Films on Demand

Today I looked at the Films on Demand Database. This database provides Educational Videos on a huge variety of topics. The films are intended to be used by educators to broaden their students horizons. Films are categorized into five different subject headings- Humanities & Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Science & Mathematics, Health & Medicine, and Archival Films & News Reels. Users can also click on a Most Viewed link and watch videos that are very popular. There is a most recent video link that shows videos that have been recently added to the database. Like other databases this one also has a Search Bar. Users can search by segment or by title, and there is an advanced search option that allows users to narrow down their searches by adding limiters. I chose to view videos by subject. I clicked on the Humanities & Social Sciences Heading and was directed to a screen that had a list of subheadings and even sub sub headings. Users can browse through the different topics and choose a video that most fits their need. I chose the education subheading and the Curriculum and Lessons sub sub heading. 84 Videos were returned to me. They are all arranged nicely. I didn't feel to overwhelmed by the results. Videos are all lined up with a Time indicator as well as a short summary of the video. Once I decided on a video I wanted to watch I clicked on the link. The video opens and next to it is a segment summary. The video is broken up into segments each with a small summary and a link that will take you right to that spot in the video. There is also a related video link that will take users to videos that relate to their topic. The database has a folder system that they call a play list. Users can create an account and then save videos that they have found important or useful. The database also offers an embed code so that users can post videos on other web pages or send them to colleagues. There is a citation button at the bottom of the page. The database sites the video in two different styles. One add on i thought was really neat was the standards link. Users can choose a state and see which educational standards the video covers. Oklahoma works on a pass skills program and the video lists what skills for which grades are discussed or covered in the video. I think this database is really neat. I have seen a few video databases that just didn't seem very thorough. This one did though. They have tons of content that cover a very wide variety of topics.