The Scout Report -- Volume 22, Number 29

The Women's Library of the London School of Economics (LSE) presents this collection of over 300 digitized artifacts that span five centuries. From Photographs, Postcards, and Objects to Books, the material here offers insight into historical views of women and the history of the women's rights movement in England. Visitors can read the letters of suffrage activist Emmeline Pankhurst; examine the 1971 notes from the LSE's Women's Liberation Society; and read seventeenth century household advice to women via Countrey Contentments, or the English Huswife. This text from 1623 advises that women be "religious" and "temperate" and provides a recipe for a remedy designed to "quicken a man's wits" - seemingly from excessive intoxication. Visitors can conduct a keyword search of the archives, explore collection highlights via timeline, or browse by type of archival material. In addition, the Women's Library @ LSE presents two online exhibits. One exhibit highlights digitized copies of rare books, including the aforementioned Countrey Contentments. The other displays a collection of archival material that sheds light on the life and work of Emily Wilding Davison, a prominent activist for women's suffrage who was killed at a horserace attempting to drape a pro-suffrage sash on King George V's horse. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Underground Mathematics is a UK-based resource for mathematics instructors. Although this website is especially designed to help prepare students for their A-Level exams, it also hosts resources that will be of use to anyone around the globe who teaches algebra, geometry, trigonometry, or calculus. Created by a team of math educators and scholars at the University of Cambridge, Underground Mathematics gets its name from its organizational design: math subfields are mapped in the manner of the London tube system, emphasizing the links between different fields of mathematics. Instructors (or students) can explore a variety of stations, such as Quadratics or Polynomials & Rational Functions. Each station contains numerous resources, including worksheets, class activities, and practice problems (usefully designed so as to be easily projected in front of a classroom). By creating a free account, instructors can bookmark resources of interest and participate in educator discussion forums. While some parts of this new site are still under construction, a variety of assignments and activities are available that promote higher order thinking in the math classroom. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

A project from the National Endowment of the Humanities and the Society of Biblical Literature, Bible Odyssey is designed to help the general public examine and understand the Christian Bible. Site visitors can examine a variety of biblical topics through three different tabs: People, Places, and Passages. A collection of short essays, edited and written by a variety of scholars, examine the textual origins and post-biblical sources that have shaped common understandings. These essays are accompanied by historic art (much of which is accompanied by additional essays that provide context and insight into these pieces), short videos of scholar talks (many of which address issues of translation); and links to related articles. In addition to the wealth of information here, visitors can also search the complete text of three Bible versions: the New Revised Standard Version, the Contemporary English Version, and the Kings James Version. Corresponding passages may then be compared across these three versions. Finally, note that in the Tools tab, one can submit questions to biblical experts and check out a glossary of key terms. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Published by Instituto de Fisica de Liquados y Sistemas Biologicos (Institute of Fluid Liquid Physics and Biological Systems), Papers in Physics is a free online, peer-reviewed journal that publishes papers from around the globe relating to all branches of physics. Founded in 2009, the journal employs a unique editorial policy that creates a space for ongoing dialogue within the physics community. Researchers can choose to submit papers through either a Traditional Review process or an Open Review process. Recent topics include quantum physics, seasonal light and circadian rhythms, the physics of human voice, and a mathematical model that provides insight into the 1871 yellow fever outbreak in Buenos Aires. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

The Minnesota Literacy Council (MLC) is home to a wealth of curricular materials for English Language Learning (ELL) and Adult Basic Education (ABE) classrooms. Some of these materials may also be of use in K-12 language arts, math, and science classrooms. On the MLC Curriculum and Lesson Plans page, instructors can browse through a variety of unit and lesson plans that have been organized by level. From Pre-Beginning English as Second or Other Language (ESOL) to GED Mathematical Reasoning and beyond, there are many helpful resources in this collection. Each unit contains a series of detailed lesson plans that include clear lesson objectives, step-by-step instructions for prep and facilitation, as well as worksheets, answer keys, and materials for in-class activities. Many of these lessons incorporate the use of a few key textbooks (clearly referenced on the site), yet others do not - or can be adapted to make use of an alternative textbook. In addition, readers will find a handful of stand-alone lessons that address special topics, especially relating to community safety and health. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

What's the best way to soothe a sore throat? How many Americans are affected by anxiety disorders? NIH News in Health, a monthly newsletter published by the National Institute of Health (NIH), is designed to provide readers with accessible, research-based health information and news on topics just like these. Interested readers may read the newsletter online, or download a PDF version that has been attractively designed for easy reading. Each issue contains two feature articles and two or three shorter Health Capsules. When viewing online, readers can also follow links to find full research papers related to their topic of choice. With a plentiful archive, NIH News in Health may be an especially helpful resource for health and science teachers looking to direct students in independent research. Note: the articles and illustrations published here are not copyrighted; readers are encouraged to reprint material in their own publications. More information about copyright and terms of use is available in the website's footer. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Between 250,000 and 750,000 Latinos and Latinas served in WWII, yet their stories are often left out of historical accounts. In 1999, the School of Journalism as the University of Texas at Austin launched the U.S. Latino and Latina WWII Oral History Project to rectify this omission. Project participants interviewed hundreds of WWII veterans and wrote a series of articles based on these conversations. In 2010, the project began to collect interviews with veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars, as well, and changed its name to the VOCES Oral History Project. On this website, visitors can browse articles about veterans' experiences, which are tagged by a variety of themes. In addition, the project has more recently compiled short documentary films as well as photo documentaries. These articles and short films provide powerful resources for the history classroom. In addition, educators should note that the site includes a series of instructional videos about conducting oral history - a fabulous resource for instructors interested in facilitating student oral history projects. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Founded in 2005 by neuroscientist Eugene M. Izhikevich, Scholarpedia is a cross between Wikipedia and a scholarly journal. It differs from Wikipedia, however, in one significant way: it is peer reviewed and any of its articles can be sited like journal articles. Each topic page on Scholarpedia is overseen by a curator, a recognized expert in the field who must approve all revisions. (The curator's identity and credentials appear at the top of each page). New pages must be sponsored by a curator and reviewed by at least two other scholars. As the page notes, "This hybrid model allows Scholarpedia articles to serve as a bridge between traditional peer-reviewed journals and more dynamic and up-to-date wikis without compromising quality or trustworthiness." This peer-reviewed encyclopedia is continuing to grow, but currently hosts detailed pages related to numerous disciplines - especially science and mathematics fields. In addition to searching, visitors can also browse Focal Areas, cataloged pages featuring a common theme, such as Astrophysics or Play Science. Frequent visitors may also want to check out the Recently Published tab. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

The Hudson River School "refers to American landscape painting created between 1825 and roughly 1875" by a variety of artists who lived in the Hudson River Valley of New York, including Thomas Cole and John Frederick Kensett. The Albany Institute of History and Art's Making of the Hudson River School exhibition is more than a mere catalogue of these striking paintings - although, rest assured, fans of the Hudson River Valley school will certainly find numerous digitized paintings here. Rather, the site presents an exploration of the artistic, cultural, technological, and natural inspirations for this school of art. The website presents these inspirations through twelve themes. Each theme is accompanied by a short essay about its significance and additional archival material for visitors to explore. For example, on the Landscaping People page, visitors can examine the artistic usage of landscape art in eighteenth and nineteenth century portraiture. On The Geological Revolution Page, visitors can view geologists Amos Eaton's 1830 geological map of New York State. This collection situates Hudson River School paintings in historical and cultural context and are a joy to behold. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Available on PBS Digital Studios (the network's YouTube Channel), PBS Space Time is a show that "explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth." Hosted by physics and astronomy professor Matthew O'Dowd, this series features short (approximately 10-15 minutes) episodes that explain topics including quantum mechanics, dark energy, and gravitational waves. New episodes are released approximately weekly, and sometimes address astronomy and physics topics in the news. For example, an episode earlier this month examined NASA's July 4th Juno Mission to explore Jupiter. Visitors to this YouTube channel can browse 42 past episodes. One highlight of this series is the ongoing Challenge Question subseries (compiled in a playlist on the channel). These short episodes pose question problems for viewers to answer based on hints provided in the episode. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Fans of the children's literature classic, Winnie the Pooh, may not know that Winnie is based on a real bear. In 1914, Canadian Harry Colebourn purchased a bear cub in White River, Ontario, en route to serve as a military veterinarian for the British army in World War I. He purchased the bear cub - named after his native Winnipeg - as a mascot for his army regiment. Colebourn eventually donated Winnie to the London Zoo, where the bear soon gained many British fans. One fan was a boy named Christopher Robin Milne, who liked Winnie enough to name his own teddy bear after the Canadian cub, which, in turn, inspired his father to pen the Winnie the Pooh series. In 2014, a group of scholars at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, compiled an exhibit in honor of the 100th anniversary of Colebourn's - and Winnie's - sojourn to London. On this website, visitors can examine a number of items featured in the exhibit and read accompanying essays. These items include Colebourn's diaries, photographs, and detailed three-dimensional images of Colebourn's veterinary tools. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

The creators of Gothic Past describe this website as an, "open access resource for the study of medieval Irish architecture and sculpture." The visual archive is comprised of remarkable collections from the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Trinity College in Dublin and has been digitized and curated as part of a partnership between Trinity College and the Roy Rozenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. Visitors to this site can explore the Trinity College collections, including the Stalley Collection, which features photographs taken by professor emeritus Henry Stalley, and the Edwin Rae Collection, an impressive collection of photographs taken between 1930-1970 of late medieval Irish architecture. Visitors knowledgeable about architecture will also appreciate the site's gallery of moulding profiles for a variety of churches and other buildings. Gothic Past also contains a few Exhibits, which visitors may browse in its entirety or by select keyword tags. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Once part of Rochester, Massachusetts, Mattapoisett officially became an incorporated town of its own right in 1857. As of the 2010 census, Mattapoisett has a population of 6,045. This New England town also has some historical claim to fame: it is the former summer home of Oliver Wendell Holmes and central hub for the whaling industry. In fact, Herman Melville sailed on a whaling ship built in Mattapoisett. The Mattapoisett Historical Society has created an engaging website that presents Mattapoisett history through aesthetically appealing data visualizations. Here, one can learn how many days a carpenter would need to work to buy a pair of shoes in 1777; explore an interactive map to learn the distributions of varying occupations across the state of Massachusetts in 1850; and view the growth of whaling voyages around the world between 1800 and 1900. These visualizations provide (sometimes surprising) insight into everyday life in eighteenth and nineteenth century New England. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

As evident by the title, this TED (Technology, Education, and Design) Talks playlist features 11 different talks by women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). For instance, in a March 2015 talk, Fei Fei Li, a computer science professor at Stanford University, discusses the rapidly developing field of computer vision and machine learning - a field she contributed to through her work at the Stanford Vision Lab. Li clearly explains the basics of artificial intelligence by using a variety of helpful visuals and examining how a computer might come to understand the concept of "cat." In another talk, from April 2009, Bonnie Bassler, a Princeton University molecular biologist, examines bacterial coordination (which includes the memorable line, "I know you think of yourselves as human, but I think of you as 90-99% bacterial.") Check out the playlist for these two engaging presentations and nine additional TED Talks. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

For over 25 years, Michael Silverblatt has hosted Bookworm, a weekly half-hour interview with authors broadcasted by KCRW Public Radio out of Santa Monica, California. On the station's website, book fans can listen to the complete archives of this show. Silverblatt has interviewed with luminaries of all genres, including novelists Jamaica Kincaid, Salmon Rushdie, and Louise Erdrich; graphic novelist Art Spiegelman; non-fiction author Larissa MacFarquhar; and memoirist Mary Karr, to name just a few. Silverblatt engages each of his guests with thoughtful questions in a conversational style. In a 2010 interview with The Believer magazine, Silverblatt described his interview style: "I believe in calling myself a host, which makes the person a guest, which makes the traditional guest-host relationship come into play, which is one of courtesy, welcome, conviviality... I'm there to show that when someone feels comfortable, when someone is being respected, when someone's attitudes and values are being mirrored - maybe even shared - they become more articulate, more interesting, more willing to speak their minds, and are willing to go deeper." Bookworm fans can also subscribe via iTunes. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Presented by the American Social History Project at CUNY (City University of New York), Picturing US History is a web resource founded on the belief that "visual materials are vital to understanding the American past." To that end, the site provides illustrated essays, narrated lectures, and My Favorite Image, where scholars and curators examine a single image for teaching purposes. For example, in Imaging Americans, Shawn Michelle Smith from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago takes a close look at Frances Benjamin Johnston's 1899 photograph, "Thanksgiving Day Lesson at Whittier," from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. This photograph, commissioned for the Paris Exposition of 1900, was created at a time when Johnston was a well-known photographer noted for her pictures of schools in Washington, D.C. The picture shows a group of African American students in a classroom, intent on a miniature log cabin on a table. Written on the blackboard is the day's lesson, "The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers." Smith's essay points out the staged nature of the picture, and suggests discussion points for teachers to use in 21st century classroom. [DS]

Comment on or rate this resource

Duolingo is a mobile app designed to help people learn and practice a new language. Users can select any one of 36 languages and practice reading, listening, and speaking this language. The app works by introducing users to new vocabulary and grammar rules through a series of short levels. The goal? Users will learn by seeing words and grammar modeled. Next, users can try their hand at interpreting written and spoken sentences and then speaking them out loud, allowing for pronunciation practice. When users are able to successfully complete these tasks they move onto higher levels with new vocabulary. Duolingo is designed to be of use to individuals brand new to a language as well those looking to brush up an already familiar one, as users can chose to test out of levels. Best of all, Duolingo is free. Users can also "compete" against friends using the app if they wish, providing additional motivation and accountability. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource

Simple.Savr is a new file-sharing device that allows users to quickly and easily share files with anyone in their wifi network. Simply type and edit text into a Share box or upload files for others to download. Shared files are available to anyone in the network for one week. At this time, there is a 25MB limit to files that can be shared -thus, while this tool is useful for sharing text documents, it is not ideal for larger downloads. That said, Simple.Savr provides an easy way for coworkers or family members to share files and ideas with ease. Perhaps best of all, this site is incredibly accessible: no sign-in or download is required so anyone can start sharing files right away. [MMB]

Comment on or rate this resource