The Scout Report -- Volume 22, Number 5

Originally started in 1995, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) has provided students, educators, and the general public with a dynamic trove of information for over two decades. Each fascinating entry is verified and maintained by subject editors, providing an authoritative reference work at no cost to its readers. Consider this entry on Ludwig Wittgenstein, deemed by many to be the greatest philosopher of the 20th century. Wittgenstein was born in Vienna in 1889 into a wealthy family of industrialists. After giving away his wealth, the intransigent and itinerant young man joined the Austrian Army, was captured and held as a prisoner of war, and, in the midst of it all, penned his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Here readers may peruse a short account of Wittgenstein's troubled life and then delve into his philosophy, which has been conveniently divided into early and late periods. Readers will also find Academic Tools that may help with questions about how to cite the SEP, Other Internet Resources about Wittgenstein, and Related Entries from the SEP's bountiful archives. Lovers of modern philosophy will find much to enjoy on this reliable and nuanced treatment of one of the greats. [CNH]

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For readers interested in breaking updates on what's new and important in the world of American community colleges, Community College Daily can provide a fresh perspective. A free publication of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the periodical offers a wide scope. For instance, readers may like to begin with the In Focus section, which highlights students and programs that are fulfilling the promise of community college education, whether that be by transferring into four-year programs, earning practical certificates, or transitioning into top jobs in tech and other fields. The News Topics section features articles on topics frequently making headlines, including categories on Campus Issues, Academic Programs, Sustainability, Funding, Government, and Technology. Recent pieces have asked how tech is changing teaching and learning, examined the possible federal expansion of Pell Grants, and provided an overview of recent improvements in state funding for community colleges. [CNH]

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Founded in 1993, The European Union has grown into one of the most significant political and economic forces in the world. For educators who would like to teach about this historically significant partnership of 28 unique but interconnected nations, this web page, hosted by the delegation of the European Union to the United States, offers dozens of excellent lesson plans. Readers may like to begin in either the Grades 9-12 or Grades K-12 sections, depending on their teaching responsibilities, to find lessons on such compelling topics as Geography of Europe, Cultural Diversity, and Structure of EU Government among others. Each lesson is downloadable in PDF format and covers multiple themes, with an introduction, an overview of the "Big Idea," procedures for the lesson, activities, web resources, and quizzes and other assessment tools. Ready-made PowerPoint presentations also accompany each lesson, providing supplemental material to easily enhance the provided curricula. In addition, the EU Teachers' Corner links to dozens of excellent resources, including brochures, presentation slides, links to websites, maps, and booklets. [CNH]

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Wired has been covering technology, tech business, tech lifestyle, and tech products with its special brand of techno-utopianism and hacker wit since its inception in early 1993. It's Science Blogs section, however, is a relative newcomer. Here readers will find the latest in the science of natural disasters, the ins and outs of everyday physics, and explanations of everything from how to race a motorcycle across the United States to what it takes to put rockets into space. Recent articles have presented a vision for a better, realities-driven higher education system, coverage of volcanoes in Chile and Indonesia, a philosophic treatise on the new Star Wars, and some erudite thoughts on how to measure the speed of light. For educators looking for ways to enliven class discussions and inspire students to think again about basic science concepts, these Science Blogs can be an inspiring resource. [CNH]

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These resources, which were designed for middle school students by The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT and published on the PBS Learning Media website, can be useful to educators who are interested in helping students develop positive qualities. Each of the approximately three-minute videos covers one of the topics. Readers may like to start with the overview, which explains the program, including a video of students who have benefited from the curriculum. From there, educators may want to navigate to the lessons on cultivating forgiveness, cultivating gratitude, and cultivating self-acceptance. Support Materials, which consist primarily of Teaching Tips, are available for most videos and call up an explanation of the lesson, including how to prepare students for the video, how to generate discussions, and how to engage students in the activities. Other lessons include such gems as Cultivating Leadership Through Self-Acceptance and Forgiveness and Gratitude and the Environment. [CNH]

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The American Mathematical Society (AMS) was founded in 1888, boasts a membership of more than 30 thousand, and holds the distinction of hosting the largest annual research mathematics meeting in the world. Readers can be assured, then, that this AMS-published blog, which offers ideas on how to teach mathematics to high- and low-performing students, from kindergarten through college, maintains a high standard. Recent posts have included ideas about how inquiry-based learning syllabi might better serve the needs of students, thoughts on how to use social media as a teaching resource, an explanation of the importance of early math education, and a six-part series on active learning in mathematics. Math teachers of all ages and abilities will find much to appreciate on this well-informed and relevant blog. [CNH]

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Librarians, researchers, and students of African studies will find much of interest within the African collections at the Stanford University Libraries. Curated by Karen Fung, the collections feature an impressive array of materials and information about Sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, within the African studies resources section, readers will find topical items sorted both broadly and narrowly, including a list of films and videos that can be watched online or links to Africa-related News feeds from around the web. From the homepage, readers may also link to Maps of Africa, a related collection at the Stanford University Libraries featuring French, English, German, and Greek maps dating back to the mid-1600s. Educators searching for primary sources to enrich their lesson plans will also appreciate the Journal articles and databases featured here. From the African Studies Combined Database Search to AfricaBib.Org, students, educators, and many others will find much to appreciate on this site. [CNH]

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Between 1936 and 1967, a black postal worker from Harlem named Victor Green published an annual directory known as the Green Book. In it, Mr. Green listed businesses that would gladly (and safely) serve African American travelers, including hotels and restaurants, nightclubs and bars, beauty salons and gas stations. Here readers will find an inspiring new project from the New York Public Library (NYPL) that engages public domain collections of the Green Books. Readers may browse covers from the 1947, 1948, 1955, 1956, and 1960 issues, explore the Digital Collection itself, or Map a Trip using aggregated data from a number of the books. This last feature offers the most creative way to navigate the Green Book. After entering a starting point and a destination, the program uses data from the original guides to visualize where black travelers would have been allowed to stop for a drink, buy gas, eat at a restaurant, or sleep. For readers interested in the history of discrimination in the United States, these excellent resources will pay big dividends. [CNH]

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This captivating site from the National Archives (UK) features materials from the archives in the form of a wide range of video and audio resources. Readers may like to begin with the homepage, which includes highlights from the collection. The bulk of the material may be browsed via one of seven categories: Family history, Military history, Social history, Political history, Law and order, Archivists and archives, and International. Engrossing resources abound within each. For instance, Family history media includes a webinar about how to use the 1939 register to understand the demographics of the United Kingdom's population prior to World War II. Likewise, in Law and order, readers will find the fascinating podcast, "Did she kill him? Addiction, arsenic and adultery in Victorian Britain." Here, Kate Colquhoun revisits the case of Florence Chandler, who was accused of murdering her husband in the early 1890's. [CNH]

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Mapping Occupation, a digital history project created by Gregory P. Downs and Scott Nesbit, provides groundbreaking insight into the role of the U.S. Army in the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Part spatial narrative, part exploratory map, there are many ways to experience this resource. Readers may like to explore the site in order, starting with and absorbing the home page before scrolling down to access more detailed information. Along the way, they will learn how and when the U.S. army enforced the Emancipation Proclamation, what that meant for the practical freedom of black men and women, and how the rail system played into these activities. Digital historians, in particular, may find the detailed Methods and Data sections illuminating, while anyone fascinated by the dynamism and messiness of Reconstruction will find much to appreciate on this visually and intellectually stimulating site. [CNH]

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Trove, a service created and maintained by the National Library of Australia, aggregates pictures, journal articles, newspaper articles, music, maps, diaries, and many other resources that illuminate the history and culture of Australia over the past 200 years. Readers may like to begin by selecting from any of the various categories (Books, Maps, Archived websites, etc.). For instance, selecting People and organizations navigates to a page with a pre-filtered search engine, where they may enter their interests, such as "theater," which returns 51 results including Delacorte Theater, GRIPS Theater, and others. Readers may also like to scout A Guide to Trove, where they will find user guides, information about content partners, and a discussion about how to use Trove as a platform for building tools and resources. It is worth noting that Trove's holdings are immense; filtering by photo turns up 8,222,014 results, including an early photograph of the Hawthorn Presbyterian Church, taken in 1868, and a 1976 photograph of Sydney Cove. [CNH]

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The National Park Foundation's Trail Talk Blog offers readers a peek into the breadth and wonders of America's National Park system, with everything from recommended hikes to popular activities to educational opportunities. On the site, various authors post entries at least four times per week. Recent items have included a meditation on the importance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a discussion of some hidden park gems, like the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado and the backcountry in Utah's Canyonlands National Park, and an argument for how the national parks connect us to each other. Blog posts date back to 2008 and, since the majesty of the parks has changed little, readers will find excellent tips and tidbits in many of the thousands of items stored in the Trail Talk Archive. [CNH]

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For readers looking for informative, visually compelling infographics and fact sheets about mental illness in America, these resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) can provide an excellent source. For example, one of the infographics focuses on the mental health of children and teens, explaining that 20 percent of youth ages 13 to 18 live with a mental health condition and that the second leading cause of death of youth between the ages of 10 and 24 is suicide. Other graphics explore the multicultural dynamics of mental health, provide information about living well with mental health challenges, and suggestions about how to be helpful to someone who suffers from a mental illness. The Fact Sheets similarly discuss various Mental Health Conditions, Related Conditions, and Treatment & Services. These two-page PDFs are easily downloadable and present essential and helpful material in an easy-to-share format. [CNH]

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This fact-filled, science-nerdy blog by entomology graduate student and amateur photographer, Morgan Jackson, considers the complexities of biodiversity with a special focus on insects. While some of the blog posts concentrate on vacations, conferences, and other marginalia, most take great care to elucidate the wonders of the Chinese Scorpion, Mesobuthus martensii, or the ethics of selling the naming rights of newly discovered species to the highest bidder on eBay. Still other entries offer career-related musings, such as thoughts about The Royal British Columbia Museum's decision to discontinue its entomology curator position, or discuss the ins and outs of science writing and communication. In addition to the excellent and informative blog posts on Biodiversity in Focus, the well-organized list of Entomology-related websites is worth the price of admission (free). From the list, readers may link to other blogs and resources around the web, from a site dedicated to American Beetles to the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes. [CNH]

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Since 2012, BBC Future, a special section of BBC.com available to non-UK visitors, has presented in depth coverage on the latest trends in science, technology, environment, and health by way of various thematic columns. Neurohacks, a delightful colmun form contributor Tom Stafford, discusses neuroscience and the psychology of everyday life, with an emphasis on the complexity of the theories that underly the experiences most people take for granted. Recent articles have explored the psychology of why we forget names (and what to do about it), the deleterious effects of the Internet (it makes us think we're smarter than we actually are), an explanation for why babies laugh (we don't really know), and why we make such bad choices while gambling (because we don't understand probability). For readers who are looking for entertaining insights from an academic psychologist (Stafford teaches and does research at the University of Sheffield), Neurohacks will not disappoint. [CNH]

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Established in 2002, the Cleveland Memory Project offers "an engaging look at Cleveland History." The multi-faceted project was created by the Michael Schwartz Library at the Cleveland State University, along with a long list of collaborating organizations in Northeast Ohio. The intent of the Project is to serve the needs of both casual browsers and serious researchers by providing access to photographs, video and audio recordings, digitized documents, and e-books. Currently the site is celebrating Black History Month, with a slideshow of local firsts, such as Carl B. Stokes, first elected Black mayor of a major U.S. city. The site also features a Today in History photograph; recent examples include Shaker Heights native Paul Newman, posted on January 26, 2016, the day that would have been the actor's 91st birthday, and an aerial view of the large crowd gathered for a memorial service for Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, posted January 12, 2016. Select "Browse Web Exhibits" for a long list of web exhibitions, or read about how to participate in building Cleveland memory, as a volunteer or as a donor of historical materials. [DS]

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Popplet bills itself as a tool for organizing ideas. The app, designed for both iPads and Web use, has been shaped for school and for work, though there is little significant difference between the two products. Put simply, Popplet allows users to make and connect text boxes (popples). The process is simple. Users double click to make a new popple. They may then type a word or short phrase into the popple, change the popple's color, manage font size, draw inside a popple, add an image to a popple, resize a popple, drag and drop a popple, and move the entire popple board to preferred locations on the screen. Each of these actions is accomplished with intuitive, point-and-click functions. Users must sign up for an account to use the app, but this process can be done within minutes. For educators and office workers looking for ways to present networks of ideas, Popplet can be a useful tool. [CNH]

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Diigo is much, much more than just another bookmark app. Short for "Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff," this browser extension is a great way to collect, annotate, organize, and share web content. Available for Chrome, IE, and Firefox, users will need to create an account to get started. From there, Diigo may be used to bookmark a page (using the Save option), take a screenshot, highlight certain parts of the page that are of interest, add sticky notes, and even share with friends - all from a user friendly interface. With its functions as a bookmark app, an annotation app, and a new kind of social media, many readers will find Diigo to be a favorite new tool for web research. [CNH]

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