·http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2015165

This March 2015 report from the National Center for Education Statistics asks the highly relevant question: What is the Price of College? Using data from a nationally representative study of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the findings are highly reliable and worth a thorough read. There are many interesting facts in the report, and the data are presented in convenient tables and graphs. For instance, the researchers found that private nonprofit 4-year institutions are nearly twice as expensive as public 4-year universities, and public 4-year tuition is, on average, more than three times the tuition of community colleges. These are just an example of the many fine details made available by this federal entity. The report is available online or as a downloadable PDF and a provided list of keywords will take interested readers to related reports from the NCES. [CNH]

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·http://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home

Previously covered by the Scout Report way back in 2008, the website dedicated to the promulgation of National Poetry Month has come a long way. In honor of this month of poets and poetry, readers may like to look into a number of interesting tabs, including About the Celebration, which provides an overview of this literary tribute, along with links to poets, poems, and books and a list of "30 ways to celebrate national poetry month." In addition, News & Updates features event spotlights from around the country, stories of classroom poetry, the Miami Poetry Festival, and other tidbits. Perhaps best of all, readers may order the free National Poetry Month poster for free, designed by New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast. [CNH]

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·http://www.vox.com/2015/4/9/8376937/common-core-math-why

The Scout Report doesn't usually review three-minute videos, but this one from Vox is worth it. First, because the video itself explains in sharp detail the seemingly incomprehensible pedagogy behind the "new math" that the Common Core utilizes to help students draw logical conclusions about the underlying principles of mathematics. And second, because the accompanying article, with its yellow "Launch Cards," provides a great overview of the Common Core and related topics. There are 18 cards, each dedicated to a different aspect of the Common Core. Topics include answers to such mysteries as, What is the Common Core? as well as who created it, what problems it's trying to solve, what is the federal governments role, and other intriguing answers. [CNH]

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·http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/

For educators teaching about the life and presidency of Dwight Eisenhower, and for history buffs looking for more details about this fascinating figure, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home website offers a wealth of information. Readers might like to begin with the All About Ike section, which traces Eisenhower's legacy through categories, including such obvious highlights as his childhood in Abilene, Kansas and his service in the U.S. Army, to intimate details like his pets and siblings. The Education area also hosts a number of resources, including articles written by World War II veterans and excellent pages dedicated to both Student Resources and Teacher Resources, where educators can find links to manuscript collections, audiovisual archives, and online documents. [CNH]

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·http://www.aldoleopold.org/blog/building-a-land-ethic/

Along with Rachel Carlson, Mardy Murie, and a few other pioneers, Aldo Leopold, the intrepid Wisconsinite and avid ecologist, is considered by many to be a founding thinker of the conservation movement. This blog by the Aldo Leopold Foundation continues Leopold's famous "land ethic" with frequent posts about everything from student education to photo contests to updates on conferences. Readers may also sign up for the Foundation's monthly e-newsletter, which covers such events as the translation of Leopold's classic A Sand County Almanac into Turkish and other tidbits. Of particular interest, readers may like to peruse wildlife ecologist Dain Ziegler's article, "Wielding All Tools: Connecting to the Land through Plans and Passion," in which he uses the Aldo Leopold Foundation property as a portal through which to view phenology (the study of cyclical and seasonal natural events) on a larger scale. [CNH]

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·https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x

The MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) mogul, edX, takes popular courses from some of the best universities in the world and adapts them for home computer use. Readers can simply audit courses for free, or they can pay $90 for a Verified Certificate. In that vein, CS50: Introduction to Computer Science is a high-energy Harvard course that includes nine long problem sets and a final project. The free enrollment process is exceptionally simple. Readers may use their existing Facebook or Google accounts, or follow a one-step sign up process. From there, students can explore the course, sign up for optional social media and chat accounts to communicate with other students and instructors and begin watching lectures, completing and turning in problem sets, and receiving grades and feedback on your burgeoning computer science skills. [CNH]

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·http://www.base-search.net/

The Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE) is freely accessible and accesses over 70 million documents to help find readers what they're looking for on the web. Simple yet powerful, BASE offers a few possibilities in its Basic Search, Advanced Search, and Browsing options. For instance, typing "Tibetan Buddhism" into Basic Search returns hundreds of documents, digital library exhibits, and websites in English and other languages. For readers who are looking for more specific sources, the Advanced Search option can be customized to search by title, author, subject headings, URL, as well as by over a dozen document types (books, articles, maps, software, etc.). BASE is an excellent resource for scholars scouring the web for new and better source documents. [CNH]

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·http://www.chicagohistory.org/wetwithblood/

The Chicago Historical Society has published this online exploration of Abraham Lincoln's assassination in the form of a 19th century sensationalist book, complete with a table of contents that traces the events on the night of the murder and the artifacts related to that night and the days after. The investigation centers on Mary Todd Lincoln's cloak, which was said to be "wet with blood" from her husband's last moment. But was it? The website explores this and other questions. Readers may scout primary documents such as newspaper reports, letters written by witnesses, drawings, and photographs. For teachers looking for primary sources and a powerful narrative, as well as anyone fascinated by the Civil War years and the life and death of President Lincoln, this interactive site brings a bygone era to vivid life again. [CNH]

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·http://americanarchive.org/

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting is a truly exceptional site, representing 60 years of public broadcasting from every state and region of the nation. For an overview of what public broadcasting has meant to America, the About page pulls together a convincing case with a 5-minute video and a short essay replete with quotes from senators, academics, and members of the public broadcasting community. Before searching the site, readers may like to select Searching the Website (found under Research), which describes how to use the search bar, limit your search, tell if a resource has been digitized, filter the search results, and search by media type, genre, asset type, organization, and year. From there, readers can spend hours scouring the site for access to layers and layers of American history, including everything from addresses by Eleanor Roosevelt to interviews with Jamaica Kincaid to old episodes of "See it Now" with Edward R. Murrow. Few archives offer the range and depth of information that the American Archie of Public Broadcasting promises. [CNH]

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·http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

Perhaps what is so stunning about Humans of New York (HONY) is its celebration of humanness. The website is built around two very basic premises: photographs and short quotes. For example, a portrait of a young, well-dressed woman sitting on a bench is paired with the quote, "I'm afraid if I don't choose a path soon, life will choose one for me." Another photo, of a happy-looking young girl, is paired with the conversation, "What was the happiest moment of your life?" "I don't think I have one yet but it's probably coming up and it's going to be a surprise." The photoblog was started by Brandon Stanton, a former bond trader who decided in 2010 to pursue his dream of being a photographer. Since then, HONY has garnered huge national attention, including raising money for schools and community centers and taking trips to the White House. [CNH]

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·http://magazine.good.is

GOOD Magazine has been through a number of ups and downs and iterations in its nearly ten year history. Recently, GOOD has shifted its focus again, "re-emerging as a beautiful and expansive publication that sets out to discover what it means to pursue a meaningful life." The website remains a source for fresh, youthful accounts of people accomplishing creative, humane projects. The web content is divided into categories such as Features, Infographics, and Projects. The site is, perhaps, best browsed without a strong intention to find anything in particular, save the panoply of idiosyncrasies that arise. For instance, under the Features tab, readers may find an article on fair trade teas, or an expose on America's overconsumption of empty calories. Whatever the topic, GOOD provides playful, colorful, and entertaining material. [CNH]

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·http://www.dancohen.org/

Before striking out on his own to found and run the Digital Public Library of America, Dan Cohen was a history professor with degrees from Princeton (B.A.), Harvard (M.T.S.), and Yale (Ph.D.). His excellent blog reflects his academic research into the digital humanities, with musings on the past, present, and future of the book. Entries are written in an accessible and interesting prose. In addition, Cohen occasionally wades into library science, politics, religion, and other topics. Interested readers might like to start with the Best of the Blog, which features over two dozen articles neatly arranged into categories such as Digital Humanities: Theory & Practice, Scholarly Communication and Publishing, Mass Digitization, Google Books, Creating a Blog from Scratch, and others. The Podcast tab also links to over a hundred episodes of interviews, commentaries, and overviews of many higher education and digital humanities topics. [CNH]

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·http://artistproject.metmuseum.org/

As the website of the Artist Project notes, artists have been coming to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for well over one hundred years to garner inspiration. The Artist Project is an online series that films this process, following various artists as they tour their favorite masterpieces in the hallowed halls of the Met. The recently initiated project seeks to follow 100 artists between March 2015 and March 2016, posting the videos, audio, and quotes online for all to see. Featured artists include conceptual artist John Baldessari, printmaker Xu Bing, and fabric sculptor and performance artist Nick Cave, among many others. Selecting any of the artists listed on the homepage will take readers to individual features, consisting of a brief video, a bio About the Artist, and a neat section called As Seen in the Episode, where site visitors can explore in closer detail the items that catch each artist's attention. [CNH]

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·http://www.chathamhouse.org/research/topics/social-movements

Ranked by the University of Pennsylvania's 2014 Global Go To Think Tanks Index Report as the second most influential think tank in the world (after the Brookings Institution), Chatham House has been contributing to expert thinking on international issues since its founding in 1922. The Social Movement section of the site concentrates its attention on everything from power struggles in Saudi Arabia to tribalism in South Sudan. Readers may scout the site by categories such as Latest, Expert Comment, Research & Publication, Past Events, and Video & Audio. There is a tremendous volume of content here. For instance, there are over 250 (and counting) research papers that are freely accessible, including reviews of democracy in Kuwait, Islam in Russia, and the legacy of France's colonialism as it plays out in Paris's suburbs. For readers fascinated by social movements, and looking for a reliable, informed source for in-depth information, Chatham House provides great resources. [CNH]

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·http://www.hup.harvard.edu/

The Harvard University Press (HUP) website is more than just a listing of brilliant academic books. It is also a hub from which to explore big ideas. Readers may like to start by browsing HUP's listings by subject, author, or seasonal catalog. From there, the Recent News column makes for an excellent read, as it links to interviews, articles, and profiles of HUP authors from around the web. In addition, the HUP blog, which is updated weekly, features sneak peeks into various HUP books, and the multimedia page, which can be located under the Stay Posted section, offers 15 to 20 minute interviews with authors on a huge range of fascinating topics. The HUP site can be a real help for readers who want to stay up on the burgeoning ideas of the international intelligentsia, but don't have the time to read every book that comes to press. [CNH]

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·http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/

The NPR blog, Code Switch, is a mashup in the best sense of the word. Code Switch combines different types of media - audio, video, text and images - with content based on lots of loosely-related topics and perspectives in a way that inspires the visitor to see things differently. Blog host Gene Demby says, "We're hop-scotching between different cultural and linguistic spaces and different parts of our own identities — sometimes within a single interaction." The most recent three posts as of April 14, 2015 are on the Korean pop music sensation, K-Pop; key facts on recent police shootings; and an art exhibition currently on view at New York's Museum of Modern Art, "One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series and Other Visions of the Great Movement North." There are also posts about food, including what turns up on seder plates, and even Mr. Spock. A post from February 27th reproduces a letter from Mr. Spock to a biracial girl, published in the now defunct teen magazine FaVE! in 1968. [DS]

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·http://labs.echonest.com/Uploader/index.html

For readers who love listening to their favorite songs again and again, The Infinite Jukebox may come as somewhat of a revelation. For an introduction, readers may go to the site and click on a few of the popular tunes listed on the homepage. For instance, selecting Superstition by Stevie Wonder kicks off the 1972 hit in the way you've always heard it. But then The Infinite Jukebox takes over, matching beats and rhythmic patterns to create intelligent patterns for where the song can go next. No simple loop here. Instead the song plays for as long as the listener would like, but with seemingly infinite variety. Once users understand the basic principle, they can upload their own MP3s for free and let The Infinite Jukebox reorganize them into epic soundtracks for their working day. [CNH]

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·https://www.xmarks.com/

Often considered the number one bookmarks add-on on the market, Xmarks is built to be compatible with Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer. The program can be downloaded in seconds. From there readers may begin backing up and synchronizing bookmarks in an intuitive and friendly template. In addition, Xmarks will sync bookmarks across computers, and, if desired, across different web browsers. While Xmarks is free for personal computer use, a premium version ($1 per month) is necessary for readers who want to sync with their iPhones, Blackberries, and Androids. Xmarks is the most popular bookmark sync add-on for a reason: it's easy to use and convenient. [CNH]

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http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/signs-of-alien-life-by-2025-says-nasa-chief-scientist-150408.htm

http://www.businessinsider.com/where-were-most-likely-to-find-alien-life-in-the-space-2015-4

http://www.vox.com/2015/4/8/8371083/nasa-alien-life

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/are-we-getting-closer-to-finding-alien-life-bob-mcdonald-1.3027927

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/09/alien-size-big-polar-bears_n_7012162.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/opinions/urry-alien-life/

Aliens were in the news again recently when NASA's chief scientist, Ellen Stofan, made an unexpected announcement during a panel discussion. "I think we're going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we're going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years." Other panelists, somewhat amazingly, agreed. This revelation coincided with the publication of a paper by University of Barcelona cosmologist, Dr. Fergus Simpson, that claimed that if we do find intelligent alien life our new extraterrestrial friends might be as big as polar bears. Add to this the current news breaking about exoplanets (those planets most likely to support carbon-based life), and the buzz around aliens is vibrating at a higher frequency than usual.[CNH]

The first article, from Discovery News, offers a peek into Stofan's announcement, while Business Insider, featured second, moves beyond the panel discussion to probe questions around what alien life will look like if we find it. The third link, from Vox, provides a fascinating overview of where extraterrestrial life likely exists and how we're currently setting out to find it. Famous cosmology commentator Bob McDonald, wonders whether we're getting closer to alien life in his blog for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, featured fourth here, while the Huffington Post takes a look at the claim that intelligent alien life will be much bigger than previously expected. Lastly, Meg Urry at CNN asks when we will be able to actually talk to life beyond our planet.