The Scout Report -- Volume 21, Number 49

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies was founded in 1997 in order to promote "a greater understanding and appreciation of Arkansas history, literature, art, and culture." On the site, general readers may like to explore resources like Collections of Arkansas in the U.S. Congress, Genealogy & Research Tools, and Manuscripts, Photos & Maps. Educators, however, may like to move directly to the Education Resources For Teachers section, where they will find lesson plans for elementary school and high school, as well as curriculum frameworks in fine arts, science, social studies, and other subjects. While the Butler Center blog is currently under construction, links to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture (from the blog page) are still in excellent working order. [CNH]

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This Hamlet curriculum guide, assembled by the Folger Shakespeare Library, provides a substantial array of teacher resources. Here educators will find a synopsis of the play, an overview of the characters in graphic form, tips for teaching Shakespeare, a series of helpful frequently asked questions about teaching the Bard, two full Lesson Plans with handouts, and a page of short quotes from the play. The lesson plans, especially, provide a creative take on the classic text. One investigates Hamlet's central dilemmas (the death of his father, the remarriage of his mother, and his inability to act). The second uses music to explore Shakespeare's characters. [CNH]

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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has assembled an impressive array of educational resources for teachers working with elementary, middle, and high school students. On the site, readers may download PDF lessons on Biomass for fourth through sixth graders, ethanol for sixth through eighth graders, and wind energy for ninth through twelfth graders. Each lesson plan
provides clear guidance for implementation. For example, the plan for Experiments with Biomass, designed for grades four through six, can be done in small groups or with the whole class, can last between two and 15 class periods, and proceeds through 12 activities to teach about the environment, byproducts of biomass, and the types of energy contained in biomass. Engaging drawings and clear layouts make the plans accessible and digestible. [CNH]

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Educators might like to bookmark this list of 50 education technology tools from the Global Digital Citizen Foundation. Here they will find tools for leveraging social media, tools for spicing up lessons, tools for lesson planning and student projects, and tools that help teachers "stay connected, organized, and increase the ease of building multimedia lessons and learning tools." Each resource is accompanied by a short blurb that suggests possible uses. Some, like Twitter, Skype, and Pinterest, are widespread tools that can be adapted to classroom settings. Others, like Grockit, Schoology, and OpenStudy are designed specifically for the needs of today's dynamic educational environments. [CNH]

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Between February of 2013 and February of 2014, C-SPAN teamed up with the White House Historical Association to produce a series of videos on America's 45 First Ladies, including explorations of their private lives and public contributions. Amazingly, all 45 one-and-a-half hour episodes are freely watchable on the C-SPAN website. Drawing from experts on American history and policy, the series examines the unique lives and thoughts of the first ladies, beginning with Martha Washington and culminating with Michelle Obama. For readers short on time, segments of the episodes are also available on the side bar, including short clips related to First Lady Michelle Obama and topics such as Dealing with the Press, Proud of my Country, Father, and Campaign Speech. For educators looking for resources to bring to life the first ladies, or for anyone interested in these fascinating women, this C-SPAN series will pay dividends. [CNH]

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This site from the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing offers hundreds of evidence-based resources for nurses and other caretakers of the elderly. Readers may like to begin by selecting View Resources, which directs to a list of more than two dozen types of resources, including Apps, Journals, Listservs, Marketing Materials, and many others. The site can also be searched using the drop down menu of evidence-based geriatric topics, such as Advanced Directives, Sleep, and Substance Abuse, among others. The content of the topics, however, is the most essential aspect of the site. Selecting Critical Care from topics list, for instance, navigates to an impressively informative article by Michelle C. Balas, PhD and colleagues, in which the authors explain parameters of assessment, nursing care strategies, and other details of critical care. These geriatric nursing resources are as reliable as they are readable. [CNH]

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English teachers and lovers of English prose, drama, and poetry will find much to appreciate with this English Literature resource. Hosted by BBC Bitesize, the site boasts invaluable resources for understanding the various elements of many classic works of literature, all in accordance with the GCSE, a qualifying exam for secondary education students in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Selecting any of the topics (19th-century prose, Modern prose and drama, Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing and analyzing literature) opens to a list of titles (A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein, Great Expectations, etc.), each flanked by resources that include a Plot summary, Characters, Themes, Form, structure, and language, and a Sample exam question. Recently updated, Bitesize English Literature now includes Class Clips: three- to five- minute video productions that address key elements of the work, which can help students learn basic elements of literature in an entertaining context. While some of these resources are tailored particularly toward the British educational system, English literature teachers in any country will find a wealth of background information and materials for class presentations here. [CNH]

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Knitters of the web rejoice - TECHknitting can elevate your skills and answer your questions. With archives dating back to 2006 and hundreds of entries on everything from stitches to patterns, both simple and abstruse, the TECHknitting blog offers tips, tricks, and advice on nearly every conceivable aspect of the knitting adventure. Looking for directions for the perfect ski hat? You can find them in a multipart series from March 2007. Looking for a YouTube tutorial for a unique buttonhole? Have a look at the June 1, 2010 blog post. Other recent posts have covered such topics as Picking up stitches along a selvedge, slip stitch surface decoration, and many others. [CNH]

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In 1845, two ships set out from England to explore the Canadian Arctic, locate a northern route to China, and gather geomagnetic data. Both ships and all 129 men aboard disappeared. Despite multiple rescue missions over the next dozen years, no one was ever located or saved. This site, from the University of Victoria, traces the unsolved mystery that befell the crews of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. After perusing the gloss on the homepage, readers will want to search the various historical documents that present the fragmented story of this long ago tragedy. For instance, Franklin's Last Voyage uses a mix of historical documents and contemporary narrative to piece together the chain of events that led to the disappearance. Searching and Researching, meanwhile, unravels the mystery further through the first hand accounts of the various expeditions that went looking for the original crew. The Ripples and Ice Jams and Interpretations sections also provide rich narratives.[CNH]

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Founded in 1998, Ars Technica is an online tech magazine published by tech geeks, for tech geeks. It has a special emphasis on what will be interesting to IT professionals, industry insiders, and anyone with a yearning for "technology news, tech policy analysis, breakdowns of the latest scientific advancements, gadget reviews, software, hardware, and nearly everything else found in between layers of silicon." The homepage is loaded with breaking news and content, including, at the time of this writing, articles on the technological intricacies of modern recycling, France's possible ban of public Wi-Fi, and an inquiry into a tech firm that raised $3.4 million on Kickstarter and then promptly declared bankruptcy. Readers may also like to scout the main menu, which features topics such as Technology Lab, Ministry of Innovation, The Scientific Method, and other entertaining takes on the latest in technology. [CNH]

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Dr. Steven Novella, MD has his hands in many pots. Besides holding a position as an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine, he also co-founded the New England Skeptical Society, produces and hosts a weekly podcast (The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe) and writes nearly daily entries on his NeuroLogica Blog. Recent blog posts have examined the neural correlates of delayed gratification, queried the nature of irrational fears, and presented thoughts on the possibly holographic nature of the universe. Dr. Novella began blogging in 2007, and there are hundreds of entries to scout on the site. Readers may also explore the material by a number of convenient Categories, including Astronomy, Autism, Conspiracy Theories, Evolution, Education, Pseudoscience, and many others. For a skeptical look at a range of topics, the NeuroLogica Blog is a worthwhile resource. [CNH]

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Founded in 1996, ArtDaily boasts the distinction of being "the first art newspaper on the net." Readers may scout the latest in contemporary and classic art in such categories as Artists, Galleries, Museums, and Photographers. The site also offers a helpful Last Week tab, which features the best of the past seven days. At the time of this writing, major events included the sale, for $13 million, of John Constable's painting The Lock, which hadn't made an appearance on the market since 1855, as well a stunning photograph of the Piazzo Duomo in Milan, and a short article on the exhibition of early 20th century painter Gerda Wegener's work in Copenhagen. Whether readers are looking for the latest in art sales, museum exhibits, or gallery presentations around the world, ArtDaily is as comprehensive as it is entertaining. [CNH]

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The Museum of Science has a threefold mission: it seeks to promote citizenship informed by science, inspire appreciation of science, and encourage young people to explore their scientific interests. The Museum Online, which is available to anyone with an Internet connection, is a major step in the direction of accomplishing those goals. Here readers will find digital exhibits, videos about the museum, online museum programs, videos that explicate STEM concepts, and various podcasts. While all of these resources are worthwhile, the Digital Exhibits are certainly worth exploring. Topics include a Firefly Watch, in which readers may participate in a university study that tracks firefly populations, and an exhibit that explains the importance of the world's oceans. [CNH]

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The history of America is, to a large extent, a history of railroads. Railroads connected the coasts, helped fashion the modern economy, and allowed for greater mobility of goods and people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This history of the railroads, though somewhat one-sided (no mention here of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of native people), covers a lot of ground. Fifteen short chapters take readers from the advent of the American railroads in the 1820s, through the golden age of the 1880s and 1890s, all the way up to the 1980s and onward. In addition, chapters highlight six early notable railroads in Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and South Carolina, among other locales. [CNH]

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This archive from the Rockefeller Archive Center "documents the careers and activities of the three generations of the Rockefeller family." Here readers will find descriptions of primary sources related to the founder of the family fortune, John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960), and his grandchildren. Special finds include an organized listing of Nelson Rockefeller's Gubernatorial papers (1959-1974) and vice presidential papers (1974-1977), as well as a listing of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller's letters to her son, Winthrop Rockefeller, while he was serving in World War II. While the primary documents are, themselves, not available on the site, the glosses of the material can be educational in and of itself. [CNH]

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Buncee is a web app that was created for teachers who are looking for ways to integrate various multimedia into a single program. Buncee's "digital canvas" is simple to use. After signing up for a free account, readers may create a simple profile, organize their dashboard, and then create lesson plans and assignments for students. Buncee is 100 percent online; no downloads are necessary to run the program. It interfaces easily with YouTube, SoundCloud, Google Apps for Education, and other multimedia services. The free version of Bunccee allows educators to create pages with up to two slides; include custom text, drawings, and hyperlinks; upload photos; and invite up to ten students. For $9.99 a month, users may create a page with infinite slides and up to 250 participants. For educators looking to flip their classrooms, Buncee might be a welcome support. [CNH]

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This free extension for Google Chrome not only allows users to enact crystal clear screen captures, they may also use the built-in graphics app to edit, annotate, and share captured images. To install, simply select Add to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store. From there, click on the icon from the browser toolbar. It will present options to capture the visible part of the page, capture the selected area, capture the entire page, capture the desktop, or select a local image. After selecting an option, a newly captured image will appear in a working screen, where readers may then annotate the image with text, draw on it, rotate it, zoom in and out, and influence it in various other ways before sharing it over email. [CNH]

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