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100+ Video Sites Every Educator Should Bookmark

By: Alvina Lopez

Bringing multimedia into the classroom is a great way to engage students in learning. Supplementing lessons, opening up new interests, and offering inspiration, online videos make for an incredible teaching tool.

Educational Video Collections

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Specifically designed for education, these collections make it easy to find video learning resources.

  1. TeacherTube: This YouTube for teachers is an amazing resource for finding educationally-focused videos to share with your classroom. You can find videos uploaded by other teachers or share your own.
  2. Edutopia: An awesome place to find learning ideas and resources, Edutopia has videos, blogs, and more, all sorted into grade levels.
  3. YouTube EDU: A YouTube channel just for education, you can find primary and secondary education, university-level videos, and even lifelong learning.
  4. Classroom Clips: Classroom Clips offers media for educators and students alike, including video and audio in a browseable format.
  5. neoK12: Find science videos and more for school kids in K-12 on neoK12.
  6. OV Guide: Find education videos on this site, featuring author readings and instructional videos.
  7. CosmoLearning: This free educational website has videos in 36 different academic subjects.
  8. Google Educational Videos: Cool Cat Teacher offers this excellent tutorial for finding the best of Google’s educational videos.
  9. Brightstorm: On Brightstorm, students can find homework help in math and science, even test prep, too.
  10. Explore.org: Explore.org shares live animal cams, films, educational channels, and more for your classroom to explore.
  11. UWTV: Offered by the University of Washington in Seattle, UWTV has videos in the arts, K-12, social sciences, health, and more.
  12. Videolectures.net: With Videolectures.net, you’ll get access to browseable lectures designed for the exchange of ideas and knowledge, offering videos in architecture, business, technology, and many more categories.
  13. TED-Ed: From a site that’s long been known for big ideas, you’ll find TED-Ed, videos specifically designed to act as highly engaging and fun lessons.
  14. Zane Education: Zane Education offers resources for visual learning, including the very popular on demand subtitled videos.
  15. Backpack TV: In this educational video library, you’ll find a special interest in math, science, and other academic subjects.
  16. MentorMob: Featuring learning playlists, MentorMob is a great place to find lessons you want to teach.
  17. Disney Educational Productions: This resource from Disney is a great place to find videos for students at the K-12 level.

General Video Collections

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Network TV, inspiring talks, and more are all available in these collections. Check out special categories and searches to find videos that will work in your classroom.

  1. Hulu: A great place to find the latest TV shows, Hulu is also a source of educational videos. Documentaries, PBS, even Discovery videos are all available on the site.
  2. Internet Archive: Find so much more than videos in the Internet Archive. Images, live music, audio, texts, and yes, historical and educational videos are all available on Archive.org.
  3. TED: Share seemingly endless inspiration with your students through TED, a fountain of talks based on compelling ideas.
  4. MIT Video: Online education giant MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts has an incredible video collection, offering more than 10,000 videos for science, technology, and more.
  5. TVO: TVO is a really fun and useful online TV station, with great ways for kids, parents, and educators to learn about the world.
  6. Big Think: Much like TED, Big Think offers videos (and more) from some of the world’s top thinkers and learners.
  7. @Google Talks: On this YouTube channel, you’ll find talks from creators: authors, musicians, innovators, and speakers, all discussing their latest creations.
  8. Metacafe: Find free video clips from just about anywhere, offering educational videos, documentaries, and more.
  9. Link TV: On Link TV, you’ll find videos and broadcasts meant to connect you and your students to the greater world through documentaries and cultural programs.

Teacher Education

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Featuring higher-level learning, these video sites are great resources for finding education that’s fit for teachers.

  1. Academic Earth: Learn about science, justice, economics, and more from some of the world’s great universities. You can even earn a degree from this site!
  2. Teacher Training Videos: Specifically created to teach educators, Teacher Training Videos is a great place to find online tutorials for technology in education.
  3. Classroom 2.0: Check out Classroom 2.0′s videos to learn about Web 2.0, social media, and more.
  4. Atomic Learning: Visit Atomic Learning to find resources for K-12 professional development.
  5. iTunesU: Find university-level learning and more from iTunesU.
  6. Videos for Professional Development: An excellent collection of professional development videos, Wesley Fryer’s post shares some of the best teacher videos available.
  7. Learner.org: Annenberg Learner offers excellent teacher professional development and classroom resources for just about every curriculum available.
  8. MIT Open CourseWare: The leader in Open CourseWare, MIT has free lectures and videos in 2,100 courses.

Lesson Planning

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Put together your lesson plans with the help of these useful video sites.

  1. Teachers’ Domain: Join the Teachers’ Domain, and you’ll get access to educational media from public broadcasting and its partners, featuring media from the arts, math, science, and more.
  2. Meet Me at the Corner: A great place for younger kids to visit, Meet Me At the Corner has educational videos, and kid-friendly episodes, including virtual field trips and video book reviews by kids, for kids.
  3. WatchKnowLearn: WatchKnowLearn is an incredible resource for finding educational videos in an organized repository. Sorted by age and category, it’s always easy to find what you’re looking for.
  4. BrainPOP: On this education site for kids, you’ll find animated educational videos, graphics, and more, plus a special section for BrainPOP educators.
  5. The KidsKnowIt Network: Education is fun and free on this children’s learning network full of free educational movies and video podcasts.
  6. Khan Academy: With more than 3,200 videos, Khan Academy is the place to learn almost anything. Whether you’re seeking physics, finance, or history, you’ll find a lesson on it through Khan Academy.
  7. Awesome Stories: Students can learn the stories of the world on this site, with videos explaining what it was like to break ranks within the Women’s Movement, the life of emperor penguins, and even Martin Luther King, Jr’s “We Shall Overcome” speech.
  8. Nobelprize: Cap off lessons about Nobel Prize winners with videos explaining their work and life, direct from the source on Nobelprize.org.
  9. JohnLocker: JohnLocker is full of educational videos and free documentaries, including Yogis of Tibet and Understanding the Universe.

Science, Math, and Technology

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You’ll find special attention for STEM subjects on these video sites.

  1. Green Energy TV: On Green Energy TV, you’ll find learning resources and videos for the green movement, including a video version of the children’s book Living Green: A Turtle’s Quest for a Cleaner Planet.
  2. BioInteractive: Find free videos and other resources for teaching “ahead of the textbook” from BioInteractive, part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland.
  3. ARKive: Share images and videos of the world’s most endangered species with your students, thanks to ARKive. These wildlife films and photos are from some of the world’s best filmmakers and photographers, sharing stunning images that everyone can appreciate.
  4. MathTV: Students who need extra help with math can find support on MathTV. This site offers videos explaining everything from basic mathematics all the way to trigonometry and calculus.
  5. The Vega Science Trust: A project of Florida State University, FL, The Vega Science Trust shares lectures, documentaries, interviews, and more for students to enjoy and learn from.
  6. The Science Network: Check out The Science Network, where you’ll find the world’s leading scientists explaining concepts including viruses and the birth of neurons.
  7. PopTech: Bringing together a global community of innovators, PopTech has videos explaining economics, water, and plant-based fuels.
  8. PsychCentral: Students can learn about what makes people tick through PsychCentral’s brain and behavior videos.
  9. How Stuff Works: The video channel from How Stuff Works offers an in-depth look at adventure, animals, food, science, and much more.
  10. Science Stage: Find science videos, tutorials, courses, and more streaming knowledge on Science Stage.
  11. Exploratorium TV: Allow students to explore science and beyond with Exploratorium TV’s videos, webcasts, podcasts, and slideshows.
  12. SciVee: SciVee makes science visible, allowing searchable video content on health, biology, and more.
  13. The Futures Channel: Visit the Futures Channel to find educational videos and activities for hands-on, real world math and science in the classroom.
  14. All Things Science: For just about any science video you can imagine, All Things Science has it, whether it’s about life after death or space elevators.
  15. ATETV: Check out Advanced Technological Education Television (ATETV) to find videos exploring careers in the field of technology.

History, Arts, and Social Sciences

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Explore history and more in these interesting video collections.

  1. The Kennedy Center: Find beautiful performances from The Kennedy Center’s Performance Archive.
  2. The Archaeology Channel: Students can explore human cultural heritage through streaming media on The Archaeology Channel.
  3. Web of Stories: On Web of Stories, people share their life stories, including Stan Lee, writer, Mike Bayon, WWII veteran, and Donald Knuth, computer scientist.
  4. Stephen Spielberg Film and Video Archive: In this archive, you’ll find films and videos relating to the Holocaust, including the Nuremberg Trials and Hitler speeches.
  5. Culture Catch: Students can tune into culture with Dusty Wright’s Culture Catch.
  6. Folkstreams: On Folkstream.net, a national preserve of documentary films about American roots cultures, you’ll find the best of American folklore films.
  7. Digital History: A project of the University of Houston, Digital History uses new technology, including video, to enhance teaching and research in history.
  8. History Matters: Another university project, this one is from George Mason University. Sharing primary documents, images, audio, and more, there’s plenty of historic multimedia to go around on this site.
  9. Social Studies Video Dictionary: Make definitions visual with this video dictionary for social studies.
  10. The Living Room Candidate: From the Museum of the Moving Image, The Living Room Candidate features presidential campaign commercials from 1952 to 2008.
  11. Video Active: Find Europe’s TV heritage through Video Active, a collection of TV programs and stills from European audiovisual archives.
  12. Media Education Foundation: The Media Education Foundation offers documentary films and other challenging media for teaching media literacy and media studies.

Video Tools

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Make it easy to find, share, and view videos with these tools.

  1. DropShots: On DropShots, you’ll find free, private, and secure storage and sharing for video and photos.
  2. Muvee: Using Muvee, you can create your own photo and video “muvees” to share privately with your class.
  3. Tonido: Tonido makes it possible to run your own personal cloud, accessing video files on your computer from anywhere, even your phone.
  4. Vidique: On Vidique, you’ll find a video syndication system where you can create your own channel of curated content for the classroom.
  5. SchoolTube: On SchoolTube, you’ll find video sharing for both students and teachers, highlighting the best videos from schools everywhere.

Network and Program Videos

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Check out these sites to find public broadcasting and other educational programs.

  1. PBS Video: Watch and share PBS videos online with this site.
  2. National Geographic: Find some of the world’s most amazing videos of natural life on National Geographic’s online video home.
  3. NOVA Teachers: NOVA shares highly organized videos for teachers, with 1-3 hour programs divided into chapters, plus short 5-15 minute segments from NOVA scienceNOW.
  4. Discovery Education: Use Discovery Education’s videos to inspire curiosity, bringing the Discovery channel into your classroom.
  5. C-SPAN Video Library: Find Congressional and other political programs and clips in this digital archive from C-SPAN.
  6. NBC Learn: Check out NBC Learn to find excellent resources for learning from NBC, including the science behind just about everything from the summer Olympics to hockey.
  7. History.com: Watch full episodes, clips, and videos from the History channel.
  8. Biography: Get the true story behind peoples’ lives from these videos from the Biography channel.
  9. BBC Learning: BBC offers an excellent learning site, including learning resources for schools, parents, and teachers. One of BBC’s most impressive resources is a live volcano conversation discussing the world’s most active volcano in Hawaii.

Free Movies and Clips

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Documentaries and other educational movies and clips are available on these sites.

  1. Free Documentaries: On Free Documentaries, “the truth is free,” with a variety of documentary films available for streaming.
  2. SnagFilms: On SnagFilms, you can watch free movies and documentaries online, with more than 3,000 available right now.
  3. Top Documentary Films: Watch free documentaries online in this great collection of documentary movies.
  4. TV Documentaries: This Australian site has excellent documentaries about child growth, historic events, and even animations about classical Greek mythology.

How-Tos

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Satisfy students’ desire for knowledge and hands-on learning by sharing how-to videos from these sites.

  1. 5min: If you’ve got five minutes, you can learn how to do something on this site. Check it out to find instructional videos and DIY projects.
  2. Wonder How To: Learn everything about anything from Wonder How To’s show and tell videos.
  3. Instructables: This community of doers shares instructions (often, video) for doing just about anything, from making secret doors to tiny origami.
  4. Howcast: Find some of the best how-to videos online with Howcast.
  5. MindBites: Check out MindBites to find thousands of video lessons, how-tos, and tutorials.
  6. W3Schools: Through W3Schools’ web tutorials (video and otherwise), you can learn how to create your own websites.
  7. Videojug: Videojug encourages users to “get good at life” by watching more than 60,000 available how-to videos and guides.

Government and Organizations

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Offered as a service from government organizations and other groups, these are great places to find top-notch educational videos and often, historical treasures.

  1. US National Archives: Explore US history in this YouTube channel from the US National Archives.
  2. National Science Foundation: From the National Science Foundation, you’ll find a wealth of multimedia, including instructional and educational videos.
  3. NASA eClips: NASA offers a great way for students and educators to learn about space exploration, with clips divided by grade level.
  4. NASA TV: Tune in to NASA TV to watch launches, talks, even space station viewing.
  5. Library of Congress: Through the Library of Congress, you can find videos and other classroom materials for learning about American history.
  6. American Memory Collections: Search America’s collective memory to find videos and other multimedia from the American past, including film and sound recordings from the Edison Companies and 50 years of Coca-Cola TV ads.
  7. Canadian National Film Bureau: Check out the Canadian National Film bureau to find hundreds of documentaries and animated films available online.

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50 Best Blogs for the Public Relations Major

News

Follow news in the world of PR with these blogs.

  1. PR Week: Check out PR Week for PR and communications news, as well as opinion, research, jobs, and events. (Recommended Post: Investment in Social Media Set to Increase Over Next Year)
  2. Everything PR: Stay on top of public relations news with Everything PR, a public relations news portal blog. (Recommended Post: 100 Media Monitoring Tools for PR)
  3. PR News: PR News will help you become a smart communicator with media relations, PR jobs, industry events, news, and much more. (Recommended Post: Do Something Different: Engage the Media Using Twitter)
  4. PRBlogNews: Find subjective public relations news and commentary on PRBlogNews.com. (Recommended Post: Useless Knowledge)
  5. O’Dwyers: On this New York-based blog, you’ll find insider news in public relations and marketing communications. (Recommended Post: Cooking PR Chile)
  6. PRSA Newsroom: Follow this blog from the Public Relations Society of America for awards, advocacy news, events, and more. (Recommended Post: PRSA Speaks Out on “Pay for Play”)

Public Relations

Follow these blogs to get a general look at public relations.

  1. Online Public Relations Thoughts: Read this blog to find daily thoughts on PR and trends in communication online. James Horton, the blog’s author, received three degrees, from UCLA, University of Missouri, and a university in Evanston, Illinois. (Recommended Post: Anger and Ignorance)
  2. PR in Your Pajamas: Find practical publicity ideas for entrepreneurs on PR in Your Pajamas. (Recommended Post: 15 Types of Stories That Get You Free Publicity)
  3. Tech PR Nibbles: Tech PR Nibbles features small insights and ideas for conversations, influences, and even bigger ideas. (Recommended Post: The Digital Miscommunicator)
  4. Skogrand PR Solutions Blog: Find solutions, tips, and insights on public relations, social media, and more on the Skogrand PR Solutions blog. (Recommended Post: An easy way to keep clients: surveys)
  5. Beyond the Hype: Lois Paul’s blog takes high tech PR beyond the hype and into reality. Paul writes from Boston, MA. (Recommended Post: Rebuilding Your Reputation by Digging a Deeper Hole)
  6. PR Couture: Read PR Couture for reflections and news in fashion PR. (Recommended Post: Fashion PR With an Editor’s Touch)
  7. The Flack: Follow Peter Himler’s blog to see the role public relations plays in politics, finance, technology, and more. (Recommended Post: Long Live PR (and the Press Release Too))
  8. Public Relations Blogger: On this blog, you’ll find resources for PR, social media, media relations, and more. The blog is authored by Ashley Wirthlin, a marketing associate and graduate of the University of Portland in Oregon. (Recommended Post: 4 Reasons Public Relations (Not Advertising) Builds a Brand)
  9. Drew B’s Take on Tech PR: See what Drew has to say about his work as a managing director at a tech PR agency. (Recommended Post: How Digital PR is Changing)
  10. Solor PR Pro: This blog is great for PR students who want to learn how to become a successful freelance PR consultant. (Recommended Post: Why You Need an Online Home Base — and How to Get One)
  11. Prowl Public Relations: Read Temple University’s student-run PR firm blog for PR strategies and knowledge beyond the classroom. (Recommended Post: Fighting the Dark Side of Social Media)
  12. PR Breakfast Club: Start your day off right with this PR blog for fresh PR news, education, and insight. (Recommended Post: Defending the PR Profession)
  13. Think: Temple University’s American Marketing Association shares this blog to get you thinking about PR. (Recommended Post: PR/Marketing/Events Internship)

Media & Communications

Check out these blogs for a guide to marketing, media, communications, and more.

  1. PR Meets Marketing: Find out about the application of PR and marketing on PR Meets Marketing. (Recommended Post: Beware of “Speeds and Feeds” PR)
  2. PR for Thought Leaders: This blog shares insight for B2B marketing and public relations. (Recommended Post: The Huge Mistake We All Make)
  3. COMMS corner: COMMS corner is the home of people-shaped communities. (Recommended Post: The Don Draper Guide to Social Media Marketing)
  4. Jeff Esposito: Jeff Esposito explores conversational media on this blog, and shares how you can win the race in communications and community building. (Recommended Post: Measuring Social Media and the Value of Information)
  5. Media Bullseye: On the Media Bullseye blog, you’ll find thoughts for communicating more with less. (Recommended Post: Ragu, Dads, and Lessons Learned for Communicators and Bloggers)
  6. Holtz Communication + Technology: Check out this blog to learn about communicating at the intersection of business and technology. (Recommended Post: It’s Not About You)
  7. Brian Solis: Follow Brian Solis’ blog to see the convergence of media and influence. (Recommended Post: The Rise of Social Commerce)
  8. Journalistics: In this blog, you’ll learn about topics at the intersection of public relations and journalism. (Recommended Post: A Look at How People Share Content on the Web)
  9. Media Relations Blog: Media Relations is dedicated to the world of media, public relations, and marketing. (Recommended Post: Beginner’s Guide to SEO for Optimized PR)
  10. Strategic Public Relations: Find strategy for integrated marketing communications on this blog. (Recommended Post: What Would Jesus Twitter?)

Social Media

Social media is one of the biggest things happening in PR these days, and these blogs offer great guidance for staying in touch via social media.

  1. PR 2.0: Deirdre Breakenridge offers strategies for new media, tools, and audiences on PR 2.0. (Recommended Post: PR 2.0 Checklist)
  2. Liberate Media: This online PR and social media agency has insight for online and offline expertise in PR. (Recommended Post: Crowdsourcing Compendium)
  3. Karen’s PR & Social Media Blog: Karen’s blog features reputation management, social media, and crisis communication, (Recommended Post: PR & Reputation Insurance for Clients)
  4. Peter Shankman: Peter Shankman’s blog is all about advice for social media and business from a guy who’s been there. (Recommended Post: Be Careful What You Post)
  5. 360 Digital Influence: On this blog, you’ll find fresh influences in social media and word of mouth marketing. (Recommended Post: How Hospitals are Quietly Leading the Way with Social Media)
  6. PR-Squared: On PR-Squared, read about the next big things that are already here with conversations in social media and marketing. (Recommended Post: Social Media Abhors a Vacuum)
  7. Social Realist: Check out Social Realist for social media without stupidity. (Recommended Post: A Few Words for Social Media Cyberbullies)

PR Professionals

On these blogs, you can read about PR from professionals who do it every day.

  1. Cathy Hrudicka & Associates: Cathy Hrudicka offers her advice and guidance as a PR, social media, and marketing mentor on this blog. (Recommended Post: An Unrelenting Passion to Make the World Better)
  2. WiredPRWorks: Barbara Rozgonyi offers inspiration in direct, digital, and dynamic marketing and PR on her blog. (Recommended Post: Most Powerful Twitter Women at the Moment)
  3. Voce Communications: Voce shares great ideas for building brand awareness and more on this blog. (Recommended Post: Understanding the Big and Small of Social Media Measurement)
  4. 360 Days in Our Circle: Follow this PR group to see what it’s really like to work in the world of public relations. (Recommended Post: How to Create a Viral Video)
  5. BiteMarks: BiteMarks takes a fearless look at global communications. (Recommended Post: Real-time Marketing)
  6. Communiqué PR: Communiqué PR offers insight into the life of a strategic public relations firm on this blog. (Recommended Post: Coca-Cola Fan Page Takes Facebook by Storm)
  7. A PR Guy’s Musings: Stuart Bruce shares his musings on public relations, corporate communications, and social media. (Recommended Post: An Inconvenient PR Truth)
  8. POP! PR Jots: This blog offers regular commentary on PR, publicity, and related topics in starting a public relations firm. (Recommended Post: I Don’t Do SXSWi)
  9. PerkettPRsuasion: Get a look into integrated PR, social marketing, and digital content on PerkettPR’s blog. (Recommended Post: The Art of Listening in Client Service)
  10. Next Communications: Riche Escovedo writes about conversations and communities in school communications and beyond on this blog. (Recommended Post: PR People Can Measure Social Media. We Just Need to Learn.)
  11. Dave Fleet: Follow Dave Fleet’s blog for a look at communications, social media, and PR. (Recommended Post: 8 Questions to Ask Your “Social Media Expert”)
  12. StevenSilvers: Read Steven Silvers’ field notes on PR and strategic influence on this blog. (Recommended Post: Five Things All PR Students Should Know About Their Choice of Career)
  13. prTini: Heather Whaling blogs about collaboration, integration, and social good on prTini. (Recommended Post: Say Hello: Beyond Social Media Cliques)
  14. Bloomacious: Carrie Leber’s blog features PR, event planning, and publicity, with the occasional style and craft feature. (Recommended Post: Desperate Housewives Set Style)

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Image source

10 Ways to Improve Your SCRABBLE Game

#1: QI

Definition:

: the vital force that in Chinese thought is inherent in all things (plural: QIS)

About the Word:

Devoted SCRABBLE players use the dictionary as their arsenal. Every variation of a word – plural forms, alternate spellings – can be used to gain the edge in competition.

Although it’s most commonly spelled CHI in standard usage, the variant form QI is the single most-played word in SCRABBLE tournaments, according to game records of the North American SCRABBLE Players Association (NASPA).

#2: ZA

Definition:

: pizza (plural: ZAS)

About the Word:

ZA (often styled in print as ‘za) is a slang shortening of the word pizza. You may be surprised at the slang found on the tournament SCRABBLE board: BRO, HOMEY, and YO are all accepted words.

ZA is the most played word containing the letter Z (and the only playable two-letter word with the letter Z) in tournament SCRABBLE play.

Incidentally, .za is the country code for South Africa (Zuid-Afrika is Dutch for “South Africa”), but abbreviations and codes are not acceptable on the SCRABBLE board

#3: Phoney

About the Word:

You probably associate bluffing with poker, but it is just as much a part of serious SCRABBLE play. Tournament players will often make up words that look legitimate to the untrained eye – fake compounds like OUTMANAGE, or plausible misspellings like EJECTER.

The choice to play a phoney is a strategic one. (And note: the spelling of the SCRABBLE-specific noun is not the usual phony.) If your opponent doesn’t challenge you, your bluff can earn you points and strengthen your position. If you lose a challenge, you lose your turn.

“People win games by taking advantage of their opponents’ mistakes. Knowing the idiosyncrasies of our language is a huge advantage over those who do not,” says SCRABBLE champ Chris Cree.

#4: RETINAS

Definition:

: plural of RETINA, a membrane of the eye

About the Word:

Getting a rack with these seven letters can be viewed as a SCRABBLE bulls-eye. RETINAS has eight accepted anagramsANESTRI, ANTSIER, NASTIER, RATINES, RETAINS, RETSINA, STAINER, and STEARIN – which means nine different words can be played using those same seven letters.

The strategic player will evaluate which anagram scores the most, which might most likely be challenged, and which might best accomplish the player’s desired board strategy.

#5: XU

Definition:

: a monetary unit of Vietnam (plural: XU)

About the Word:

X is a very powerful tile: all five vowels work with the eight-point X to make two-letter words (AX, EX, XI, OX are the four other words). When the X tile is used in an overlapped two-letter play with the X on a triple letter score, the player will almost always score at least 52 points.

#6: ZLOTY

Definition:

: a monetary unit of Poland (plural: ZLOTYS)

About the Word:

Most foreign currencies, like the previously mentioned XU, plus COLON (plural: COLONES), FRANC, KORUN (plural: KORUNAS, KORUNY, or KORUN), PESETA, NAKFA) are acceptable words. ZLOTY is powerful both because it has the valuable ten-point Z and because it has the unusual -YS plural.

#7: Hook

About the Word:

The SCRABBLE sense of hook isn’t found in standard dictionaries, but it’s defined on the North American SCRABBLE Players Association as:

a letter that can be played at the front or the back of another word to form a new word; also : the word formed by such an action

SCRABBLE players don’t limit themselves to adding S to the end of a word. A single letter can make for surprising changes in the meaning or sound of a word. G can be hooked to the back of ASPIRIN to form ASPIRING and P can be hooked to the front of IRATE to form PIRATE.

Members of the NASPA Facebook community shared some of their favorite hooks:

  • F-UTILITY
  • FLAMING-O
  • I-SLANDER
  • S-WORDPLAY
  • DEADLINES-S

#8: GYOZA

Definition:

: a stuffed and fried pocket of dough (plural: GYOZAS)

About the Word:

Many culinary words from around the world are acceptable in SCRABBLE play. The Japanese GYOZA, with the ten-point Z, is particularly valuable.

Other useful terms include: SUSHI, PONZU, YAKITORI, SOJU, MOJITO, BURRITO, KNAIDEL, CAPRESE, and POUTINE.

#9: Bingo

About the Word:

A SCRABBLE play that uses all seven tiles is also known as a bingo. Tournament SCRABBLE players count on bingos in every game, because laying down a seven-tile word earns a “bingo” bonus of 50 points.

Players building up their SCRABBLE skills might memorize the six-letter bingo stems that can create the most bingos. For instance, the letters AEINST can be used to create 70 different bingos with 23 different seventh letters.

And count yourself extremely lucky if you start a game with MUZJIKS. This word (definition: Russian peasants) is the highest scoring opening word possible—128 points, when played without any blanks.

#10: AMIGO

Definition:

: a friend (plural: AMIGOS)

About the Word:

While it’s true that the category of “foreign words” is not acceptable in SCRABBLE tournament play, words of foreign origin that are widely used in English are.

In addition to AMIGO, the OSPD includes: AMIGA, AMI, AMIE, ADIOS, ADIEU (plurals: ADIEUS, ADIEUX), and SAYONARA.

Special thanks to Chris Cree and John Chew of North American SCRABBLE Players Association for their guidance and suggestions for this list.

SOURCE

Essential Sites for Writers

http://aroundtheredmap.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/do-not-disturb.jpg

MG Mason, in his wonderful blog Sweat, Tears and Digital Ink, has compiled a great list of resources.


Writing & Language Tools

  1. Blabla meter for when you really need to be told that there’s too much waffle in your writing
  2. FreeMind: a brainstorming tool
  3. English Stack Exchange. A very nerdy linguistics resource
  4. Evernote: A cloud application that makes for a good tool for storing and sharing research and notes across multiple devices
  5. Onomatopoeia dictionary Ta-dah! needs no explanation
  6. Oxford Dictionaries British-American English Comparison. Want to know your pavement from your sidewalk or your aubergine from your eggplant? And what is a courgette anyway?
  7. Synonym Finder (and antonyms) for all of your word finding needs
  8. VisuWords is a clever dictionary/thesaurus/wordfinder/word association tool that uses a graphical interface
  9. Wordnik: An encyclopaedia of words. Antonyms, synonyms, etymology, demonstrated use. Create lists of your favourites
  10. Write or Die: Creative writing sadism with punishment for not keeping up

Writing prompts

  1. Creative Writing Prompts. Some simple ideas to get you started
  2. With Painted Words: Picture prompt. Earn money too!

eBooks

Edited by Zoe

600 free books for kindle iphone ipadfree-books2


Other

  1. Book Crossing: Give a book away but first put a label on containing a unique code from this website. Then watch it travel the world.
  2. Rare Book Room: HQ digital photographs of some of the rarest books on the planet. Examine them without having to visit the national library in another country and more importantly, without damaging them
  3. Read It Swap It: Have lots of books in storage that you don’t want to give away, can’t sell and will never likely read again? How about swapping it for another book? Simple premise and it works. I’ve acquired three books through this site already.
  4. Librivox: Download free audiobooks voiced by volunteers. Or perhaps you might want to volunteer yourself

20 book sites audio books download free

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Sweat, Tears and Digital Ink


168 Color terms in English

Compiled by Stephen Chrisomalis

This list contains 168 definitions of obscure colour terms using combinations of ‘normal‘ colours of the rainbow and descriptive adjectives; e.g. cardinal = deep scarlet red; russet = reddish brown. Note that most English speakers outside the U.S. spell colour with the added British ‘u’ rather than the American version color. Don’t worry if the colours (or colors) in your universe don’t match up with the definitions I’ve given for these words, though – I’ve been known to have skewed perceptions of reality … Read More…

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