lynda.com

You did it! You've finished a whole year of classes and can now focus on looking forward to the summer! The idea of September seems far off and you can finally give your brain a bit of a break. However, we all know how easy it can be to forget what we've learned in the previous months when we don't have to flex our thought muscles as often. If you want to keep yourself sharp over the summer, or are interested in learning some new skills, we have the perfect resources for you!

Returning Students

Learning paths on Lynda.com: Becoming a music business entrepreneur, become a recording engineer, become a songwriter, become a music producer, become a small business owner, and become a user experience designer

A few of the learning paths on Lynda.com

Meet Lynda; a digital resource collection of up-to-date video tutorials on a wide range of skills and popular software like Adobe Creative Cloud programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.), Microsoft Office, and WordPress.

To begin using Lynda.com, you'll need to create an account using your Algonquin College email address and follow the instructions provided.

Lynda.com covers subjects such as 3D + Animation, Design, Business, Marketing, Photography, IT, Video, Audio + Music, Development and so much more! This is an extremely informative, versatile and invaluable resource right at your fingertips. You can take full courses for free or watch individual tutorials to learn the basics or broaden your knowledge on a topic.

Another excellent resource for students looking to improve their skills with various technologies is Safari.  Safari is a digital resource collection that provides access to thousands of ebooks on technology from experts in the field. The ebooks found in Safari offer up-to-date information on a wide variety of topics, such as Desktop and Web Applications, Java, Apple, and Mobile Development, along with Game Programming and Project Management. These ebooks can be read online from any connected device, but are limited to seven users at one time.

Graduating Students

If you won't be returning to the college, there are still many great resources available to you, most of which are absolutely free! Enter Open Educational Resources (OER). These are learning, teaching, and research materials that fall under an open license (meaning that you can use them, and sometimes even modify them, for free under certain conditions). These resources can include textbooks, full courses, stock photos, icons, templates and more. The possibilities are endless! Visit our Open Educational Resources guide to find more information and a collection of links to OER. We recommend exploring the Open Education page to begin finding what open courses are out there! The following websites are helpful places to start:

  • Khan Academy offers a variety of free courses related to college, careers, test prep, math, computing, economics, engineering and more. It includes practice activities and in-depth tutorials.
  • Open Culture offers links to over 1300 free online courses from top universities.
  • MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. This includes access to full virtual courses and free online textbooks.

It's important to take a break from school and allow yourself some time to relax and breathe this summer, you deserve it! However, when you're ready to continue your education—whether institutionally or independently—we hope you keep these resources in mind and decide to never stop learning!

Technology is changing fast, and it is important to know about the tools and technology that you will use in your program and in your career. Luckily, you have access to some great online resources to help you keep up: Lynda.com and Safari.

Lynda.com

Learning paths on Lynda.com: Becoming a music business entrepreneur, become a recording engineer, become a songwriter, become a music producer, become a small business owner, and become a user experience designer

A few of the learning paths on Lynda.com

Lynda.com provides access to hundreds of online courses to help you learn and master skills in areas such as business, design, and technology. If you're having a hard time learning how to use a type of software, Lynda.com is a good place to go for help. Courses are labelled for their target learner (beginner, intermediate, advanced, or appropriate for all). You can follow along while experts in the field demonstrate skills such as programming, or using software such as Adobe Illustrator. You can learn how to do things like design a portfolio website with Adobe Muse, or develop an app for Android. Try following a learning path to learn the skills that are useful for a particular career, such as a music producer, a small business owner, or a UX designer.

To get access to the courses on Lynda.com, you first have to sign up for an account. Follow the directions for getting a Lynda.com account and you'll be all set to find courses.

Safari

Safari is a digital resource collection that provides access to thousands of ebooks on technology, from experts in the field. These ebooks provide helpful information to get you started or to improve your skills with various technologies. These ebooks can be read online from any connected device, but are limited to seven users at one time.  Safari is the perfect platform to learn new skills or to build on what you already know. The online books found in Safari are current and offer up-to-date information on a wide variety of topics. Popular categories include Desktop and Web Applications, Java, Apple, and Mobile Development, along with Game Programming and Project Management.

example of a list of books in safari

Ebooks on Mobile Development

If you're a student working towards a career in fields like mobile application design and development, engineering, or business administration, you will surely find plenty of helpful material through the use of Safari.  Students in the Mobile Application Design and Development program can find ebooks on topics such as coding, and UX and UI design. For example the ebook There's Not an App for That looks at aspects of mobile UX and helps you evaluate designs. Students in Engineering Technology and Engineering Technician programs can find ebooks such as Design Theory and Methods using CAD/CAE, and Make: JavaScript Robotics.

To access materials on Safari from off campus, log in to your Library account using your student number or employee number. Your PIN will be the last four digits of your username.

Happy New Year, and welcome to Algonquin College for the Winter Term! Hopefully you're feeling refreshed from the winter break and are ready to hit the books.

As a student at Algonquin College, you have access to a range of software and technology. You will also need to use College software such as Blackboard in order to interact with students and instructors and find your student information.

All of this software can be overwhelming when you first start to use it, and even more experienced users may not know about all of the things that they can do with it. Luckily, there are several different resources that can help you make the most of this software.

Student Survival Guide ScreenshotThe Student Survival Guide has videos and resources to help get you started or improve your skills. To begin, check out the AC Applications & Resources tab. This is where you'll find videos and resources to help you use College software, such as ACSIS, Blackboard, and Live@AC (your College email). They provide a great introduction to these programs, and help you familiarize yourself with the layout and functions of each one.

In the Tech Tools tab of the Guide, you can find lists of online tools, most of which are free,  to help you with things like studying, collaborating online, presenting, creating websites, and using social media. You can find study tools to help you with note-taking, bookmarking, time management, making to-do lists, and habit building. You can also find great collaboration tools to facilitate organization, creating documents, meeting online, and sharing files using the cloud.

Another useful resource is Safari. This digital resource collection from the Library provides access to a collection of ebooks on technology, from experts in the field. These ebooks provide helpful information to get you started or to improve your skills with various technologies.
Student Learning CentreAlgonquin College also has access to Lynda.com, a website with hundreds of online courses to help you learn and master skills in areas such as business and technology. Courses are labelled for their target learner (beginner, intermediate, advanced, or appropriate for all).

If you prefer face to face help with the fundamentals of computers, the Student Learning Centre (SLC) at the Ottawa campus provides computer coaching to students at no charge. Coaches provide support for online learning tools such as Blackboard, ACSIS, and Live@AC, as well as for software such as Microsoft Office.

Between these resources, you have access to great tools that can help you succeed.