The Scout Report -- Volume 25, Number 46

From Salish Kootenai College in Montana comes the Living Landscapes Climate Science Project, a place- and culture-based educational curriculum that integrates "traditional knowledge (native science) and current climate science research." This unique resource offers a comprehensive set of climate science teaching and learning materials. The most prominent components are two college-level online courses, one of which is an introductory course organized into nine units or "Essential Principles" that use both Western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge to teach climate science literacy, while the second course is more advanced and focuses on remote sensing. Other resources include a series of 10 short videos highlighting the impacts of climate change on a tribal community and a learning unit for high school students, along with labs, tools, and ample supporting materials for educators. First-time visitors should begin by viewing the three brief video tutorials for a tour of the project's numerous materials. While this robust collection of resources may be of particular interest to Native communities, non-tribal students and educators would also benefit from them. Developed in partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, the Living Landscapes Project was funded through an award from NASA's MAIANSE initiative for Tribal Colleges and Universities. [JDC]

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For many films, video games, and television shows, the musical score is an integral part of the audience experience that can significantly influence how viewers perceive a scene or character. Readers who are curious to learn more about this should check out The Soundtrack Show, a delightful podcast from How Stuff Works and iHeartRadio. This weekly podcast includes examinations of iconic musical themes heard on films such as Star Wars, Rocky, and Lord of the Rings, feature-length musical commentaries for films like Casablanca and Jurassic Park, and interviews with soundtrack producers, composers, and other industry figures. Launched in February 2018, The Soundtrack Show is hosted by David W. Collins, a voice actor and composer with an extensive background in various aspects of audio production for both video games and film. While both novices and music geeks can easily enjoy The Soundtrack Show, listeners who would like to learn some basic musical terms and concepts should be sure to listen to the podcast's first several episodes. Those interested can stream this podcast online at the link above, and it is also available through numerous podcast platforms. [JDC]

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Elementary school science teachers may want to check out Inquiry in Action, a free resource provided by the American Chemical Society. Here, readers will find a collection of fully developed lesson plans on chemistry-related topics that are "based on phenomena students observe and explore through hands-on investigations." As of this write-up, the collection includes lesson plans for kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade classes, with materials organized into thematic chapters. For example, kindergarteners have six lessons on weather-related phenomena, while the chapters for second grade introduce students to the concept of properties of matter, such as dissolving or floating and sinking. The lessons present the concepts "in a 5-E format (Engage, Explore, Explain, Evaluate, and Extend)." Each lesson plan includes background sheets for teachers, and many lessons for higher grade levels also include student activity sheets and student readings. All of the Inquiry in Action lessons are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, and their materials can be downloaded for free as PDFs at the link above. [JDC]

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Fans of suspense, thriller, mystery, and noir literature may enjoy Crime Reads, a subsidiary of Literary Hub (featured in the 3-09-2017 Scout Report). Crime Reads is a meticulous overview of everything under the "crime literature" umbrella, from recent novels to classics, where crime junkies will be sure to find something new and enjoyable. The site offers essays on topics such as "The Art of Blending Crime and Humor," interviews with authors, reading lists, and more. Visitors less familiar with crime literature may wish to begin by browsing the Daily Thrill, which offers a new excerpt every day from various novels and provides an easy introduction to this expansive genre. Those in search of a particular subset can browse site content by genre (e.g. mystery or legal/procedural). Crime Reads also features sections on relevant TV & Film, Podcasts, and Culture, as well as information on the craft of writing. Readers looking for a True Crime thrill can also satisfy their craving here. The sheer amount of content is enough to keep any aficionado occupied for hours. [AL]

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The Guardian in collaboration with BirdLife Australia is currently running their second Australian Bird of the Year poll where readers can vote for their favorite feathered fauna among the 50 nominated species. To help voters make their decision, The Guardian has also published numerous articles (accompanied by stunning photographs), videos, and other content shedding light on the country's diverse avians. Although this series focuses on species in the land down under, bird lovers around the world are likely to enjoy it. At the link above readers will find a roundup of all the content related to the current year's ongoing poll that has been published thus far. These include profiles of many different species, such as the cassowary and the budgerigar, stories about individual birds such as a sulphur-crested cockatoo named Pirate, and articles about the conservation challenges faced by some species like the regent honeyeater and the eastern curlew, both of which are critically endangered. As of this write-up, the 2019 Australian Bird of the Year poll recently finished its first round of voting, but those interested can follow along or even join in the voting for the remainder of the event. [JDC]

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Big data is the massive accumulation of digital information collected by governments, corporations, and other institutions. Although "we analyze and utilize less than one-half a percent of the data that exists," big data is a quickly growing field with implications spanning from healthcare and policy decision-making to entertainment. High school educators looking to introduce students to this exciting field should check out this hands-on activity from TeachEngineering, which covers the basics of data collection and analysis. Students work in pairs and begin by finding and importing data into Excel, where they then clean and chart these data. Next, each pair calculates relevant statistics and "summarize[s] their work by suggesting product launch strategies and reporting their findings and conclusions in class presentations." Geared toward students in grades 9-12, this lesson plan includes PDF and Word document versions of a data finding tip sheet, a worksheet to help students work with data in Excel, presentation rubrics, and an Excel example (using ESPN data). At the above link, readers will also find an overview of assignment procedures, big data vocabulary definitions, guidance on assessment, troubleshooting tips, and more. [EL]

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Big data and algorithms are everywhere, but how much do they really affect everyday life, and in what ways? These are the main questions under discussion in All Hail the Algorithm, a five-part video series published by Al Jazeera in July 2019. Presented and produced by multimedia journalist Ali Rae, this series examines and critiques the effects of algorithms and the tech companies who create them. Each episode is between 15 and 20 minutes in length and focuses on a particular aspect of algorithmic influence, with the first episode concentrating on algorithms' trustworthiness. Subsequent episodes explore the power of Big Tech in developing countries, the role that algorithms play in online manipulation, privacy concerns around biometric technology, and how design influences users' compliance with data harvesting and how long they spend online providing data. As part of these explorations, Rae speaks with numerous experts around the world, such as Nanjira Sambuli, a researcher and digital rights advocate based in Kenya, and Samantha Bradshaw, a doctoral candidate at the Oxford Internet Institute in the UK. Those interested can watch the entire All Hail the Algorithm series at the link above. [JDC]

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Readers who are considering pursuing a career related to Big Data and the generally curious, may want to check out the Women in Data Science Podcast. Launched in 2018, this well-produced and approachable podcast is part of Stanford University's Women in Data Science initiative. Episodes feature the host Margot Gerritsen, a Stanford professor of energy resources engineering and the former director of the Institute for Computational Mathematics & Engineering, interviewing "leading women in data science [who] share their work, advice, and lessons learned along the way." While these women all work in data science, their work represents a wide variety of disciplines and perspectives. For example, Marzyeh Ghassemi from the University of Toronto uses machine learning to improve healthcare and reduce algorithmic biases in that field, while Stanford PhD student Sherrie Wang uses data science to research ways to address global food security issues. As of this write-up, there are 16 episodes, each about 30 minutes long. At the link above readers can click the episode's title to view its notes and listen online, and those interested can also subscribe via Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or other podcast platforms. [JDC]

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Big Data & Society is an interdisciplinary open-access journal that publishes scholarly work "in the social sciences, humanities and computing and their intersections with the arts and natural sciences about the implications of Big Data for societies." First published in 2014, this peer-reviewed, digital-only journal includes original research, as well as commentaries, editorials, and multimedia demonstrations. Recent topics include a collection of articles discussing how algorithms influence and are informed by our societal expectations and an article contemplating ethics regarding the Internet of Things. Readers interested in being notified of future articles can sign up to receive email alerts, and an RSS feed is also available. In addition to their academic publications, Big Data & Society also has a blog linked in their Journal Description (accessible via the drop-down Journal Info menu). This blog features essays that general audiences may find more approachable. Big Data & Society is led by a diverse editorial team composed of multiple international scholars, including Evelyn Ruppert of Goldsmiths, University of London, and Matthew Zook of the University of Kentucky. [JDC]

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What opportunities do large data sets provide for solving problems and creating knowledge? How is cybersecurity impacting the ever-increasing number of Internet users? How does cryptography work? This unit, developed by computer science non-profit Code.org, tackles these questions. The curriculum is aligned to AP Curriculum Framework standards and the AP CS Principles assessment. Users can navigate through the unit's nine chapters using the circular numbers at the top of the page, or by selecting the links in the blue rectangles on the upper right. These chapters delve into topics such as Simple Encryptions and Public Key Cryptography, each with a Teaching Guide (containing activities ranging from 20-40 minutes long on average), learning Objectives, associated Links, and Support links. Some sections also contain Vocabulary definitions. All lessons and handouts can be downloaded as PDFs via the menu at the top of the site. Also accessible from the Unit 4 landing page are Other Resources related to big data and privacy, such as activity guides, worksheets, and educational videos. [EL]

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This impressive resource was originally featured in the 3-17-2017 Scout Report. Since then, more classroom activities have been added, including one where students analyze how lynching is used in contemporary discourse using news reports from between November 2016 and January 2018.

Born in 1866 in North Carolina, Monroe Nathan Work established the Department of Records at Tuskegee University in 1908. Here, inspired by the pioneering journalism of Ida B. Wells, he collected and preserved information about the horrors of lynching. This website, created by Auut Studios, provides information about lynchings and the heroic activists who worked to publicize and stop lynching. The centerpiece of this powerful website is its Map of White Supremacy Mob Violence, an interactive map and timeline feature that allows visitors to observe the prevalence of lynching across time and region and learn more about each act of violence. As this map illustrates, lynchings, while especially common in the deep south, occurred in all areas of the United States, targeting black communities, Native American communities, Latinx communities, Chinese communities, and Italian communities, among others. This map is accompanied by a thorough Ask Questions section, which explains how the data was compiled, notes the limitations of the map, and encourages viewers to ask critical questions. These two resources would make a strong addition to any American history classroom.

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