I have identified several online resources that I find incredibly useful for students in literature and composition courses. When relevant, I familiarize my students with these resources during class time. I want my students to understand the strengths and limitations of the websites and databases available to them. In courses like English 015 or 202C, I make sure my students understand that online resources are examples of rhetoric and technical communication, just like the documents that they themselves produce. You can find a variety of URLs below, and I provide a brief description of each resource and its importance.
ANGEL
I have used ANGEL as an online home for my courses during every semester of teaching. While this course management tool certainly has its limitations, it is a great way for my students and I to stay in contact, and the website allows me to post readings, organize peer review sessions, or even calculate grades with ease. You can read a little more about my use of ANGEL under the “Teaching with Technology” tab.
Penn State Library
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/home.html
Few resources will be as important to Penn State students as their own university library webpage. Regardless of what I am teaching, I always encourage my students to explore this website and get a sense of its scope and usefulness. I especially emphasize the incredible list of databases that their library pays for, and I invite them to read through the list in full; inevitably, they discover resources relevant to them that they otherwise may never have known about.
Penn State Learning and the Boucke Writing Center
https://pennstatelearning.psu.edu/tutoring/writing
Since writing is an integral part of all of my classes, I make sure my students know about the writing resources that Penn State makes available to them. Over the years, I have been very impressed with the writing tutors who work out of the Boucke building. Whenever a student misses a peer review day in 015 or 202C, they are required to make up the session by scheduling an appointment with a writing tutor.
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary online database is an unparalleled resource for learning about the derivation and history of usage for an enormous number of English language words. As a result, it is relevant and useful for students in any reading or writing based course. In addition to its own inherent usefulness, I am able to contrast it with sites like dictionary.com or even Urban Dictionary in order to make points about ethos and target audience. The contrast helps the students to think critically about their own online research and even casual surfing. I have included the general URL above, but Penn State pays for access to this resource (as for the remaining resources below), which can be accessed through the list of databases on the library webpage.
MLA International Bibliography
http://www.mla.org/publications/bibliography
The MLA International Bibliography is one of the most useful resources in existence for the purpose of locating and obtaining works of literary criticism. Whenever I teach a literature course, I make sure my students are aware of this database, which can help them research effectively in classes across the major. Compared to a database like Literature Online (also available through the library website), the MLA bibliography makes it much easier for students to link to relevant articles immediately.
Early English Books Online
EEBO is one of the coolest resources on the internet… at least for students and teachers of English Renaissance literature! The database collects scanned images for thousands and thousands of books published in England from 1475 to 1700. In many cases, the texts have even been transcribed, making them keyword searchable. The resource has literally revolutionized the study of early modern literature, and I was sure to introduce my students in ENGL 129 and 443 to this amazing database. For more information about how I use this resource to support the goals of my teaching, see the “Teaching with Technology” tab.