France seeks Unesco heritage status for the baguette

France seeks Unesco heritage status for the baguette - BBC

Video game could help improve brain function for children with disabilities

“Researchers at the University of Victoria have tapped into a booming gaming industry to help improve brain function and cognitive abilities in children with disabilities. A team at UVic, building on years of study, have partnered with the private sector to create Dino Island, a video game that takes children with neurodevelopment disabilities on a tour of a fictitious, digitized island where they face a progressive series of challenges in the hopes of improving their brain function.”

Read article here: Video game could help improve brain function for children with disabilities.

OurEcho Challenge - STEM Innovation Competition

The OurEcho Challenge is a STEM innovation competition that ask U.S. middle school students to take a closer look at biodiversity in their communities then do something to protect it. Students identify threats to local ecosystems and then propose solutions to help preserve, protect or repair those natural resources. 

 
Entries will be accepted through April 22, 2021, and free standards-aligned biodiversity resources are available to support teachers and students year-round. 

10 Finalist Teams will join EarthEcho for a live broadcast virtual celebration, where they will present their innovative ideas. The top 3 teams will be awarded grants of up to $5,000 to turn their projects into a reality.

Click here for more info and to enter

YouTube "Checks" Tool

If you ever upload videos to YouTube that may be using music or other copywritten content, here's some info for you:

YouTube can now warn creators about copyright issues before videos are posted

• YouTube is rolling out a new tool called “Checks” that tells a creator ahead of time if their video contains copyrighted material.
• The new feature screens uploads for copyrighted content, which could lead to takedowns
• This new system is reliant on Content ID. If YouTube’s copyright identification system finds a violation after a video is scanned, the rights holder’s policy will be automatically applied to the video, according to the company. This could result in either the video being blocked entirely or the rights holders monetizing the video instead.

Listen to Five of the World’s Newest, Wildest Instruments

Listen to Five of the World’s Newest, Wildest Instruments - NY Times

A Lego guitar and a “war tuba” are among the highlights of this year’s Guthman Musical Instrument Competition.

You can also go here:
Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

Franco American Digital Archives

University of Maine has launched First-ever online, bilingual portal to Franco American archives launches this spring. 

"Franco American Digital Archives/Portail franco-américain, formerly known as the Franco American Portal project, will offer access to various primary sources about the French-Canadian, Acadian and Québécois(e) diaspora communities of the Northeast. Available records will include letters and other correspondence, scrapbooks, family and business records, newspapers, photographs and other media depicting Franco-American history, culture and people."

WBUR story about ELL students

For English Language Learners, School Ties Are Key To Overcoming Pandemic Challenges

WBUR, March 11, 2021

Online Event: Leveling the Playing Field in STEM

Black and Latinx Americans are underrepresented in STEM jobs. The root reasons are myriad: limited access to quality education, discrimination in recruitment and promotion practices, and disparities in STEM-based programming across youth communities to name a few. A range of perspectives and having as many voices at the table as possible will be crucial to solving the global issues before us.

Join On Point host Meghna Chakrabarti for a wide-ranging conversation with field experts on how to develop solutions to reverse these trends.

Register here

https://www.wbur.org/events/663375/leveling-the-playing-field-in-stem

Time & Date: Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 6:00 pm

Panelists

• Tarika Barrett - CEO, Girls Who Code
• Nigel Jacob - co-chair, Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics
• Adrian Mims - founder and national director, The Calculus Project
• Karl Reid - former executive director, National Society of Black Engineers

Join the conversation! Submit your questions to us before and during the event here.

Broadband Access Discount Program

The December Covid-19 relief bill included $3.2 billion to help low-income Americans pay for broadband service. Last week, the FCC established the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which will make use of those funds.

CNN: Are you eligible for the FCC's emergency internet discount program? Here's how to find out. 

"The program will provide discounts of up to $50 a month, or $75 on Tribal lands, for broadband service for low-income households. It also includes a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer or tablet purchased from certain providers, which are yet to be named but are likely to include major wireless network operators, among others."

STEM Everyday Podcast

STEM EVERYDAY PODCAST
dailystem.com/stem-everyday-podcast

Scout Report says: "Nearly 200 episodes with resources for STEM educators... May be particularly useful for educators looking for unique ways to get "non-science" oriented students interested in the vast possibilities that STEM subjects can create. It shares expertise from educators at all grade levels, from university professors to kindergarten teachers. Most episodes are approximately 30 minutes.