The Scout Report -- Volume 25, Number 42

Avid readers and those interested in literary criticism may enjoy this crowdsourced book rating resource from Literary Hub (featured in the 3-09-2017 Scout Report), which collects and weighs book reviews from multiple literary journals, news outlets, and "alternative litblogs." The aim is to create a cumulative rating that helps users select their next favorite book, providing pull quotes from the collected reviews that express "the range of voices and opinions that make up the world of American literary criticism." Each entry also contains a synopsis, lists the categories in which that book belongs (e.g. fiction and literary), and shows readers a colorful overview of the individual book review ratings and their cumulative tone (on a scale of "rave," "positive," "mixed," or "pan"). Those interested in purchasing books will find links to do so via a local bookstore. Visitors may want to begin by browsing New Books and Biggest New Books, or reviewing Features for listicle-style reading suggestions. To look for a particular genre, browse by Fiction and Nonfiction via tabs at the top of the site, or by subjects like poetry, criticism, and investigative journalism, which are accessible from the All Categories section and a list on the right side of the website. Book Marks is also searchable via query bar at the top right. [EL]

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With a focus on promoting the study of disabilities throughout history, The Disability History Association (DHA) helps users learn more about perspectives on disability, related social and civil rights movements, policy and practice history, and a host of other associated topics. As an international concern, DHA membership is open to individual scholars as well as institutions and organizations from all over the globe, meaning the wealth of resources and materials collected and shared on the site come from a rich variety of places and people. Of particular interest to users will be the site's disability history podcasts that cover recent work from within and beyond academia. For example, an August 2019 episode focuses on disability, spirituality and alternative medicine. The episode features Dr. Michael Davis of Hampton University discussing his research on the Wright Brothers and Edgar Cayce. Users can access DHA's Zotero Library from the Resources tab. Updated regularly, the Zotero Library features information about books, article, and dissertation titles on disability history and related projects and is being updated regularly. [REB]

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Published in May 2019, The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth is a consensus study report from the National Academies Press that focuses its attention on the opportunity gap. Organized into two main sections, this lengthy report first "examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development," finding that adolescents have a unique capacity for neurological adaptation and resilience, but also that their neurological advantages can be undermined by structural and socioeconomic disadvantages. The second section of this report offers numerous recommendations for "how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish." These include recommendations for the education system, the health system, the child welfare system, and the juvenile justice system. Those who are interested can read the full 470-page report online or download it as a PDF for free at the above link, where readers can also find the report's press release and a 4-page summary of its highlights. [JDC]

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Readers who enjoy immersive story experiences, as well as fans of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein, may want to check out Frankenstein200, an alternate reality game "designed to inspire deeper engagement with STEM topics and promote the development of 21st century skills related to creative collaboration and critical thinking." Developed as part of Arizona State University's Frankenstein Bicentennial Project, Frankenstein200 offers a compelling interactive digital narrative that sets a modern-day retelling of Frankenstein in the fictional Laboratory for Innovation and Fantastic Explorations (LIFE) and "imagines what might happen if a character named Dr. Tori Frankenstein picked up where her ancestor Victor left off." The experience incorporates videos, puzzles, hands-on activities, and more. While Frankenstein200 was designed primarily with kids from ages 10-14 in mind, older audiences may also find it entertaining and educational. Those interested in experiencing the digital narrative, which takes place in real-time over approximately 30 days, may do so via free email registration, while the hands-on activities (which are also incorporated into the narrative) can be accessed in the Workshops section with no registration required. Parents and guardians of younger participants should also check out the FAQ and the Parent Guide. [JDC]

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The International Barcode of Life (iBOL) brings together scientists and scientific organizations from all over the world with an aim to "illuminate biodiversity - every multicellular species - for the benefit of all life." The iBOL research alliance is an internal collaboration that builds DNA barcode reference libraries, along with associated facilities, platforms, and protocols needed to inventory and assess biodiversity. Their BARCODE 500K program raised approximately $125 million from a variety of private and federal funders and delivered DNA barcodes for 500,000 unique species by 2015. iBOL's current program (begun in June 2019), BIOSCAN, has three primary components that explore how DNA barcodes can "speed species discovery, to probe species interactions, and to track species dynamics." Visitors to the site will find an array of useful and well-organized information, including a link to the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) database, a freely available online workbench that includes a library of the DNA barcodes. Another useful feature of the site is mBRAVE, a research and visualization environment that builds on the BOLD database. [REB]

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Formed by a partnership of three organizations (Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL), UK Safer Internet Centre promotes "safe and responsible use of technology for young people." The organization provides an array of materials on their site including games, quizzes, films, and advice created to help youth of various ages learn from and enjoy using the internet while staying safe. They also showcase resources for parents, caretakers, and educators with a collection of classroom-ready lesson plans, films drama activities, games, quizzes, and more. The UK Safer Internet Centre provides a list of recent research and a very active blog that addresses topics like social media safety, back to school resources, and issues related to children and online friendships - to name just a few. The organization also coordinates Safer Internet Day (next celebrated February 11, 2020) and "aims to inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively." [REB]

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Readers who are concerned about the digital risks facing today's young people should check out CyberWise, which describes itself as "a resource site for BUSY grownups who want to help youth use digital media safely and wisely." Launched in 2011, CyberWise was created as a companion site to Cyber Civics, a digital literacy curriculum designed for middle school classrooms. With the tagline "No grownup left behind!" CyberWise offers myriad resources geared towards educating its visitors about all aspects of safe and smart internet use. For example, the Learning Hubs section contains quick introductions on topics ranging from specific digital media platforms (e.g. TikTok, Fortnite) to more general concepts such as balancing tech use and reputation management. Readers will also find a roundup of recent news on digital media, links to digital citizenship games, and a regularly updated blog with posts such as "Teen Tech Lingo Parents Should Know." CyberWise was co-founded by its director Diana Graber, a digital literacy expert and author of the book Raising Humans in a Digital World, and by Cynthia Lieberman, a content marketing and media communications strategist and a social media marketing instructor for the University of California-Los Angeles Extension. [JDC]

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Parents, caregivers, and families, as well as those who interact with them, may be interested in the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), "an international, non-profit organization which works to make the online world safer for kids and their families." FOSI was founded by its CEO, Stephen Balkam, and is headquartered in Washington, DC, with another office in London, UK. Visitors to FOSI's website will find a plethora of resources. For example, the Good Digital Parenting section offers a variety of "tips, tools and rules to confidently navigate the online world with your kids." These include blog posts on topics like learning how to self-regulate social media use, tools like a Digital Reputation Checklist, and a video series on the 7 Steps to Good Digital Parenting. In addition, some materials provide helpful advice for seniors, such as how to recognize online scams. Under Policy & Research, FOSI publishes numerous research reports and white papers, as well as policy briefs and filings, concerning topics such as "intergenerational technology use" and protecting children's privacy. Readers may also appreciate FOSI's Global Resource & Information Directory (GRID), a "comprehensive source of peer-reviewed online safety information on a global scale," found via the link in the upper right corner. [JDC]

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Developed and maintained by the Youth and Media team at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, the Digital Citizenship+ Resource Platform (DCPR; formerly called the Digital Literacy Resource Platform) works with a variety of stakeholders including young people, educators, researchers, and practitioners to co-design resources and tools focused on the digital world. With a variety of useful resources and tools, this site delivers a collection of "learning experiences, visualizations and other educational resources," which can be used in both formal and informal settings. The site can be explored by young people or used by parents or teachers to create discussions and activities around topics critical to today's youth. From artificial intelligence to computational thinking and identity exploration, there is well-developed curriculum and other resources to explore and integrate into classroom settings. The project is working to make materials available to wider audiences with a subset of the resources available in over 35 languages - and continued translation happening over time. [REB]

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GCF Global offers this collection of free online tutorials relating to various types of internet skills, including basic internet use, online safety, social media, and email, as well as a series of tutorials dedicated to Google apps. These self-paced resources may especially appeal to adult learners who are new to internet use and to educators working with these populations, but even internet users with some experience may find helpful tips here. For example, in the Internet Safety tutorial (located under Online Safety), readers will find explanations of Your Browser's Security Features and Understanding Browser Tracking, among others. Each tutorial uses words and images to explain each internet skill, and several of them also include links to a YouTube playlist for those who prefer video tutorials. At the end of each tutorial, learners can take a short quiz to test their knowledge and understanding. These tutorials were created at the GCF Global headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, as part of GCFLearnFree, a program of the Goodwill Community Foundation and Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina. [JDC]

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We originally featured this series in the 1-05-2018 Scout Report, and this multimedia resource continues to provide a fascinating window into the world of data preservation.

Today, people create more data than ever before. As individuals, we compose emails, texts, and tweets. Companies and organizations create even more digital information, contributing to what some are calling a data glut. This provokes the question: What digital information should we preserve, and how can we preserve it? In this three-part multimedia essay, Lauren J. Young investigates how archivists, librarians, and others are working to preserve digital data. In Part 1, "Ghosts in the Reels," readers learn about the challenges of preserving magnetic tape. While fewer folks use VHS or cassette tapes in their daily lives, magnetic tape is still used to back up data. Part 2, "The Librarians Saving the Internet," chronicles the web archiving efforts of librarians. Part 3, "Data Reawakening," explains the innovation of synthetic DNA data storage. This series is designed by Daniel Peterschmidt and incorporates photographs, video, and audio, along with a few delightfully retro animations.

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