For my last post for my reflections (crazy!), I wanted to throw it back to the mid-2010s when BuzzFeed listicles were all the rage.
I’ve also realized that almost all of my posts in this category have had some sort of negative tone to them, so in the spirit of week 7’s talk on curation and annotation software, I wanted to share with you some of my favourite digital resources I’ve used at UVic over the last 5 years I’ve been studying here, 3 of which on campus!
In no particular order…
1. The AV equipment at MacPherson Library
What it is: The MacPherson Library has tons of peripheral equipment to borrow to support your learning, like laptops, headphones, cameras, chargers, and calculators.
Why I love it: I’ve forgotten to bring my laptop or phone charger for as many times as I can count so it’s been an extreme convenience to borrow a charger for 3 hours at a time to get a quick charge.
As a Humanities student, I also haven’t owned a calculator since I was 16, but when it came time to use one for a final exam, the 1-day loans saved me from scribbling long division on my exam paper!
How to find it: Find all the equipment available for use on the library website, or talk to the friendly folks at the Ask Us desk at the MacPherson Library–Mearns Centre for Learning!
2. Criterion on Demand + Audio Cine Films
What it is: Criterion on Demand and Audio Cine Films are two databases that allow you to stream movies, whether for educational purposes or “educational purposes”.
Why I love it: Being a student is expensive and exhausting, and the last thing I want to do when I want to watch a movie is pay for a streaming subscription that I can’t afford, only to never use it because I’m always so busy.
Criterion on Demand has some great Canadian films in their repertoire – I highly recommend the Québécois film Matthias et Maxime (Xavier Dolan, 2019).
How to find it: You can access Criterion on Demand and Audio Cine Films for no extra cost through the library using your NetLink ID.
3. Zoom
What it is: Made popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom is a videoconferencing software aimed at the professional and higher education community.
Why I love it: As a first-year student in 2020, I actually don’t love Zoom (lol). But it definitely is convenient doing UVic business (like having a meeting with my course union or working in a Senate committee) under UVic’s Information Security Policy and Responsible Use of Information Technology Services Policy.
Not many students know that UVic’s Zoom license is also extended to students too! Not even students at the larger blue-coloured west coast Canadian university have access to a license, so you should take advantage of it here as much as you can!
How to find it: Access Zoom through your NetLink ID at uvic.zoom.us!
4. Online Academic Community
What it is: The OAC is UVic’s built-in WordPress solution.
Why I love it: I’ve been able to create blogs that support my learning, like a digital portfolio as my final for an ENGL class back in second year. I also contributed to the former MyUVic Life blog that supports prospective students in their journey in considering applying to UVic.
It also takes the guesswork out of creating a WordPress blog, and of course, it’s also governed by UVic’s relevant technology use policies.
How to find it: You can learn how to create a blog within the OAC at onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca.
5. Microsoft 365
What it is: M365 offers a suite of powerful web apps like your classic Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and as well as your @uvic.ca email address through Outlook.
Why I love it: Microsoft Word is the standard for word processing but it costs almost $200 for a perpetual personal license or more than $100 a year for a personal yearly license. This way, we’re able to get it at no extra cost.
I use my @uvic.ca email for my university business (Senate, emailing my instructors) and it makes it look more professional than sending things from my personal email address.
How to find it: You can see all the M365 apps you have access by logging in to office.com using [YourNetLinkID]@uvic.ca.
Honourable mention: The Chicago Manual of Style, Online Edition
Image: Crimson Education
What it is: “Chicago style” is not only a type of pizza, but it’s also the standard for humanities and social sciences publications in North America.
With our evolving understanding of copyright ethics and information processing, the way we cite and format our papers changes over time. The online edition of the Chicago Manual of Style lets me use the most up-to-date conventions of citations (including information generated from artificial intelligence!)
Why I love it: I actually prefer to cite my sources by hand rather than use a citation generator because it allows me to use the most current guidelines with a smaller margin of error than online citation generators.
A hardcover version of the Chicago Manual costs almost $100 and will become outdated in due time once University of Chicago publishes its 19th edition. Yet another way to save money!
How to find it: You can access the Chicago Manual of Style through the library using your NetLink ID here!