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Finding Digital Humanities and Authentic Artifacts Sites

Digital Humanities sites take collections of video, text, audio or other artifacts and transform them into something that is widely accessible online. While some sites are just virtual collections of content, the best sites showcase this information in new and interesting ways.

Authentic Materials or realia are real-life examples of language used in everyday life. Here are some examples:

  • TV shows, news segments, documentaries, movie clips and trailers, online videos, and commercials
  • Radio broadcasts, songs, and podcasts
  • Photographs, artwork, signs, postcards, maps, and advertisements
  • Magazines, letters and emails, news articles, brochures, websites, blogs, and social media posts
  • Recipes, circular ads, food labels, bus and train schedules, menus, and price tags and product descriptions

We have created a community curated collection of digital humanities, authentic material, and OER project sites. We welcome your collaboration!

Pathways Project Digital Humanities / Authentic Materials Index

Tips for Finding Digital Humanities Sites

  • Search terms that may help you (try these in both English and the target language):
    • TL, countries where TL is spoken, (TL speaking country name) followed by one of these terms: 
    • Digital humanities projects, Cultural artifacts, digital storytelling, interactive maps and infographics, virtual exhibitions, Augmented Reality (AR) projects, 3d tours and models.
      • Example: Latin American Virtual Exhibitions

Tips for Finding Authentic Materials 

  • Always search for these items in the target language!
  • Try to find content created in the past 5 years whenever possible. 
  • You won’t find much by searching for authentic materials. Instead, you’ll want to search for things like “commercial,” “interactive site,” “shopping mall web site,” etc.
    • Example: “anuncio,” “sitio interactivo,” “infografía,” “centro comercial sitio de web”
  • This tutorial for finding interpretive artifacts for reading and listening activities may also be helpful.