The Scout Report -- Volume 26, Number 41

The Prindle Institute for Ethics, housed within DePauw University, exists to "inspire everyone to discuss the critical issues of our time in a deliberate way." "Everyone" includes children; after all, "discussing philosophy with children is a great way to improve their verbal skills," and their active listening. However, engaging young people in philosophical discussions requires a unique approach. With that in mind, the Teaching Children Philosophy portal was launched. This platform uses picture books and prompts to spark conversations about ethics. The site has several "book modules," some in English and some in Spanish, which include book summaries, multimedia tools, and discussion guidelines and questions. Wondering how to combine these individual lessons into cohesive units? Readers will find a couple of "sample syllabi" on the Resources tab (in the Educators and Parents section). The Resources section also has a submission tool for those interested in creating and sharing their own book module. Many of the modules on this site were created in partnership with Professor Thomas Wartenberg and his students at Mount Holyoke College. His innovative efforts were recognized in a PBS film, linked under the Documentary tab. [EMB]

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The A11y Project is named for the numeronym for "accessibility" (the 11 designates the letters between the "a" and "y"). The name encapsulates the project's mission as "a community-driven effort to make digital accessibility easier," which is especially important because accessibility is "often overlooked in traditional digital design and development education." Readers looking to make accessible and beautiful digital projects can do just that with help from A11y's resources. The site's contents are divided into three main sections. The Posts section resembles a traditional blog, with tips, guides, and general information. The Checklist section follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to provide guidance for increasing the accessibility of websites. The Resources section has copious content, and the left-side panel will be very beneficial to users looking to narrow down the materials. For example, users can find books and podcasts in the Media section, or browse design apps and advice in the Tools section. The A11y project was launched in 2013 and redesigned in 2020. More information on the creators and contributors is available on the Team page (linked at the bottom of the site). [EMB]

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Readers may remember the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum (located in Kansas City) from the 07-17-2005 Scout Report. While the museum is currently welcoming limited numbers of visitors into its spaces, its revived Nelson-Atkins At Home section welcomes users to virtually visit. Currently on view is Gordon Parks x Muhammad Ali: The Image of a Champion, 1966/1970, an exhibition based on several meetings between Parks and Ali in 1966 and 1970, that resulted in a photographic portrait of Ali for Life magazine. The virtual exhibition includes a guide with thought-provoking questions for each photograph, as well as slideshows of images and a video with interviews of both the photographer and the champion. Other exhibits in the At Home section include a virtual version of the Nelson-Atkins ShuttleCork fundraiser, normally a two-day in-person event, featuring several short videos and recipes from art history, such as a lemon-raspberry tart related to painter Pieter Claesz. Readers may also enjoy sifting through all of the At Home materials, broadly categorized by purpose (Look, Learn, Listen, and Create) at the top of the page. [DS]

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Earth to all space enthusiasts: Iconic Service to Science is out of this world! The project shares the history and future of the International Space Station (ISS). Scrolling down the page, readers will discover an abridged story of the ISS, including its inception, first mission, and changes along the way. Monumental eras are categorized into five sections: At the Dawn of Unity, An Inhabited Island, A Second Chance, Private Investment, and The Future is Science. For example, the Private Investment section comments on the shift from a completely "transgovernmental project" to the incorporation of "private astronautics projects." What does the future hold for the ISS? In many ways, it is uncertain. As the site notes, "there is a possibility of prolonging the ISS program until 2028 or placing the station into private hands." One thing is for sure, as highlighted by the concluding chapter: "the future is science." Timur Fekhretdinov authored this project with assistance from an editing, design, and translation team. The team relied on data from Nasa.gov, among other sources. [EMB]

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Produced by Cincinnati Public Radio, Classics for Kids is bringing the "joy of music" to your living room or classroom. The program produces podcast episodes and lesson plans that are free to caregivers and teachers and has a dedicated page for each audience to highlight resources of interest. Music educators worried about transitioning the choir room to Zoom should check out the "Teaching Can Thrive Online" post (featured on the Home page). Here, instructors will find tips on remote learning from Cincinnati Boychoir Artistic Director Jason Alexander Holmes. Additionally, under the Composers tab users will find brief biographies of various music moguls. More information on these figures can be found via the Classics for Kids podcast. These six-minute episodes, released weekly, introduce listeners to composers and their work. Readers can find the podcast linked at the bottom of the website and can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher. For more fun content, check out the Games and Music sections, which feature a variety of musically inclined materials. Classics for Kids is supported by the Charles H. Dater Foundation and NAXOS. [EMB]

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The Journal of Public Health Research's open-access platform disseminates public health scholarship on traditional fields (for example, "hygiene, epidemiology, and occupational health,") and emerging aspects of health care (such as "eHealth and mHealth philosophy, health technology assessment, and genetics research implications,"). The journal focuses on "improv[ing] efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency of public health interventions to improve health outcomes of populations." With this mission in mind, content spans a breadth of disciplines and locations. For example, Volume 9, Number 3 (released Summer 2020) includes articles on the role of dental photography (based on a study in Saudi Arabia) and the impact of vegetable intake on weight control (based on a research study in Indonesia). Readers also have access to past issues under the Archives tab, which catalogs all issues from 2012 to present. PAGEPress, an open-access publisher based in Pavia, Italy, publishes the journal, and Nadia Moscato leads its production as senior editor. [EMB]

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Medical jargon often creates barriers to making informed healthcare decisions. In fact, "according to the European Health Literacy Survey, 47.6 percent of the adult population in 8 countries of WHO European Region have poor or inadequate levels of health literacy." This health literacy resource hub from the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Regional Office for Europe provides several tools to "empow[er] people to make positive choices." The box on the left side of the screen allows readers to navigate the many provided materials, including: News, Events, Health literacy in Action, Resources, and Multimedia. The Resources page is incredibly insightful, as it gathers presentations, publications, data, and toolkits to address health literacy disparities. For additional reading and resources, check out the Partners page. Here, visitors will find links to several of WHO's regional and global partners, each with their own unique projects and materials. Health literacy is one of dozens of health topics included on WHO's website. Readers may also want to explore other sections like Health Services Delivery and Health Systems Governance (both found under the website's Health Topics tab). [EMB]

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During COVID-19, access to accurate healthcare information is more critical than ever. The COVID-19 Health Literacy Project is an excellent resource for those seeking information on how to curb the spread of and seek treatment for COVID-19. What makes this project special is its focus on disseminating information in multiple languages "to help patients from vulnerable communities know when and how to seek care." Currently, materials are available in more than 30 languages. New materials are added daily, so be sure to check back frequently. All of these materials "are reviewed and vetted by physicians and medical school faculty members at the Harvard hospitals," with assistance from Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School student Pooja Chandrashekar launched this project, and it has grown "into a national coalition of over 150 medical students representing over 35 institutions and 34 languages." The project also partners with several state and national organizations, including Feeding America and regional healthcare centers. [EMB]

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"Raise your hand if you have ever been confused by a medical term or something your doctor said." This question was posed by Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick ("a CDC-trained medical epidemiologist and board-certified infectious diseases physician with both domestic and global experience in public health,") in her 2015 TEDx talk on health information. In her talk, Fitzpatrick recounts a lighthearted conversation between her and her father, which exemplifies how often people get confused about medical terms. She notes that "low health literacy" is a universal problem; so, readers who raised a hand at the opening question are far from alone. In response to a lack of information, Fitzpatrick began having conversations with strangers, spreading health awareness through a program she called Dr. Lisa on the Street. The remainder of her talk largely focuses on this program and what it taught her. Though the talk is brief (just over 12 minutes in length), it offers a powerful message: "Speak up and get the information you need to be healthy." [EMB]

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Health literacy is broadly defined as "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions." But just how is this degree measured? The Health Literacy Tool Shed provides information on various "health literacy measurement tools," and helps users find appropriate resources to meet their needs. Before diving into the database, readers may want to look over the Glossary page, which explains the terminology used throughout the site. Then, visitors can browse the more than 100 measures on the Find Measures page. Users may also opt to apply filters, including: "health literacy domain measured" and "approximate administration time in validation study." Clicking on a measure reveals a pop-up screen that summarizes its characteristics and psychometric properties, as well as a link to view in-depth information about the measure. While most measures are free, readers should note that the site does not "exclude tools on the basis of accessibility, so some tools may require payment or author permission." The Suggest a Measure tab at the top of the page also welcomes readers' suggestions for new materials to add to the site. Michael Paasche-Orlow (MD, MA, MPH) leads the project, in partnership with Boston University, RTI International, and CommunicateHealth, Inc. The project is financially supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine. [EMB]

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Last featured in the 04-11-2014 Scout Report, CDC TV continues to provide easy-to-digest coverage on various health topics, including content regarding COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention TV site (CDC TV) offers up a range of videos created to provide expert commentary and news updates on "a variety of health, safety, and preparedness topics." The video on the home page may be particularly insightful, as it demonstrates how to properly wear a mask to "slow the spread of COVID-19." The site also has several topical collections, including Environmental Health, Healthy Living, and Traveler's Health. Videos range in length, but most are around three minutes long and a number are available in Spanish. Additionally, most videos are available for download with closed-captioning. Readers can watch videos embedded in the website linked above, or on the CDC's YouTube channel (found by clicking the CDC Streaming Health tab). [KMG] [EMB]

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