August 2012 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Twitter usage studies
by David Brake 03 Aug '12

03 Aug '12

Dear AoIR, Are there studies of Twitter use analysing proportion of people mostly tweeting about public issues vs private/interpersonal ones? Something analogous to the studies of blogging that divided personal vs hobby vs political blogging like Lenhart, A. and S. Fox (2006) "Bloggers: A Portrait of the Internet’s New Storytellers" Pew Internet & American Life Project http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/Bloggers.aspx (although with Twitter as with blogging there would of course be problems with people who tweet in a varied way). Even better, studies of the kinds of people who do each kind of tweeting? And which differentiate tweeters from retweeters? I would like to quantify the (obvious) point that the number of active Tweeters on matters of journalistic interest adding comment or new information is vanishingly small and stratified compared to those who simply retweet or tweet on personal matters or just use Twitter to follow friends and celebrities. Did you know that 5% of Twitter users produced 75% of all activity, 21% had never tweeted themselves and 85% post less than once a day? Sysomos (2009) "Inside Twitter: An in-Depth Look inside the Twitter World " http://www.sysomos.com/insidetwitter/ PS Don't forget to check out (or contribute to) the Arab Spring literature collection I put together with some friends here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DU8AOlkTV6F0ZyoGcbk_060iBZG5tWKwj_n97EJ… And here: https://www.zotero.org/groups/arabspringmedia/items PPS Will be making strenuous efforts to get to the conference so I look forward to seeing my tribe again! -- David Brake (@drbrake http://davidbrake.org/) Senior Lecturer, Journalism & Communications, University of Bedfordshire http://www.beds.ac.uk/departments/jc +44 (0) 1582 743028

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Toward Open and Innovative Governance - Webcasts Aug 6-8 - #FOCAS12 - Aspen Institute, Also Sunshine 2.0 Indicators
by Steven Clift 03 Aug '12

03 Aug '12

Starting next Monday at 10:45 am Eastern (that's 3:45 pm in the UK ... or 14:45 UTC), three days of very interesting open government round table discussions will be webcast from the Aspen Institute. Stick it on your calendar. Below is their press release. I have the honor to participate again this year and wanted to invite as many people as possible in to tune-in and also participate via Twitter. The group assembled is amazing, but collectively there is much more to be added around the world. Watch from: http://www.aspeninstitute.tv (live and on-demand) Twitter #focas12: https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23focas12 Also for year-round exchange on similar themes try #edem #opengov #gov20 etc. On a related note, I've released a final draft of the top ten Sunshine 2.0 indicators I've prepared for the national League of Women Voters to help communities determine their relative local government support for democracy online. It is my hand-out so to speak: http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/1567 I will be tweeting my local "inclusion" and open governance themes ( http://e-democracy.org/inclusion ) and more from: http:/twitter.com/democracy ** Webcast Schedule - Mountain Time - Here are some other major time zones: http://bit.ly/N7GCdg Monday, August 6, 2012 8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Session I. Problems of Governance 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Session II. Innovation in Governance: How Are Governments Working Better? Tuesday, August 7, 2012 8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Session III. Solutions Using ICT: Working Groups 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Session IV. Inertia and Resistance: The Cultural Barriers to Change 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Session V. Closing the Door on Open Governance: Exceptions Wednesday, August 8, 2012 8:45 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. Session VI. Reports of the Working Groups 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Session VII. Policy Options Ahead The detailed webcast agenda is here: http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/images/cands/FOCA… Overview: http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/communications-society/FOCAS2012 ** The press release text: Open and Innovative Governance at Heart of Aspen Institute FOCAS 2012 Seminar Contact: Sarah Eppehimer, Aspen Institute, (202) 736-5818 sarah.eppehimer(a)aspeninstitute.org Washington, D.C. – Leaders and experts from the public, private, and academic sectors will explore the role of transparency and openness in fostering more effective, innovative and accountable governance at a roundtable discussion Aug. 5-8 in Aspen, Colo. The event will be streamed live at www.aspeninstitute.tv The annual Forum on Communications and Society (FOCAS), a project of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, explores how public policy and private initiatives can better serve communities. Participants in this year’s FOCAS, titled Towards Open and Innovative Governance, will address the changing roles of citizens and governments in the digital age. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is the forum’s senior sponsor. “Citizenship and governance in 2012 can benefit from the same digital disruptions that have transformed the business world,” says Charlie Firestone, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program. “This forum will explore exciting new ways to move that process along.” "Technology has transformed media in the past decade from a one-to-many experience to a participatory one," said Michael Maness, Vice President for Journalism and Media Innovation at Knight Foundation. "But we're only beginning to tap the potential of technology to make citizenship and governance far more participatory, allowing individuals and communities to be much more engaged." Participants of this year’s FOCAS will include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, President of the Republic of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, California Controller John Chiang, Ushahidi Executive Director Juliana Rotich, and Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Susan Gardner. Towards Open and Innovative Governance will mark the seventh year that FOCAS includes an interactive web experience, thanks to generous funding from Knight Foundation. FOCAS 2012 will be streaming live at www.aspeninstitute.tv at 8:45 a.m. mountain time August 6-8. Viewers are invited to follow the discussion on twitter @AspenInstitute and @AspenCS and to tweet about the event using #FOCAS12. ### The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org. The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org. Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/democracy Tel/Text: +1.612.234.7072

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Self-Plagiarism, retracted papers, and collateral damage
by Cristian Berrio Zapata 03 Aug '12

03 Aug '12

I think that we should consider translations as new articles, if our goal is to free the information flux. The option of translation should be given to the author and/or the journal. This would have several advantages: 1. Would stimulate the flux of publication from English to other languages and vice versa. Dissemination of knowledge and ideas would be rewarded, not just novelty. 2. As said, the English spoken academic world would refresh and the non-English spoken world would have the possibility of catching up. 3. We would activate the area of translators-editors for multiple languages. 4. That would be more the image of an "information society", investing resources to make knowledge flux disperse everywhere in every language. The above should respect of course, citing the original paper in the original language, just as books do. I believe that some time ago, this was accepted by journals but later it was abandoned due to this mad competition about who publishes the latest. Also, the above would no produce miracles. Even giving preference this kind of papers, I believe that still not a significant amount of them would be translated because, that needs resources (i.e. translators, editors). Brazil had an interesting program that pays for the translation into English of remarkable works in Portuguese, but that is not common. Accepting translations as "new papers" maybe would not solve itself the problem of isolation of the peripheral world academy, but at least, it would not generate new obstacles to the flux of ideas between our world-wide different languages. 2012/8/3 michael gurstein <gurstein(a)gmail.com> > Very interesting and effective arguments Cristian…**** > > ** ** > > What is your suggestion following from these arguments… i.e. how should > papers be handled coming from non-English speaking researchers?**** > > ** ** > > (BTW why not share this with our colleagues on the e-list…**** > > ** ** > > M**** > > ** ** > > *From:* Cristian Berrio Zapata [mailto:cristian.berrio@gmail.com] > *Sent:* Monday, July 30, 2012 11:42 AM > *To:* michael gurstein > *Cc:* Ricardo Santana; Maria Jose Vicentini Jorente > *Subject:* Re: [ciresearchers] RE: [AISWorld] Self-Plagiarism, retracted > papers, and collateral damage**** > > ** ** > > Dear Mike:**** > > ** ** > > You comment raises new doubts to discuss.**** > > ** ** > > A. If English language peer reviewed journals reject what has been > previously published in other languages, then these ideas get marginalized > or disappear from the scope of the dominant science.**** > > ** ** > > B. If non-English-speaking academics turn to write in English, then they > marginalize a significant number of their audience, giving preference to > the international dominant science audience. **** > > ** ** > > Taking into account that (1) writing a good paper is a time consuming > process, (2) that research is not only expensive but also time consuming > and (3) that theoretical ideas grow slowly under an accumulative process, > the possibility of writing real "fresh & new papers" is scarce. This > scarcity would be worsen by the "new material policy" if it is applied in > deep to papers not originally in English.**** > > ** ** > > Diversity would not be favored as academics under the English-spoken world > would be favored in front of those who are out of it. Non English speakers > tend to have a very different view to that which is cultivated into the > dominant science, and that would be lost.**** > > ** ** > > In the end, this "new content" policy would tend to interrupt the > knowledge flux between the central science and the peripheral science, > producing a paradigmatical effect in the center, and a knowledge divide > deepening in the periphery. This model, trying to accelerate the advance of > science via new ideas (in a very industrial way I fear) may get us into > practices that favor novelty over quality.**** > > ** ** > > I hope I am over reacting but, looking at the amount of papers not written > in English and that would be never translated because they cannot be read, > cannot be found or cannot be published in English, I believe lots of > interesting views are lost.**** > > ** ** > > Just to finish, I like to clarify that I do not support that all > non-English-written papers are of quality, but some of them are extremely > suggestive.**** > > ** ** > > Saludos.**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > 2012/7/30 michael gurstein <gurstein(a)gmail.com>**** > > As a journal editor I think that you are raising an important issue > Cristian… The notion is that peer review in journals is meant to be of > "new" materials and there is an assumption that this includes other > languages (some journals as a matter of course publish abstracts in several > languages for precisely this reason… Of course, policing this is a problem > and as well the dominant position of English cuts in a number of ways for > other languages…**** > > **** > > M**** > > **** > > *From:* Cristian Berrio Zapata [mailto:cristian.berrio@gmail.com] > *Sent:* Monday, July 30, 2012 9:19 AM > *To:* ciresearchers(a)vancouvercommunity.net; michael gurstein > *Subject:* Re: [ciresearchers] RE: [AISWorld] Self-Plagiarism, retracted > papers, and collateral damage**** > > **** > > Very important discussion!**** > > **** > > I like to introduce the topic of "text translation" here as I am not so > clear about when it may or may not be Self-Plagiarism.**** > > **** > > The fact is that due to the visibility problems that a paper written in > Spanish or Portuguese would have, many of us, Latin Americans try to > translate our original texts into English, although already published in > our native languages.**** > > **** > > On the other hand, if we publish directly in English, and do not attempt > to republish in Spanish and Portuguese, then we contribute to the knowledge > divide as still, English proficiency is an academic problem in this region. > Some local journals are extremely severe about having "fresh unpublished > works" and may doubt about publishing something already printed by other > journal, even if it is in English.**** > > **** > > Working in Brazil but being a Spanish speaker, give the opportunity of > rewrite a paper in three languages: Portuguese, Spanish and English. But, > would that not be taken as a self plagiarism practice? How to avoid any > doubt about this?**** > > **** > > **** > > 2012/7/30 michael gurstein <gurstein(a)gmail.com>**** > > Good comments Andy... just one small note... In the 3 or 4 times that this > has come up with JoCI we have used a 40% rule and also looked at the issue > of the type of material re-used (as per your point about context setting > text) and also whether the "point" of the article and thus the analysis and > conclusions were new/independent of the other published article (I can't > find the reference at the moment but this is what I/we understood to be the > usual practice... > > M > > -----Original Message----- > From: Andy Bytheway [mailto:andy.bytheway@gmail.com] > Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 3:37 AM > To: ciresearchers(a)vancouvercommunity.net; 'michael gurstein'; > joci-editorial(a)vancouvercommunity.net > Subject: RE: [ciresearchers] RE: [AISWorld] Self-Plagiarism, retracted > papers, and collateral damage > > Hi all, > > Interesting indeed. > > I was at an international management conference recently and there was a > panel discussion with five or six editors from highly-ranked management > journals. I was surprised when they expressed very high levels of concern > about self-plagiarism and I wanted to challenge them (but I could not get > my > chance, they did virtually all the talking … that’s “panels of experts”, > for > you!). Surely, I thought to myself, we frequently want to re-use our work > that was previously published, in developing our longer-term stream of > personal publication? Anyway, I continued in my thoughts, is there not an > unwritten rule that you can re-use "about 30% of a paper" without problems? > (Something I heard argued some years ago - I feel the community shuddering > at this heresy … ) > > It seems not. But it is not as simple as that. Two related issues need > clarification: > > 1 In the cases concerning Lichtenthaler the real concern was that he > failed to *cross reference* his previous work, thereby deluding the > reviewers as to the extent of the originality in the later paper(s). (He > also admitted to methodological errors, but that is another issue > altogether). > > 2 One needs to be cogniscant of *what* is being re-used. There is a > huge difference in re-using contextual material that is common to different > papers as background, where analysis and discussion then take a > significantly different perspective on the phenomenon in their main > sections > and conclusions. > > But then (we heard at the recent conference) there is the seriously > difficult matter of re-using *research data*. The panel of editors went on > to agree that re-use of data is also seriously "off-limits". I was > astonished at this supplementary argument. > > I suppose if the data is basically statistical, then that might be true (it > seems clear that Lichtenthaler played around with his data, re-interpreting > and shifting significance, seemingly in order to achieve a different > outcome > or result, and record-breaking publication credits), but if the research > data is *qualitative*, then I would argue that there are many different > perspectives that would justify multiple analyses of the same data, over > and > over again. Different a priori and a posteriori coding schemes, for > example, seeking answers to quite different research questions, which then > feed further questions. Endless opportunities to milk the data for > different purposes (did I really just say "milk the data"? - I hope the > editors are not reading this [ LoL !]). In one of our recent projects we > have 52 transcribed interviews – more than 500 hours of work in the > transcription, let alone analysing. This material gives us great potential > for a range of different analyses, each of which might lead to further > questions and further analysis. > > Personally, I eschew statistical analysis - it requires a shaky abstraction > of "reality" in terms of the variables that are chosen to be measured, and > then requires a level of methodological determinism that I find frightening > (in the social sciences at least). Life is not like that. And I find an > even more frightening determinism in the way that learned journals are > applying these rules to publication. Life in research is not like that, > either. > > As argued at one point in the Economics Intelligence blog and discussion > about Lichtenthaler's recent history (referenced below by Dennis Galletta - > thanks for that, DG) the IMHO the measure of good research is not whether > the results are "right", it is whether anyone in the real world benefited > from it. And that means “anyone in society" in our domain of CI. > > It's an imperfect world, and research should be making it better. That is > the real measure of our success. > > Andy > > ________________________________________ > Andy Bytheway | andy.bytheway(a)gmail.com | +27 82 889 9771 > ________________________________________ > > From: ciresearchers-owner(a)vancouvercommunity.net > [mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net] On Behalf Of michael > gurstein > Sent: 30 July 2012 00:00 > To: joci-editorial(a)vancouvercommunity.net; > ciresearchers(a)vancouvercommunity.net > Subject: [ciresearchers] RE: [AISWorld] Self-Plagiarism, retracted papers, > and collateral damage > > Self-plagiarism continues to be an "issue"… although I suspect it is of > more > significance in areas of academe where the rewards and pressures for > publication are rather more intense than in CI. > > I'm personally of two minds on the subject… It seems to be a bit "cheap" > and > "lazy" but not as egregious an error as these folks seem to be arguing. > > Comments. > > M > > From: aisworld-bounces(a)lists.aisnet.org > [mailto:aisworld-bounces@lists.aisnet.org] On Behalf Of Galletta, Dennis > Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 10:28 AM > To: AISWorld(a)lists.aisnet.org > Subject: [AISWorld] Self-Plagiarism, retracted papers, and collateral > damage > > Dear IS Community: > > Following up on last year’s discussion of the so-called “Self-Plagiarism” > concept (regardless of what it is called), three publications by an > extremely successful business professor from U. of Mannheim have been > retracted by two journals, including the journal Research Policy. That > journal is ranked 2nd in a 2004 article on Ranking Technology Innovation > Management Journals. For details, there is an article posted at the > following link: > > http://economicsintelligence.com/2012/07/19/top-flight-german-business-prof- > faces-severe-accusations-of-academic-misconduct/ > > The news article has some very interesting reader comments as well. An > alarming entry names several other papers and top researchers and accuses > them of self-plagiarism as well but admits he/she has not read the papers > in > depth. This is not a calm situation, to be sure. > > Note that the reasons for the retractions also include “severe mathematical > errors and methodological inconsistencies.” If you’re interested in what > retracted articles look like, follow these links to two examples: > http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004873330800228X > http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733309002169 > What is not in this article is some “collateral damage.” I know of a > strategy professor and his colleagues who had a Revise and Resubmit in the > same journal. They were very responsive to the reviews, completely > rewriting > the paper and doing extensive re-analysis for the 2nd round. Unfortunately, > some of it was based on a concept of “desorptive capacity” that appeared in > the retracted papers. The paper has now been rejected because the > retraction > destroyed the basis for some of the arguments. > > As the bar continues to climb on publication requirements, faculty might be > becoming more desperate than ever. But the collateral damage is of grave > concern. Months of work would suddenly become wasted due to the actions of > others. > > DG > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Dennis F. Galletta Professor of Business > Administration > University of Pittsburgh and Director, Katz Doctoral > Program > 282a Mervis Hall Katz Graduate School of > Business > Phone +1 412-648-1699 Pittsburgh, PA > 15260 > E-mail: galletta @ Fax +1 > 412-648-1693 > katz.pitt.edu homepage: > www.pitt.edu/~galletta > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2437/5163 - Release Date: 07/29/12 > > > To unsubscribe (subscribe) send an email to: sympa(a)vcn.bc.ca with the > message unsub (sub) ciresearchers**** > > > > **** > > **** > > -- > *Cristian Berrío Zapata***** > > > > **** > > ** ** > > -- > *Cristian Berrío Zapata***** > -- *Cristian Berrío Zapata*

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Cyberspace 2012 Conference - Call for Submission
by Jakub Macek 03 Aug '12

03 Aug '12

Dear colleagues, I would like to invite you to attend the 10th international conference Cyberspace 2012 which will be held at Masaryk University Brno, the Czech Republic, from 30th November to 1st December 2012 (see http://www.cyberspace.muni.cz) We are proud to announce a great keynote speaker - Prof. Leen d'Haenens. We negotiated a special extension of abstract submission for panels "New Media and Society" and "Psychology of Cyberspace", until 15th August. Please submit your abstracts here: http://www.cyberspace.muni.cz/english/register.php I am looking forward to meeting some of you in Brno! Best regards, Jakub Macek, Ph.D. Senior Researcher Institute for Research on Children, Youth and Families & Department of Media Studies and Journalism Faculty of Social Studies Masaryk University Jostova 10 60200 Brno Czech Republic tel. +420-54949-4740 gsm +420-777-214-286

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FW: [ciresearchers] Connecting Canadians: Investigations in Community Informatics
by michael gurstein 03 Aug '12

03 Aug '12

And with many many thanks to Athabaska University Press for a very forward looking distribution and pricing policy! (Suggestion: perhaps have U. libraries order the book (at a very reasonable $40.00) to help AUP recoup their costs while students/others are able to download the book or individual chapters for free). M -----Original Message----- From: ciresearchers-owner(a)vancouvercommunity.net [mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net] On Behalf Of Philipp Budka Sent: Friday, August 03, 2012 3:33 AM To: ciresearchers(a)vancouvercommunity.net Subject: [ciresearchers] Connecting Canadians: Investigations in Community Informatics Connecting Canadians: Investigations in Community Informatics represents the work of the Community Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN), the largest national and international research effort to examine the burgeoning field of community informatics, a cross-disciplinary approach to the mobilization of information and communications technologies (ICT) for community change. ... With free book and chapter downloads: http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120193 Best, Philipp -- Philipp Budka philbu(a)gmx.net Dreyhausenstraße 18/7 A-1140 Wien, Austria http://www.philbu.net --

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Re: [Air-L] grading schemes that emulate gaming achievements, quests, etc.
by Daiane Scaraboto 03 Aug '12

03 Aug '12

Doug Belshaw has been blogging on the topic. Here's one of his latest posts about this: Informal learning, gaming, and #openbadges design<http://dougbelshaw.com/blog/2012/07/19/informal-learning-gaming-and-openbad…> Daiane Scaraboto Assistant Professor of Marketing Escuela de Administración Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile http://uc-cl.academia.edu/DaianeScaraboto 2012/8/2 <air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org> > Send Air-L mailing list submissions to > air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > air-l-owner(a)listserv.aoir.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Air-L digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. CFP Convergence special issue: Mobility in Latin America > (Adriana de Souza e Silva) > 2. Re: grading schemes that emulate gaming achievements, quests, > etc. (MacDougall, Robert) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2012 10:03:29 -0400 > From: Adriana de Souza e Silva <adriana(a)souzaesilva.com> > To: aoir list <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Subject: [Air-L] CFP Convergence special issue: Mobility in Latin > America > Message-ID: <E35E71A7-6797-41BD-9464-C44A5D369947(a)souzaesilva.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > Call For Papers > > > Convergence: The international journal of research into new media > technologies > SPECIAL ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS > > Mobility and mobile media in Latin America > > > Edited by: > Adriana de Souza e Silva (North Carolina State University) > Isabel Froes (IT University of Copenhagen) > > > Important dates: > Papers must be sent in English by September 10th, 2012. We strongly > encourage prospective authors to send papers as soon as possible. > > > ? All papers (7000/11000 words) will undergo a double blind-review > process; > ? Submissions may be in the form of empirical research studies or > theory-building papers; > ? For formatting guidelines, please see: > http://www.uk.sagepub.com/msg/conv.htm#HOWTOSUBMITYOURMANUSCRIPT > ? Papers must also include: > o Name and a brief biography of the author(s) (50 word) in a > separate sheet, > o 150-word abstract, and > o Up to 10 keywords. > > > Proposals and inquiries should be sent electronically to Isabel Froes ( > icgf(a)itu.dk) > > > Early submissions are greatly appreciated! > > By the second decade of the 21st century, mobile phones have reached > saturation levels in many countries in the world, surpassing the number of > landlines and personal computers. Although initial scholarly interest on > the social use of mobile phones focused on Europe, Asia, and the United > States, the impact of mobile phone on the developing world (or Global > South) is increasingly evident and perhaps much more profound. For many, > the mobile device is the first phone, the first internet connection, the > first TV set, and the first global positioning system. > > Among developing nations, Latin America is a key area for studying the > social dimension of mobile technologies. According to ITU statistics, the > Americas had a total of 989 million mobile subscriptions as per 2011. > However, numbers alone reveal little if not analyzed within a broader > social, cultural, and economic framework. The focus on a homogeneous > large-scale market leads to overly sanguine perspectives that often obscure > how socioeconomic diversity causes and reflects mobile phone use. Latin > American countries have astounding income gaps among different sectors of > the population, which influence and are influenced by technology > development and use. For example, the use of high-end services such as > mobile banking, and location-based services like Foursquare and Yelp is an > intrinsic part of the daily mobile practices of the high-income population > in Brazil. Conversely, the lower-income population in the country is > familiar with the diret?o?a mobile phone that allows users > to make clandestine calls to anywhere in the world with the use of an > illegal sim card. Brazil has also been at the forefront of an experimental > and innovative approach towards new technologies, forecasted in cultural > events that focus on art, music and film festivals dedicated to new and > creative uses of mobile technologies, such as the Mobilefest and Arte.mov. > This socio-economic and cultural diversity is also characteristic of other > Latin American countries. > > Despite this cultural and socio-economic diversity, and the relevance of > its marketing, the social use and development of mobile phones in Latin > America is largely under theorized and poorly studied. With the goal of > contributing to bridge this gap, this special edition invites essays that > critically investigate the inter-relations among mobile technologies, > culture, and social development in Latin American countries. > > > Submitted manuscripts are encouraged (but not limited) to focus on: > > (1) History of mobile phones in Latin America. Essays are encouraged to > explore the development of mobile phones in Latin American countries, > comparing them to the landline infrastructure and internet growth within > the socio-economic and political framework. Authors may explore the > development and use of new mobile services, such as the mobile internet, > text messaging, mobile apps, etc. > > (2) Social uses and appropriation of mobile phones. We welcome essays as > empirical or theoretical studies dealing with the use and appropriation of > technology by low-income communities. Of special interest are essays that > explore how mobile and wireless technologies reconfigure the life of > community dwellers and how people find new and unexpected uses for existing > technologies. > > (3) Mobile art and games. We invite essays that investigate mobile phones > as artistic and gaming interfaces, including essays that explore uses of > hybrid reality, location-aware and pervasive activities in educational > contexts, media arts, and gaming. > > (4) Location-based services. Submitted essays should investigate the uses > and development of location-based services in Latin America, such as mobile > annotation, location-based social networks, and mobile mapping. > > > About the editors: > > Adriana de Souza e Silva is Associate Professor at the Department of > Communication at North Carolina State University (NCSU), affiliated faculty > at the Digital Games Research Center, and Interim Associate Director of the > Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media (CRDM) program at NCSU.Dr. de > Souza e Silva's research focuses on how mobile and locative interfaces > shape people's interactions with public spaces and create new forms of > sociability. She teaches classes on mobile technologies, location-based > games and internet studies. Dr. de Souza e Silva is the co-editor (with > Daniel M. Sutko) of Digital Cityscapes?Merging digital and urban playspaces > (Peter Lang, 2009), the co-author (with Eric Gordon) of the book > Net-Locality: Why location matters in a networked world (Blackwell, 2011), > and the co-author (with Jordan Frith) of Mobile interfaces in public > spaces: Control, privacy, and urban sociability (Routledge, 2012). > > Isabel Fr?es has received her Masters degree from the Interactive > Telecommunications Programme at New York University (NYU) and a Bachelor?s > degree in psychology from Pontif?cia Universidade Cat?lica, Rio de Janeiro, > PUC-RJ in Brazil. She is a lecturer and assistant researcher at the IT > University of Copenhagen (Denmark), where she works both as a practitioner > and scholar in the fields of communication, mobility, art and design. With > a focus towards valuable interactions between people and technology, her > research analyzes the future implications and current uses of digital > media. In her courses she taps into the value of interactive elements in > every arena and explores how they could affect the ways new concepts and > activities are developed in distinct fields. She has presented some of > these thoughts at various events such as the AAM conference (2009), and the > IXDA South America (2010). She has taught various courses at Danish > institutions such as IT University of Copenhagen > , University of Copenhagen and Kolding School of Design as well as > Tecnol?gico de Monterrey, Campus Quer?taro in Mexico. > > > Proposals and inquiries should be sent electronically to Isabel Froes ( > icgf(a)itu.dk) > > ______________________________ > Adriana de Souza e Silva, PhD > Associate Professor of Communication > NC State University > http://www.souzaesilva.com > > Mobile Interfaces in Public Spaces > http://amzn.to/LBhRmL > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2012 12:26:11 -0400 > From: "MacDougall, Robert" <robert_macdougall(a)post03.curry.edu> > To: "air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org" <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] grading schemes that emulate gaming achievements, > quests, etc. > Message-ID: > > <4CBFD6A4A6D0954B90CC0FE98D8B7090E01A2F0F35(a)EXCCRMBX01.Currynet.local> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > > Hi All, > > I recall a few people who have discussed various "gaming grading > strategies." In theory, these can streamline the grading process, enhance > student awareness and tracking of their progress through our courses, etc, > but I have not actually gotten any detail on how this actually works in > practice. > > If anyone on this list has experimented with such grading methods, or can > point me to a few links they might know of that can provide this sort of > info, please pass along. I have several colleagues interested in the > possibilities. > > Thanks > -rob > > > Robert MacDougall > Professor, Communication/Media Studies > Coordinator, Faculty Center > for Professional Development > and Curriculum Innovation > Curry College > 65a Atherton St. > Milton, MA? 02186-2395? USA > Office Ph: 617-333-2265 > Skype: rhyperborean > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers: > http://www.aoir.org/ > > End of Air-L Digest, Vol 97, Issue 2 > ************************************ >

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Re: [Air-L] grading schemes that emulate gaming achievements, quests, etc.
by Elizabeth Bonsignore 02 Aug '12

02 Aug '12

Rob, Here are some resources/links to resources that I've found helpful, from educators who have implemented "gaming grading strategies." - Perhaps the most well-known is the work of Lee Sheldon (game designer & professor), who implemented a "gamified" grading strategy in 2009-2010. A more current version (I think) of his syllabus can be found here<http://gamingtheclassroom.wordpress.com/syllabus/> . (or <http://gamingtheclassroom.wordpress.com/syllabus/> if you don't have embedded links). - There's also Lee Sheldon's book, The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game<http://www.amazon.com/The-Multiplayer-Classroom-Designing-Coursework/dp/143…>(I think it's very interesting/practical) < http://www.amazon.com/The-Multiplayer-Classroom-Designing-Coursework/dp/143… > - An 2010 blog post with some bullet-point-based advice on how to implement Lee's model: http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2010/03/build-your-own-sheldon-syllab… - A more interesting recent post, just after GLS 8.0 (2012), covering some of the debate: http://gamifymyclass.blogspot.com/2012/06/gamification-debate-in-schools.ht… - Here's a citation for a really nice article by Joey Lee/Jessica Hammer (Teachers College, Columbia U, NY) about "gamification": Lee, J. J., & Hammer, J. (2011). *Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother?* *Academic Exchange Quarterly*, 15(2), 146–151. Beyond Lee Sheldon.... - Dan Hickey, Indiana University, has also done research on assessment/peer assessment, and he has written some thoughtful posts recently about "Badges" as an assessment tool: - - http://remediatingassessment.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/responding-to-michael-c… - http://remediatingassessment.blogspot.com/ *Caveat:* From an academic/research/awareness perspective, I have found the resources above quite helpful. HOWever, I personally have only implemented one component of the multiple strategies for "gaming a classroom" - as a member of a research team that designed a little "badge-based" assessment into an Alternate Reality Game with middle schoolers last year. We found it worked fairly well in terms of student-engagement and pride in accomplishment, but the game was relatively short (consequently, not sure how it would have done in long-term), and we did not have a "control group" to compare against, as it was mostly exploratory. I'm very interested to what others who have done more experimentation/implementation have to say! Hope this is helpful, -Elizabeth -- ebonsign(a)umd.edu elizabeth.bonsignore(a)gmail.com @ebonsign (twitter) Graduate Research Assistant PhD student Human-Computer Interaction Lab College of Information Studies (Maryland's iSchool) University of Maryland, College Park > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2012 12:26:11 -0400 > From: "MacDougall, Robert" <robert_macdougall(a)post03.curry.edu> > To: "air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org" <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] grading schemes that emulate gaming achievements, > quests, etc. > Message-ID: > > <4CBFD6A4A6D0954B90CC0FE98D8B7090E01A2F0F35(a)EXCCRMBX01.Currynet.local> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > > Hi All, > > I recall a few people who have discussed various "gaming grading > strategies." In theory, these can streamline the grading process, enhance > student awareness and tracking of their progress through our courses, etc, > but I have not actually gotten any detail on how this actually works in > practice. > > If anyone on this list has experimented with such grading methods, or can > point me to a few links they might know of that can provide this sort of > info, please pass along. I have several colleagues interested in the > possibilities. > > Thanks > -rob > > > Robert MacDougall > Professor, Communication/Media Studies > Coordinator, Faculty Center > for Professional Development > and Curriculum Innovation > Curry College > 65a Atherton St. > Milton, MA? 02186-2395? USA > Office Ph: 617-333-2265 > Skype: rhyperborean > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers: > http://www.aoir.org/ > > End of Air-L Digest, Vol 97, Issue 2 > ************************************

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CFP: The Information Society sp issue "Regimes of Information"
by Sawhney, Harmeet 02 Aug '12

02 Aug '12

The Information Society Call for Papers: Regimes of Information: Embeddedness as Paradox Hamid Ekbia, Jannis Kallinikos, and Bonnie Nardi The friction between situated modes of interaction and the structural arrange-ments into which such interaction is embedded is intrinsic to the modern way of life. As social order, modernity thrives on the mobility of people and resources, which require the support of complex, standardized and decontextualized sys-tems of measurement, exchange and control (Heller 1999). Social practices, by contrast, have always been constituted as regional or domain-specific arrange-ments, clearly marked off from the background of wider societal and institu-tional orders. While neither can exist without the other, the social dynamics characteristic of our time can perhaps be understood as transient and manifold resolutions of the ever-present friction between institutional orders of wider reach and the particular contexts or domains within which social practice by ne-cessity unfolds. This friction acquires new forms as the result of social and technological devel-opments that are associated with the deepening penetration of the social fabric by various kinds of digital information. Since the advent of writing, information and the marks by which it is carried have been constituted so as to withstand time depreciation (Borgmann 1999; Bowker 2005) and to transcend the bounds of practice (Gleick 2011). Organizations, for instance, would have never been able to become the persistent social formations they are without standardized information on the basis of which resources and outcomes can be assessed and compared across space and time (Beniger 1986). Similarly, practices in domains such as medicine and education often need to be compared with practices de-rived from the sphere of economy, which requires the development of standardi-zed cognitive idioms able to cut across domain specifities (Borgmann 1999; Kal-linikos 2006). These standardized and decontextualized attributes of informa-tion have been carried to new levels of perfection by digital technology and its ability to separate and reassemble the marks (data and data fields) from the very content by which information is defined, through automated, machine-enacted rules. On the one hand, information owes much of its value to the contingent nature of the events it helps illuminate and manage. The meaning and value of information is relative to the expectations of social agents, and only to the degree that it is recognized as relevant to their dealings -- it is a difference that makes a differ-ence (Bateson 1972). That relevance is, in turn, circumscribed locally in particu-lar contexts that dictate the priorities, skills and tools of practice (Garfinkel 2008; Rawls 2008). One can even go further and claim that information cannot but be constituted (rather than simply interpreted) as information locally, at the moment its relevance to a background of practice is born, figured or traced. In-formation is in fact part and parcel of a complex web of significations, a regime, as it were, against which it is perceived and acted upon (Ekbia and Evans 2009). In this respect, information may depreciate rapidly as the contingent upshot of events against which it makes sense fade, despite the impressive technological structures that support its production, diffusion and storage. Practices by con-trast, while locally bound and less standardized, can survive the ups and downs of events and maintain its integrity and persistence over time. The friction between the specific and domain-bound nature of information and its context-free attributes has often been glossed over in contemporary social research, and occasionally suppressed by the epistemological and ontological divisions that afflict current academic inquiry, especially in the Anglo-American tradition. The purpose of this special issue is to expose and understand the in-herent frictions outlined above. We invite theoretical and empirical contribu-tions that explore this topic. Our aim is to reframe the problematic rather than provide definite answers, but we also welcome practically oriented research that shows ways of dealing with the tensions between the mandates of disem-beddedness and the demands of specific situations. Individuals, organizations, and communities face these tensions in their lives and practices on a day-to-day basis, often with high psychological, operational, or political cost but also as oc-casions for creativity and innovation. We are interested in both the hurdles and opportunities. Our ultimate hope is to open up a dialogue in the information and social sciences on the socio-cultural, moral, and political challenges and implica-tions of dealing with such tensions. Interested authors are invited to email a long abstract (no longer than a thou-sand words) to the guest editors by December 31, 2012: hekbia(a)indiana.edu, J.Kallinikos(a)lse.ac.uk, nardi(a)ics.uci.edu. Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to submit full submissions by August 31, 2013, which will go through the standard peer review process of TIS. The special issue is slated for publication in the summer of 2014. References Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to An Ecology of Mind. New York: Ballantine. Borgmann, A. (1999). Holding on to Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Bowker, G. C. (2005). Memory Practices in Sciences. Cambridge: The MIT Press. Ekbia, H. & Evans, T. (2009). Regimes of Information: Land Use, Management, and Policy. The Information Society, 25(5), 328343. Garfinkel, H. (2008). Toward a Sociological Theory of Information. London: Para-digm Publishers (edited and introduced by Anne Warfield Rawls). Gleick, J. (2011). The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. London: Harper Collins. Heller, A. (1999). A Theory of Modernity. Oxford: Blackwell. Kallinikos, J. (2006). The Consequences of Information: Institutional Implications of Technological Change. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Rawls, A. W. (2008). Editors Introduction, in Garfinkel, H., Toward a Sociological Theory of Information. London: Paradigm Publishers.

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Re: [Air-L] grading schemes that emulate gaming achievements, quests, etc.
by MacDougall, Robert 02 Aug '12

02 Aug '12

Hi All, I recall a few people who have discussed various "gaming grading strategies." In theory, these can streamline the grading process, enhance student awareness and tracking of their progress through our courses, etc, but I have not actually gotten any detail on how this actually works in practice. If anyone on this list has experimented with such grading methods, or can point me to a few links they might know of that can provide this sort of info, please pass along. I have several colleagues interested in the possibilities. Thanks -rob Robert MacDougall Professor, Communication/Media Studies Coordinator, Faculty Center for Professional Development and Curriculum Innovation Curry College 65a Atherton St. Milton, MA 02186-2395 USA Office Ph: 617-333-2265 Skype: rhyperborean

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CFP Convergence special issue: Mobility in Latin America
by Adriana de Souza e Silva 02 Aug '12

02 Aug '12

Call For Papers Convergence: The international journal of research into new media technologies SPECIAL ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS Mobility and mobile media in Latin America Edited by: Adriana de Souza e Silva (North Carolina State University) Isabel Froes (IT University of Copenhagen) Important dates: Papers must be sent in English by September 10th, 2012. We strongly encourage prospective authors to send papers as soon as possible. · All papers (7000/11000 words) will undergo a double blind-review process; · Submissions may be in the form of empirical research studies or theory-building papers; · For formatting guidelines, please see: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/msg/conv.htm#HOWTOSUBMITYOURMANUSCRIPT · Papers must also include: o Name and a brief biography of the author(s) (50 word) in a separate sheet, o 150-word abstract, and o Up to 10 keywords. Proposals and inquiries should be sent electronically to Isabel Froes (icgf(a)itu.dk) Early submissions are greatly appreciated! By the second decade of the 21st century, mobile phones have reached saturation levels in many countries in the world, surpassing the number of landlines and personal computers. Although initial scholarly interest on the social use of mobile phones focused on Europe, Asia, and the United States, the impact of mobile phone on the developing world (or Global South) is increasingly evident and perhaps much more profound. For many, the mobile device is the first phone, the first internet connection, the first TV set, and the first global positioning system. Among developing nations, Latin America is a key area for studying the social dimension of mobile technologies. According to ITU statistics, the Americas had a total of 989 million mobile subscriptions as per 2011. However, numbers alone reveal little if not analyzed within a broader social, cultural, and economic framework. The focus on a homogeneous large-scale market leads to overly sanguine perspectives that often obscure how socioeconomic diversity causes and reflects mobile phone use. Latin American countries have astounding income gaps among different sectors of the population, which influence and are influenced by technology development and use. For example, the use of high-end services such as mobile banking, and location-based services like Foursquare and Yelp is an intrinsic part of the daily mobile practices of the high-income population in Brazil. Conversely, the lower-income population in the country is familiar with the diretão—a mobile phone that allows users to make clandestine calls to anywhere in the world with the use of an illegal sim card. Brazil has also been at the forefront of an experimental and innovative approach towards new technologies, forecasted in cultural events that focus on art, music and film festivals dedicated to new and creative uses of mobile technologies, such as the Mobilefest and Arte.mov. This socio-economic and cultural diversity is also characteristic of other Latin American countries. Despite this cultural and socio-economic diversity, and the relevance of its marketing, the social use and development of mobile phones in Latin America is largely under theorized and poorly studied. With the goal of contributing to bridge this gap, this special edition invites essays that critically investigate the inter-relations among mobile technologies, culture, and social development in Latin American countries. Submitted manuscripts are encouraged (but not limited) to focus on: (1) History of mobile phones in Latin America. Essays are encouraged to explore the development of mobile phones in Latin American countries, comparing them to the landline infrastructure and internet growth within the socio-economic and political framework. Authors may explore the development and use of new mobile services, such as the mobile internet, text messaging, mobile apps, etc. (2) Social uses and appropriation of mobile phones. We welcome essays as empirical or theoretical studies dealing with the use and appropriation of technology by low-income communities. Of special interest are essays that explore how mobile and wireless technologies reconfigure the life of community dwellers and how people find new and unexpected uses for existing technologies. (3) Mobile art and games. We invite essays that investigate mobile phones as artistic and gaming interfaces, including essays that explore uses of hybrid reality, location-aware and pervasive activities in educational contexts, media arts, and gaming. (4) Location-based services. Submitted essays should investigate the uses and development of location-based services in Latin America, such as mobile annotation, location-based social networks, and mobile mapping. About the editors: Adriana de Souza e Silva is Associate Professor at the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University (NCSU), affiliated faculty at the Digital Games Research Center, and Interim Associate Director of the Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media (CRDM) program at NCSU.Dr. de Souza e Silva's research focuses on how mobile and locative interfaces shape people's interactions with public spaces and create new forms of sociability. She teaches classes on mobile technologies, location-based games and internet studies. Dr. de Souza e Silva is the co-editor (with Daniel M. Sutko) of Digital Cityscapes—Merging digital and urban playspaces (Peter Lang, 2009), the co-author (with Eric Gordon) of the book Net-Locality: Why location matters in a networked world (Blackwell, 2011), and the co-author (with Jordan Frith) of Mobile interfaces in public spaces: Control, privacy, and urban sociability (Routledge, 2012). Isabel Fróes has received her Masters degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Programme at New York University (NYU) and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro, PUC-RJ in Brazil. She is a lecturer and assistant researcher at the IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark), where she works both as a practitioner and scholar in the fields of communication, mobility, art and design. With a focus towards valuable interactions between people and technology, her research analyzes the future implications and current uses of digital media. In her courses she taps into the value of interactive elements in every arena and explores how they could affect the ways new concepts and activities are developed in distinct fields. She has presented some of these thoughts at various events such as the AAM conference (2009), and the IXDA South America (2010). She has taught various courses at Danish institutions such as IT University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen and Kolding School of Design as well as Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Querétaro in Mexico. Proposals and inquiries should be sent electronically to Isabel Froes (icgf(a)itu.dk) ______________________________ Adriana de Souza e Silva, PhD Associate Professor of Communication NC State University http://www.souzaesilva.com Mobile Interfaces in Public Spaces http://amzn.to/LBhRmL

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