The Scout Report -- Volume 24, Number 50

Teachers of STEM and STEM-adjacent subjects may want to check out this collection of educator resources from the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR). Visitors to NWABR's Teacher Center will find an archive of fully developed curricula, lessons, rubrics, and other materials on topics relevant to biomedical science. These include fundamentals such as Bioethics 101, which was compiled from NWABR's comprehensive Ethics Primer containing strategies for incorporating ethics into classroom discussions, as well as curricula on specific topics like stem cell research, HIV vaccines, and bioinformatics. The full curricula are available as PDFs and individual lessons often include PowerPoint slides and supplementary material. While most of these resources were developed with middle and high school students in mind, instructors of a variety of grade levels may find NWABR's offerings helpful. Based in Seattle, NWABR is a regional organization that aspires "to promote the public's trust in biomedical research and its ethical conduct" through education and dialogue. [JDC]

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Educators and librarians may particularly find The Classroom Bookshelf to be a helpful resource, but parents and fans of children's and young adult literature may appreciate it as well. Launched in 2010, The Classroom Bookshelf is part of the School Library Journal blog network and aims to "review the most recent works of children's and young adult literature and to provide you with a variety of ideas and resources to help you incorporate these texts into your K-12 classroom teaching." Their reviews cover a wide range of literature, which the site's menu helpfully categorizes into fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and picture books (each with subcategories), along with book lists and classroom & curricular ideas. Review entries generally focus on one book at a time and each entry includes multiple teaching ideas (broken down by grade level) for using that book in the classroom, as well as extensive lists of additional web and print resources for further exploration. The Classroom Bookshelf is written and edited by Mary Ann Cappiello, Erika Thulin Dawes, and Grace Enriquez (all faculty at Lesley University); and also Katie Cunningham, an Associate Professor at Manhattanville College. [JDC]

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The story map Journey of a Product uses a loaf of bread as an example through which to introduce viewers to the concept of economic sectors. With a focus on the UK, the journey begins by looking at a colorful interactive map of land use in Europe before succinctly explaining the difference between goods and services. From there, the bread's journey continues through the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors of the UK economy, incorporating photographs and zoomable maps highlighting specific locations along the way. Users can navigate through the different sections via the menu at the top. This story map could be used as a visual aid by social studies instructors, particularly in geography or economics, but general audiences curious about the systems that enable them to shop at grocery stores may also find it of interest. Journey of a Product was created by Brendan Conway, a geography teacher at Notre Dame School in Cobham, UK. [JDC]

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Today's teens are growing up in a world where social media has existed throughout their entire lives, and there have been concerns about the influence it has on their overall wellbeing. In November 2018, the Pew Research Center published a study examining the social media habits and experiences of teens in the United States. Among the study's major findings, large majorities of surveyed teens said that their social media use was responsible for "strengthening friendships, exposing them to different viewpoints and helping people their age support causes they care about." However, roughly 40 percent of teens also noted that "they at times feel overwhelmed by the drama on social media and pressure to construct only positive images of themselves." Readers interested in more details may read the full 34-page report online or download it as a PDF, along with the survey's top-line questionnaire results. This analysis was based on Pew surveys conducted in March and April of 2018 of 743 US teens aged 13-17 and 1,058 parents of teens, and it was written by Pew researchers Monica Anderson and Jingjing Jiang. [JDC]

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In 2017, the US government released the first volume of its Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4), which was "designed to be an authoritative assessment of the science of climate change, with a focus on the United States." Based on an extensive body of peer-reviewed scientific research and datasets, this report concluded that "it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming [and other global climate changes] since the mid-20th century." Here, readers can download the report's 36-page executive summary, which is written for broad audiences, or the 477-page full report as PDFs. Individual PDFs of the report's 15 chapters are also available, as are PDFs of its public comments and peer reviews. Each chapter focuses on a particular topic and includes key findings, regional analyses, and traceable accounts of supporting evidence, along with an assessment of the state of the science regarding that topic. With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration leading thirteen federal agencies in its preparation, NCA4 was produced by Congressional mandate under the Global Change Research Act of 1990. [JDC]

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Following the culmination of the Laotian civil war in the 1970s, thousands of the Hmong ethnic group were forced to leave Laos and became refugees, with many settling in the United States. For those interested in the Hmong diaspora, the open-access Hmong Studies Journal offers scholars in a variety of fields "the only peer-reviewed academic publication devoted to the scholarly discussion of Hmong history, Hmong culture, Hmong people, and other facets of the Hmong experience in the U.S., Asia and around the world." Launched in 1996, this long-running online journal is now in its nineteenth volume and is part of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Here, visitors can read and download articles from all issues of this journal in PDF format, and also find links to other Hmong resources like census data and the Hmong Studies Virtual Library. Their most recent offering, published in August 2018, is a special issue focused on Hmong American Education. The Hmong Studies Journal is edited by Mark Pfeifer, who also directs the Hmong Resource Center Library in St. Paul, Minnesota. [JDC]

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College or university instructors who have a new course coming up (or are redesigning an old one) may want to check out this in-depth guide from The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled How to Create a Syllabus. This resource offers readers a conversational tutorial detailing the what, why, and how of a successful syllabus, and it includes some helpful suggestions for what not to do as well. The guide is organized into four sections: Syllabus Essentials (and Two to Avoid), The Syllabus Components, Putting It All Together, and The Work Isn't Done: Assessing and Revising Your Syllabus. Readers will find links to these sections at the beginning, so they can skip ahead if they choose. Examples from real syllabi link to supporting information and suggestions of ways to engage students productively and inclusively are sprinkled throughout this guide, as are questions that encourage self-reflection of readers' pedagogical practices, making this a helpful resource for both new and veteran instructors. How to Create a Syllabus was written by Kevin Gannon, Professor of History at Grand View University and the director of their Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. [JDC]

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Archivists, librarians, and information professions all over the world may be interested in the lessons and classes, both online and in-person, offered by Library Carpentry. Originally developed by The Carpentries, which focuses on teaching data and coding skills to researchers, Library Carpentry is a "global community teaching software and data skills to people working in library and information-related roles." Lessons from Library Carpentry include teaching information professionals how to develop and utilize best practices in data structures, how to understand jargon and phrases often used in computer science and software development, and how to effectively work with colleagues in information technology, among others. Workshops are held at institutions and libraries all over the globe, and upcoming ones can be found under the Our workshops tab. Online lessons can be found under Our lessons and are also available on the Library Carpentry's Github page. Library Carpentry encourages participation from the information science community; people can apply to be a teacher with the organization, in addition to volunteering to help with a workshop or hosting one at your institution. Those who are interested in contributing to existing lessons can actually do so via their Github page, and those who want to stay abreast of happenings within the Library Carpentry community may want to check out their active blog, Gitter page, Twitter site, or their discussion page on TopicBox. [JLB]

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Archival letters have long been valued resources for historians, literary scholars, genealogists, and more, but letters from centuries past can hold information beyond that of their written contents. Before envelopes became widespread in the nineteenth century, letters were intricately folded in such a way that they became their own envelopes, often with security features to stave off prying eyes, a practice which has been termed "letterlocking" by modern researchers. Here, interested readers can learn about letterlocking by a team of interdisciplinary scholars dedicated to researching this historical practice. The home page provides an overview of their research, along with several photos and a short introductory video. For those interested in demonstrations, the categories section offers an extensive library of videos showing different styles and security levels of letterlocking, while the Dictionary of Letterlocking (DoLL) section offers a frequently illustrated catalog of terminology for those interested in letterlocking research. The letterlocking categories and the DoLL are works in progress with forthcoming updates as work on the project continues. The Unlocking History team is led by Jana Dambrogio, a conservator at MIT Libraries; and Daniel Starza Smith, a lecturer in Early Modern English Literature at King's College London. [JDC]

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For fans of data visualizations, the online magazine The Pudding recently announced the winners of its 2018 Pudding Cup, which honors "[t]he best visual and data-driven stories." Selected by a team of data visualization experts, these visualizations fall into two categories. The Pay Tier honors websites created on the job, while the more eclectic Passion Tier highlights "stories created for fun, a side project, class, etc." One of the Passion Tier honorees is Eric Lin's Casting Shakespeare, which presents information about the age, gender, and race of actors cast in Shakespearean productions since 1900. Meanwhile, the Pay Tier highlights How to Forecast an American's Vote, an interactive created by Martin Gonzalez, Dan Rosenheck, Evan Hensleigh, and Matt McLean for The Economist that highlights U.S. voting behavior by factors including age, geography, and income. In total, the list highlights 28 different projects that address topics ranging from K-pop to exoplanets to the advent of spring. [MMB]

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For library lovers around the globe, Library Planet is a new project that seeks to offer "a crowdsourced Lonely Planet for Libraries" and to "inspire library travelers." Library Planet was founded by two Danish librarians, Christian Lauersen and Marie Engberg Eiriksson, and welcomes writing contributions from anyone. As of this write-up, the project features libraries in Denmark, China, the Netherlands, Portugal, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Visitors can explore these featured libraries on the site's homepage or via the Map of libraries tab. Each featured library is accompanied by a short write-up and numerous photographs. One featured library is the Shanghai Library, which is home to a number of ancient manuscripts as well as a state-of-the-art "Innovation Space." Also featured is the National Centre for the Written Word, a library in northeast England that aims to "transform a visitor's perception of what a library can be." Here, visitors will find storytelling and performances spaces, as well as multi-media labs and a gaming zone. [MMB]

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Art and pop culture aficionados may want to check out Art Matters, a podcast that "explores the interesting ways art meets popular culture and non-traditional art topics." This biweekly podcast is hosted by art historian Ferren Gipson and has two seasons available at the time of this writing. Frequently engaging with important contemporary themes such as inclusivity, Art Matters regularly features guests from a variety of art history fields. Recent episodes include discussions about art and visual culture in scientific spaces (featuring Katy Barrett, Curator of Art Collections at the Science Museum, London), artistic influences in RuPaul's Drag Race (featuring Corrie and Natalie from the podcast Art History Babes), and twentieth-century art references in The Simpsons (featuring Todd VanDerWerff, Critic at Large for Vox). Each approximate half-hour episode is accompanied on its page by numerous images, a written article, and links to additional resources. Art Matters is produced by Art UK, a nonprofit organization focused on showcasing the UK's public art collections to the world. Those interested may download episodes and subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher, and other platforms. [JDC]

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From the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin comes the digital exhibition Producing Gone with the Wind. This meticulously researched exhibition takes its visitors behind the scenes of the beloved 1939 film to learn how it came to be. Based heavily on archival material from the Ransom Center's David O. Selznick Collection, this exhibition begins by exploring director David O. Selznick's purchase of the film rights from Gone with the Wind's author Margaret Mitchell. The film's arduous casting process receives a thorough treatment here, particularly with regards to Selznick's search for the perfect Scarlett O'Hara. Producing Gone with the Wind also pays close attention to the film's research-intensive costume designs, as well as its hair and makeup. While Scarlett's designs receive the bulk of the scrutiny, other characters' aesthetics are also addressed. An in-depth presentation, this exhibition is sure to please classic film buffs and Gone with the Wind fans alike. [JDC]

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Music scholars and readers with an affinity for historic musical instruments may be especially interested in Musical Instrument Museums Online (MIMO): "the world's largest freely accessible database for information on musical instruments held in public collections." This resource began in 2009 as a consortium between a number of European musical instrument museums and is now working on expanding its scope to include digitized instruments in publicly held collections around the world. At the time of this writing, visitors to MIMO will find records of more than 100,000 instruments in its database with search information available in multiple languages in addition to English. Readers may search MIMO by keyword or browse the database by instrument family, museum, or instrument-maker. The available information for individual instruments vary, but their records may include such details as multiple photos, audio clips, and written descriptions (which may not always be in English), as well as links to catalog records on other websites if applicable. For museums interested in joining the project, MIMO also provides detailed guidelines and standards on how to photograph and catalog their collections. [JDC]

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While many aspects of communication have increasingly gone digital in recent years, the physical mail system still holds an important place in society, and it encompasses far more than just the Post Office. The virtual exhibition America's Mailing Industry "investigates the 200-year-old partnership between private industry and the United States Postal Service, who together provide efficient and effective communication and commerce channels to consumers and businesses across the United States and the world." Launched in 2016 by the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum, this project explores how the US mailing industry has impacted people's lives throughout its lengthy history. It also tells the stories of more than a dozen different segments of the US mailing industry, which includes envelope manufacturers, magazine and newspaper publishers, logistics and transportation, direct marketers, and more. Incorporating stories from numerous industry representatives, America's Mailing Industry provides an in-depth, informative look at a service which many may take for granted. [JDC]

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Travelers who have been baffled by seemingly illogical flight paths may especially appreciate this highly visual explanation published by the South China Morning Post in October 2018. With the help of illustrative maps, graphics, and an animated interactive globe, "Why the world's flight paths are such a mess" gives readers a concise introduction to the political, legal, and economic structures that help explain the geography of transcontinental flight routes. The article begins with a brief historical background, showing comparisons of flight paths before and after Russia and China relaxed their restrictions in the 1990s, noting that "airspace restrictions have become a political tool used as a bargaining chip to negotiate diplomatic issues." Airspace fees are another factor, and here a flight path from Barcelona to Copenhagen illustrates how European airspace charges "are set according to a combination of distance, a plane's weight, and airspace fees." The article also dives into the complexities that arise when countries or airlines are restricted from or charged for passing through the legal airspace of another country, even if that airspace isn't located near the country controlling it. This fascinating piece was created by Marco Hernandez in collaboration with Darren Long and Danny Lee. [JDC]

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Freeplane is an open-source mind mapping tool that prioritizes ease of use and speed in its design. Its developers state that "Freeplane allows the user to add content as quickly and naturally as they would in a text editor, yet produce structured content that can be manipulated as easily as a diagram." To keep large maps manageable, Freeplane supports folding branches, filtering of displayed information, and approximate search. Maps can also contain date information displayed in calendar format and task lists with reminders as tasks approach their deadlines. Freeplane can be extended with add-ons to add features like GTD workflows or a presentation mode. Users may also automate Freeplane using scripts written in Groovy or Javascript. Freeplane itself is a Java application and therefore runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, or any other system with a working Java runtime. [CRH]

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Restic is a free software designed to provide backups that are easy, fast, verifiable, secure, and efficient. It's important for backups to be easy and fast so that doing them can become part of a user's usual routine. Restic allows users to verify backups, which will help to avoid the horrible situation of backup copies being corrupted. Restic encrypts data with industry-standard AES-256 and authenticates data using Poly1305. With so many storage providers charging per byte, space efficient deduplication of backups is very important. Restic supports backing up to a number of destinations -- external hard drives, local storage servers, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, and several others. The Restic documentation provides a detailed information on all Restic's capabilities. It also includes a step-by-step example with screenshots demonstrating how to configure backup to an Amazon S3 bucket. Restic binaries are available for Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and NetBSD. Source code for Restic can be located on GitHub. [CRH]

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We originally featured Wonderopolis in the 12-11-2015 Scout Report, and it continues to be a fun and educational resource for readers of all ages to explore.

Courtesy of the National Center for Families Learning, this site "walks the line between formal and informal education," creating experiences supporting the idea that "wonder is for everyone." Readers may like to begin by scouting the homepage, where they will find some recent and past wonders from the Wonderopolis community, such as "How Big Is the World's Largest Robot?" and "Why Do Some Animals Have Nicknames?" Selecting one of these wonders calls up a page with erudite answers. For instance, "What Is a Food Desert?" leads to an article that carefully answers the question and a three-minute video explaining what one organization is doing to remedy their local food desert. Families may enjoy using the interactive Wonder Jar to generate a wonder that "is meant to create opportunities for humorous discussion, serious discussion, and general outside of the box -- or outside of the 'jar' -- thinking." Readers may also add a question to the Wonder Bank and use the search function under the Explore wonders tab to filter the 2,000 + wonders that users have already submitted.

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