, the user may create a personal account that allows full access to the NBC Learn resources, including the creation of playlists.  For users entering the database through the MDPLS website, however, the database already recognizes Miami-Dade Public Library as a subscribed institution and the user only needs to create a personal account.