The Scout Report -- Volume 22, Number 13

This project from the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University offers students and teachers a closer look at constructions of childhood and youth throughout world history. Completed in 2010, the collected materials are sorted into four categories: Website Reviews, Primary Sources, Case Studies, and Teaching Modules. Each section is then organized by region, ranging from Africa to Latin America to the Pacific Basin. For instance, within Primary Sources, readers will find data tables on Meiji Era School Attendance, primary source text from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and photographs of sculptures, such as the small terra-cotta statue, Ancient Greek Adolescent Girls at Play. Each resource is accompanied by an informative annotation, source information, and guidelines for how to cite it. While some of the external links have not been maintained, there are numerous resources here to inspire learning. Educators, especially, will find the Teaching Modules section helpful as it provides lesson plans, strategies, and document-based questions on a number of topics, including Ancient China, Age of Consent Laws, and Health in Early Modern England. [CNH]

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With archival material from the earliest Edison films to footage of present day debates, discussions, and events, the Library of Congress YouTube channel can serve educators of history, literature, music, and other subjects. The channel opens with a featured video, which, at the time of this writing, includes an excellent 33-minute film highlighting the Rosa Parks Collection at the LOC. Readers interested in specific thematic topics, will find that the Playlists here are plentiful. For instance, the Webcasts from the Library of Congress II category features 463 videos including discussions with Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and a new look at romance fiction in the digital age. Other categories include Topics in Science, Law and the Library, Music and the Brain, Hidden Treasures at the Library of Congress, and many others. [CNH]

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TeachUNICEF offers educational materials and resources to teachers and youth service professionals interested in global education, interconnectedness, and children's humanitarian issues. Teaching Materials cover grades PK-12, are interdisciplinary, and include lesson plans, stories, online magazines, and multimedia. For instance the UNICEF ACT (Action for Children Today) magazine explores current global issues, such as Ebola, migration, and hunger, and includes articles as well as downloadable lesson plans. The site makes finding resources easy with a Select a Topic drop down menu on the landing page, covering areas such as Armed Conflict, Child Labor, Child Trafficking, Children with Disabilities, Education, Global Citizenship, and many others. For educators looking to broaden students' minds to global issues, this site will be a true boon. [CNH]

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This PBS site introduces readers to Ken Burns's six-part documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea. Readers may like to begin with the excellent History tab, which includes a colorful interactive timeline, beautiful archival photographs, and articles tracing the history of the national parks from 1851 onward. In addition, the Watch Video tab features over a dozen film clips from the documentary, including stories of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt, an explanation of how Yosemite got its name, and a 6-minute treatment of Mark Twain's relationship to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Finally, the For Educators tab includes about a dozen freely downloadable lesson plans, covering such topics as People Behind the Parks and Personal Stories of the National Parks. [CNH]

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This fascinating study of discrepancies between the general public and scientists on a host of science-related issues can enrich classroom discussions of political science, biology, chemistry, physics, agriculture, astronomy, geology, and other subjects. Originally released by the Pew Research Center in July of 2015, the study opens with a pithy graph detailing the divide between scientists and the public on issues such as evolution, animal testing, overpopulation, and other quandaries. For instance, approximately 100 percent of scientists agree that humans and other living things have evolved over time. However, only 65 percent of the public agrees with this statement. In addition to a general overview, the site links to An Elaboration of AAAS Scientists' Views and a PDF of the complete report. [CNH]

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This slew of intercultural resources from AFS-USA (formerly the American Field Service) offers lesson plans in Cultural Studies, Global Awareness, Human Rights, STEM Education, Social Activism, and Intercultural Learning. Each lesson plan is well-defined and easily implemented, with an overview, objectives, time for the lesson, materials, and a description of the activity. For example, under Cultural Studies, the lesson on Generalizations and Stereotypes takes approximately 45 minutes. Upon completion, students should be able to define the notion of culture, recognize stereotypes, and distinguish aspects of different cultures, among other objectives. Other lesson plans include Exploring Islamic Traditions, Microfinance, and a lesson on the "iceberg" analogy of how hidden dimensions of culture manifest. [CNH]

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While this website is sponsored by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the Resources for Career Counselors listed here can be helpful to counselors working with high school and college students around the country. The material is organized into two sections, Minnesota Resources and National Resources. Even the Minnesota Resources, however, can be used nationally. For instance, the Employers Speak Tool may reflect what Minnesota employers are looking for in today's workers, but most of the content will be as useful to a fledgling employee in San Diego as in St. Paul. Meanwhile, the National Resources sites are as diverse as they are useful. For instance, links will take readers to Education World, where they will find education information online and a handy search engine; to Student Paths, a publication for high school students who are planning their future; and The Real Game, where they will find six games that are designed to be integrated into the classroom. [CNH]

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This downloadable PDF guide to Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Othello, written by Debra James of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, can provide secondary school teachers with a rich background and erudite insights into the text. After introducing the play and providing a synopsis, the guide suggests exercises for helping students understand Othello's cultural context, as well as how to decode Shakespeare's language. It then focuses in on character, theme, conflict, and such literary devices as symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony. Readers will also find suggested ways in which the classic work can be utilized in both language arts and social studies classrooms, followed by an excellent list of suggested reading for educators who would like to explore more fully the subtle art of teaching Shakespeare. [CNH]

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For readers who wonder about their carbon footprint, but don't know quite how to calculate the long and short of it, this Carbon Footprint Calculator from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will arrive as a welcome resource. The site takes users through several steps. First, readers enter the number of people in their household, as well as their zip code. Next, they enter their average monthly bills for natural gas, electricity, fuel oil, and propane. From there, they enter the number of vehicles their household owns, and how many miles household members drive per year. Finally, readers enter how much their household recycles. At the end, the program tells users what their approximate carbon footprint is. Along the way, readers will be introduced to suggestions about how to reduce their carbon footprint. [CNH]

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This compelling drama raises the graphic novel to the level of high art with vivid graphics and terse prose. Based on the story by Nam Le, adapted to the new medium by Matt Huynh, and produced by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), The Boat traces a group of Vietnamese refugees as they sail across the Pacific Ocean in a rickety boat, pummeled by storms, haunted by memories of war, and searching for a better life. Each chapter is accompanied by beautiful drawings, fully developed characters, and the perils and intimacies of families, friends, and strangers thrown together in desperation. Will they reach land? Will the children survive? Read this phenomenal graphic novel to find out. (One caveat: the experience requires a great deal of data. Mobile readers with slow connections may want to abstain.) [CNH]

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This fabulous collection of menus from the myriad restaurants of Los Angeles, as well as cruise ships, airlines, banquets, hotels, and eating establishments across the world, takes readers on a trip across time, cultures, neighborhoods, and cuisines. Interested parties might like to begin with the Highlights section, where they will find such gems as a watercolor menu cover from Air France, a classic menu cover from the Biltmore Coffee shop in Los Angeles, and a stylish image from La Brea Bakery. From there, readers may like to scout using the excellent search function, which peruses the archive by keyword, restaurant, cuisine, date, and image. For instance, typing Thai (under Cuisine) and 1999 (under date) turns up four excellent menus, along with the restaurants' addresses, phone numbers, and other information. [CNH]

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With a continually expanding archive of over 250,000 resources, the Arctic Health website seeks to be a source for information on diverse aspects of the Arctic environment and the health of its peoples. Readers may like to explore the categories of Publications and Research, Climate Change, Food, Air, and Water, Traditional Healing, Multimedia, and Governments and Organizations, each of which provides a wealth of information about the health and well-being of our planet's northern most inhabitants. The Health and Healing section (which can be located under the Multimedia tab), may be especially interesting, with its Cancer Education Videos, which include short educational clips on Self Breast Examination, Early Detection, and Chemotherapy. [CNH]

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Founded in 1995, Science Daily has been delivering breaking sciences news from over 20 years and draws more than 6 million monthly visitors, among them students, educators, and amateur aficionados from around the world. The special section, Evolution News, narrows the focus of the periodical's wide coverage to topics related to evolution, such as genetics, sexual selection, and biological diversity. Recent articles have examined a study about how dogs read human emotions, the common ancestor that predated both humans and neanderthals, and the random mutation that likely spurred the development of multicellular organisms, and many more. Readers will also find engaging videos, such as the profile of a lab that is studying how crickets jump in order to develop a better robot. [CNH]

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How-To Geek, an online tech magazine with a highly readable style, seeks to strike a balance between highly informed tech pros and articles for the average reader who just needs to know how to count their steps with an Android app. Founded in 2006, the scrappy startup has withstood the test of time and stiff competition from other tech news sites. Articles are divided into the categories of Windows, Linux, Office, Gadgets, Mobile, Hardware, Apple, and, perhaps most unusually, Geek School. While all the sections are worth scouting, Geek School is truly unique among online tech magazines. Here readers may delve into esoteric tech subjects using the site's bona fide lessons. For instance, gamers who would like to master Minecraft may engage 15 incredibly detailed lessons on the legendary pastime. Other topics include how to secure a Windows network, Getting the Most from Your Android Device, and Using Sysinternals like a pro, among others. [CNH]

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Sometimes one of the best uses of new technology is to allow us to enjoy old technology, and the e-codices Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland is designed to do just that. The mission of e-codices "is to provide free online access to medieval and early modern manuscripts from public and church-owned collections as well as from numerous private collections" in Switzerland. The digital reproductions are linked with corresponding scholarly descriptions, so that visitors to the website can enjoy images of 1,500 manuscripts, while simultaneously reading scholarly commentary. In addition, e-codices has made a commitment to using open source software and open standards. The Mirador viewer is provided for side by side comparison of pages, and an e-codices app is available for iPhone and iPad. In the spirit of open source, a wealth of technical and structural information for other digital library implementers can be found in the About section of the site. There's a person index and an index of annotations, and broad searches can be refined by a large number of facets, such as library/Collection, Country of origin, and whether the manuscript is illuminated or not. [DS]

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PrintWhatYouLike lets readers do something that is as simple as it is useful. From the homepage, type in a URL. From there, the site will take you to your chosen page and a toolbar will appear on the lefthand side. Select what you want to print from the page, using functions on the toolbar, such as whether to show or hide the background, whether to show or hide images, and wither to show or hide margins. Readers may also choose Auto Format, which cuts all images and backgrounds and produces the simplest possible text for printing. After you have established what you want and don't want to print, select Print. PrintWhatYouLike is free, no sign up necessary. [CNH]

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Signing up for Penzu, the Free Online Journal and Diary, is as easy as entering an email address and password. From there, the program will take you to your journal, which can be immediately retitled and recolored (adding a photo requires paying for the pro version). After that, Penzu lets you set up reminders. Would you like to write in your journal every day in the morning, once a week in the evening, or would you like to skip the reminders? All of these options are possible. The template is attractive and easy to use. A downloadable app allows readers to journal from various devices. And all entries can be easily searched for later perusal. For readers who love to journal - or would love to if they only had the right support - this web app can be a great enabler for getting thoughts on "paper." [CNH]

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