The Scout Report -- Volume 23, Number 25

University College Cork (UCC) and the Irish Examiner have teamed up to create The Irish Revolution, a collection of resources about the series of conflicts between 1916 and 1923 centering on issues of Irish independence. Between 1916 and 1921, these conflicts took place between Irish nationalists who desired independence and Unionists who wished to stay in the United Kingdom. After the 1921 Anglo-Irish treaty, a new conflict emerged between nationalists who supported the treaty and those who opposed it. Many of the resources here focus on Cork, the county that experienced more fatalities than any other Irish county during this time period. For example, on the Cork's War of Independence Fatality Register, visitors can view a map of fatalities and read a profile of each individual who died during the conflict between 1919 and 1921. Visitors can also learn how newspapers across the political spectrum reported on the Irish Revolution with the Introducing Cork's Historic Newspaper project. Educators may wish to browse and download the Atlas Resources for Secondary Schools, a series of classroom resources created by UCC (to access these resources, teachers will need to complete a free registration). [MMB]

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This series of MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are designed to provide instructors with the tools and skills to design and teach online courses. These courses are taught by faculty at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and directed at higher education instructors as well as those interested in providing professional development opportunities or learning tutorials online. The four courses that comprise this series can be taken individually or together. The first of these courses, Instructional Design and Technology: Learning Theories, is open as of this write- up. This course is designed to help instructors consider how to effectively structure an online course based on learning science research. Three additional courses (Instructional Design Models; Instructional Design: Digital Media, New Tools, and Technology; and Instructional Design Data Mining) are scheduled to open between now and January 2018. As with all edX courses, visitors may either pay a course fee to earn a certificate or audit the course for free. [MMB]

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The New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) have teamed up to create the 2017 Horizon Report on Higher Education. This sixty-page report, which will be of interest to higher education administrators, faculty members, and policy makers, highlights key trends, challenges, and developments in the world of higher education. Topics discussed in this year's report include redesigning learning spaces to facilitate different pedagogical goals (in Key Trends); strategies for advancing digital equity (in Challenges); and the potential role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in online learning (in Developments). The full report is available as a PDF, allowing the report to be easily printed for conferences and meetings. That said, the report is perhaps best read online, as each individual sub-report includes links to additional resources related to each topic. [MMB]

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The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) supports teachers "to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for each and every student through vision, leadership, professional development, and research." The Math Forum at NCTM YouTube channel is one of the many ways that this organization strives to meet this mission. Here, mathematics educators can find a number of conference presentations of interest. Most of the presentations are by teachers and are for teachers, administrators, and policy makers. One of the most recent additions to the Playlists section is a series of short talks from the 2017 Ignite Talks at NCTM. Each of these five minute lectures addresses a different aspect of mathematics education. For example, math educator Doug O'Rourk discusses the importance of peer collaboration and support in teacher professional development, while elementary school mathematics curriculum coordinator Brian Bushart talks about how teachers can support students by designing better - and fewer - story problems. Other videos include a series of geometry instruction videos and tutorials about how to use the resources available on NCTM's website. [MMB]

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For almost twenty years, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's DNA Learning Center has provided high quality, engaging online resources for science students. The 3-D Animation Library is no exception. Here, visitors will find a collection of helpful animations that explain a number of DNA and RNA processes. These short videos (each approximately one to four minutes in length) can either be viewed online or downloaded allowing science instructors to easily incorporate them into the classroom. Visitors can browse for videos by categories including Transcription and Translation; Replication; and Disease and Mutation. Each video is accompanied by a full text transcript. These videos help students and other science learners understand a number of concepts and processes that are often hard to visualize. [MMB]

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The ARLISmatters blog aims to be "a current awareness bulletin for anyone working in, or with an interest in, art, architecture and design libraries and archives." This blog is a publication of the Arts Library Society (ARLIS) of the United Kingdom and Ireland, an organization established in 1969 (Arts Library Society North American, or ARLIS/NA, was founded three years later in 1972.) While some of the information and conferences included here are aimed specifically at professionals in the UK and Ireland, other resources will have a broader appeal to anyone in the fields of art librarianship or art history. For example, the In Conversation With series features short interviews with art librarians of all stripes. Meanwhile, Artists' Book News, published every two months, provides short synopses of recently published art books. Visitors will also find assorted news of interested in the Resources section, including reviews of books on publishing and library work; new journals; and new online resources of interest. The ARLISmatters podcast was also recently launched in April 2017. [MMB]

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From the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences comes Kids Environment, Kids Health "a resource for kids, parents, and teachers, to find fun and educational materials related to health, science, and the environment we live in today." These resources can be browsed by topics including Environment and Health, Healthy Living, and The Natural World. Alternatively, visitors can search this collection by type of resource (Games, Activities, Lesson Plans). One strength of this resource is that it engages youth with important and complex contemporary issues that scientists and citizens alike think about (including environmental justice, scientific communication, and epidemiology) in a way that is simultaneously accessible and thorough. This resource includes both online activities as well as hands-on activities that can be adapted and used in homes, classrooms, and out of school learning environments such as libraries and summer camps. [MMB]

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Since 2007, BlackPast.org has been dedicated to providing resources to educators and members of the general public about black history. One noteworthy component of BlackPast.org is this extensive collection of primary documents. This collection, which features documents spanning from 1724 to 2009, provides an invaluable resource for history instructors and students. Among the dozens of documents included here are the deleted portions of the Declaration of Independence, in which Thomas Jefferson condemned slavery; the 1849 Roberts v. Boston ruling (which rejected Benjamin Roberts's challenge to racial segregation in Boston schools); and Zora Neale Hurston's 1955 criticism of Brown v. Board of Education. The majority of these documents are related to court cases so that civics teachers as well as history teachers will find plenty of resources of interest. [MMB]

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"It is estimated that a language is lost globally every two weeks. More than 90% of Marra's indigenous languages are critically endangered. Marra is one of those languages." So began My Grandmother's Lingo, a stunning interactive animation designed to teach visitors the Marra language while introducing the public to the Marra culture and the importance of language endangerment. This website was created by Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) and is narrated by Angelina Joshua, who works at the Ngukurr Language Center and whose late grandmother spoke Marra. Today, Joshua is dedicated to keeping the Marra language alive through teaching. On My Grandmother's Lingo, visitors can learn and practice speaking Marra words, accompanied by the illustrations of Jake Duczynski and the music of Kuran. As Joshua notes, today just three individuals speak Marra; through education, that could change. This powerful project has garnered quite a bit of recognition, including a Walkley Award for multimedia storytelling, an AWWWARDs Site of the Day distinction, and a Webby Award. [MMB]

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What is metadata? When people discuss net neutrality, what do they mean? What do people do during a hackathon? As technology continues to grow so does technology related vocabulary. The Washington Post and Jigsaw (a tech company that works at the intersection of technology and geopolitical concerns) have teamed up to create the Sideways Dictionary. This dictionary explains technology-related vocabulary terms by employing multiple analogies to help make these terms comprehensible to everyone, regardless of previous technology background. For example, a firewall is explained by the following analogy: "It's like a nightclub bouncer who decides who's going in and out. From time to time, the guest list may change, but the bouncer is always the one who enforces it." Users are invited to submit their own analogies and upvote or downvote existing analogies. Each entry also links to definitions of similar words, helping visitors build their tech vocabulary. [MMB]

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As science fiction fans know, OMNI was a sci-fi magazine published between 1978 and 1998. During its two decade run, the magazine published works by Orson Scott Card, William S. Burroughs, and Joyce Carol Oates. Today, OMNI Media and the Museum of Science Fiction have made select articles and images of this historical magazine available online through the Omni Archive. Specifically, this collection highlights the magazine's First Word feature, which outlines features and stories in each issue, accompanied by vivid illustrations (including original photographs, paintings and artwork). These posts, organized chronologically, provide a glimpse into how the magazine evolved over time. Each post is accompanied by a link where visitors can order a copy of the magazine; according to the authors of this website, proceeds will go toward the Museum of Science Fiction. [MMB]

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From UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library comes this online exhibit dedicated to the history of sex education in the United States (both formal and underground) during the twentieth century. The exhibit starts with the turn of the century, featuring brochures from the California Board of Social Hygiene and text images from books with chapter titles such as "Keeping Fit" and "Controlling the Sex Impulse." Visitors may also explore World War II-era materials related to venereal disease, pulp fiction titles, 1970s magazine covers that reference the so-called sexual revolution, and materials related to HIV/AIDS education. Collectively, these items provide a tour through a century of changing attitudes, myths, norms, and beliefs about sexuality. Those interested in learning more will want to check out the extensive bibliography of further reading. [MMB]

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Launched in 2015 and hosted by journalists Alix Spiegel (NPR) and Hanna Rosin (The Atlantic), Invisibilia is a podcast that seeks to "explore the invisible forces that shape human behavior - things like ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions." These hour long episodes will appeal to anyone interested in neuroscience, psychology, technology, and more. Now in its third season, Invisibilia has explored topics such as Mirror Touch Synesthesia ("Entanglement"); debates about the impact of computers on human behavior ("Our Computers, Ourselves"); and whether or not people actually have a stable personality ("The Personality Myth"). The latest season began on June 1, 2017 so listeners can expect to find new episodes throughout summer 2017. [MMB]

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Paul Stepansky is a trained historian who has spent much of his career in the world of publishing. Since 2011, Stepansky has also authored this heterogenous blog about the history of medicine, health, psychology, and other fields. In most entries, Stepansky includes detailed information and full citations for those interested in further reading, along with archival images. In other entries, Stepansky shares his personal perspective on medical and health related contemporary issues. As of this write up, the most recent entries thoughtfully explore the role of nurses during World War I and their experiences both at war and after their return home. Another recent entry reflects on the prevalence of burnout among ER physicians. Visitors can browse past entries by topics including Antebellum Medicine, Empathy, Nursing and Gender, and Psychiatry in Medicine. [MMB]

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Coming in at just under 6,000 items, the materials in this online exhibition put together by the Stanford University Archives exemplify its long title. Selecting Browse quickly makes apparent how the exhibition materials are categorized; that is, there are 220 architectural drawings of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hanna House while there are 3,201 drawings by Birge M. Clark, a Palo Alto architect who worked primarily in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. There are also 396 maps plus a 192-page book of maps. In fact, for those unfamiliar with Stanford's architecture, geography, and place names, browsing may prove more fruitful than conducting a search. Information in the Atlas is presented visually; for example, browsng the Birge M. Clark drawings reveals that 1457 Hamilton Avenue in Palo Alto is the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Adron Beene, according to the legend in the lower right of the drawings. Searching for 1457 Hamilton Avenue retrieves seven drawings related to the house, but further searches on "Beene" or "Adron Beene" do not bring back more materials. [DS]

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With the proliferation of services to store files online (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.) has come a proliferation of client software for interacting with those services. Cyberduck is a file manager that supports the most popular file storage services. It also supports common protocols like FTP, SFTP, and WebDAV. In addition, Cyberduck can make use of an external editor to provide editing of remote files (e.g., to edit a static website). Users of Amazon's Simple Storage Service (S3) will find integrated support for the extended features of S3 like file versioning, bucket lifecycles, access control lists, and multi-part uploads. Cyberduck's integrated support for Cryptomator encryption can encrypt files before uploading them to cloud storage for additional security. Users of multiple services may appreciate Cyberduck's bookmarking feature. Cyberduck is available for macOS and Windows. [CRH]

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Discord is an internet voice conference system originally designed for video game enthusiasts. It strives for low resource usage so that it can run in parallel with other software. Discord uses the Opus audio format, an open standard designed for low latency and efficient for encoding speech. This lower latency can make conversations more natural and help avoid multiple speakers talking over each other. In the Discord application, users can individually adjust the volume of each speaker. Beyond voice conferencing, Discord also supports text-based group chats and direct messages. These messages can include images, videos, and links. Most common image and video formats will play directly in the Discord application. Discord desktop clients are available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Smartphone clients are available for iOS and Android. Users who do not wish to install additional software may also use Discord's browser-based version. [CRH]

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