Friday, March 26, 2010

Teach. Genetics: Epigenetics

Teach. Genetics: Epigenetics [pdf, RealPlayer]
The University of Utah continues to add to their very fine offerings at their Genetic Science Learning center website. This recent addition deals with the field of epigenetics, which is the study of the chemical reactions that switch parts of the genome off and on at strategic times and locations. This learning module contains an animated introduction to the epigenome ("The Epigenome At A Glance"), along with worksheets, tests, and discussion questions. Moving on, the "Your Environment, Your Epigenome" area contains a checklist that helps students record some of the epigenome-influencing factors present in their own environments. This is really the tip of the iceberg, as there are ten other similar activities, complete with learning objectives and assessment questions. The site is rounded out by a talk by scientist Moshe Szyf on "The Epigenome As an Interface Between the Social Environment and Our Genome". >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Art Through Time: A Global View

Art Through Time: A Global View 
How do we understand art? What is the relationship between art and the society from which it comes? These are but a few of the questions explored by this fine thirteen-part series produced by the Annenberg Media group. The motivating principle behind the series is to explore "diverse cultural perspectives on shared human experiences." Visitors will note that each program has a theme, and visitors can watch the entire program sequentially, or just bounce around as they see fit. Some of these themes include "Dreams and Visions", "Converging Cultures", and "Portraits". Alongside each video program, visitors will find select images that reflect the themes of each program, and it's fun to look at these images before and after a viewing. The "Compare" area allows visitors the opportunity to look at two works of art side-by-side and consider questions like "How can art inspire technical innovation?" and "How can hybrid art define individual identity?" >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Friday, March 5, 2010

Furness Image Collection Shakespeare

Furness Image Collection
If you're a fan of Shakespeare, you're going to love the University of Pennsylvania Library's online Furness Image Collection. Composed of books, manuscripts, artifacts, and over 2,000 prints and photographs, this archive of material is not just about Shakespeare's works, but also about the history of Shakespearean theatrical presentations. The theatrical performers and performances of such works are documented via the images in the online collection, most of which date from the 19th century. On the homepage you can choose to "Browse All Collection," or do a simple or Boolean Search. You can also "Compare" images side by side, and ample information about the intellectual property rights of the images can be found in a link given at the end of the copyright notice in the section labeled Access. Clicking on "Browse All Collection" will take you to the beginning of the collection, and you can view the materials in three ways: "Text List", "Slide Show", and the default thumbnails. For pure viewing pleasure, slide show is the visitor's best choice. You get to see the image in its full glory, accompanied by a title - some lyrical, some simply descriptive. The "Simple Search" is easy to follow and via a drop down menu, offers many criteria by which to search, including notes, medium, collection, and created/published. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/

C-SPAN: American Political Archive

C-SPAN: American Political Archive [Real Player]
http://www.c-span.org/Series/American-Political-Archive.aspx
C-SPAN has created this online archive as part of their general mission, and educators and politicos will find much to search through on this site. On the top of the page, visitors can look through the most recent programs, which include broadcast audio recordings from a number of the Presidential Libraries, the Smithsonian, and the Library of Congress. Further down the page, visitors can look through the "Past Programs" area. Here they will find links to interviews with figures such as Shirley Chisholm, Lady Bird Johnson, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Along the right-hand side of the page, visitors can make their way through a host of important web resources, including a collection of oral histories with former Secretaries of Defense and an interview with Harry Truman. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Doing What Works: Education

Doing What Works [Real Player, pdf]
The U.S. Dept. of Education sponsors this Doing What Works website, which focuses on pedagogy in order to assist this nation's teachers in finding what are likely to be effective methods of teaching. To see the areas of study that are covered on the website, look to the top left side of the page. You'll find "Early Childhood Education", "English Language Learners", "Math and Science", and "Psychology of Learning". Topics to be added to the site are also listed under "See What's Coming!" To always be up-to-date on new material the site has added, simply click on "Subscribe for Updates" on the right hand side of the page. By clicking on the "What Works Clearinghouse", found at the top right corner, visitors will be taken to the real heart of the site. By clicking on one of the topics of study, visitors can watch, listen, and read a short animated video overview of the topic that includes current research. If videos aren't your thing, you can just head straight to the other options, which are "Review the Research Base", "Understand the Essentials", "Find Recommended Practices", and "Access Planning Templates". It should be noted that the Department of Education makes sure to point out that it is not endorsing any of the commercial products that might be used in any of the teaching approaches. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Policy Archive

Policy Archive [pdf]
Policy institutions around the United States spend a staggering $1.5 billion on research each year. Many of them do an excellent job in terms of putting their policy papers, working papers, factsheets, and so on online for use by the public and scholars. Of course, it can be very difficult to locate some of them, and that's where the Policy Archive steps in. Sponsored by the Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) and the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Library, the Policy Archive site brings together thousands of full text documents, reports, videos, and multimedia material generated by these various think tanks and institutions. First-time visitors can take a look at the "Featured Collections" on the right-hand side of the page, and then move on over to the topic quick links, which include everything from agriculture to technology. Additionally, policy institutions and the like can learn how to submit their own work to the archive. Visitors can also sign up to receive email newsletters about the latest research in the topic areas that are of interest to them. >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/