Scipedia: Documents published in 2010

Multimedia in digital media. Multimedia elements and retrieval systems in the leading Spanish online newspapers

Scipedia content — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:02:03 +0200

We show the results of a study about the presence of multimedia content in the leading Spanish online newspapers, over a period of six months (October 2009 to March 2010) and describe the search and retrieval systems for these contents. The main conclusions are: unequal presence of photography, video and graphics; stability and no increase in multimedia features for the period of the study, and differences in the quality of multimedia search.

Web 2.0 in online newspapers of Latin America, Spain and Portugal

Scipedia content — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:01:53 +0200

The present article analyzes the presence and the type of use of the platforms and resources of the web 2.0 in the principal online newspapers of Latin America. The results derive from a recent study of 70 online mass media of Latin America, Spain and Portugal with the aim to diagnose the presence of the social web, the type of application of Web 2.0 resources and how these modify the concept of a web newspaper.

Presence and contents of blogs in the leading Spanish digital newspapers

Scipedia content — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:01:44 +0200

The digital media has proven successful with a specific type of information which is of great interest to those readers, accustomed to using diverse technology that furnishes them with the news on a variety of platforms: internet newspapers, information on social networks, informative documents on video, etc. This article studies how the blogs have created their own niche among the readers of digital press and how they have been incorporated into the digital newspapers to the point where they now have their own section. A special study is also made of the main Spanish digital daily papers.

User generated content: a state of the situation

Scipedia content — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:01:34 +0200

The conceptual relationships between what has been called citizen journalism, participatory journalism and crowdsourcing journalism in the context of the evolution of user-generated content (UGC) in the media are examined. The research on user participation in the media, since the first studies of interactivity to the most recent work addressing specific issues such as quality or control, is also reviewed.

Research on online journalism in Spain. The path towards consolidation

Scipedia content — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:01:25 +0200

We review the development of research in Online Journalism in Spain from the mid-90s to the present, presenting an overview of research carried out on this subject and describing the main research groups. The ups and downs of research and their effect on the state of current and future research are also detailed.

International research on online journalism: hypertext, interactivity, multimedia and convergence

Scipedia content — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:01:15 +0200

This article aims to offer the state of the art of international research in online journalism. This work focuses its attention on four of the main features of the field. Three of these comprise the characteristics of digital discourse: hypertextuality, interactivity and multimediality; the fourth one is media convergence, one of the most prolific fields in recent years. A review of literature reveals the evolution of approaches and methodologies used in the last 20 years.

Structural Analysis of Masonry Historical Constructions. Classical and Advanced Approaches

María Jesús Samper — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 13:36:09 +0200

A review of methods applicable to the study of masonry historical construction, encompassing both classical and advanced ones, is presented. Firstly, the paper offers a discussion on the main challenges posed by historical structures and the desirable conditions that approaches oriented to the modeling and analysis of this type of structures should accomplish. Secondly, the main available methods which are actually used for study masonry historical structures are referred to and discussed.

The main available strategies, including limit analysis, simplified methods, FEM macro- or micro-modeling and discrete element methods (DEM) are considered with regard to their realism, computer efficiency, data availability and real applicability to large structures. A set of final considerations are offered on the real possibility of carrying out realistic analysis of complex historic masonry structures. In spite of the modern developments, the study of historical buildings is still facing significant difficulties linked to computational effort, possibility of input data acquisition and limited realism of methods.

A crack-tracking technique for localized damage in quasi-brittle materials

María Jesús Samper — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 12:51:36 +0200

This work presents a procedure to simulate the growth and propagation of localized tensile cracks on quasi-brittle materials. The so-called smeared damage approach, which consists in standard finite elements and local nonlinear constitutive laws, is recovered and improved in order to represent crack localization and avoid spurious mesh-bias dependence in the discrete problem. This is achieved by means of the implementation of a local crack-tracking algorithm which can reproduce individual (discrete) cracks and ensure objectivity of the finite element problem solution. The performance of the localized damage model is stressed by means of the analyses of structural case-studies. Compared to the Smeared Crack Approach in its original form, the presented procedure shows clearly a better capacity to predict realistic collapse mechanisms. The proposed tracking technique is relatively inexpensive.

Information resources on comics. State of the question

Scipedia content — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 10:16:14 +0200

Although the comic has been with us much longer than other arts considered as such without prejudice, there are currently no appropriate search tools that allow us to study this publication genre, so there is a considerable information vacuum in this respect. We briefly discuss the reasons that led to this neglect, and how to end this vicious circle that increasingly isolates the comic from the other arts.

Economic value of information

Scipedia content — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 10:07:09 +0200

Review of concepts related to costs, prices and value of information, overview of the global information market, takeovers in 2009 and trends on strategies to sell information.

Innovation: patterns, trends and insights into information

Scipedia content — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 10:06:24 +0200

Innovation is a continuous need to improve and to adapt to changes, and even anticipate them, to maintain or increase competitive advantage over those with activities similar to ours. Analytical and interpretive approaches to innovation are commented, and the principles of closed and open innovation are set out. The latter follows the current trend 2.0 of sharing and being transparent in order to benefit from present a good image to clients and users. Information professionals are in a unique position both to innovate in their work and to help others do so, but their traditional conservative position of preserving materials and following strict standards requires them to maintain a certain balance.

Reading (and managing) blogs from mobile devices

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:58 +0200

Accessing the Web from mobile devices sometimes entails difficulties due to the technical and physical characteristics of these appliances. There are several methods for improving the reading of blogs on these devices: on the one hand, readers can use an aggregator; on the other hand, bloggers can use free online services, install plug-ins in the content management system or create new templates. These methods and others that help to manage blogs from mobile devices are explained.

Mobile devices for content access in 2009: the Web, reading and libraries

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:50 +0200

The year we left behind was marked by a growing interest in mobile devices as a way to access content, from searching the internet to reading e-books. While we are in a time of incipient adoption of these devices, expectations placed on them include breaking the digital divide and becoming the main form of web access in the future. In the field of libraries, the initiatives in Spain are still timid and have set their sights mainly on the loan of e-book readers and content adaptation. A current outlook on mobile devices is sketched out, focusing on the Spanish area and the possibilities presented to its libraries.

User interfaces of tomorrow, today: are mobile devices the needed impetus?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:42 +0200

Review of new technologies based on touch screens, voice and gestures for user interfaces. Several models and prototypes are described. The importance of usability (size, weight, design), performance, and price for the success of a new application or device is considered.

Ethical implications of data mining

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:34 +0200

Data mining is the process of analyzing large data sets to discover behaviour patterns and predict future actions. Data mining has many useful applications, but also has an exploratory approach that makes questionable the validity of certain deductions. Using personal information for predictive purposes has a direct impact on the lives of people and therefore requires acting in a framework of liability. A code of ethics is necessary.

Usability and user experience

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:27 +0200

Conferences, books, blogs, forums, magazines and courses related to the disciplines of usability, interaction and user experience have shown that the year 2009 saw some deepening in user-centered design techniques and gave more prominence to two key issues: web 2.0 sites and mobile devices designs. To this we must add the launch of interactive games based on augmented reality, a further step in interaction that, coupled with what the Wii offered us a couple of years ago, enables us to see where the videogame industry may be going, as well as the trends in interaction in the coming years.

Rich internet applications (RIA): the plurality of contents

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:20 +0200

The article outlines the main features of the RIA technologies (Rich internet applications). The contents packaged with RIA technology are updated independently and, among other benefits, ensure interoperability between platforms and formats, so they can generate multi-platform contents.

From e-mail to dynamic conversation: communication as a document

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:14 +0200

Social networking systems based on messaging are occupying a spaceof communication and information that seemed restricted to email. However, the launch of Google Wave has put the possibilities of mail back on the table, if they are integrated into platforms that provide mechanisms for cooperative response andmore flexible collaborative editing.

Reflections concerning "infoxication"

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:19:06 +0200

Thoughts on information services strategies to fit with the routines of personal information management that users adopt in a digital information overload (infoxication) setting. The patterns of information use, as well as the breaking points of the information use routines that serve as creative instants of reorganization and streamlining of the burden of stored personal information, are the starting point of the proposed debate on responses to infoxication, both in terms of planning for resources and services and of guiding and training users. The conclusion is reached that in this information overload setting, regular archiving or discarding of information adds value to the information retained, but infoxication happens just at a time when no action is imperative to optimize limited analog space, given the marginal costs of digital storage or access.

Software for information access. 2009 market situation

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:59 +0200

The findings of the “information access software” analyses released in September 2009 by the IT consultancy company Gartner Group are summarized. This term refers to various software applications from publishers like Microsoft, Zylab, Oracle, Autonomy, Google, etc., used for both structured and unstructured data and for information retrieval and analysis. The contribution also describes the characteristics of the “magic quadrant”, a visual representation offered by Gartner to reflect the position in the market of the software publishers considering their vision and their ability to execute.

2009 technology review and predictions for 2010

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:52 +0200

Throughout 2009 we have seen a number of technology trends that according to the views of most analysts will have a greater role in 2010. Growth and centralization of social networks, the explosion (and future decline?) of communication and real-time search, the proliferation of cloud services, SaaS and virtualization, the emergence of social software applied to Enterprise 2.0, the growing OS war in the cloud, increased internet access using mobile devices, and the emergence of other technologies at home and away, from 3D to augmented reality. Finally, we consider whether we’ll see in 2010 the beginning of the “death of the website concept”.

Open access to science: 2009 report, and 2010 prospects

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:44 +0200

The major events in Spain during 2009 in the field of Open access to science are described and contextualized with the international environment. We offer 2009 statistical data and discuss the main achievements in three broad areas: repositories, journals and policies. The report ends with the 2010 prospects for each of the areas.

Social reference managers: scientific information in the 2.0 environment

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:36 +0200

In a few years we have evolved from bibliographic reference managers that only worked offline to management systems on the Web as a research tool. They make it easy to share, add and tag references. They support scientific discovery through the networks that are created between researchers’ personal bibliographies on related topics.

Dr. Paper & Mr. Web

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:29 +0200

The critical attitude of many scientists and information professionals to the information published in the academic web, which is usually less valued than that available in scientific journals, is surprising. The article proposes that the Web should be taken seriously and techniques be developed for describing and evaluating the quality of web resources, which offer an opportunity for information professionals and users like students, scholars or researchers. Traditional document analysis is suggested, with the added value of describing the electronic address, size and format and using the possibilities of link analysis. Finally, the usefulness of the free bibliographic databases like Google Scholar and Scirus is discussed.

Thoughts and best practices on the personal pages in the academic webspace

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:21 +0200

The Web is an important source of information in the academic sector, although many professors and researchers still do not maximize its potential. Missing or poor content is especially common on many personal or group sites. We propose a model with large and diverse content, strongly interlinked to represent the author’s network of contacts and experiences, and with a statistics system to monitor the number of visits and visitors. These pages can be complemented with Web 2.0 tools, but always subordinated to the personal page contents.

Role of publishing services in the improvement of university scientific journals

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:14 +0200

This article shows the role that universities’ Publishing Services, as publishers of journals, can fill in quality improvement and rationalization of scientific publishing.

Toward data management in university research: the Data asset framework initiative

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:18:06 +0200

Libraries and various agencies are beginning to value research data as an academic product. This situation is bringing out new skills among information professionals, especially in university libraries that are beginning to launch the first proposals, testing methodologies and exploring solutions to begin protecting our users’ research data. We explain one of these initiatives undertaken by the university libraries in the UK, the Data Asset Framework (DAF) initiative. The objective of this project is to identify the characteristics and conditions of the data generated by professors and researchers and use the results to create a framework allowing the implementation of policies for the conservation and preservation of research data.

Data sharing in science: the context of an opportunity

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:59 +0200

The issue of sharing research data has always been present in the scientific community; however, the current state of technology has revived the debate. For this reason, and following a special issue of the journal Nature on the topic, we review the main features of this practice. First, we introduce the existing arguments for and against data sharing; in the next section we show how some agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (USA) already require their funded investigators to make their study data freely available to the rest of the scientific community. In this context, agencies understand that data sharing maximizes the return on public investment in R & D. In the conclusions we discuss the role that university libraries can play in data preservation, noting that we have an excellent opportunity to acquire new responsibilities.

Google Scholar: a tool for the evaluation of science?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:52 +0200

Google Scholar (GS) is a search engine that specializes in scientific information and in the identification of the citations that academic papers receive, making it a strong competitor for other citations indexes like Scopus and Web of Science. For this reason, several studies have attempted to evaluate its capacity as a bibliometric tool. Due to this interest, we present an introduction to its use. We discuss the following disadvantages: not all documents indexed in GS can be considered academic; it is not a transparent product because it offers no information on the sources covered; with respect to scientific journals, there is uneven coverage of the disciplines; its interface is too basic; there is an absolute lack of standardization in data; GS does not solve the citation problem; and, like Web of Science and Scopus, there are huge gaps in its coverage.

Spanish journals in WoS

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:45 +0200

The number of Spanish journals indexed in the database Web of science is analyzed. It has grown from 44 in 2005 to 149 in 2009. Yet it seems that Spain is not adequately represented in relation to its scientific and publishing potential. The Spain presence in Scopus is considerably larger, with 223 journals.

Academia and collective science

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:39 +0200

The organization of science is based on scientific communication media. New technologies in information and knowledge systems, such as cyber-infrastructures, grid platforms, or academic social web, tend towards something like a collective scientific intelligence, a complex sociotechnical system that goes against, and perhaps will replace, some basic institutions and rules of classical academic science.

Communication and evaluation of science: landmarks and recent scientific results

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:32 +0200

A review of the major developments in the field of scientific communication and research evaluation in 2009 is divided into three themes. The first is devoted to scientific communication on the internet, focusing on the use of Twitter in science, Open Access numbers in Spain, and e-science. The second block is devoted to the use of indicators for evaluating scientific activity as proposed in the Mesur project and in the PLoS model for the evaluation of journal articles. Finally we dedicate a block to bibliometrics, highlighting the new rankings of universities in Spain and recent changes in Web of Science and Scopus citation indexes.

Trends in information retrieval: principles and challenges for a new decade of linked data

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:25 +0200

This document shows a state-of-the-art in the information retrieval landscape, with special emphasis on recent trends, strategies and experiences during 2009, as well as research and development expectations in this field for the near future (2010). The paper first gathers a simple review about the growing importance and complexity of Information Retrieval in our discipline, deepening then about the challenge for Librarianship and Information Science for the second decade of 21st century: not only to retrieve information but also to “link data”.

Digital preservation in 2009

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:18 +0200

The international state of research and development of digital preservation solutions in 2009 is assessed, as well as the expectations for 2010. We pay particular attention to the monitoring of the main research and development of specific software, and feature prominent research centres worldwide.

What benefits do social networks give us?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:10 +0200

Social networks are a response to our need of communication. There are three types of social networks: those for the general public, for professionals and for scientists. This paper argues that the use of social networking is changing the meaning of the concept of “friend”, and that we have to be careful to preserve our public image in these networks. In general purpose networks, personal and professional issues are intertwined, and this is used by some marketing companies. The Web 2.0 collaborative media tools can be used to achieve advances in science, which is essentially collaborative, but this potential use faces a serious drawback because scientists prefer to communicate their work in scientific journals.

Social networks and web 2.0 in 2009

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:17:03 +0200

This review of the situation of social networks and web 2.0 applications in libraries and information units in 2009 includes brief definitions of these concepts and a brief exploration of what may happen in 2010. Analysis of 2.0 technologies in libraries and in their environment, both in the organizations and the Spanish society in general, is based on various studies. Major changes during 2009 that can determine the movements of social networking services over the next year are described.

Digital repositories: one concept, multiple visions

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:56 +0200

Data on the growth of the “digital universe” are presented and a global vision of how different organizations –companies, governments, archives, libraries and museums– approach and manage digital content. Key issues to be considered for proper management of digital repositories are proposed.

Redesigning Google: a basic proposal for the development of a multimodal ubiquitous operating system

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:48 +0200

The evolution of the WWW and the introduction of new portable devices are creating a ubiquitous environment in which users can be permanently connected to the Net. In this environment and with the screen-size limitations of current devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, pdas, notebooks or others, studies and research on methods for folding and unfolding information and interaction in very small spaces are becoming very important. To overcome spatial limitations, the interfaces are designed to be less rigid and static, with various systems of offering ad-hoc options depending on the action desired by the user at any given time. Some significant interfaces in this regard are the Photoshop Toolbar, Office Ribbon, Search Command from Office Labs, or Ubiquity from Mozilla Labs. The extrapolation of these interfaces is proposed for a redesign of the current Google home page, noting the opportunity to use the search box as the starting point and basis for the development of new operating systems that are ubiquitous, multimodal and multi-device.

Archives and open source software

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:40 +0200

The usage of open source software in archives is usually related to two projects especially relevant for the community: Archivist Toolkit and Archon, whose integration in a common project was announced in August 2009. Two months later, in October 2009, an initial draft with the specifications of the software to be built as a result of this integration of efforts. The contribution summarizes the features anticipated in this draft. The author indicates the convenience of releasing a detailed plans and schedule for the integration activities, as this can contribute to remove some of the doubts that users usually have about open source projects not supported by relevant industry players.

Content management in 2009 and perspectives

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:34 +0200

Content management –both in its meaning, more related to the creation and maintenance of web sites and in its broader approach referred to the management of textual and documentary information– has been reinforced in recent years in the practice of most organizations. To this end has contributed the maturity of commercial and open source software products. During 2009, despite the crisis scenario, there has been much activity in this area of documentary computer science. The text summarizes the main developments that have characterized the year 2009 from the reports published by leading consultancy firms. It also identifies some significant trends and events expected for 2010, including the consolidation of the Cmis standard.

Video in the cybermedia: some certainties and many doubts

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:27 +0200

Video has become widespread in Spanish online newspapers in recent years. However, its adoption raises some questions and important challenges. This paper suggests some of the motivations that have driven its development and describes the most common types of news video content. Additionally, it underlines some doubts about the model of video inclusion that online newspapers have adopted and the actual capacity to capture the interest of the audience.

The year of the tablets and e-readers? Reading devices for media

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:20 +0200

2010 could be the year in which the arrival and consolidation in the market of several models of mobile devices for reading books and online dailies becomes real. This year, new electronic tablets will be launched, together with e-reader and e-ink systems. Tablets already were announced in the nineties but they are prepared to conquer the market this year. Wired and Sports Illustrated are presenting new editions for such mobile devices. HP and Apple have presented their models (Slate and iPad), and in the meantime a patents war could put an end to the era of flash dominance for multimedia contents. Different firms are trying to keep their advantage and knowledge acquired over centuries of print production while making the transition to electronic dissemination.

Online journalism in 2009

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:13 +0200

This radiography of the state of digital media in 2009 pays special attention to the situation in Spain and references to the international situation. The main points are: the crisis of the media, major ups (La información.com and Factual) and downs (Adn.es and Soitu.es), the return to pay-for-content, the conflict between newspapers and Google, the relationship with Facebook and Twitter, “link journalism”, developments in digital newspaper archives and reading devices for news.

The book as exception

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:16:05 +0200

The traditional book, which is losing its central position as a paradigmatic record of information and knowledge, is a “cultural exception” within the communication environment of the human species. Although vanishing as a norm, as a standard, the book undertakes new tasks and assumes the role of a symbol, even an ethnographic value.

University rankings in the European Union: a multidimensional approach to a complex reality

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:58 +0200

The increasing complexity of the university, augmented by its commoditization, means that the information about its knowledge management is also more complex, whether we consider obtaining, contextualizing or redirecting it to various users. University rankings, despite the criticism they receive, appear as contextualized information tools for each type of user. The main goals of the creation and implementation of the multidimensional global ranking design and testing project, funded by the European Commission on Education, are described.

Visibility and accessibility of information science dissertations in Spain

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:51 +0200

This contribution examines the visibility and accessibility of the doctoral dissertations in Library and Information Science in Spanish universities. The analysis shows the inadequacies of available resources that locate the theses in this discipline and calculate the percentage available as full text. Finally, a reflection about the use of classifications in the document databases is included.

New sources of scholarly information

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:44 +0200

The basic characteristics of use and consumption of scientific, technical and medical (STM) information are described, and three newly created information resources are presented: DeepDyve; Science Research from Deep Web Technologies; and WorldCat, from OCLC. Also mentioned are the services Q-Sensei, Base, Scitopia and Lumifi.

E-books: emergent reality

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:36 +0200

After years of failures and hesitations, electronic books have consolidated their market presence, representing an increasingly important segment of the publishing sector. This launch is due to several factors: implementation of the electronic edition as an inseparable part of content production, primarily in science and reference works; technological improvements, advantages, and greater variety in reading devices; an increasingly large and diverse catalog of works developed by publishers of all kinds; and the responsiveness to new media demonstrated by the reading public. Despite this, there are several problems, mainly related to format and to management of electronic rights, that the industry must resolve to ensure that this trend will continue permanently.

Internet and the commercial digital libraries

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:30 +0200

The emergence, concept and characteristics of commercial digital libraries are analyzed. Special attention is given to their potential impact on the cultural and industrial ecosystem of which libraries are an important part, but which faces challenges.

Public Library Inc

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:21 +0200

The text considers the potential feasibility of a commercial vision of public libraries in which, while keeping the spirit of public service, they could offer spaces and innovative services without suffering deficiencies in facilities and equipment. Thus, funding sources such as advertising, catering or the sale of library-related products are proposed. Furthermore, the intent is to open the door to reflections on non-traditional uses of library spaces and the benefits that could result.

School libraries in Spain facing a new decade

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:13 +0200

The article presents an overview of the situation of school libraries in Spain, and suggests that, like the university library has become a resource center for learning and research, the school library could become also a resource center for learning and teaching, acting as a dynamizer and catalyst for the life of schools.

Library, learning and access to information in the middle of the technology storm

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:15:06 +0200

Technological innovation requires major adjustments in organizations, companies and public services. To understand the transformation of libraries it is vital to understand the transformations in access to information and education. Both public and academic libraries, are becoming learning and socialisation areas where information and digital literacy are becoming a highlight in their daily activity.

Promoting reading in the public library 2.0: a commitment to innovation and risk

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:59 +0200

The public library and the promotion of reading is still an indissoluble tandem, meaning the library has a large responsibility for the promotion and dissemination of authors and their works. The goals of these cultural activities must be explicit and clearly defined, and must offer an added value as a public service with social impact. They do not have to follow the commercial trends or maintain the conventional formats, which sometimes are obsolete. Are current activities in the public library as useful for traditional readers as for the so-called digital natives? Are we prepared to offer activities that are attractive to young people today? In this society, characterized as the knowledge, global, multicultural, digital, 2.0 society, are public libraries able to defend their policies to promote reading?

Public libraries in crisis times

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:52 +0200

We analyze how the present economic crisis is influencing public libraries, and what initiatives must be taken to help users who are unemployed and who face economic difficulties. We also study the increase in library users, the budget reductions, the need to give priority to educational and social activities to help the users who are most in need, and the possibilities of cooperation with public institutions devoted to promoting employment and lifelong learning opportunities. Finally, we explain the case of the regional library in Murcia (Biblioteca Regional de Murcia), which has designed and implemented a program called “Library, job center”.

Libraries: a sick patient with an iron constitution

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:45 +0200

The most important events of 2009 in the world of libraries are noted. There are three main areas: technology, information and libraries themselves. The first area includes the development of integrated library management systems and the situation of the so-called discovery tools. In the information area, major developments in digitization of content are discussed, focusing on Google Books and Europeana and mentioning the impact of economic crisis on a library’s ability to purchase information. Regarding libraries in general, 2009 highlights were Oclc internationalization and the new roles that libraries can assume in an environment that blurs their duties. Finally, challenges for libraries in 2010 are identified: to continue incorporating electronic information, keep adjusting to a changing environment, and find a way to create an alliance that would include files, libraries and museums.

Spanish congresses on library and information science: from the inevitable fragmentation to the necessary transversality

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:38 +0200

The sophistication of society and the scientific specialization lead to the fragmentation of the groups and the audiences. With congresses happens the same and in this paper the organization of more general and cross-discipline conferences is proposed. A review of the evolution of the congresses and their characteristics over the past 15 years in Spain is done. In the annex the main Spanish congresses are listed.

The library and information science profession in 2009

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:30 +0200

A picture of developments in the Library and information science profession in 2009 is presented. Topics included are professional skills, values, social image, scientific and professional activities: congresses, conferences, journals, distribution lists, associations and the specific labor market.

More on iSchools

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:23 +0200

The author reflects on the iSchools movement and the need to increase the study of computing in LIS courses. He argues that libraries and archives are only a tiny portion of the places information professionals might work, although library topics occupy almost the entire content of the coursework. The iSchools concept applied in the School of Library and Information Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is analysed. The iSchools try to integrate the concept of information from the theoretical point of view, given that information can be defined in many different ways because it is a complex reality that can be analyzed simultaneously from different points of view.

Discussion of university education in Library and Information Science: beyond Bologna

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:16 +0200

In a time of change in the Spanish universities because of the Bologna reform process, a positioning strategy of our degrees that respond to the current professional situation is required. International trends show that flexibility and cooperation with other disciplines are key in designing educational programs at the university.

Why “Bologna” in the library and information studies?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:09 +0200

Reflection on the benefits to Spanish universities of the Bologna process for standardizing European university studies. Considered factors are: globalization, European integration, labour market needs, and changes in training due to the new technologies.

Library and information science university education figures in Spain: 2008

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:14:00 +0200

A picture is presented about the situation of library and information university studies in Spain. Statistical data about the number and type of curricula, student enrolment and teachers are provided. The institutions and degree levels are described.

University education in information and documentation: 2010, a complex awakening to an open scenario

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:13:53 +0200

The changes in university education set in motion by the 1999 Bologna Declaration are now becoming reality. The creation of the undergraduate degree in information and documentation, the growth and diversity of graduate degrees being offered, the systems for quality assurance, and the new professional profiles within our field are some of the most notable aspects of the new framework for higher education. The process has represented a further opportunity for adaptation to the digital and networked society that our field has promoted for many years now. Curriculum review, collaboration and cooperation, training for innovation, student-centered teaching methodologies, and the implementation of e-learning appear as frequent topics in the agendas of the Library and Information Science teaching staff.

Mixed stabilized finite element methods in nonlinear solid mechanics: Part II: Strain localization

María Jesús Samper — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 13:12:56 +0100

This paper deals with the question of strain localization associated with materials which exhibit softening due to tensile straining. A standard local isotropic Rankine damage model with strain-softening is used as exemplary constitutive model. Both the irreducible and mixed forms of the problem are examined and stability and solvability conditions are discussed. Lack of uniqueness and convergence difficulties related to the strong material nonlinearities involved are also treated. From this analysis, the issue of local discretization error in the pre-localization regime is deemed as the main difficulty to be overcome in the discrete problem. Focus is placed on low order finite elements with continuous strain and displacement fields (triangular P1P1 and quadrilateral Q1Q1), although the presented approach is very general. Numerical examples show that the resulting procedure is remarkably robust: it does not require the use of auxiliary tracking techniques and the results obtained do not suffer from spurious mesh-bias dependence.

Mixed stabilized finite element methods in nonlinear solid mechanics: Part I: Formulation

María Jesús Samper — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 13:05:33 +0100

This paper exploits the concept of stabilized finite element methods to formulate stable mixed stress/displacement and strain/displacement finite elements for the solution of nonlinear solid mechanics problems. The different assumptions and approximations used to derive the methods are exposed. The proposed procedure is very general, applicable to 2D and 3D problems. Implementation and computational aspects are also discussed, showing that a robust application of the proposed formulation is feasible. Numerical examples show that the results obtained compare favorably with those obtained with the corresponding irreducible formulation.

Finite element modeling of multi-pass welding and shaped metal deposition processes

María Jesús Samper — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:31:52 +0100

This paper describes the formulation adopted for the numerical simulation of the shaped metal deposition process (SMD) and the experimental work carried out at ITP Industry to calibrate and validate the proposed model. The SMD process is a novel manufacturing technology, similar to the multi-pass welding used for building features such as lugs and flanges on fabricated components (see Fig. 1a and b). A fully coupled thermo-mechanical solution is adopted including phase-change phenomena defined in terms of both latent heat release and shrinkage effects. Temperature evolution as well as residual stresses and distortions, due to the successive welding layers deposited, are accurately simulated coupling the heat transfer and the mechanical analysis. The material behavior is characterized by a thermo-elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model coupled with a metallurgical model. Nickel super-alloy 718 is the target material of this work. Both heat convection and heat radiation models are introduced to dissipate heat through the boundaries of the component. An in-house coupled FE software is used to deal with the numerical simulation and an ad-hoc activation methodology is formulated to simulate the deposition of the different layers of filler material. Difficulties and simplifying hypotheses are discussed. Thermo-mechanical results are presented in terms of both temperature evolution and distortions, and compared with the experimental data obtained at the SMD laboratory of ITP.

Reviews

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:40:17 +0100

The Sonic Imagination of Children in Andalusia: A Musical Analysis of the TV Programme «The Band»

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:40:09 +0100

In this article we present a descriptive study of the soundtrack of children’s television programmes on the Andalusian public television network. This study is part of an international research project based on Latin America which seeks to address the need to understand the sonic context in which children live and study the way in which this shapes their sonic imagination. The use of music on television may be a response to commercial needs and, therefore, it is necessary to understand its influence in an educational context. Through analysis of the permanent sections, advertising and the cartoons included in the TV programme called «The Band» which is broadcast on the Andalusian public television network we can observe the televisual and sonic environment of Andalusian children. We use a descriptive methodology which, through the creation of a listening worksheet, highlights the most significant elements in the sample. After the analysis, we concluded that the predominant musical elements in the programme analyzed were from techno-pop and cinema soundtracks and this produced certain homogeneity in musical terms which in turn led to an impoverishment of listening habits which made it difficult to understand more complex musical elements. Therefore, we stress the need for schools to accept their responsibility in the task of educating children in critical listening skills.

Virtual and Real Classroom in Learning Audiovisual Communication and Education

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:40:01 +0100

The mixed model of Teaching-Learning intends to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to guarantee an education more adjusted to European Space for Higher Education (ESHE). The following research objectives were formulated: 1) To find out the assessment made by teacher-training college students of the virtual classroom WebCT as an aid to face-to-face teaching. 2) To know the advantages of the use of WebCT and ICTs by students in the case study: «Values and counter-values transmitted by television series for children and teenagers». The research has been carried out using a sample of 205 students of the University of La Rioja who attended a course in Technologies Applied to Education. The technique of qualitative and quantitative content analysis has been used to provide an objective, systematic and quantitative description of the different documents content. The results obtained show that the communication, content and assessment tools of WebCT are favourably assessed by the students. We have reached the conclusion that WebCT and ICTS constitute an aid to ESHE methodological innovation based on student-centred learning. The students showed their audiovisual competence in the analysis of values and the construction of multimedia documents using different formats. Through their works these students give a new sense to the use of television series in education.

ICT Competences of Future Teachers

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:39:53 +0100

ICT competences are an essential part of teachers’ curriculums in Spain. This paper presents an analysis of the technical skills in the use of ICT of future primary school teachers in the final year of teacher training at the University of Murcia (period 2008- 2009). This analysis adopts a three dimensional approach. Firstly, it aims to explore students’ mastery of the technical skills in using ICT. Secondly, it analyses how the university is working in terms of developing ICT skills in professionals in general. Finally, but probably most importantly, it attempts to show the current ICT levels of the future school teachers. This analysis is crucial, and not only for teachers who are already working. It is equally, if not more so, for newly trained teachers on the point of going into formal education in schools. Therefore, this study helps us to evaluate them not only as students, professionals and teachers who use ICT, but at the same time it help us to assess if a course at a Higher Education institution is a real way of obtaining minimum knowledge of this area. This is crucial in integrating new teachers into the new social and technological environment and it makes the evaluation of transversal competences in the University of Murcia real.

Planning and Development of an ICT-skills Map in Guidance

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:39:44 +0100

The main purpose of this article focuses on identifying specific Information and Communication Technologies skills, particularly those related to web pages and e-mail, useful in the implementation of Guidance functions and tasks. To this end, it was designed a competence map overlaid on those of a technological and coach and also produces a matrix that considered seven areas of focus grouped by International Association Educational and Vocational Guidance: evaluation, educational guidance, career development, counselling, information management, research and evaluation and placement. It also took into account three types of approaches to the counsellor regarding the use of ICT in guidance, as a resource, medium and development of guidance materials and two of these tools (websites and e-mail). The effective integration of Information and Communication Technologies and effective use of them, by guidance professional is based on their competences in them. This resource, open and flexible, requires a continuous updating in order to be useful in the implementation of guidance tasks, in self-assessment of competence by professionals; diagnosis of deficits in the design, planning and development training and guidance actions. It is also an instrument of great relevance and usefulness to guidance practitioners to explore the training needs and their occupational profile and to motivate their professional development.

Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Castilla & León Universities

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:39:36 +0100

This paper explores the uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the universities of Castilla y León. We believe that the integration of ICT in the universities is essential for the development of a university system in line with the requirements of the knowledge society. This piece of work must be placed within a research that has analyzed the use of ICT in higher education in the universities of Castilla y León. In our view, the uses of ICT in higher education are one of the main key indicators for its level of integration. With this research, whose goals relate to ascertaining the level of integration of ICT in the universities of Castilla y León, we seek to identify the factors that influence the use-avoidance of ICT by the professors, and to describe the uses that they do of ICT in the development of their profession (teaching and research).For this reason, we have conducted an ex-postfacto research with a descriptive and improvement-seeking motivation. Even though the results of this research highlight the widespread use of ICTs within the universities, they also point out that this use is superficial and indicate a lack of actual integration of ICT in the universities of Castilla y León.

Online Students´ Satisfaction with Blended Learning

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:39:28 +0100

This paper shows the results obtained from a blended training experience based on internet usage, more specifically, under the Blended Learning (b-learning) modality carried out on first year students of Philosophy and Physics at the Pontifical University of Dominican Republic. The theoretical model in which the experience, that is, b-learning, is sustained will be first presented and described, emphasizing the separation of activities to be done in virtual and attending sessions. Information was gathered for the purpose of this study through three different but complementary instruments: students’ satisfaction questionnaire, interviews with students and interviews with lecturers by e-mail. The results achieved and the level of students’ satisfaction show the significance of the experience as well as some limitations found concerning the need for teacher training and the difficulty of changing the organizational structures are highlighted. Some of the conclusions point to the favorable attitude shown by teachers and students in blended learning, as well as the need for universities to include centers that support teacher training in these formative actions.

Study on the Use of ICTs as Teaching Tools by University Instructors

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:39:18 +0100

The learning environment at the university stage which provides the Bologna Declaration has long indicated the need for major changes, among others, in the teaching methodology and teaching resources used by the university teachers. With this work, we aim to demonstrate some of the results achieved from the implementation of a National Research Project that has been carried out by four Spanish Universities. The objectives of the project aim to describe, through an exploratory study, the methodological situation in which our universities are highlighting their strengths and weaknesses based on the premises of the European Higher Education to suggest some strategies in order to facilitate the necessary adaptation. The methodology followed by implementing a questionnaire focused on concrete analysis of the dimension of the Information Technologies and Communication Technologies (ICT) reflects the view of university teachers and through the analysis of results allows confirming the need for adaptation by the universities for the implementation, with guarantees of the mentioned education reform. This article also presents several conclusions and suggestions for educational improvement focused on teaching and methodological training in the use of teaching tools that can promote the suggestions provided by the European Higher Education using ICT, as for example those offered by Web 2.0.

Discourse Analysis in the Quality of Expected Learning

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:39:05 +0100

Universities are gradually implementing virtual learning processes. However, research still remains limited in examining the internal processes that occur in learning in virtual environments. This article presents an investigation that seeks to describe the relationship between the quality of interaction in asynchronous discussion forums in training experiences in e-learning, and the quality of learning offered and achieved. The main objective was to determine how interactions in online environments add quality to the learning of students. For this, a descriptive investigation was done that combines qualitative and quantitative phase, analyzing more than 10,000 messages in 171 participants from four postgraduate courses developed in the form of e-learning. Asynchronous communication was analyzed through a category system that analyzes the social, cognitive and didactic discourse online. Among the research findings, there highlights a positive relationship between quality and quantity of speech of the participants and the quality of learning achieved and reflected in the different levels of assessment. We can conclude that the need to analyze, not only the written discourse in asynchronous communication, but also to establish relations with both cognitive and social learning of students. Moreover, we conclude the necessity to train teachers to deal with the processes of online communication.

The Radio Dramatization of Educational Contents: A Higher Education Experience

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:38:57 +0100

This research discloses the results from the first pilot test of a new teaching method called journalism based learning carried out on the course «Teoría y técnicas de las relaciones públicas» of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) degree in Advertising and Public Relations. Journalism based learning consists on working on university learning contents following a journalistic methodology. Thus, journalism based learning shows up a new application of the media, focusing on its teaching and entertaining function rather than its informative one. The UOC has started the first journalism based learning projects so as to provide its students with new learning contents through its radio dramatization. The application of the method developed by journalism to life-long learning reveals the radio as a key element, since it enables to keep the requirement of flexibility (in space, time and of appliance). In other words: mobility and portability. This article explains the foundations of journalism based learning and shows the results and conclusions of the first results of its application to online university teaching, among which the positive reception by students, thanks in particular to its entertainment function, and its contribution to facilitate the study of the educational contents.

The Social and Cultural Impact of Advertising among Chilean Youths

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:38:48 +0100

This work analyzes the impact of advertising among Chilean youngsters of different socioeconomic background. We aim to identify the relationship that this group establishes with advertising and, in particular, the way they incorporate it in their socialization strategies. We do not address what advertising does to youngsters, but instead what youngsters do with advertising in their practices of appropriation and reception of it. The research design included focus groups of male and female youngsters living in Santiago de Chile between 15 and 24 years of age coming from both high and low-income background. The conclusion of our research is that advertising is assumed by youngsters as a constitutive part of the media offering, which is used both as commercial information and as a cultural referent of new aesthetic values. Furthermore, advertising represents a socializing agent for this group because they incorporate the content of advertising in their exchange with their peers. Finally, this work concludes that advertising represents a sociocultural fact of the first order for the Chilean youth, because it is a central actor of their daily life.

Violence in TV: Analysis of Children´s Programming

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:38:37 +0100

The concept of Public Service has recently suffered a big transformation. After loosing its educational and positive connotations what remains now is its negative dimension: child protection. The present article shows the first results of an exhaustive and longitudinal research over the television content broadcast during the special protection hours. Focus has been paid to violence infractions. With the classic methodology for this type of content research analysing over 8,100 hours of visual work and codification. The results offer the data from comparative description of infractions on every network: programs, people involved on violence acts, period of time and so on. It also shed some light on the evolution over the last four years of television content from a comparative perspective. The article concludes with the resulting data showing how during the last two years, with a stricter self selection of content by networks, has not alleviated the level of infractions, and violence is still used by networks to increase their share. The final remark is that it seems as if TV channels are victims of their own behaviour when making a choice of content selection. The highest number of infractions are found, in all networks, public or private, on the programming with which they identify.

Intimacy in Television Programs: Adolescents’ Perception

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:38:27 +0100

Despite the negative criticism leveled at them, certain television genres which treat intimate problems and issues as a kind of spectacle may also help adolescents learn how to cope with interpersonal situations and gain awareness of key social problems. This study focuses on examining the arguments that adolescents use to explain their possible participation (or lack of participation), either as guests or members of the audience, in Celebrity Gossip Shows (Salsa Rosa) and Talk Shows (Diario de Patricia), within the interpretative framework of Turiel’s theory (2002). To this end, interviews were conducted with adolescents from the Basque Autonomous Region and the answers given were grouped into three domains: conventional, moral or private. The results found show that the vast majority would not consider attending these programs for private reasons, and when asked to think in what hypothetical case they would consider participating, any change of opinion was always «Diario de Patricia» or almost always «Salsa Rosa» prompted by moral motives. All of those who said they would participate in the two programs justified their answer using conventional arguments. We can conclude that the adolescents participating in the study continue to value personal privacy, even in association with certain television programs in which the limits between private and public are transgressed.

Intercultural Journalism: Peruvian and Bolivian Representation in the Chilean Daily Press News

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:38:19 +0100

This article examines the processes through which the massive press generates and represents the cultural discourses of two of the most polemic migrant groups coexisting nowadays in Chile: Peruvians and Bolivians. The representation that the communication media carries out regarding the studied cultures strongly influences the imaginaries of the Chilean audiences. That calls for special concern so as to propose the necessary spaces for intercultural exchange as much in the media as in the social institutions. These spaces will be the ones in which communication studies and intercultural journalism can unite, in order to offer meeting and communication alternatives between culturally different groups. The principal goal of this research study is to understand how, in the processes of social construction of reality through the communication media, are represented the Peruvian and Bolivian «discourses of difference» in Chile. The methodology employed to validate such proposal is the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) applied to the news in «La Cuarta» and «Las Últimas Noticias» newspapers, belonging to the press groups with the greatest circulation of the country: the consortia Copesa y El Mercurio S.A.P. The results of the research allow us to conclude that these press media represent realities which tend to marginalise the «migrant other», through the reinforcement of identity imaginaries constructed upon the frontier relationships among the three national-states.

European Cinema, memory of Europe

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:38:11 +0100

Language and Collective Identity in Buñuel. Propaganda in the Film «España 1936»

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:38:01 +0100

The Spanish Civil War occupies an important place in the European collective memory. The film language and depiction of that conflict provide an important platform from which to study certain features of the European cultural matrix. This paper examines propaganda films produced by the Republican government, especially those films produced under the supervision of Luis Buñuel, the Spanish surrealist filmmaker. At the start of the war, the Aragonese filmmaker returned to Paris following a summons by the Spanish Foreign Ministry to collaborate with the Spanish embassy in Paris in counterespionage and propaganda. Buñuel’s main task was to gather, organize and edit pro-Republican footage. Unlike films made for viewing in Spain, the Paris-produced propaganda films were aimed at audiences in Europe with the objective of changing the doctrine of non-intervention in the conflict. They are also characterized by Buñuel’s theories and conception of documentary film-making, in which reflection and the psychological resources that motivate action or move an individual conscience predominate. This paper describes and analyses the film language and practice of that era, in particular the unique and emblematic film «España 1936» (1937).

Creative Game Literacy. A Study of Interactive Media Based on Film Literacy

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:37:53 +0100

In this study we have analysed the current state of media literacy focusing on the game and film art forms. We aim to discover if some problems found throughout the history of film literacy were also occurring in game literacy research. It is also our intention to bring both visions together in order to get the attention of people working in the gaming field. To do this we have studied the cultural and creative dimensions in game literacy. The study is defined culturally by educational and critical approaches, and creatively by design and programming. The study also takes into account film literacy perspectives. We found that game literacy has a strong bias towards the cultural rather than the educational approach. The critical component might face the same problems that occur in film literacy studies. In terms of the creative dimension, we found a lack of investment in and support for research in design and programming practices. In conclusion we believe more interest needs to be generated in game literacy and that the literacy perspective based on creative design and programming with an emphasis on communication instead of education should be the model to follow.

Education in European Cinema and Society’s Exclusion of the Young

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:37:46 +0100

This article analyses the portrayal of education in European cinema from the perspective of systems of education and the behaviour of teachers and pupils in the classroom. Since its very beginnings, cinema has played a significant role in forming the collective European memory, and has cast a critical eye over pedagogy and didactics, especially with regard to young outcasts. The article reviews a number of films whose subject is education, the classroom and the role of parents and teachers in educating children. Education and children is a recurring theme in European cinema, which examines its subject from a critical viewpoint that is sometimes satirical and occasionally savage. The exclusion, marginalization, neglect and manipulation of children and adolescents, and the abuse and merciless severity of certain educational systems are all part of the collective European memory thanks to the condemnation of some of the best films ever made in the continent. They ask pointed questions about educational systems, the behaviour of teachers and inadequate didactics, as well as tackling the conflicts in a multiethnic society.

Understanding Cinema: the Avant-gardes and the Construction of Film Discourse

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:37:38 +0100

This essay highlights the role of historical avant-gardes in shaping film discourse. This role was vital for the recognition of cinema as an art form, as well as for the constitution of a visual and textual discourse that came to be reflected in the Institutional Mode of Representation – Hollywood film from the 1920s to the 1940s. To realize the importance of artistic movements in the creation of new paradigms for art at large, it is necessary to understand their principles and the context in which a new way of looking and reflecting on the world came about. The promotion of authentic and efficient film literacy requires focusing on the era in which cinema began. Only by examining the 19th century more deeply can we perceive what lies beyond that invention of the Lumière brothers. The essay shows that cinema was not only inscribed in the times from which it emerged but that it also launched a new paradigm that the arts of the 20th century were yet to discover.

Thrills in the Dark: Young People’s Moving Image Cultures and Media Education

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:37:28 +0100

This author deals with the attraction of that feeling of terror generated in the media, especially in cinema, and from the perspective of the controlled emotion behind that fear, pleasure and pain. What is the nature of the fear and pleasure the spectator feels? Why is it important for educators to take account of this connection between the viewer and the film? This subject is treated from film culture as experiecned by young Britons, with an analysis of the influence of cinema on the cultural lives of young people and the lessons that can be drawn. The author takes two young girls as an example, identifying their social identity and later outlining the state of education in cinema and the media. He presents two projects developed by young Britons on Psychosis and the creation of videogames. The author concludes that the fascinating world of moving images is open to us via films and videogames, by examining ludic structures and narratives and teaching students how these are interrelated and exploring their creative processes of production.

Film Education: Memory and Heritage

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:37:20 +0100

Film education in the digital age should be based on three closely-related and complementary fundamentals: to see, to analyze and to make films with young people; three basics that must interact and support each other. The concept of creative analysis could be the glue the binds this subject together, making it coherent and efficient for educational purposes. If cinema is an art, it is above all the art of memory, both individual and collective. This article suggests that we can join the pedagogy of film education to the citizen’s desire to perpetuate memory and preserve cultural heritage. The author describes various types of films to prove this hypothesis, and at the same time indicates the economic and cultural dimension of the media. The essay starts with an approach to film education in the digital age. Later, it analyzes certain aspects of films of memory, referring specifically to the typology of standpoints of film-makers and the treatment of their sources. Lastly, there is a reflection on the convergence of the concept of creative analysis, promoted by film education, and the production of videos by young people dedicated to the individual or collective memory. This convergence matches European Union proposals concerning the production and creation of audiovisual media from this viewpoint.

Analogue Sunset. The Educational Role of the British Film Institute, 1979-2007

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:37:13 +0100

This paper traces key features of the BFI’s evolving strategies for film education in UK schools during the final 25 years of the analogue era. Historically, the BFI did much to establish the characteristics of film study, but it also embodied tensions which have continued to preoccupy educators, such as the relationship between the instrumental use of film to support the curriculum, and learning about its intrinsic and distinctive qualities as a medium, or about its ideological function in society. The paper also addresses the question of whether «film» on its own constitutes a valid area of study, or whether it is more properly studied alongside television as part of «moving image media». The BFI has played a key role in exploring these issues and in exemplifying how film, or moving image media, can be taught to younger learners, but the internal vicissitudes it has constantly experienced have always pulled its educational activities in different directions. The central argument of this paper is that film education –and indeed media education in general– should be an entitlement for every learner, not something offered only to a minority or provided as an optional extra. The key projects described in this paper indicate some of the ways in which a publicly funded cultural institution can intervene in educational policy and practice.

Film Languages in the European Collective Memory

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:37:05 +0100

Media Literacy Training in Graduate and Postgraduate Studies

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:36:57 +0100

Reviews

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:36:50 +0100

Notes

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:36:40 +0100

Developing Cognitive Skills with Mobile Learning: a Case Study

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:36:32 +0100

This article presents a multiple case study carried out when mobile learning (mLearning) was first introduced to 3.000 freshmen of two university campuses in Mexico. The objective was to analyze mLearning resources in four courses to identify how they help develop cognitive skills in students. Focus group interviews, surveys, document analysis and non-intrusive observation were used. The data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively in order to link the results and the theoretical information within the two variables that guided this study: mLearning and cognitive abilities. The results show that by using mLearning resources it changes the learning environment by converting any setting into a collaborative and innovative environment. Results also show that the design of mLearning resources must be based on educational theories and strategies to be effective, and also the nature of the subject and resource type are related to the developed cognitive abilities. Also it was found that although students are not aware of it, mLearning resources and the use of mobile devices assists them in developing strategies that promote cognitive skills such as problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, creative thinking and melioration.

I want to be a journalist: looking for motivation in Journalism

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:36:23 +0100

This paper has an approach to the different characteristics which make up the public’s image of journalists, analysing the motivations behind the decision of those who became and those who want to become journalists. In the case of professional journalists, there is a theoretical framework from which to analyze the essential influences on the decision to become a journalist: we can underline the development of personal talents, and the social influence of journalism and its existential possibilities. These reasons help explain some professional behaviour and attitudes, and point to why journalism is a questionable profession in Spain nowadays. The ideal profile of a journalist inevitably influences the value placed on the work of journalists, and also affects the decision of those who contemplate a career in journalism. Moreover, these youngsters who want to become journalists – whose motivations are contrasted in an investigation into students in the final year of High School and the first year of university - accept the usual stereotypes of journalists, even those which present a kind of mythical image, but these youngsters are also conscious of the need for personal criticism. They call for the return to the most important values and qualities of journalism to develop professional competence.

Videogames as cultural devices: development of spatial skills and application in learning

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:36:15 +0100

A videogame is a cultural device with its own socializing functions, as stated by most of the media. The high levels of pleasure and enjoyment it gives players make it essential to analyse its potential as an educational tool, more so if there is an awareness of its value as a vehicle for personality development among young people. This paper tries to provide current examples of the wide range of videogames and their ability to develop certain skills related to the dynamic representation of space, within Jerome Bruner´s learning model. There is analysis of how adventure, strategy, simulation and role-playing games improve the development of skills such as reflection, strategic and tactical reasoning, or mental agility and economic challenges. Furthermore, data is provided on the present rating systems for game choice e.g.: ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) valid in the U.S.A, and PEGI, from the European Federation for Interactive Software. Both are accepted by aDeSe (Asociation for Distributors and Editors of Entertainment Software) and both try to help parents and teachers recognise its content and suitability for the different range of ages and profiles. To sum up, the essay attempts to show the importance of videogames in the teaching-learning process by providing up-to-date examples.

Digital Tribes in the University Classrooms

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:36:07 +0100

The discourse stating that the profound changes in ICT of the last decade have also radically altered the way our students learn, and that they can all now be considered digital natives, is increasingly prevalent. However, this paper argues that these changes are not as immediate, automatic or beneficial as the dominant political and technological discourse on the benefits of ICT would have us believe, and that they give rise to many different situations that characterize university teaching and learning practice. Using the ratings of three Likert questionnaires on information processing and communication in three different environments (Moodle, Tuenti and the classroom itself), and applying multivariate techniques (factor analysis and cluster analysis), we have found four clusters: pro-ICT students, anti-ICT students, listless student and neutral student. The presence of such segments of students allows us to conclude that, although computers are nowadays taken for granted in Higher Education classrooms, we are perhaps overestimating both the real impact of ICT on teaching and students’ digital competencies, and that this false perception of reality benefits technology vendors but not methodological and pedagogic innovation, which can only be achieved through the necessary reflection on education matters from educational principles.

Methodologies to Improve Communication in Virtual Learning Environments

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:35:59 +0100

The main advances in education and the current expansion of training models are due to the incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as pedagogical elements arising from the socio-cultural approach. Communication is an essential element in the processes of teaching and learning in this educational approach. Therefore, ICTs offer us an excellent innovative support, allowing use to make use of such virtual learning environments as Collaborative Computer-Assisted Learning (CSCL), which enables communication, mediation and knowledge construction. Virtual communication is one of the essential elements in blended learning, and it is even starting to play an important role in traditional teaching environments. In this regard, we consider that a contribution from different teaching and learning experiences in virtual scenarios (Synergeia; BSCW; Moodle…) is necessary. In this article, we describe several cooperative and collaborative computer-mediated learning experiences with students of different educational levels. The results and conclusions on Collaborative Computer-Assisted Learning experiences reveal an improvement in motivation, academic performance and the development of social and communication skills, regardless of the use of cooperative (cooperative learning techniques) or collaborative learning.

The Symbols and Written Language of Users of Messenger

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:35:51 +0100

This work presents the results of a postgraduate thesis on communication, particularly the use of language. Messenger is one of the most popular ways for communicating by signs and symbols. This study was carried out on junior high school students in state education. This research explores the possible impact on junior high school students’ written work due to their use of Messenger. To address this question, the referential communication model with the qualitative approach was used in order to carry out a comparative study. Data were gathered from 16 junior high school students between 15 and 17 years of age who were paired into two groups for each part of the investigation. The research showed that it was possible to categorize the students into three groups: those who constantly use Internet, those who do not constantly use Internet and the rest who do not use it. The end results reveal that there is little relationship between the use of signs and symbols on Messenger and the quality of written work presented by junior high school students.

Studying Spanish in the USA: Mass Media as Social Motivation

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:35:43 +0100

Mass media have a central role in transmitting culture. In fact, they have become handy relevant tools for learning a foreign language due to their ability to transmit both direct and indirect information. Mass media that broadcast or publish in Spanish have helped to unify the language in a basic neutral Spanish, fostering better reading and writing competences and self-esteem increase among the Hispanic population, at the same time making this population more visible. The main aim of this study is to analyze what motivates North American students to select Spanish as a foreign language. For this purpose, the number and types of mass media published in Spanish in the geographic context of the survey informants have been studied, as well as the use the students make of media. Furthermore, an adaptation of the questionnaire by Ramírez (1992) has been employed to establish the socio-cultural competence of North American students studying at two Spanish universities. The analysis of the survey results reveals that mass media have a high impact on the social motivation to learn Spanish as a foreign language of these students, that is to say, the possibility of working with and assisting the Hispanic population is rated as a main career opportunity. Mass media show the importance that Spanish is acquiring in other formal contexts of American life and constitute a nexus between cultures. They have also conquered students of Spanish as a foreign language as an audience, as they consider media an important source of linguistic and cultural input.

Internet Access by Minors at Home: Usage Norms Imposed by Parents

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:35:35 +0100

This paper examines and discusses the rules and standards set by parents for their children on Internet usage at home. Data that supports the paper have been obtained by surveying a representative sample of children in the Balearic Islands aged between 6 and 16 years; the analysis dimensions are: access by minors to the Internet from home; location of the computer from which have online access; level of autonomy or accompaniment while surfing the Net; norms imposed by their parents; types of rules imposed; relationship between norms and gender; the minors’ opinion and assessment of the knowledge and abilities of their parents on use of the Internet and, finally, the accompanying strategies of parents when their children access the Internet. The main results shows that just over 53% of minors between 6 and 14, and 62% of those between 15 and 16, surf the Internet without their parents’ presence and free of any norms and/or limitations. Where standards are established, these are mainly to do with temporary restrictions. Therefore, it appears that parents are unaware of the dangers of the Internet or at least act irrationally. This shows the need for awareness and provision of skills, knowledge and abilities to enable parents to assume their responsibilities in the Internet usage of minors.

Advertising in the Digital Age: the Microsite as a Strategic Factor in On-line Advertising Campaigns

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:35:27 +0100

The exponential and irreversible growth of the social web is an undeniable phenomenon that is provoking a series of changes in communication models. This global revolution proposes a new model that is completely democratic, in which a user, regardless of origin, status or occupation, can be the issuer and receiver of information in real time. This has forced advertising to redefine and adapt itself, modifying its strategies and formats in order to align to the new model. The traditional rules of elaborating commercial messages do not apply in the Internet environment, and their advertising efficiency is limited. However, investment in this medium increases year by year, the proof being the market’s gamble on the commercial possibilities of Internet. This work studies a new advertising model on the Net: a microsite. This format invites the user to enjoy a sensorial experience through the computer which issues interactive commercial messages that are subtle but convincing. Through the analysis of the semantic and technical content of a sample of these slots, we seek to define and emphasize the principle characteristics of the microsite and to reflect upon its strategic role within on-line advertising campaigns.