Lit2Go

Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. An abstract, citation, playing time, and word count are given for each of the passages. Many of the passages also have a related reading strategy identified. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for your classroom.

Love and Devotion: from Persia and beyond exhibition

The State Library of Victoria has a free exhibition Love and devotion: from Persia and beyond  from 9 March until 1 July 2012,  celebrating the beauty of Persian manuscripts and the stories of human and divine love told through their pages from the early 11th century on.

Romantic tales were copied and sometimes reinterpreted over time, and reached far beyond the borders of Iran. The universal themes of Persian narrative and mystical poetry appealed especially to audiences in Mughal India and Ottoman Turkey, and eventually to audiences in the West. Transcending time and place, these stories continue to resonate today and to be retold through contemporary literature and popular culture.
The idea of Persia has long fascinated Western minds. From the Middle Ages on, knowledge of Persia gradually expanded as a result of increased contact through trade, travel and diplomacy. Writers in Europe, such as Chaucer, Dante and Shakespeare, reflected this understanding in the parallels with Persian literature and shared symbolism evident in their plays, poetry and prose.

Love and devotion showcases a rich selection of manuscripts from the world-renowned collection of the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, along with rare works from the State Library of Victoria and other Australian collections.

If interested, the link is http://exhibitions.slv.vic.gov.au/love-and-devotion  The site also includes audio excerpts of poetry you can listen to (read by Helen Morse).

-Tina-

Top Apps

I had a chat yesterday with a staff member who showed me a few of the apps he has on his iPad. I was really impressed with some of them so I thought I'd share them with you. These are all available for download through iTunes.
Life:
(Free)
Life Magazines photography collection is now available through your iPad/iPhone. Through this app you will be able to explore Life's archives as well as view their most recent photos. The photos are of excellent quality, and would be great not only for photography or art students, but to use in English and Humanities classes.

Qwiki:
(Free)
Qwiki is a great little app that I was very impressed with. You can search for information about any place, person or thing that you can think of, and Qwiki gives you an interactive summary about your chosen topic. You can even explore the area that you are currently in, to find out more about it. We did a search on Rupertswood, as the app could tell where we were, and it opened up a little video with pictures and information about Rupertswood. This would be great for those needing information on different countries or places they plan on visiting, or just if you need basic information on the fly. Qwiki contains information on over 3,000,000 topics!

Wikipanion:
(Free)
Wikipanion is a great, fast and easy way to access Wikipedia through your iPad. It allows you to bookmark your favourite topics, view your history so you can go back to a certain topic, save images to your photo library and more.

Planetary:
(Free)
This app is more for fun than for any educational purpose. But I really like the idea. Through Planetary you are able to explore through your music collection which has been presented in a 3D universe. Suns represent bands/singers, Planets represent albums, and moons represent songs in this very cute app available only through your iPad.

Aweditorium:
(Free)
Another music based app, however this is directed at those who want to find some new music to add to their collection or to find out more about a particular artist. Aweditorium brings together photography, lyrics, videos and interviews related to an artist, all in the one place. This could be another fun app, but would also be great for music students needing to find information on a particular artist, or to be able to experience various types of music.

Garage Band:
($5.49)
Garage Band turns your iPad into a full recording studio, giving you access to a collection of touch instruments and allowing you to make your own music. The instruments available at the moment are pianos, organs, guitars, drums and basses. A great app for music students (or teachers) or any artists in the making!