Scipedia: Documents published in 2012

University libraries: riding the tecnology, keeping an eye on the user

Scipedia content — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 11:15:30 +0200

Review of the technological advances that have influenced the evolution of the academic library, and description of the actions taken to accommodate them: developing repositories and open access, renovating spaces, providing services to researchers, offering search tools and ebooks. The general conclusions are that academic libraries are healthy because they have been able to anticipate change and that they have good prospects for the future.

Viscoelasticity and damage model for creep behaviour of historical masonry structures

María Jesús Samper — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 10:45:40 +0200

This paper presents a continuum model for the simulation of the viscous effects and the long-term damage accumulation in masonry structures. The rheological model is based on a generalized Maxwell chain representation with a constitutive law utilizing a limited number of internal variables. Thanks to its computational efficiency, this approach is suitable for the analysis of large and complex structures. In the paper, the viscous and damage models are presented and their coupling is discussed. The FE simulation of the construction process of the representative bay of Mallorca Cathedral is presented, together with the analysis of the long-term effects. The parameters of the model are tentatively calibrated on the basis of the time-dependent viscous deformations detected during the cathedral monitoring.

Overview of applications for computerization of libraries

Scipedia content — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:28:25 +0200

Computerization has long been the support structure for basic information management services offered by libraries. However, the development of Web 2.0 tools in recent years, at the same time as the semantic web or the emergence of open & linked data, makes it necessary to reconsider both the model andthe technical architecture of the new tools as they appear. The model of computerization of libraries prevailing in past decades has been overcome, and it is imperative to define the framework and key elements of a new generation of applications.

New paradigms in library management and knowledge generation

Scipedia content — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:28:09 +0200

The main issues covered at the seminar “New paradigms in the management of public libraries: library and social development”, held at the Cultural Office of the Spanish Embassy in Caracas (Venezuela) are discussed, highlighting two key issues: the contrast between American and European models of library systems, and the growing importance of the “multiauthority” concept.

Otros informes

Scipedia content — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:27:54 +0200

Informes aparecidos en 2011 sobre el tema indicado

Sexto Anuario ThinkEPI

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:07:39 +0200

Presentación

Otros informes

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:07:32 +0200

Informes

Digital ecosystems

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:07:24 +0200

Mobility is the driving force of a radical transformation of society and of our lives, and the emergence of smartphones and tablets has been a turning point. This transformation is mainly articulated around five technological ecosystems, each composed of an operating system, social networks, applications, standards and hardware devices. These ecosystems are the World Wide Web, the social network Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Apple. Only the Web is open; the rest are captives of the companies that are developing them. With the advent of mobility and permanently connected devices such as augmented reality glasses, and the emergence of new digital surfaces in everyday environments such as stores or underground stations, we must try to open the ecosystems to free us from the captive platforms and enable us to build a real life and digital identity independent of that or those with which we work. In this process the Web and W3C standards should once again resume their role as champions.

Apple launches a crack in the book world

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:07:17 +0200

The relevance and potential impact of Apple Computer’s iBooks initiative is discussed. iBooks is aimed at the USA textbook market, but it has a great potential to expand, as has previously occurred with other services that use iTunes, Apple’s B2C-C2C e-commerce and digital distribution platform. The initiative combines hardware, authoring software, e-reader, distribution channels, and social and networking services integration to empower systemically and synergistically its products and services against those of the competition, creating a new prototypic exemplar of the so-called “digital ecosystems”.

The public library in a multimedia society: copy, test, disseminate

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:07:09 +0200

The generation of new multimedia content that facilitates contact with mobile devices is a pending task for cultural agents. From the perspective of the public library, we take augmented reality as an example and the video game industry as a reference to demonstrate some possible actions.

Introduction and some uses of QR codes

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:07:02 +0200

QR codes are an easy way to read information from mobile devices and allow direct or indirect access to information resources. For libraries, these codes can help to expand services and access to mobile users in simple and inexpensive ways: resource guides, practical information, direct download of documentation, multimedia, etc. The article provides examples of use and tools for building codes.

Applications of smartphones and the mobile web in science and research

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:06:56 +0200

One of the main internet trends is the increasing access to information through mobile devices, especially smartphones. The so-called mobile web is affecting all areas, including very versatile uses for scientific activity. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the use that the scientific community is making of the mobile web, firstly as an information and referral tool, with an analysis of leading mobile applications from publishers of scientific journals, databases and reference managers and secondly as a research tool and a data collection tool, among others.

Information technologies 2011

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:06:48 +0200

Review of the developments and trends in computing and telecommunications that have the greatest impact on the documentary and library environment. Among the topics considered are: expanding the markets of large internet companies that want to include new activities, competition between social networks, evolution of ereaders to tablets, increased use of mobile devices (with plenty of features, such as ways to make payments) to the detriment of the PC, tran0sfer of information technology services to the cloud as this provides much more flexibility to institutions, not having so many fixed devices, search engines becoming personal assistants (calendaring, home automation, recommendations), semantic web e-commerce applications, rise of the “open” concept (content, software, data sets), and the professionalization of blogging, which is now more geared to income.

Otros informes

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:06:41 +0200

Informes aparecidos en 2011 sobre el tema indicado

Rebelling against relevance: how to find what we want and not what Google thinks we want

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:06:32 +0200

Google is a tool for retrieving high-value information, but its growing adaptation of search results to commercial criteria, based on an alleged adaptation to user preferences of the links offered, presents some problems. Now it is neccessary to filter the information, to use operators or to modify the queries in order to obtain the desired results. Some tips are offered for information professionals who want to rebel against the false concept of relevance and find what we’re looking for.

Open innovation for libraries using linked open data technologies

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:06:24 +0200

The importance for libraries, archives and cultural heritage institutions of open innovation on the basis of linked open data basis is discussed. As the web evolves into a global data space, libraries should provide their datasets using RDF technologies and open licenses to strengthen innovative services developed by third parties reusing their metadata and digital contents.

Scattered information architecture: dealing with cyclical risks of split in corporate websites

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

The tensions between centralization and decentralization in complex enterprise web sites are addressed from the perspective of conventional information architecture, based on the “islands of information” metaphor used by Rosenfeld and Morville. The needs include the identification and shaping of information spaces, the ability to manage multiple autonomous websites consistently, and a deeper knowledge of enterprise information architecture methodologies.

Weblink sources for cybermetric analysis

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

In the 2012 edition of the Ranking web of world universities there has been a major change in methodology, forced by changes in the source for obtaining external links to university websites. Following the closure of Yahoo site explorer, the new tool currently in use is MajesticSEO. The main services and products that offer data links and their suitability for use in cybermetric analysis are discussed. We conclude that there is a need for tools created specifically for cybermetric analysis, given the evolution of search engines and the limitations of other products aimed mainly at search engine optimization rather than at informetric analysis.

Prospective for the semantic web: technological divergence and linked data markets creation

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:06:04 +0200

This paper shows some trends that are currently occurring in the environment of the semantic web. More specifically it presents schema.org, a project developed by Google, Yahoo and Bing for semantic markup using microdata, Freebase, a knowledge bank for structured information and Kasabi, a platform that operates into the modality of “Software as a Service” for the publication and commercial distribution of semantic data. It is possible see some technological divergence in the application of semantic Web standards with the development of new proposals as microdata, and the emergence of a market for linked data through publishing platforms that facilitate commercialization.

Mediation and cultural legitimacy: the imprint of social networks

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:57 +0200

Social networks are emerging as a core element in professional and literary accreditation systems, shaping not only a new form of opinion generation, but also an information structure that organizes the rules of the medium. Their organization, syntax and internal rules so determine the forms of participation that whatever doesn’t fit with them simply cannot exist as a cultural product.

Professional content in Twitter: when les is more

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:49 +0200

Twitter is one of the most relevant services used during the past year by library and information science professionals. One of its uses is for the dissemination of information and news to colleagues. Some reflections about its use by these professionals are presented.

Iconicity in illustration for their representation in document databases

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:42 +0200

Searching for images requires procedures that go beyond the mere recognition of shapes, colors and other aspects of automatic indexing. Image analysis is needed that measures the degree of abstraction or the reproduction of reality, especially when it comes to artistic performances. We present some basic ideas about making it possible to express quantitatively the degree of approximation of the real object of an image so that this factor can be used in automatic document retrieval.

Between dispersion and volatility

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:35 +0200

The problem of dispersion of the conversations on social networking sites (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.) is presented. The threads of people’s conversation who have contributed with their own comments to your post are not always next to it. Despite the existence of partial solutions, a tendency to limit the discussion and the discovery only to our contacts is identified.

The aparent decline of e-mail

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:29 +0200

Some companies have begun to restrict the use of e-mail with the conviction that the information overload it causes undermines labor productivity. But the problem is not the tool, but the interruptions caused by excessive exchange of messages, often with irrelevant information. Therefore, the real solution is to establish appropriate management strategies and avoid excessive communication. Some initiatives are committed to moving the internal communication to social media, although it tends to fragment the information required to complete tasks.

Measure or perish

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:21 +0200

Based on the distinction between the concepts of usability and user experience, three categories of related metrics are identified and described: those that measure observable aspects of website performance, user behavior, and subjective aspects derived from what users report.

Authority control, a wasted tool in recovery systems

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:14 +0200

The author argues that the list of authorities, as well as a professional tool, may represent an important role in information retrieval. The purpose of this paper is to offer an example to highlight how libraries and document databases have failed or have not yet reached their full potential in the knowledge society.

Records and web content management

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:05:07 +0200

Review of major 2011 developments in the field of bibliographic cataloguing, document management and documentary languages. The use of content management systems for web publishing, the emergence of new approaches such as web experience management and the integration of web productivity components are analyzed.

Otros informes

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:59 +0200

Informes aparecidos en 2011 sobre el tema indicado.

Literacy and self-criticism about information behaviour through the graphic humor of El Roto and Mauro Entrialgo

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:47 +0200

Taking advantage of political cartoons by El Roto and Mauro Entrialgo, the need for a critical use of information technology and the internet is presented. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have generated high hopes, being seen as tools to democratize knowledge and information. However, to make good use of their potential we must know their limits, what changes they generate in our behavior and how they affect our privacy, identity or personal relationships. The above mentioned cartoonists help to generate self-criticism of our information behaviour, fostering a rational information literacy, with a thoughtful and intentional use of technologies and networks.

Digital reading: evolution or revolution

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:39 +0200

Book digitization is having a significant impact at all economic, business and legal levels. Concepts that had prevailed since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago have to be changed. With self-publishing, authors do not need publishers, and some indie (independent) are getting an enthusiastic public reception, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. For their part, publishers, who traditionally had been confined to one language and one territory, can easily reach a global scale with the advent of the e-book. Large multinational companies like Amazon and Apple have already landed in Europe, and soon they will arrive in the rest of the world. The e-book is not only a change from paper to digital but is also having a substantial impact on reading habits.

Buying articles on the internet and open access policies: could journal subscriptions be replaced by pay-per-view access?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:32 +0200

Policies on institutional subscription to major international publishing platforms are discussed. It seems a contradiction, but in Spain the expansion of open access is consolidating and increasing its foreign economic dependence. The cost of access to specific articles in various publications is reviewed, and the need to negotiate better terms for pay-per-view systems is argued.

Reuse of cultural data

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:25 +0200

The reuse of data by public administration in Spain is growing significantly thanks to Plan Avanza 2. But the growth rate is not the same in the case of cultural institutions. The three key issues that delay the release of cultural data are described: the need for adequate metrics for measuring the business generated when data become open, the possibility of losing the attribution, and potential income loss. The most emblematic cultural data release projects are described, and the problems they have faced are identified.

Content management systems as a cornerstone in the deployment of semantic web

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:18 +0200

The semantic web has enough critical mass to expand its technological scope to content management systems (cms). Currently, an increase in the application of interoperable standards to publish large datasets is detected. Rdf, owl and sparql are replacing traditional developments based on relational database management systems for management and storage of information. Cms are beginning to use these technologies to publish content with semantic web formats, and to define mappings with elements of rdf vocabularies. In this regard, Cms also incorporate features to add semantic information into the xhtml code using rdfa and applying sparql to query data or incorporate external data.

2011, a great year for virtual libraries

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:11 +0200

The Europeana project progress is presented, emphasizing its importance among other strategies of the European Commission. In 2011 important recommendations and standards were published that clarify the future development of Europeana. Documents produced by the W3C are highlighted and Spanish contributions, particularly from Hispana, are listed. The collaboration between Europeana and the Digital Public Library of America is mentioned. Finally, the differences between various concepts like open access, open data and open source are explained.

News librarians and social networks

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:01 +0200

The importance of social networks for mass media professionals, especially for news librarians –whose traditional intermediary role limited their visibility to users– is explained. Examples of documentation centres and news librarians’ profiles in social media like weblogs, Facebook, Twitter or Eskup are offered.

Media and mobile devices. In search of El Dorado.

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:03:26 +0200

The spread of mobile devices –smartphones and tablets– does not go unnoticed by media companies, and particularly by press companies, which have seen in mobile content a new and profitable source of income. The aim of this article is to explain how newspapers are adopting mobile strategies and the business model behind their strategies.

Extreme turbulence in the media in 2011

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

Review of developments, changes and trends in radio, television, and online and print media in 2011. The strong impact of the economic crisis is discussed: unfortunately many newspapers have had to reduce staff, and a large number of journalists have been dismissed. The consequences of the general transition from paper to digital, and the new internet developments that day by day gain more audience and attract advertising are described. Statistics are provided.

Otros informes

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:03:07 +0200

Informes aparecidos durante 2012 sobre el tema indicado

Google scholar citations and the emergence of new actors in research evaluation

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:57 +0200

Google scholar citations, a system aimed at researchers, attempts to outline researchers’ bibliometric profile, providing citation indicators and the h-index. We review other tools designed to measure visibility and academic impact on the web, such as Microsoft academic search and the new initiatives grouped under the label altmetrics or alternative indicators. Finally, we discuss how the appearance of Google scholar citations and other products may affect the two major sources of bibliometric data, ISI Web of science and Scopus, and how this can influence the evaluation of scientific research.

Tools for evaluating science in universities and R&D centres: descriptions and usage

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:49 +0200

Indicators have become essential to Spanish universities. Some of the major funding calls for proposals (Campus of international excellence, Severo Ochoa centres of excellence, etc.) rely heavily on R&D indicators. We review some of the tools that universities have to generate indicators, apart from the traditional citation indexes: 1) scientific information systems, 2) bibliometric suites from commercial companies, and 3) university rankings. The use of these tools and the need for librarians to manage them are discussed.

Are patents the future evaluation documents for universities?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:43 +0200

As technological documents of high value, patents are not only sources of information but can also be used to evaluate the quality of universities and their faculty. With the increasing number of patents by universities, it becomes necessary to create standard indicators

The year of social sciences and humanities

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:36 +0200

Library & Information science in Spain is currently facing serious problems because the divorce between the academic and the professional approach, being the first closer to the integration in the humanities and social sciences and the second with a more technological profile. The unfortunate proposal for a specific and differential treatment of the social sciences and humanities in the evaluation processes is going to penalize severely to our discipline and urgent and serious measures should be taken for avoiding a catastrophic situation. These measures include, among others, the pursuit of excellence, punishing the scientific fraud and plagiarism, and defending not only the publication but also the reading in English. An even stronger support of open access initiatives is a sound objective, including the adoption of new standards, such as for example the not well-known yet strategies of the new Book citation index. Today the professional profile should be more involved in the generation of content than in t its mere labeling, especially taking control of the usage statistics and indicators.

Why no one speaks about ‘classic’ bibliographic databases?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:29 +0200

The role of specialized bibliographic databases in the current environment of online information search dominated by search engines and large multidisciplinary databases is described. The databases usefulness for searching specialized information and the need for intermediation of the resource centres for research are discussed.

Proceedings papers or journal articles: A tension in the scientific communication?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:21 +0200

Proceedings papers and journal articles play an important role in scholarly communication in most disciplines, including Library and Information Science. Although both serve different and complementary functions in scientific communication, in some cases the choice of one or the other can be exclusive and becomes a dilemma for researchers. This study aims to present different situations of tension caused by the choice of one or another channel of communication, and also an invitation to consider the role played by these two channels in the dissemination of scientific knowledge.

Towards a restructuring of the conferences? Proposals for their viability

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:14 +0200

Academic and scientific conferences must cope in the coming years with a restructuring of their delivery formats and contents if they are to survive. The evolution towards the social web 2.0 has to be considered at the same time. A range of solutions are offered, including the link with special issues with consolidated academic journals. The main prospect is the creation of a classification of conferences that can increase their value in the context of evaluating the curriculum vitae of scientific researchers.

The necessary evolution of cybermetrics

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:02:05 +0200

The origins, disciplinary relationships and main applications of cybermetrics and webometrics are explained, in order to proceed to a discussion of the current situation regarding the methods used for extracting web information and indicators from publicly available sources. We performed a comparative analysis of three techniques to measure the prestige, impact or visibility of academic institutions, including: 1) the survey, limited by its subjectivity and small sample sizes, 2) citation analysis, also hampered by small populations but which offers more reliability because it relies on peer opinions, and 3) link analysis. Link analysis is considered the cornerstone of webometrics and the large numbers involved is to be appreciated. It can identify patterns despite being the method that is most “noisy” because of the richness and diversity of motivations for linking. The unfortunate demise of Yahoo Site Explorer, the main source of information on links, is reported and its absence will force a rethinking of the techniques and a search for alternative sources of this valuable type of data. Some alternatives are studied, including the use of mentions such as titles, names of institutions or individuals and so-called reference or quote URLs, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. It is noted that this new approach is especially useful for web 2.0 tools.

Scientific communication in 2011

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

An analysis of the situation of scientific communication in 2011 highlights some of the more relevant events, news and issues. Topics discussed include: the open access initiative and institutional repositories, semantic interoperability and linked data, use of the internet, right to information, rise of professional and academic profiles on the Web, trends in bibliometric indicators, consolidation of national scientific evaluation tools, trends observed in conferences and congresses, and the race for rankings in scientific publication between the United States, China and Europe.

When we think on information systems in a company or an administration, what we think?

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

In conceptualizing information systems always there have been a dilemma between two options: either use them as mere automation tool over the existing situation, or convert it in an enhancer element, i.e. a radical transformation facilitator. A historical example is examined and future trends in line to illustrate the possibilities of an enhancing choice are suggested.

The reporting syndrome, or when companies remember to manage information

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:01:43 +0200

Management reporting is a complex activity that requires multiple systems and information resources created for other purposes in the course of daily work. When companies have to write their management reports, they often suffer the problems of an inadequate information management system. Technological solutions by themselves do not respond to the needs, unless they are embedded in an information governance framework.

Why we should talk less about information management and more about knowledge management

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:01:37 +0200

This article begins by establishing the differences between information management (focus on access to content and, therefore, technology) and knowledge management (focus on adding value to content and, therefore, corporate culture) and then addresses the problems in the practical implementation of the latter in organizations, even though its use is able to provide knowledge to organizations that enables them to make decisions under the best conditions.

Information governance

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

Information governance is a term that is becoming increasingly important in relation to both professional and business spheres and in particular to market technology. Various conceptual approaches about its significance and its development are analyzed, concluding that it facilitates the positioning of information at a strategic level and responds to the need to establish rules and policies that allow the effective use of information inside an organization.

Corporate information management and use in 2011

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

Information technologies determine three trends in the management and use of information in companies: corporate transparency, competitive intelligence and use of social media or web 2.0. Corporate transparency, an unstoppable trend despite the economic crisis, affects records management. Competitive intelligence is gathering momentum in some sectors and enterprises, while still not widespread in small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) in Spain. When companies embrace the use of social media or web 2.0, this begins to transform their management and use of information.

Archives in 2011

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

The balance of the activity of Spanish archives in 2011 is remarkably satisfactory. Areas where improvement has led to a more relevant improvement (document management regulations, digital preservation, access, human rights) and the need for increased efforts in training, archival legislation, re-use of information and research are pointed out.

Otros informes

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:01:08 +0200

Informes aparecidos durante 2011 sobre el tema indicado.

Can we talk about crisis from libraries?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:58 +0200

Will the crisis affect libraries? Can we defend libraries in times of crisis? This paper argues that we can answer yes to both questions. The crisis will affect libraries and one form of influence would be that we come to believe that in these times of scarcity we cannot defend libraries against needs of higher priority. Professionals must communicate what libraries contribute to society and the cost-efficiency of modern libraries. This is the role of professional associations, professionals and libraries. Three reasons to strengthen libraries are outlined: they enable and enhance personal growth and support self-taught learning; are public places not based on consumption; and assist the poor and contribute to social inclusion.

What will libraries be doing in 15 years

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:51 +0200

It seems clear that today libraries still have a clear purpose, but will this also be true in 15 years? This note takes an affirmative stand, that libraries have a future and it is in providing places where people can get in touch with information and socialize, in paying the costs of quality information services for a broad public and in being the institutions that take responsibility for maintaining current information for present and future use.

Public library and local mobile web content

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:44 +0200

Web 2.0 convergence with the mobile web is shifting the very nature of the Internet. Local multimedia holdings generated in a mobile-networked society often don’t fit with library catalogs. Their methods of diffusion and discovery move away from those associated with the traditional library and into social networking and new devices. Local archive-building in this new context requires content fitted to the new devices, skilled people to interact with them, and libraries that understand new forms of information demand and consumption. In order to find its place in this context, the library must combine its traditional role as a dynamic agent specialized in providing access to bibliographic resources with a new role as an advocate for informal web content.

Predictable increase of the impact of the economic crisis on public libraries during 2012

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:38 +0200

The increased impact of the economic crisis on public libraries in Spain is described. The aim is to draw attention to the problems that will arise by 2012 in library services, staff, collections, and cultural and educational programs. The policy of deficit reduction and budget control will cause deep cuts in public investment in libraries. It is important to analyze this topic and see how to address it because public libraries are now more necessary than ever to meet the information needs of disadvantaged people.

Libraries in Spain in 2011

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:30 +0200

To know our libraries is also to know the status of our profession and our society. Thus, we draw on various data sources to describe and analyze the library scene in 2011 with the intention of determining their status. Access to library services, collections, professionals, expenses (and lack of expenditures), technologies, use of libraries, news about library legislation and the new political context are addressed.

Otros informes

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:22 +0200

Informes aparecidos en 2012 sobre el tema indicado.

Community managers, content curators, and other new professional profiles for the social Web

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:16 +0200

The main professional profiles created within the social web are identified (such as the community manager and content curator), describing their main tasks, competencies, weight in organizations, and fit with the profile of information professionals.

Information profession and professionals in 2011

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:59:06 +0200

An overview is given of the profession of Information and Documentation in 2011. The economic crisis was the main factor that determined professional development and the labour market. Some of the key reports that have been outlined in social networks and blogs are also described.

University teaching and research in information science for development cooperation

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:58:57 +0200

The information-documentation academic sector is considered in relation to cooperation in international development. Within this framework, the most frequent contributions made by information services and the actions in which university teaching and research is involved are described. Finally, the importance of contributing to the development and modernization of distance learning for information/ documentation professionals is underlined.

Data on university library and information science programmes in Spain: 2010

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:58:50 +0200

A picture is presented of the state of university studies in library and information science in Spain. Descriptive and statistical data on existing institutions, degree levels, student enrolment and faculty are provided.

Libraries, pillars of democracy

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:58:44 +0200

Reflection on the power of libraries to generate activity, culture and democracy. Review of recent actions by the Ministry of Culture of Spain.

Benchmarking on bifurcation and localization in J2 plasticity for plane stress and plane strain conditions

María Jesús Samper — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 13:29:04 +0100

This paper studies the phenomenon of strain bifurcation and localization in J2plasticity under plane stress and plane strain conditions. Necessary conditions for the outcome of bifurcation, localization, stress boundedness and decohesion are analytically established. It is shown that the explicit consideration of these conditions allows for the determination of localization angles in certain situations of interest that can be used to conduct benchmark tests on finite element formulations. The relative merits of irreducible, (stabilized) mixed and (displacement and/or strain) enhanced formulations are discussed. Numerical examples show that the mixed displacement/pressure formulation is to be preferred to the standard irreducible schemes in order to predict correct failure mechanisms with localized patterns of plastic deformation. Mixed elements are shown to be practically free from mesh directional bias dependence.

Reviews

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:14:15 +0100

Visual stories

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:14:05 +0100

Uses of Digital Tools among the Elderly

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:13:50 +0100

A «multiage» society needs the design and creation of new areas of learning and communication to manage the digital demands of the elderly. In this article, the relation of the elderly to information and communication technologies (ICT) is approached and two objectives are considered: to discover the technological resources they use and to objectively describe the types of usage that senior citizens make of ICT. To that end, a survey technique is used, with the results validated by means of discussion groups. The study participants consisted of 215 elderly people, all ICT users, and 7 discussion groups of 5 people each. The results indicate that the resources most widely used by the elderly are computers and the Internet, and the type of usage is grouped into 4 categories: education, information, communication and entertainment. There were no significant differences in gender or age although differences were found in the availability of these resources for private use based on the level of education.

Fame and Proffessional Success in «Operación Triunfo» and «Fama ¡a bailar!»

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:13:34 +0100

The main aim of this paper is to identify the values conveyed by «Operación Triunfo» and «Fama ¡a bailar!». Their popularity (especially among young people) and prescriptive nature (they convey life models by means of identifying problems and proposing objectives and solutions) make them relevant study objects. This paper focuses on how work and fame are depicted in «Operación Triunfo» and «Fama ¡a bailar!», two areas that have hardly been studied in Spain. In order to fulfil the objectives of this paper, these programmes were analysed using a methodology that combines narrative semiotics, audiovisual style and narrative form analysis, as well as ludology and game design theory. The analysis shows that these programmes depict professional success as personally and socioeconomically rewarding, although it is extremely difficult to achieve. To obtain this success, the contestants are transformed through education and celebritisation. Finally, in these programmes there is a conflict between talent and fame. This paper concludes that «Operación Triunfo» and «Fama ¡a bailar!» present fame as a life aspiration and also show the mechanisms used to produce it. The programmes depict modern society as meritocratic and evidence the importance of image in the modern workplace. Finally, they describe a «good worker» as someone passionate about their work, adaptable and capable of sacrificing his/her personal life.

Food Advertising and Consumption by Students in Huánuco (Peru)

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:13:22 +0100

The significant shortcomings detected in the nutrition of students in the district of Huánuco (Peru), together with the television advertising observed for products of dubious nutritional value, led us to design and conduct a research project intended to analyse the relationship between the two: The influence of television commercials on the consumption of food products advertised in 2010, which is summarised in this article. In the study we carried out a correlative study of a sample of 120 pupils at different educational establishments. They answered questionnaires, were interviewed and underwent physical examination. We also analysed the food commercials broadcast by television channels and the nutritional value of the products. Chi-square inferential analysis was used. The research showed that the pupils’ health has been adversely affected, with a serious incidence of tooth decay, a problem attributed to the consumption of certain foodstuffs. The study detected a positive relationship, which was highly significant statistically, between attachment to television advertisements and the consumption by the pupils of advertised foods which are rich in sodium, calcium, sugar and calories. Also demonstrated was the interdependence between exposure to television advertising and the consumption of foods with a high fat content, which should be monitored and controlled by government officials.

Value of Audiovisual Records in Intercultural Education

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:13:05 +0100

This article discusses the possibilities of audiovisual records as research data in intercultural relationships, or those that allow us to understand the Other. The research aims to contribute to the theory that is being developed on the nature and value of narratives in photographic and video representation and analysis of basic realities of teaching that are difficult to capture and quantify. Specifically, we examine whether audiovisual recording is a good tool for gathering and analysing information about intentions and interpretations contained in human relationships and practices. After presenting some epistemological and methodological dilemmas such as the crisis of representation in the social sciences or the «etic-emic» conflict and proposing some solutions taken from audiovisual anthropology, we analyse the nature of intercultural relationships in two schools –ethnographies– that support the study completed in 2011 and funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation: the use of visual narratives as a substrate of intercultural relationships between culturally diverse kindergarten and primary education pupils. As an example, we describe how we discovered some categories that allow us to understand the universe of meanings that make sense of, determine and shape their cultural relations. Finally, we describe the contributions of NVivo 9, a software package that facilitates the analysis of photo and video recordings and narratives.

Synchronous Virtual Environments for e-Assessment in Higher Education

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:12:49 +0100

This research studies an assessment system of distance learning that combines an innovative virtual assessment tool and the use of synchronous virtual classrooms with videoconferencing, which could become a reliable and guaranteed model for the evaluation of university e-learning activities. This model has been tested in an online course for Secondary School Education Specialists for Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American graduates. The research was designed from a qualitative methodology perspective and involved teachers, students and external assessors. During the whole process great care was taken to preserve data credibility, consistency and reliability, and a system of categories and subcategories that represents online assessment has been developed. The results confirm that we have made considerable progress in achieving a viable, efficient and innovative educational model that can be implemented in Higher Distance Education. Also, videoconferencing and synchronous virtual classrooms have proved to be efficient tools for evaluating the e-assessment method in virtual learning spaces. However, we need to keep testing this model in other educational scenarios in order to guarantee its viability.

Beyond Newspapers: News Consumption among Young People in the Digital Era

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:12:24 +0100

News consumption is undergoing great changes due to the advance of digitisation. In this context, ascertaining the changes in readers’ consumption habits is essential for measuring the scope and effects of digital convergence and the outlook for the future. This article aims to analyse this transformation in the specific case of young people’s relationship with news reporting. The methodology is based on a quantitative survey of people aged between 16 and 30 (N=549) in order to examine their consumer habits and perceptions. The results show the emergence of social networks as a news medium and the decline of traditional media, and newspapers in particular. However, we observed a high level of interest in news stories and their positive valuation in civic terms on the part of young people. These data also reveal the obvious appeal of cost-free content. Finally, the results highlight the gender gap with men as the greater news consumers, and the impact of age, with news consumption increasing as young people mature. The conclusions of this research suggest that profound changes are emerging in news consumption patterns and the concept of news among young people.

The Analysis of Interactive Media and Digital Culture - Hypermedia Literacy in Peru and Bolivia

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:11:58 +0100

This paper compiles data on how the use of hypermedia, interactive multimedia and interfaces have changed the classical dynamics of human communications and education to create a new paradigm. This paradigm originates in the interface since it allows multidirectional and multimedia communications through interactions with the elements of which it is composed. This research describes the different aesthetic, narrative, emotional and value elements that are integrated within the cultural hypermedia interfaces. These hypermedia elements are fundamental components to be taken into account in the creation of educational interactive media products. The communicative functions are interchangeable between sender-receptor, author-reader-author, creator-user, professor-student... thanks to the introduction of multimedia interactive expressions and technological instruments that allow several types of interactions. This flexible functionality generates new communicative as well as dramatic models of interactive narrative, where the interaction of receptors-senders and reader-authors with the narrative actions occur at the character or avatar level. The interfacial aesthetic, narrative, emotional and value elements are studied, analyzed and described in detail thanks to an innovative model of analysis that can be used to for the implementation and design of interactive edutainment media products. The application of this model helped to create cultural content interfaces enabling not only the development of interactive educational workshops in the USA, Peru and Bolivia for more than 200 students, but also multisensory and immersive communications with quality.

The ConRed Program, an Evidence-based Practice

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:11:32 +0100

The incredible force with which ITCs have arrived in society and the consequent risks to children when dealing with the Internet and social networks make it necessary for the domain of virtual environments to be included in the school curriculum. However, the initiatives in this direction are limited and there is a lack of rigorously evaluated programs that might act as a basis for designing educational lines of action. The ConRed Program is based on the theory of normative social behavior and aims to reduce problems such as cyber-bullying and addiction to the Internet and refocus the misadjusted perception of information control in the social networks in order to promote their use in a more beneficial way. The ConRed Program has been evaluated using a quasi-experimental methodology, with an experimental group (N=595) and a quasi-control group (N=298) consisting of 893 students (45.9% girls) with an average age of 13.80 years (SD=1.47). The reduction of problems in the experimental group and the lack of change in the control group is evidence of the program’s validity, and show that by working and collaborating with the whole educational community it is possible to improve the quality of the virtual and, therefore, the real life of adolescents.

Digital Libraries: Electronic Bibliographic Resources on Basic Education

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:11:08 +0100

Studying electronic bibliographic resources for basic education involves thinking about search mechanisms that meet the needs of young users. Through the investigation carried out during the educational research project «Digital libraries», it became evident that the collections explored use a language better suited to higher education. Faced with this problem, the following question arose: What are the criteria for classifying electronic bibliographic resources for basic education? The proposed investigation was non-experimental, with a non-probabilistic sample of case studies; the sample comprised 250 resources from 10 bibliographic collections. The analysis assessed resources according to: accessibility, the curricular axis to which it is addressed, and format; pedagogical, functional, technological and aesthetic aspects. The results show a mean of 3.76, which indicates that the bibliographic collections provide quality resources, although it is necessary to improve educational and functional aspects. Classifying electronic resources for basic education requires the consideration of pedagogical needs, graphical and technological qualities and, especially, the dynamic way in which information is conceived nowadays. This confirms the need to establish a set of indicators that enable teachers to select electronic resources based on basic education curricular axes.

Genre and Age in the Reception of Television Fiction

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:10:51 +0100

This article summarizes the main results of an investigation that is part of a project regarding the construction of youth and gender identity in television fiction. The methodology integrates reception analysis (focus group) with data obtained through an anonymous questionnaire, designed to contextualize the results of the qualitative research. Television fiction is the favourite macro-genre of young people, especially women. Broadly speaking, participants appreciate the greater proximity of Spanish fiction, which favours the different mechanisms of identification/projection activated during the reception process, and they acknowledge that TV fiction has a certain didactic nature. The research highlights the more intimate nature of female reception compared to the detachment of the male viewer, who watches fiction less frequently and assimilates it as pure entertainment. Age influences the different modes of reception, while the social class and origin of participants hardly have any impact. Confident, rebellious and ambivalent characters are found to be more interesting than the rest. By contrast, the structure of the story and a major part of the topics addressed by the programme are usually consigned to oblivion, highlighting the importance of selective memory in the interpretative process, as well as suggesting the limited nature of the effects of television fiction.

Critical Reading of Media: A Methodological Proposal

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:10:41 +0100

This work analyzes some aspects on which the development of critical thinking is based starting with the contributions of critical theory to the educommunicative perspective, as a bedrock for reflection on the media. This work reviews the characteristics of the critical subject and differentiates between critical reading and critical thinking. The former works as an analytic strategy that searches the re-reading of texts or audiovisual messages to identify categories attached to discussion and interpretation; the latter highlights ways to learn to think autonomously which leads to the proposal of interpretation strategies that target creative thinking. The objective of this article is to present orientations coming from Social Communication as an academic discipline that sustain Critical Readings conceived as educommunicative strategies. The methodology used to develop this study is the review of documents and content analysis. The result is a guide that proposes actions for critical media readings in the classroom. The conclusion is that the promotion of a critical attitude involves identifying the political personality of the cultural industry and the communicational process; it means constant questioning of the transparency of media messages, with the aim of creating independent, inquisitive and creative citizens.

Resources for Media Literacy: Mediating the Research on Children and Media

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:10:27 +0100

Much has been said and written about media education, its relevance and goals. Beyond directives, resolutions or recommendations, research in this area has deepened the foundations of media education but has also emphasized its weak points or faults. One of these critical points noted in the training and research work developed at the University of Minho, Portugal, in the last 20 years is the non-existence of resources and materials that could be used to promote media education in different contexts. But this is not just about the availability of materials, it concerns the importance of putting knowledge into practice and of mediating the knowledge produced with the appropriate audience. This concern was the basis of the ‘Media Education in Booklets’ project carried out by the Society and Communication Research Centre and funded by the Evens Foundation, Belgium. This paper presents the resources produced by this project in the form of three booklets: the first deals with the mediation of TV at school and at home; the second describes videogames, ways of playing, benefits, dangers, creativity and interculturality; the third is about the Internet and social networks, and the new forms of relationships and communication that these allow.

Film Literacy: Media Appropriations with Examples from the European Film Context

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:10:11 +0100

The increasing development of new multimedia materials as supporting vehicles of film languages has raised some global literacy questions and problems within teacher training. These new literacy problems pose a specific curricular question: How shall different media, social and cultural contexts approach the specific training of teachers (and, in fact, media makers) in order to address those global problems of a common film language with the corresponding civic and curricular appropriations? The UNESCO MIL Curriculum for Teachers places media and information literacy at the core of lifelong learning for the acquisition of necessary civic competences within a universal perspective. A review of some European case studies helps us to understand some of the most contemporary interrelations between the predominant multimedia messages and their communication channels and social networks, taking account of the preservation of the collective memory of sounds and images as a form of cultural heritage connected to the audiovisual cultures of the world at large, since these processes never occur in geographical or cultural isolation. The aim of this article is to present the context of a possible inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural approach to a global film literacy process, taking some interesting European case studies that appeared in «Comunicar, 35» as a starting point.

Media Literacy and Its Use as a Method to Encourage Civic Engagement

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:10:01 +0100

Changes in technology have opened up a new kind of participatory citizenry; one in which engaged citizens’ blog, post, tweet, upload, create, and otherwise interact with others online. This paper explores the intersection of media and information literacy with civic participation by examining three specific programs operating in the United States. These projects include «Powerful Voices for Kids», «The Salzburg Academy on Media and Social Change»; and «Cultivating the NetGeneration of Youth as Global Citizens and Media Literate Leaders in a Digital Age», in which educators and students at schools in the USA and Africa meet virtually and physically to explore collaborative methods that use media to build bridges of understanding. Through analysis of each program’s practices and personal interviews with the program director, consistent methods for developing a strong media and information literacy program with a focus on democratic participation are revealed. These include a need for programs to reflect a respect for student interest in popular culture, willingness for program educators to put aside assumptions that students lack an interest in current events, recognition that technology use is a means to an end, not the ultimate goal, and the utilization of a support team for the instructors or educators.

Challenges and Risks of Internet Use by Children. How to Empower Minors?

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:09:51 +0100

The aim of this paper is to reflect critically, using the latest data taken from reports, research, publications and other sources, on how to empower children in their daily Internet browsing given current online risks. These risks faced by children are a real concern for teachers, families and researchers and this article will focus on analyzing those online risks which produce the most emotional distress for children, namely grooming and cyberbullying. The use of the Internet, and the ease with which information or situations can be seen on it, has broken the social taboos associated with the risks that children are exposed to. Data such as 44% of children in Spain having felt sexually harassed on the Internet at any time in 2002, or 20% of U.S. children suffering cyberbullying according to a survey of 4,400 students in 2010, indicates the severity of the problem. Therefore, as stated in UNESCO’s MIL Curriculum for Teachers (Media and Information Literacy), it is necessary to work on the responsible use of the Internet by children and to empower them to reduce the possibility of them becoming future victims or bullies. At the end of the article we will develop a list of recommendations to be considered in the design of educational activities focused on the critical training of the minor’s use of the Internet.

Young People’s Interaction with Media in Egypt, India, Finland, Argentina and Kenya

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:09:39 +0100

In contemporary information society, finding, evaluating and using information is a key survival skill. Conventional and new media such as libraries, archives, mass media and the Internet serve an important function in society as the sources of information. This chapter will focus on findings from research that was carried out in Egypt, India, Finland, Argentina and Kenya. Based on empirical research, it gives an overview of how young people today use a variety of sources for information seeking and describes the implications of these findings for media literacy programs. The chapter specifically explores young people’s use of new digital and conventional media for information seeking and disseminating. Media diaries were collected from 175 children in Argentina, 100 in Egypt, 160 in India and 144 in Finland by the project researchers. With the help of the Nokia Research Centre we also managed to obtain 48 completed diaries from Kenya. All diaries were collected in the first half of 2010. Some light will also be shed on efforts led by international organizations, especially UNESCO, to foster teacher training in media and information literacy and create worldwide awareness of this competence.

«The World Unplugged» and «24 Hours without Media»: Media Literacy to Develop Self-Awareness Regarding Media

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:09:28 +0100

Across the globe, many students have easy and constant access to media, yet they often receive little or no instruction about the impact of their media consumption. This article outlines a «24 hours without media» exercise in accordance with the guidelines set in Module 7, Unit 1 of the UNESCO curriculum. In the fall of 2010, nearly 1,000 students from a dozen universities across five continents took part in «The World Unplugged» study. Researchers at the University of Maryland gathered students’ narrative responses to the going without media assignment and analyzed them by using grounded theory and analytic abduction, assisted by IBM’s ManyEyes computer analysis software. Results showed that going without media made students dramatically more cognizant of their own media habits –with many self-reporting an «addiction» to media– a finding further supported by a clear majority in every country admitting outright failure of their efforts to go unplugged. Students also reported that having constant access to digital technology is integral to their personal identities; it is essential to the way they construct and manage their work and social lives. «The World Unplugged» exercise enabled experiential learning; students gained increased self-awareness about the role of media in their lives and faculty came to better understand the Internet usage patterns of their students, enhancing their ability to help young people become more media literate.

Media and Information Literacy in South Africa: Goals and Tools

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:09:12 +0100

The South African government has emphasized the need to expand the role of media education to promote equal access, with a level of quality and relevance that will empower disadvantaged groups. However, it is a challenging, time-consuming process, as well as requiring considerable and consistent expenditure and partnerships between many donor agencies. There is little research on the causes behind unequal access to technology, or comparative studies of the barriers that impede the diffusion and adoption of media and information literacy in South Africa. It is thus not surprising that the media and information literacy component is still missing from the agenda that lists Africa’s myriad problems, as well as the absence of qualified teachers, training for the trainers and the presence of IT literacy in the curricula, all of which are essential elements for any future development. The UNESCO model of curricula could help close the digital divide and promote social inclusion. As a contribution to that goal, this study investigates some of the pertinent issues related to media and information literacy via a sample of students at the University of Cape Town. This research offers some practical solutions on how to help raise the levels of media and information literacy among the disadvantaged, in the case in South Africa.

From Digital and Audiovisual Competence to Media Competence: Dimensions and indicators

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:08:53 +0100

The need to set out the conceptualization of media competence leads to a broader perspective in which there is a convergence of factors linked to the digital and audiovisual competences, both of which constitute the reference framework for «information processing and digital competence», which is the key competence in Spain’s national curriculum. Despite the ongoing experiences in audiovisual and digital communication few attempts have been made to define the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for a person to be deemed competent in these two areas, which are essential for the teaching and learning processes. This paper analyzes six important studies on digital and audiovisual literacy, considering issues such as the recipients, the conceptualization used in each study and the dimensions they suggest, the type of taxonomy, indicators...and the educational proposals: objectives, content, activities are systematized in a series of dimensions and indicators to define media literacy and design activities for a didactic proposal in accordance with the indicators established. The development of this research has led us to affirm the need for convergence in terminology and the expansion of resources based on the indicators defined, which affect the diverse areas of media literacy in an effective way and function to enable teaching actions among the various groups that comprise today’s society.

Media and Information Literacy: Pedagogy and Possibilities

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:08:40 +0100

This paper will present an overview of UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Curriculum for Teachers. This overview includes an exploration of key program areas for trainers in order to teach key issues related to MIL and the competences needed for developing programs. These program areas include: a conceptual and organizational framework; production and use of information; media texts and information sources; evaluation and analysis; media audiences; democratic discourse and social participation; approaches for curriculum adaptation, and pedagogical approaches for the classroom (textual analysis, contextual analysis, case study, translation, simulation and production). After introducing these key areas of the program, the paper will conclude by offering recommendations for the successful development, adaptation and implementation of MIL Programs. Main recommendations are: curriculums leaders have to be available for training, support and consultation, promotion of teachers network who are implementing MIL initiatives, inclusion in official papers of educational curriculums, analyzing needs of the students before implementing modules of the curriculum, facilitating online resources for teachers, professionalizing MIL teachers, promoting collaboration between community members (family, teachers, students, other stakeholders), and finally research to identify best practices and new trends to be developed.

Teacher Training in Media Education: Curriculum and International Experiences

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:08:31 +0100

Media proficiency, an educational initiative that cannot wait

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:08:23 +0100

Reviews

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:08:12 +0100

Visual stories

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:07:56 +0100

Media Literacy and Consumption of Media and Advertising in University Students of Pedagogy in Chile

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:07:38 +0100

Considering the results of studies on the mediating role of the media, specially the television, and the advertising in different groups etarios, added to the need to discuss the processes of audio-visual literacy or media literacy; the principal aim of this work was analyzed the pattern of consumption of media in students of pedagogy in Language and Communication, Mathematics, and History and Geography of Chilean universities and to determine if differential profiles exist in the use and consumption of media that you relate to his future role in the audio-visual literacy of his students. For it, it was considered to be a sample of meaningful type remained constituted by 881 students of pedagogy of both sexes who were dealing studies in seven Chilean universities of the south and central zone of Chile. For the compilation of information there was in use the «questionnaire of habits of consumption of media». In general, the distribution of the preferences, so much to level of kind as for career, does not manage to represent mediatically the idiosyncrasy and reflects foreign realities that do not allow to strengthen civil processes in the consumers of the media. In synthesis, the major problematics is that the educational futures do not seem to rely on tools that they should allow them to face the labor of audio-visual literacy, provided that they themselves present difficulties to differ between the information and the persuasion in the advertising messages.

Music in Virtual Worlds. Study on the Representation Spaces

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:07:26 +0100

Sites for representing music have been classified by the equipollence between their expressive value and transmission value. In this dialectic game, the media have had a determining influence as an intervening space, from music imagined on the radio to its visual representation on a screen to today’s multimodal display created through the integration of current existing media that expand music’s potential both in terms of production and consumption. An interest in ‘cross-media’ is the basis for this research which focuses on its most integrated and interactive aspect: immersive worlds. The aim is to classify the environments of immersive worlds through analyzing those most used as spaces for musical representation. Documentary research techniques have been used in order to obtain: a) a census of current immersive musical environments, and b) a functional analysis of important cases. Through this analysis, various proposals are made for uses for immersive worlds, from both a technical perspective as well as from their potential as an interactive medium. In the conclusion, the possibilities for musical representation offered by these metaverses are assessed and possible future scenarios are discussed.

Representation of Childhood in Advertising Discourse. A Case Study of the Advertising Industry in Chile

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:07:15 +0100

This paper discusses the main characteristics of advertising discourse in relation to childhood and its engagement with children’s view of this stage of life, in line with «new social studies» and critical discourse analysis. This discussion seeks to complement the functionalist perspective of communication studies in the field of advertising content analysis by incorporating a discursive focus, taking into account contextual issues that may condition the interpretation of messages. Firstly, discourse analysis was used as a means of exploring social representations, identifying stereotypes employed in children's advertising in order to establish the possible functions of the message. To contrast these findings, group interviews were conducted with 10 and 11 year-old boys and girls from middle-income families in Santiago, Chile. A comparison of both findings reveals a complex and relational notion of childhood. Children see themselves as burdened by parents, and adulthood as an effective lack of liberty, where the archetypes reveal an image of the adult world as a state of loss with respect to the exercise of creativity, imagination and freedom. These archetypes correlate to children’s television output, where a number of shows ridicule the image of adults through irony and parody, presenting them as incompetent in their roles as parents and in their moral authority.

Color in Child Espots: Chromatic Prevalence and Relation with the Brand Logo

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:07:01 +0100

Color is a crucial element in achieving effective and efficient communication. This article presents an analysis of the color elements used in TV ads aimed at children broadcast during November 2009 in Spain by the Disney Channel children’s network which, according to Kantar Media, is the audience leader in open-to-air television programing. The convenience sample included the group of advertisers that Infoadex classifies as part of the «sports and leisure» sector, which includes products and services traditionally aimed at children, such as toys and leisure parks, as well as self-promotion ads for other television networks. The analysis quantifies the use of color in ads aimed at children and concludes that brands use color in very different ways. This study also examines the relationship between the color combinations chosen by advertisers in their ads and logos, confirming that the use of color combinations in ads and logos is arbitrary. Most advertisers who target children prefer to apply a range of colors to create contrast and highlight the product and its features and benefits, instead of strengthening the brand’s corporate image. The study highlights the randomness in decision-making on the use of color.

Attitudes and Beliefs of Secondary Teachers about Internet Use in their Classrooms

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:06:43 +0100

The work below examines the attitudes and beliefs that secondary teachers have about the use of Internet resources in their practices. It is presented results obtained from a questionnaire (n=1,721) with different dimensions, obtaining data about teachers’ attitudes and reasons with respect to the use of Internet resources, respect to teachers’ tasks employed for and respect to training teachers received about Internet resources. The study use descriptive and correlation data of answers percentages to questionnaire items. Results show that attitudes are very important to explain the use of these resources in classroom practices. Also, the role that teachers’ perception about their digital competencies plays over the possibility to use Internet resources in their classroom practices. These results show differences between teacher in function of age and genre. Finally, teachers’ training about Internet has a positive effect on self perception about digital competencies. The results point to the need of research on what beliefs could explain why teachers decide to use or not Internet resources, how they use them and which factors are included.

The Educational Role of the Digital Media in the Integration of Immigrants in Spain: elmundo.es and elpais.com

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:06:25 +0100

The objective of the present study is to highlight the importance of online newspapers in the formation of public opinion, by discovering whether they promote positive or negative attitudes towards immigration or contribute to increasing awareness about the impact of the digital press in educational and developmental terms. With this in mind, we carried out a comparative study of the digital versions of the two widest selling, broad-based daily newspapers in Spain: el mundo.es and el pais.com. We used the same methodology as that used in Comparative Education, analyzing the content of articles published between January 2009 and June 2010. Although there are many similarities between the two newspapers and both coincide in supporting the process of integrating immigrants into Spanish society, they differ in the strategies to be followed for achieving the sought-after goal of peaceful coexistence between migrants and the host community. «El Mundo» tends to favour adopting strategies that encourage immigrants to adapt to the established norms and guidelines of the host society; in the articles of «El País», on the other hand, the requirement for them to adapt is not regarded as necessary. However, the various ideological lines expressed in the articles that we analyzed enable us to draw the conclusion that they do not coincide to a significant degree with the editorial line of the newspaper publishing them.

The Academic Use of Social Networks among University Students

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:06:10 +0100

This paper examines the academic use made of the social networks by university students through a survey conducted among a representative sample of students at Universidad de Málaga (Spain) (n=938) and two discussion groups. Given that network consumption has profoundly penetrated the daily routines of the students, the vast communication possibilities of these channels could be considered for educational use in the future despite a predominance of entertainment-related use. We discuss the most suitable networks for academic use, which type of activities may be most widely accepted among the students and which social networking tools could be most useful for academic purposes. The results indicate that consumption of social networks in the student population surveyed is very high. In addition, the students show a favourable attitude to lecturers using social networks as an academic resource. However, the frequency of use of such networks for academic activities was rather low and, on average, the most frequently used academic activities are those initiated by the students themselves, such as answering queries among peers or doing coursework. The perceived low academic support on social networks may mean that lecturers take only limited advantage of their potential.

From Chess to StarCraft. A Comparative Analysis of Traditional Games and Videogames

Scipedia content — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:05:56 +0100

From their historical origins games have provided us with dramatic models of the fundamental activities of humankind, such as sowing and harvesting (mancala games), war (chess) and construction (puzzles). However, games based on the same activity change significantly depending on the place and time they belong to, and therefore a comparative analysis between traditional games and videogames can give us a valuable and novel insight into the popular culture of our times. What are the main distinctive features used to represent war in military strategy videogames compared to those used in chess? What are the main differences between the most popular videoludic metaphors of construction and traditional puzzles? The aim of this article is to explore questions like these by making a comparative analysis of the underlying meanings of traditional games and popular videogames. The theoretical and methodological framework is based on game history, game design theory and theory of videogame meaning. The findings reveal elements that shed light on the nuances of meaning that distinguish traditional games from popular videogames of the same genre, and show that the analysis model conceived for this study could be of interest for further research. Finally, we reflect on the relationship between the underlying meanings of the videogames analyzed and certain distinctive aspects of contemporary culture.