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Call for Papers: JCAL Special Issue on 'Learning Analytics in Massively Multiuser Virtual Environments and Courses'
by Lee, Mark 17 Aug '13

17 Aug '13

Dear colleagues, Contributions are being solicited for a special issue of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (JCAL) on 'Learning Analytics in Massively Multiuser Virtual Environments and Courses'. The scope of the issue includes both massively multiplayer online games (e.g. World of Warcraft) and virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life) as well as massive open online courses (MOOCs), whether they be 'xMOOCs' delivered via one of the major MOOC platforms (Udacity, Coursera, edX) or connectivist-style 'cMOOCs' offered independently of those platforms. The Call for Papers is available at http://goo.gl/2STf3V . Proposals consisting of 500-word abstracts and 7-10 key references are due on 30 September 2013, and the deadline for submission of full manuscripts is 27 January 2014. Queries regarding the special issue should be directed to jcal.specialissues(a)gmail.com (but please note that proposals and full manuscripts are not to be sent to this address - see the Call for Papers for submission instructions). Kind regards, Paul A. Kirschner (Open University of the Netherlands), JCAL Editor-in-Chief Liesbeth Kirchner (Open University of the Netherlands), JCAL Associate Editor Mark J. W. Lee (Charles Sturt University), JCAL Editor-in-Charge of Special Issues

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Fwd: [CITASA] Call For Papers: iCS/CITASA Special Issue of Papers from 2013 ASA Meeting
by Alexander Halavais 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

Forwarded at Jennifer Earl's request. Please contact her (email below) with any questions. Best, Alex Dear Colleagues, For the seventh year, the journal Information, Communication & Society (iCS, published by Routledge) will publish a special issue in cooperation with the ASA section on Communication and Information Technologies (CITASA). The special issue will be comprised of papers presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in New York, New York that focus on issues of social media, technology, communication, information, or other related topics. Jennifer Earl (University of Arizona) and Katrina Kimport (University of California, San Francisco) will be the editors. We invite you to submit a paper that was presented at the ASA 2013 meetings for consideration in this special issue. Please submit manuscripts for consideration through ScholarOne, available at: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rics. If you do not have an account, you will need to create one. Also, be sure to check the box for “Special Issue” and indicate “CITASA” in it, so that it will be routed appropriately. Submitted manuscripts should be a maximum of 6,000 words and should conform to the journal's submission guidelines; see http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=rics20&page=…. Deadlines: Full papers due: September 30, 2013 Refereeing completed: November 29, 2013 Final version of accepted papers due: January 10, 2014 Special issue publication (anticipated): June 2014 Please contact us with any questions. We hope to hear from you. Sincerely, Jennifer Earl jenniferearl(a)email.arizona.edu School of Sociology University of Arizona Chair, Communication and Information Technology Section, American Sociological Association and Katrina Kimport kimportk(a)obgyn.ucsf.edu Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) University of California, San Francisco Secretary/Treasurer, Communication and Information Technology Section, American Sociological Association *********************************** Jennifer Earl Professor of Sociology Social Sciences 421 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721-0027 Phone: (520) 621-3296 *********************************** _______________________________________________ CITASA mailing list CITASA(a)list.citasa.org http://list.citasa.org/mailman/listinfo/citasa_list.citasa.org -- -- // // This email is // [ ] assumed public and may be blogged / forwarded. // [x] assumed to be private, please ask before redistributing. // // Alexander C. Halavais, ciberflâneur // http://alex.halavais.net // // Please attribute any stupid errors above to autocorrect on my phone. // (But I probably was typing on a keyboard.)

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please circulate this call for applicants
by qCentral 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

Hey folks, apologies for cross-posts! -------- Hey all, Please forward! --------- Six Month Research Assistantship Application DUE: September 1st 2013 (Start date: September 15th 2013) Job Title: MSR PhD Intern/Research Assistant Regional Area: Bangalore/Hyderabad, India Primary Background: Anthropology Secondary Background: Journalism, Media, or Communication Studies Microsoft Research is looking for a junior researcher (students recently graduated from or currently enrolled in a Masters or PhD level program) to collaborate on an ethnographic study of crowdsourcing. Project responsibilities will primarily involve collaborating with MSR Researchers to find and interview crowdworkers living in or near the IT centers of Bangalore and Hyderabad, India. Applicants must, at minimum, speak fluent Telugu, Urdu, and/or Kannada, be able to navigate Bangalore and/or Hyderabad, and have strong written and spoken English skills. The successful candidate should have a BA and/or MA in a social science (or at least 1 year relevant experience); excellent organizational skills; and thrive working independently. The ideal candidate will also have experience doing in-person interviews, including the research skills necessary to find potential interviewees. Preference will be given to applicants with formal training in ethnography, qualitative research methods, or journalism. This Microsoft Research Assistantship will provide a stipend of approximately INR 40,000 per month for up to six months and office space at Microsoft Research India, Bangalore. The stipend varies based on qualification (PhD, Masters and Bachelors) and prior research experience. Research Assistantships also include single occupancy accommodation in Bangalore and economy class airfare as reimbursement if not based in Bangalore. Please send questions or submit the following materials to Mary L. Gray (mLg(a)microsoft.com) Senior Researcher, to apply for this position: • Current CV • Names and contact email information for 2 academic references • Cover letter outlining your interest in this assistantship, your availability, relevant prior experience and qualifications for this position ABOUT MICROSOFT RESEARCH: In 1991, Microsoft Corp. became one of the first software companies to create its own computer science research organization. Microsoft Research has developed into a unique entity among corporate research facilities, balancing an open academic model with an effective process for transferring its research to product development teams. Today, Microsoft Research has more than 1,100 world-renowned scientists and engineers, including some of the world’s finest computer scientists, sociologists, psychologists, mathematicians, physicists and engineers, working across more than 55 areas of research. Microsoft Research has expanded globally to ensure that it can attract the richest pool of talent with 13 worldwide labs, including Microsoft Research India, based in Bangalore. ______________________ Mary L. Gray Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research New England, Cambridge MA Associate Professor, Communication and Culture Adjunct Faculty, American Studies; Anthropology; Gender Studies Indiana University, Bloomington mLg at qcentral dot edu www dot maryLgray dot org @maryLgray

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CFP: Computer Culture (SWPACA Conference, February 19-22, 2014)
by Andrew Shi-hwa Chen 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

Computer Culture area 35th Annual Southwest Popular / American Culture Association Conference February 19-22, 2014 Hyatt Regency, Albuquerque, NM www.southwestpca.org <http://www.swtxpca.org> We are accepting papers and forming panels for the area of Computer Culture, as one of the many areas within the 35th annual conference of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (SWPACA). The conference was formerly named the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association (SW/TX PCA/ACA). Computer is broadly defined as any computational device, whether smartphone or abacus, and any form of information technology, including the origins of concepts of interactive text which may predate computational devices as traditionally conceived. Culture is rooted in the concept of cultural meaning. We ask not just operational questions such as, "How do people communicate using computers?" but questions of meaning such as, "What does it mean when people communicate using computers instead of using pre-computer approaches to communication?" "Computer Culture" can be understood in a variety of ways: - the culture of the computer, that is, as computers interact with each other, what culture do they have of their own? - the culture around the computer, that is, (sub)cultures associated with the production, maintenance, use, and destruction of computers - the culture through the computer, that is, explicit treatment of how computer mediation influences cultural phenomena that exist or has existed in forms that did not involve computer mediation, and what these influences mean - the culture by the computer, that is, the ways in which new (sub)cultures or (sub)cultural phenomena have arisen because of computers and understandings of these given awareness of the nature and/or workings of computers Example questions associated with Computer Culture would include, but not be limited to: - What implications are there because of the powerfulness of (computer/information) technology ___ and are these implications beneficial, detrimental, inevitable, or avoidable? - What are the cultural origins of computers, computer/information technologies, and practices (such as ____) associated with them? What is the descriptive and prescriptive outlook for the conditions of those cultural forces associated with those cultural origins? - How do cultural forces (such as changes from one generation to the next, trends in education or society, or other cultural phenomena) impact (and are impacted by) computer/information technologies/market-forces, and what do these impacts (in either direction or both) mean? Paper topics might include (but are not limited to) those that address: - issues of (re)presentation through computers (Web site analysis and design), - methods of discourse involving computers (blogging, Twitter, social networks, viral video, live feeds), - theories focused on the relationship between computers and culture, - uses of computers in particular contexts and the impacts thereof (computers and pedagogy, online literary journals), - the relationship between computers and cultural forces (such as news, politics, and terrorism), - security/privacy/fraud and computers (online security issues, spam, scams, and hoaxes), - and others. While we will consider any relevant paper, we have a preference for those that involve transferable methodological approaches. This is an interdisciplinary conference, and other conference attendees would benefit from being able to adapt your research methods to their future research. Scholars, teachers, professionals, artists, and others interested in computer culture are encouraged to participate. Graduate students are also particularly welcome with award opportunities for the best graduate papers. More information about awards can be found at http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/ Specifically, we would like to highlight the following award opportunities: - The "Computer Culture and Game Studies Award" - The "Heldrich-Dvorak Travel Fellowships" Given how papers may often fall into multiple categories, there may be other award opportunities listed at http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/ which would be appropriate for your paper. (However, each presenter may only apply for one – not including the Travel Fellowships, which can be in addition.) If you wish to form your own panel, we would be glad to facilitate your needs. This conference is a presentation opportunity. For a publication opportunity, we encourage you to consider submitting your paper to the Southwest PCA/ACA’s new journal, Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, at http://journaldialogue.org/call-for-papers/ Please pass along this call to friends and colleagues. For consideration, submit 100-200 word abstracts and proposals for panels before Friday, November 1, 2013 to the conference’s electronic submission system which can be found at: http://conference2014.southwestpca.org/ If you have any questions, contact the Computer Culture area co-chairs, Andrew Chen (andrewsw(a)gmail.com) and Joseph Chaney (jchaney(a)iusb.edu)

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data collection from online forums
by Yeshua-Katz, Daphna 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

Dear AoIRs, I am writing to see if you have recommendations for a Mac software that can download a online forum messages for content analysis. Data should not only include the title but also the message content. Am just trying to find an easier way than manually opening hundreds of messages in Hebrew (right to left text direction that mac hates) and copy pasting them to text edit. Any advice would me much appreciated! Cheers, Daphna Daphna Yeshua-Katz Department of Telecommunications Indiana University www.indiana.edu/~telecom/people/grads/dyeshuak.shtml<http://www.indiana.edu/~telecom/people/grads/dyeshuak.shtml>

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CFP-Workshop on Robust Socio-technical Architectures in Support of Displaced Persons
by Andrea H. Tapia 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION – CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - DEC. 4-5, 2013 Workshop on Robust Socio-technical Architectures in Support of Displaced Persons (DPEW ‘13) Population displacement is a growing problem, with 41.3 million persons displaced globally in 2011. Whether driven from their homes by armed conflict, natural disasters, or climate change, the displaced experience acute demands for connectivity, communication and connectedness. This workshop will define a research agenda with the goal of helping displaced persons meet their information and communication needs. By defining research goals in areas spanning technical designs, theories of information needs and organizational IT governance, the resulting socio-technical architecture will promote development of robust and rapidly deployable technologies. We seek talented and imaginative academics and practitioners from a variety of scientific disciplines, including computer, information, organization and geographic information sciences, communication and refugee studies, as well as practitioners with experience related to shelter or refugee camp management. Examples of topics of interest include, but are not limited to: • Wireless network access technologies for limited power and backhaul in dense populations • Social network and self-organization technologies for displaced persons • Conflict and convergence in meeting aid organizations’ and individuals’ information needs • Integrated mapping and social networks for personal safety • Challenges for implementing research on displaced persons The workshop will be held in Cape Town, South Africa on Dec. 4-5, 2013, in advance of the joint ACM DEV Conference and 6th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD2013), being held jointly at the University of Cape Town, Dec. 6-10, 2013. The workshop will be small (~25 participants) and highly participatory. Applicants are asked to submit 1) a 1-page, single-spaced position paper highlighting their intellectual contribution to the workshop, 2) a 1-page biography or 2-page CV, including a website link where available, and 3) up to three published articles. Submissions are due Monday, September 9th and notifications will be made by Wednesday, September 25th. For those invited to participate, the workshop will provide hotel rooms (double occupancy) and meals for all participants. Additionally, participants will receive full or partial travel reimbursement, with the amount dependent on country of residence. Non-U.S. participants will receive $800, and U.S. participants will receive a maximum of $1,970 for allowable expenses. Prior to workshop attendance, participants will be required to submit payment forms, with all payments to be made following the workshop. For more information and submission instructions see the workshop website at https://sites.google.com/site/dpew13/ or email the organizers (Carleen Maitland, Penn State University and Elizabeth Belding, UC Santa Barbara) at displaced-workshop(a)ist.psu.edu. This workshop is made possible through a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

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Re: [Air-L] digital ethnography and social media network analysis training
by Taylor-Smith, Ella 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

hi Ella Helpful for ethics: Beaulieu, A. and Estalella, A. (2012). Rethinking research ethics for mediated settings. In Information, Communication and Society, 15 (1), pp23-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2010.535838 Intro to SNA Dr Louise Cooke presented a workshop session introducing social network analysis at the the first DREaM workshop on 25th October 2011 http://lisresearch.org/dream-project/dream-event-2-workshop-tuesday-25-octo… -Ella Ella Taylor-Smith Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation Edinburgh Napier University 10 Colinton Road Edinburgh, EH10 5DT Email: e.taylor-smith(a)napier.ac.uk http://www.iidi.napier.ac.uk/e.taylor-smith http://about.me/EllaTaylorSmith @EllaTasm Edinburgh Napier University offers industry informed courses which combine the optimum balance of theory and practice to equip graduates for success in today's competitive global job market. 92.3% of our graduates are in work or further study within six months of leaving. With over 17,000 students from over 110 countries, we are an international University and are also proud to be the largest UK provider of higher education in Hong Kong. This message is intended for the addressee(s) only and should not be read, copied or disclosed to anyone else outwith the University without the permission of the sender. It is your responsibility to ensure that this message and any attachments are scanned for viruses or other defects. Edinburgh Napier University does not accept liability for any loss or damage which may result from this email or any attachment, or for errors or omissions arising after it was sent. Email is not a secure medium. Email entering the University's system is subject to routine monitoring and filtering by the University. Edinburgh Napier University is a registered Scottish charity. Registration number SC018373

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digital ethnography and social media network analysis training
by E.McPherson＠lse.ac.uk 16 Aug '13

16 Aug '13

Dear all, I am writing to see if you have recommendations for courses/training in digital ethnography and in social media network analysis - either MOOCs or ideally located in the UK (though I am willing to travel if necessary!). Additionally, any books/resource recommendations would also be greatly appreciated. Many thanks for any advice. Ella McPherson LSE Fellow in Media and Communications London School of Economics and Political Science Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://lse.ac.uk/emailDisclaimer

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Position Announcement-Global Media and Technology-Texas A&M
by Randy Kluver 15 Aug '13

15 Aug '13

Associate or Full Professor, Global Media and Technology, Texas A&M University, Department of Communication The Department of Communication at Texas A&M University invites applications for an Associate or Full Professor in Global Media and Technology starting September 1, 2014. This position is intended to enhance our strategic initiative in Global Media and Technology, which explores the relationships between global media, information technology, and new media. This position offers a unique opportunity for a senior scholar to provide leadership in moving a growing program into a place of national and international prominence. Scholars able to teach courses and direct research in Telecommunication & Media Studies, with a strong research program on global media and/or technology, are invited to apply. Experience with grant funding is desirable. We particularly invite applications from scholars who can help to develop collaborative programming with other key initiatives, including a departmental emphasis on Civic Discourse and Leadership and the university-wide Initiative for Digital Humanities, Media, and Culture. Texas A&M is an internationally prominent university with a global reach (including a branch campus in Doha, Qatar, and international study centers in Costa Rica and Italy), and international impact. Our close proximity to some of the nation's largest cities also provides opportunities for collaboration with media corporations and other top universities in highly diverse metropolitan areas. The department offers the PhD, MA, and BA degrees, and has 20 tenure-track faculty members, 45 graduate students, and over 1000 undergraduate majors. Further information regarding the department is available at: http://comm.tamu.edu. Texas A&M is a research-intensive flagship university with more than 53,000 students, including 10,000 graduate students, making it the sixth largest university in the United States. The student body includes 26% African American, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan Native students, as well as approximately 5000 international students from 124 countries. We seek candidates who can teach in a diverse and global classroom. Texas A&M ranks among the top universities nationally in total research expenditures (with more than $700 million dollars per year), and in total endowment funds. We are an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, deeply committed to diversity, and respond to the needs of dual-career couples. To receive fullest consideration, applicants should apply by November 1, 2013, but applications will continue to be accepted until the positions are filled. A PhD and strong record of scholarship and teaching are required; successful candidates will be expected to contribute to the department in the areas of teaching, research, and service. Interested candidates should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and the names of three references to: Randy Kluver (rkluver(a)tamu.edu<mailto:rkluver@tamu.edu>). Department of Communication, 4234 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4234. Phone: (979) 845-5500; FAX: (979) 845-6594 (emailed applications are preferred). References will not be contacted without permission. -- Randy Kluver, Ph.D. Executive Director, Global Program Support Global Partnerships and Projects Associate Professor, Department of Communication Texas A&M University Bizzell Hall West 253 | 3371 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3371| USA Tel. +1 979.845.3099

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CFP - one month left for Surveillance, Games and Play
by Jennifer Whitson 15 Aug '13

15 Aug '13

Hello, There is one month left to get your submission in for the special issue of * Surveillance & Society<http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/surveillance-and-society/announceme…> *on surveillance, games and play. The deadline for submissions is September 15th, and the issue will be published this upcoming spring. We're really excited by all the interest this issue has generated and would like to make it truly phenomenal, so please contact either Bart Simon or I if you have any questions- or if you have a stellar Eve Online paper that must be published. ;) The full CFP is below. *CFP Surveillance, Games and Play * The games we play on our computers, iPads, and video game consoles are watching us. They track our every online move and send data on who we are, how we play, and whom we play with back to game and virtual world publishers such as Sony and Microsoft. Two events in the summer of 2011 exemplify the need to study surveillance in games: a hacker attack against Sony's Playstation Network compromised over 77 million user accounts including credit card numbers, while iPhone users discovered hidden code in their devices that tracked their movements and secretly sent this data back to Apple. This form of consumer surveillance that targets players has eluded critical appraisal in both the games studies and surveillanceliterature. The games we play are not only watching us, but are leveraging surveillance to mold us into better students, workers, and consumers, as evidenced by the growth of gamification applications that combine playful design and feedback mechanisms from games with users' social profiles (e.g. Facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn) in non-game applications explicitly geared to drive behavioural change. Accordingly, traditional surveillance activities are transformed through their combination with playful frames of reference and game-like elements. Yet, as argued by Anders Albrechtslund and Lynsey Dubbeld in volume 3(2/3) of this journal, surveillance is fun. It is an essential component of many games and virtual worlds. It enables family to find each other and playtogether online, such as when adult children who live thousands of miles away challenge their parents to a *Words with Friends *scrabble match over Facebook. Surveillance allows game companies to match strangers with similar skill sets and play-styles together in multiplayer games, thus increasing the flow of the game and players' mutual enjoyment. Surveillancefacilitates coordinated teamwork and sophisticated game economies, exemplified by informational tools such as the damage mods and kill-point monitors created by players for massively-multiplayer online games. Surveillance also makes online games and virtual worlds safe for children and young adults, restricting both the use of inappropriate language and content, as well as prohibiting the entry of potentially dangerous adults. Moreover, surveillance is pleasurable. As game company Valve found when they forayed into biometrics (i.e. measuring galvanic skin response and arousal levels), players are more engaged when they can see how they affect their opponents' own physiological responses. We, as players, like to watch our opponents, anticipating what they will do next. We also use surveillanceto improve our prowess and extend our moments of victory by using recording software and game replay functions This theme issue is dedicated to balancing two very different sides of surveillance: surveillance as a technology of corporate governance and surveillance as a technology of pleasure and play. *Possible research areas might include (but are not limited to):* - The role of surveillance in enabling play and games - The role of play and games in normalizing surveillance - Surveillance as gameplay or surveillance as a game mechanic - Playful surveillance applications - Playful representations of surveillance - Playful resistance to surveillance - Issues of identity, anonymity and pseudonymity in online games and virtual worlds - Online visibilities and the relationship between game publishers and user populations - The implications of using data gathered in-game for non-game applications - The use of surveillance and the representation of surveillance in online games, virtual worlds, and/or gamified applications, including topics such as: - Games that educate users about privacy and surveillance - End-User Licensing Agreements, Terms of Service, and awareness of surveillance - Applications of social networking services, locational data, and GPS devices in games and play - Uses of data gathering services, screen-capture tools, and recorded gameplay sessions - The surveillance of children and youth in virtual worlds and games - State and police use of in-game data for surveillance, tracking, behavioral profiling etc. - Surveillance and the competitive, professional e-sports gamingindustry - Data mining, game metrics, and targeted advertising in the game industry This is not intended to be an exclusive listing of possibilities for this edition. Other possibilities are welcomed and encouraged and can be discussed in advance with the guest-editors: Jennifer R.Whitson<j.whitson(a)concordia.ca>and Bart Simon <bart.simon(a)concordia.ca>. All papers must be submitted through the online submission system no later than *September 15th 2013*, for publication in *March 2014.* Click here<http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/surveillance-and-society/announceme…>for further information on submissions. Thanks, Jennifer R. Whitson, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Technoculture Arts and Games Research Centre Concordia University Montreal, Canada

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