The Scout Report -- Volume 25, Number 34

Based at the University of Florida, the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP) has conducted more than 8,000 interviews in the decades after the program's launch in 1967, making its collection "one of the largest oral history archives in the South and one of the top collections in the country." Over 3,600 of those interviews are publicly available online as part of the SPOHP Digital Collection, which contains audio recordings and written transcripts as well as other documents. The interviews in this collection include material dated from 1939 to the present and represent a diverse variety of communities throughout Florida and beyond. Under Collections, readers will find (for example) assorted interviews collected in 26 of Florida's counties, topical collections such as Florida Fisherfolk, and more than 700 interviews with members of several Native American tribes. There are also a number of sub-collections, including the Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History, which was added in March 2019 and contains over 1,000 items. Visitors can search the SPOHP Digital Collection (including the full text of documents) by keyword or use Advanced Search to specify fields such as title, date range, or language. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

A report published by the Pew Research Center in August 2019 examined the levels of trust and mistrust in scientific experts among the American public. This report was based on a nationally representative survey of 4,464 American adults that was conducted by the Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel in January 2019. Although the report found that "public confidence in scientists is on the upswing, and six-in-ten Americans say scientists should play an active role in policy debates about scientific issues," it also found that "Americans tend to trust science practitioners, who directly provide treatments and recommendations to the public, more than researchers working in the same areas." When asked what factors could increase their trust, the majority said that "open access to data and independent review [would] inspire more trust in research findings." Those interested in further details can read the full 96-page report online or download it as a PDF at the link above, along with the survey's topline questionnaire results. Summary findings for several scientific sectors, such as medical doctors, nutrition research scientists, and environmental research scientists, are also provided. This report was authored by Pew researchers Cary Funk, Meg Hefferon, Brian Kennedy, and Courtney Johnson. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

From the University of Alberta comes Bugs 101, a free online course that introduces learners to "the diverse (and sometimes alien) world of arthropods to learn how they work, what they do, and how insects and humans interact every day." Launched in August 2019 on Coursera, the course is taught by Dr. Maya Evenden, a professor of biological sciences specializing in entomology at the University of Alberta. Some of the topics covered in the course include how insect bodies work, the vital roles arthropods play in ecosystems, the importance of insect conservation, and how insects influence human culture. The course is self-paced and is designed to take approximately 26 hours total over 14 modules, with a suggested pace of 2-3 hours per week. Those interested can enroll at the above link for free, and there is also the option to purchase a certificate to access graded assignments in addition to the course readings and videos. For anyone curious to learn about insect biology and how insects and arthropods affect human society, this course offers an excellent starting point. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

Readers with a scholarly interest in fields such as psychology, political science, or economics may want to explore the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS), which "works to strengthen the integrity of social science research and evidence used for policy-making [...] in ways that promote research transparency, reproducibility, and openness." The BITSS website offers a wealth of resources for current and aspiring social scientists. For example, under the Education tab, readers will find a manual of best practices for social science research transparency, as well as a free 5-week MOOC (massive open online course) entitled "Transparent and Open Social Science Research." The Resources tab leads to a trove of helpful content curated for social scientists, such as a list of free and open-licensed software and online tools, materials from the Research Transparency and Reproducibility Training (RT2) sessions that BITSS has conducted, links to data repositories, and more. Readers may also want to check out the BITSS blog, which features articles on the world of transparent research and open science as well as updates on BITSS projects and activities. Founded in 2012 by the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), BITSS is directed by Edward Miguel, a professor of economics at the University of California-Berkeley who is also the faculty director for CEGA. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), one of the largest and potentially most overwhelming museums in the U.S., has created MetKids to help young users navigate the Met. The site, which was constructed with input from kids, is designed to be both an online experience and a guide to the physical museum. An exciting feature of the MetKids site is the Map, which is reminiscent of the "Where's Waldo?" illustrations. When using the Map, kids can click on red and yellow markers to access information about artifacts that are located all over the museum. There is also a Time Machine where users can filter by time period, geography, or "big ideas" to discover relevant collection items. Once a piece has been located using either of these tools and is selected, the site displays a longer page that locates the item in the museum and offers the following interactive choices: Watch, Listen, Discover, Imagine, and Create. For example, the page for Jackson Pollack's Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), lets users know that Pollack created the painting in 1950 and that it is housed in Modern and Contemporary Art area, Gallery, 918. The Watch feature includes a 3-minute video of 11-year-old contributor Charlotte and a Met curator discussing the painting. The Listen feature is a short audio-only caption that describes the painting and its notable features. Discover suggests ways of looking at the painting, while the Imagine and Create features present ideas for kids to make their own "drip and splash" Pollack-style paintings. [DS]

Comment on or rate this resource

From the nonprofit organization Common Sense comes this collection of K-12 lesson plans focused on digital citizenship. Originally released in 2010 and updated as of August 2019, this curriculum is "designed to empower students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world," which are important skills for any internet user of the 21st century. The lessons address six different areas of digital citizenship: media balance and well-being; privacy and security; digital footprint and identity; relationships and communication; cyberbullying, digital drama, and hate speech; and news and media literacy. The lessons are organized by intended grade level, and each level has multiple engaging lessons that approach relevant topics in an age-appropriate way. For example, lessons for second graders discuss topics such as the importance of device-free moments, what kinds of information are safe to share online, and how to handle online meanness. This research-backed curriculum was developed in collaboration with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. All lessons in the curriculum can be accessed by creating a free account, and lessons include resources such as slides, videos, and downloadable worksheets. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

Launched in 2017, Be Internet Awesome is an initiative from Google that "teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence." Upon arriving on the site, visitors can watch a two-minute video that briefly introduces the program before exploring its resources. A good place to start is Interland, an immersive web experience with four animated games that focus on different aspects of online safety. As players make their way through Interland, they answer quizzes and solve puzzles that teach skills such as how to identify online scams, how to avoid sharing with the wrong people, and how to create a strong password. These games are also designed for classroom use, and teachers should check out the free standards-aligned curriculum (which was updated in June 2019) and other resources found under Educators. Parents and caregivers should visit the Families section, where they will find guides and resources to help build healthy digital habits at home. All of the Be Internet Awesome resources can be accessed by anyone for free with no login or registration required, and many of them are available in Spanish as well as English. While Be Internet Awesome is targeted for kids ages 7-12, virtually anyone can enjoy and learn from this resource. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

As the podcast IRL points out, "Our online life is real life. We walk, talk, work, LOL and even love on the Internet but we don't always treat it like real life." Since occurrences and interactions online can frequently have real-world effects, this disconnect is worth pondering, and this is exactly the issue that IRL addresses. Currently in its fifth season, IRL was created by Firefox, and it is hosted by Manoush Zomorodi, who took over for Veronica Belmont at the beginning of season four. Recent episode topics include the various ways the internet influences democracy in the US and abroad, the internet's environmental footprint, and the confusing relationship between privacy policies and our personal data. Episodes are typically about half an hour in length, and the lively, thought-provoking discussions move along quickly. Readers can stream and download all episodes of IRL, as well as access show notes, at the link above. Those interested can also subscribe via RadioPublic, Spotify, or other podcast platforms. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

The Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) has crafted this collection of Civic Online Reasoning assessments intended to help students and the generally curious learn to critically evaluate and "judge the credibility of digital information about social and political issues." These resources address many types of digital spaces where people are likely to encounter assertions that warrant careful thought rather than immediate acceptance, including videos shared on social media, discussions in a website's comments section, and articles on Wikipedia. Civic Online Reasoning's assessments are organized into three different competencies: Who is the source of the information; what is the evidence; and what do other sources say? Some assessments are available as Google Docs, while others can be downloaded as PDF files. A preview of each assessment is available to all site visitors; those interested in accessing or downloading the assessments and their corresponding rubrics will need to create a free account. SHEG is creating a set of lesson plans to accompany these assessments that is due for release in the fall of 2019, so this resource is one worth bookmarking for the future. [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

Educators and families alike may be interested in Digital Citizenship Utah, a project that was "created to support school community councils, educators, administrators, and parents in their digital citizenship education efforts, and to expand the conversation around what it means for youth and adults to be good digital citizens." Here, readers will find a curated Resources Library with more than 200 digital citizenship resources organized into 10 categories, such as Digital Footprint, Ethics, and Harmful Content. Each category contains links to numerous types of free resources relevant to that topic. For example, choosing the Etiquette category yields links to three curricula, five videos, four interactive games, and more. Visitors may also want to check out the Positive DigCit section to see "over 30 stories of kids practicing positive digital citizenship." Digital Citizenship Utah was created by Epik Deliberate Digital, a nonprofit organization based in Salt Lake City whose aim is "to help create a positive digital culture." [JDC]

Comment on or rate this resource

We originally featured this collection from MediaSmarts in the 8-18-2015 Scout Report, and since then they have added a Digital Literacy 101 classroom guide along with other helpful resources.

MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit that focuses its efforts on digital and media literacy, hoping to help "children and youth have the critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens." The Teacher Resources section is packed with lesson plans, activities, and other resources for teachers who would like to help their students understand digital technology in healthy and balanced ways. Educators may like to begin with the Find Lessons & Resources section, where they can search the database according to grade, resource type, topic, and media type. For instance, a reader might search for a lesson plan designed to address video games that is suitable for an audience of eighth-graders. In this case, the search returns three different lesson plans, including a lesson on violence and video games. The Recommended Resources section is also useful, especially the workshop "Respecting Yourself and Others Online."

Comment on or rate this resource