Collaborative game development with indigenous communities; A theoretical model for ethnocultural empathy

This thesis studies how collaboratively designed games can be used as a means to empathically share cultural perspectives and emotions between unrelated communities. The paper also discusses some of the diversity issues present within the video game industry, especially those dealing with Indigenous cultural content, and to promote the “world games” movement of inclusive game production. The project began with an examination of various concepts that make up the current psychological theory of empathy. Academic findings on cultural empathy were specifically explored, and Wang et. al’s (2003) theory of ethnocultural empathy was examined. A literature review continued with further examination of the methods for empathic game design and production. The literature also considered how specific game elements and practices of intercultural sensitivity function within collaborative game design and development, leading to a more in-depth study of co-development with Indigenous communities. From this, two theoretical models were developed and proposed. The Ethnocultural Empathy Analysis model looked specifically at methods for e-empathic game design, and the Intercultural Sensitivity model presented reflective questions for Indigenous co-development. These models were then applied to three game project case studies. Two of the studies examined the commercial games, Never Alone and Mulaka. The third study, the Sámi Game Jam, included a personal reflection of my first-hand experience in an Indigenous co-development setting. Finally, the results of this thesis proposed ways that games, as a unique, interactive medium, can be successfully used to both address, and even eliminate, much of the cultural disconnection and ignorance present in today’s world

Challenging the Computational Metaphor: Implications for How We Think

This paper explores the role of the traditional computational metaphor in our thinking as computer scientists, its influence on epistemological styles, and its implications for our understanding of cognition. It proposes to replace the conventional metaphor--a sequence of steps--with the notion of a community of interacting entities, and examines the ramifications of such a shift on these various ways in which we think

Beyond The Page: Multimodal Lab-Based Research and Development in Creative Writing

This collection acts as the supporting evidence of the hypothesis that, while acting as Graduate Director of SIU’s Digital Xpressions Lab, Matthew Gordon was able to successfully provide effective support for the digital expression of collaborator’s and client\u27s domains of knowledge while forming innovative research partnerships with academics within the SIU system and beyond. A unique form for a MFA in Creative Writing’s thesis, this collection represents the multimodal creative work a contemporary narrative designer can undertake in a single academic year when given the ability to lead a facility like Southern Illinois University’s Digital Xpressions Lab. Qualitative evidence in the form of Digital Xpressions Lab Collaborator Statements and quantitative evidence in the form of media exemplifying multimodal creative work are collected herein. Sections begin with brief descriptions of their topics as they pertain to Matthew Gordon’s thesis objectives while acting as the Graduate Director of SIU’s Digital Xpressions Lab from fall 2022 - spring 2023. A selection of supporting media from Matthew’s full portfolio has been included in sections where relevant

Professional competency of modern specialist: means of formation, development and improvement

The modern scientific and methodical approaches to the study and analysis of professional competence that are in line with the state requirements for reforming education and the tendencies of introducing a competent approach as one of the key factors of today's vocational education are analyzed. The emphasis is placed on the fact that implementation of the competence approach should include the use of professional training of real professional tasks with the orientation of future professionals to analyze the results of their own professional activities and decisions. The basic principles of professional training of future managers of economic security are determined. It has been established that the professional training of future managers of economic security should be carried out on a modular basis

Video Calls Interaction between Secondary Students and Foreign Teachers: An Experience on Intercultural Awareness

El presente proyecto de investigación surgió de la necesidad de desarrollar la Conciencia Intercultural en la clase de inglés en estudiantes de secundaria de un colegio en Bogotá. Uno de los objetivos propuestos fue el de planear, desarrollar y evaluar ciertas interacciones orales a través de videollamadas, una herramienta de Comunicación Mediada por Computador, para establecer su impacto en la Conciencia Intercultural de los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera. El eje de la propuesta fue el Aprendizaje Combinado (BL por sus siglas en inglés), en el cual, seis planes de clase fundamentados en ii Aprendizaje Basado en Tareas, fusionados con el uso de videollamadas, facilitaron la interacción oral en inglés con profesores extranjeros. Este fue un estudio cualitativo que tuvo en cuenta los pasos de una investigación acción. El análisis interpretativo de los resultados se basó en la Teoría Fundamentada, y, a través de la triangulación de los datos provenientes de tres fuentes surgieron los siguientes resultados: primero, las videollamadas con profesores extranjeros les proporcionaron a los estudiantes elementos importantes para lograr un mayor desarrollo de su Conciencia Intercultural. Segundo, al desarrollar la Conciencia Intercultural de los estudiantes, se potenciaron sus habilidades de Interacción Oral, y, de esta manera, se facilitó el establecimiento de una comunicación efectiva.The current research project was born from the need to develop students’ Intercultural Awareness (ICA) in the English class in secondary students of a school in Bogota. One of the proposed objectives was: planning, developing and evaluating some Oral Interactions through video calls, a Computer Mediated Communication tool, to establish their impact on EFL students’ Intercultural Awareness. The basis of the proposal was Blended Learning (BL), in which six lesson plans based on TBL combined with video calls facilitated some oral interactions in English with foreign teachers. It was a qualitative study following the steps of an action research. The interpretive analysis of the results followed the Grounded Theory Approach and through the data triangulation of three sources the following findings were produced: first, video calls with foreign teachers gave the learners important elements for reaching a higher development of their Intercultural Awareness. Second, by developing the students’ ICA their oral interaction skills enhanced, and, in that way, they were more likely to establish an effective communication

The digital skin of cities: urban theory and research in the age of the sensored and metered city, ubiquitous computing and big data

A ‘digital skin’ of the city is coming into being. This skin consists of a sensored and metered urban environment. The urban world is becoming a platform for generating data on the workings of human society, human interactions with the physical environment and manifold economic, political and social processes. The advent of the digital skin opens up many questions for urban theory and research, and many new issues for public and urban policy, which are explored in this article

HEALING COMMUNITIES. What if we collectively had the capacity to overcome any crisis in a matter of days? A method for teams of teams to: listen to each other, agree on priorities, put in commons resources, create few but essential and freely adaptable solutions.

Ever since I was young, I have sought to find how to contribute meaningfully to the community, while being fully myself. Called to different interests than my peers, I began to explore the mysteries of group dynamics. Many cycles of study and practice led me to an awareness: suffering, misery (physical and spiritual), violence, are often generated by stories we learn as children, and pass on through generations. I became convinced that, within months, we could ensure that all people could live decently and in harmony, if we dared to listen – literally and symbolically – to our Heart, to the Other’s. We would commit ourselves to a path that celebrates our Humanity, connects us to Nature within and beyond, and nourishes our Souls. Indeed, tackling complex, wicked challenges requires abandoning the logic of a machine-body, the illusion of technical solutions built without personal commitment, so that we can raise our collective, human consciousness. This means providing ways for the whole population to listen to their different realities, and to quickly reach a popular consensus on how to overcome these challenges in ways that strengthen solidarity. According to the creator of Captcha tests, a million people could translate Wikipedia into a new language in 80 hours. Let us imagine what such a group could achieve if they had the capacity to sincerely agree on essential common projects, and implement them in a matter of days – free/libre and open source knowledge and infrastructures that could easily be adopted, reproduced and enriched across territories? This five-part thesis documents six years of intense creation and research that enabled me to design how such a process could unfold. * * * First, I present my journey to the PhD, and how my research took shape through cycles of prototyping. I introduce the idea of the commons, which is to understand that people – not corporations or the state – have all the resources needed to overcome the challenges we face. This builds on the oeuvre of Elinor Ostrom, who showed that ordinary people can self-organise efficiently to preserve resources, and Stefano Rodotà, who pledged that any resource that meets basic needs must be managed in a participatory way, regardless of who owns it. Secondly, I talk about Breathing Games, a commons I co-founded to make respiratory health fun. I show how this initiative, which initially objectified the children concerned – by thinking their health in their place –, then opened up a space for young people to share their subjective experience in a playful way that was beneficial to their comrades. I share how an ethic and aesthetic of commoning enabled us to engage over 450 volunteers, and mutualise resources from Canada, Switzerland, France, Italy, and South Korea. Thirdly, I propose four levers to build solidarity-driven ecosystems. We need to: — bring diverse people together for ludic events to overcome loneliness. For example, the online hackathons that mobilised 150,000 people at the start of the crown-crisis. — generate collective value to overcome material limitations. For example, the autonomous networks of makers, who shared designs and manufactured over 48 million medical supplies while industry was at a standstill. — facilitate agreements across teams of teams to overcome power games. For example, the Emerging Change, developed in Quebec schools and a Swiss multinational, enables teams to thrive and excel by establishing a ritual dialogue between the whole team and its leader, thus avoiding competition between individuals. — revisit collective narratives to break free from self-servitude. For example, challenging the belief that an authority – parent, teacher, employer, politician, caregiver – can take care of our needs better than we can. Fourthly, I present the Geneva festival ’taking care together’, a nine-day event created in 122 days thanks to 115 co-hosts. I quantify the collective value created by the Breathing Games and the festival at 2.2 million Swiss francs, 4/5 of which was generated by volunteer contributions. Next, I provide a step-by-step facilitation method that could help thousands of people coordinate their efforts around a limited number of modular projects. I then outline how this model could re-create education, eradicate systemic corruption, resurrect democracy, and heal our dis-ease when we over-invest in the mind. Finally, I summarise what I have learnt, and list about 600 references that inspired me. This creation-as-research can be freely reproduced and enriched (Creative Commons BY-SA licence, editable LaTeX format). Concordia Salus

Music Scholars and Open Access Publishing

Interviews with twenty-one music scholars in various subdisciplines explored experiences and motivations that led them to publish their work OA as well as factors that have discouraged them from doing so. Each participant discussed the availability of OA publishing opportunities in their subdisciplines of music, how these are perceived, how they are evolving, and how they compare to opportunities in other disciplines. Participants also spoke to ways in which institutions support or value OA. The authors found that perspectives on OA publishing among music scholars vary considerably, ranging from those who identify as “an evangelist for open access” to those who are “totally against it.” Several issues stand out for their interactions with OA publishing: green OA, peer review, pedagogy vs. “serious” scholarship, digital humanities, prestige publishing, tenure and promotion, and employment status. For OA to be sustainable, it will need infrastructure and systems that reward reviewers, editors, and authors for their labor. The authors hope that this paper will foster conversations within the community of music scholars about the desirability of such changes

Internet Predictions

More than a dozen leading experts give their opinions on where the Internet is headed and where it will be in the next decade in terms of technology, policy, and applications. They cover topics ranging from the Internet of Things to climate change to the digital storage of the future. A summary of the articles is available in the Web extras section