Monthly Archives: May 2012

towards the JTEL PhD SS

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Week 20, 2012
Helsinki, Finland

Excited and nervous I am traveling towards the JTEL PhD SS. It is the first time I receive several emails in advance about the different workshops 😉  Also, it is the first time I am running a workshop in an international event.

In the workshop I am conducting, will be a paradoxical situation because we were told that “[p]lease do not forget to bring your laptop … will be essential” and in my workshop the participants will work with dices, paper, colors and scissors ….. let’s see how it comes!

The only thing I am sure about the next week is: there will be tons of learning, I will try to keep with my back channel, I want to interview several people for the course I am preparing and the best is I will see a very good friend of mine.

Meanwhile I am working with an inspiring view! 🙂

working view

working view

 

Have I said, that I actually like airports a lot.

importance of universities, i am inspire by the actual Mexican student movements

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Week 20, 2012
Helsinki, Finland

When I read what is happening with the Mexican university students, it moves me.  For decades in Mexico we have been fighting for freedom and equality, or shall I say for centuries? That is a good question.

Nevertheless, this post focuses on our latest fight, which from my perspective started in 1968. University students from that time were fighting against the current government, which was some kind of dictatorship, we were ruled under the political party of the PRI.  During the time in which the PRI was in power, the seed of A LOT of the actual problems was sown as corruption, lack of education, drugs,…..

In October 2, 1968, the government committed a massacre, which until now has not been punished. The open wound is open in our society.

The general elections of 2000 had a massive participation and we finally changed of government. I am so happy I was able to vote in those elections. Since then we have 12 years with the PAN.

Now we have elections again. The context of this election is very challenging, I would say, and it is full of LIES.  Additionally, our educational system has been in decay, there is not media literacy in the country and the mass media does not want to inform objectively the society. In few words, the syndicate of teachers and the owners of the mass media have their own political agendas, which they are following carefully instead to serve the society. *sight*

In May 2012, the candidate of the PRI visited the University Iberoamericana – my alma matter btw –  and the students demonstrated their opposition towards the candidate. However after the visit the publicity of the candidate’s party  and the mass media did not acknowledge this event and modify it, diminish the students demonstration. Consequently, the university students react and published a video specifying that they were participants of the protest (video below).

Octavio Rodriguez Araujo wrote in his column the article entitle Los jovenes de ahora, mentioning that the actual generation we are defining as Ni-Ni because we perceive them as passive, conformist, apatic,  are actually showing us that in peace, they are demanding a change. For example, they are creating a movement towards impartial media.

Unquestionably, for the actual political movements that are taking place in México, as in other countries,  social networks are fundamental. The university students are putting their face, replying and questioning to politicians. They are expressing their truth and fighting for their rights. Unfortunately the Internet penetration in Mexico is low and very expensive. But things are advancing, somehow.

All these events reaffirm that Universities transpire life, they are generators of change and innovation. Universities have an important role in our societies.

Each one of us, as researchers, lecturers, teachers have an important commitment with our universities and with our youngsters. We shouldn’t transmit only collections of facts, instead supported by the subject matter of our expertise we should promote: critical thinking, questioning, search for evidence, tolerance,…. Each generation have to live what they have to live, but we have to offer them the tools for them to walk their own path!

game: politics

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Week 20, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

In this year, due to presidential elections which will affect me directly, I have been following, closer than usual, different political agendas in Europe and American continents. To be informed is our right and responsibility as citizens. However the game of politics is, for me, very complex.

A common denominators emerged across countries, which I would consider game components:

  • Population: require education in different subjects including politics, in addition to have critical thinking skills. Their aim is to decide which politicians will organize them by representing them. The education level of the population determines the degree of freedom that the politicians will have. Consequently, as less educated is the population, politicians know they can manipulate easily the information and avoid the creation of constructive analysis over political and economical decisions that sooner or later will affect each member of the population, i.e. each individual.
  • Politicians: in theory they are part of the population, and their aim is to help the population to be organized.  However most of the politicians seem to be affected by some kind of virus called power. According to the culture, the politicians might be more immune to the virus than others. As more infected the politicians are the more they will utilize the population to fulfil their personal agenda neglecting their aim to organize the population. The worst case scenario is when the politicians are highly infected by the virus and the population is no-educated.  However, what most of the politicians have in common is: they believe their own words, at least apparently.
  • Discourse and Strategies: the mechanics of the politics. I would say this should be the most interesting part of the game. Nowadays, it seems in danger of extinction.

Politics is a difficult game, which all of us has to live at some level, we want it or not. *sight*

 Note: this post has not the same agenda than Ian Bogost approach to persuasive games. Persuasive games might complement this post in the sense that digital games with a political agenda belong to a big game of politics. I find Bogost’s analysis and arguments interesting and, honestly, some of them I am still digesting. Nonetheless, the purpose to write this post is: to express my wonder about the meta game of politics, and my concern is the lack of education on the topic.

politics game

politics game

Photos source: from the Journalist Foundation

 

bowling

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Week 18, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

Last Friday, April 28th, I was completely desperate. It was my third week sick and I was feeling trapped, tired, in need of exercise, frustrated, aghrrr…. In few words, everything was in dissonance and out of control.

From the blue, I got the impulse to go bowling.  That is it.  I told to Mikko, if he would join me and he accepted 😉

Luckily, the bowling place had a table for us available. The fact to get the 8 or 12 kg ball in my hands, focus on the ten-pin and throw the ball made me good.

We played for one hour. Actually that was a surprise for me because I thought we paid one line and at the end we played 3. We were lucky! The bowling place was full, despite the photo showing the opposite. I guess we were all playing and finalizing at the same time. I guess there was an event or a training hour because you could see several good players. Maybe it is normal to find good players in Joensuu, one reason to go back to check this out 😉

The reason for me to post this is what I share with Mikko after the game, which I found a rich and relevant experience. Let me explain. At the end of the session I asked to him about the game session. I was particular curious on his answer, not only because I care, but I knew he had played bowling on digital games and he likes it, and this one was the first time he was playing bowling in the physical world.

Now, this should not be surprising. From my perspective, the probabilty to find individuals who experience an activity first in the virtuality and second in the physical world is and will be increasing.  Hence, I wonder, if the reference point of our world somehow differs from those individuals who experience first the physical world and second the virtuality. Anyway, I might write later about this more seriously, but this time was my first time experiencing this too.

The answer was really precise, and full of truth: It feels real and the background noise is changing 😉

At the end, a crazy day finalized being a very nice one!

Thank you!

Bowling in Joensuu

Bowling in Joensuu

peer review

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Week 18, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

In Mach, while giving the game design course, I was a student too of a Paper Reviewing Workshop organized by some active members of TEL.

The workshop was very good. I can report that I learn. Also it called my attention that we were active during the course despite that all the participants were spread all over the world. Yes, the workshop was on-line.

Screenshot of one of my sessions at the peer review workshop

Screenshot of one of my sessions at the peer review workshop

 

Let me clarify, in the past I reviewed some conference papers, however I felt something was missing in my reviews.

I admit that one is constantly learning about one’s area of expertise while doing research. One can offer constructive criticism towards one’s work and the work of others when we write together.  Additionally, one can be critical reader of colleagues’ work before they submit their manuscript, so one is somehow a pre-reviewer.  Finally, I have learned A LOT from the feedback of those reviewers who had  examine my work, despite to be painful to read sometimes.

So, what can one learn from a workshop about peer review process?

In my case, to make explicit what we know or assume tacitly. The process is the learning experience in itself, to share with others and to hear the advices from experts in this specific topic is priceless.

Last week I review some papers, and I sense that my confidence level as a reviewer has increased after the workshop. Consequently, I assumed that my performance a reviewer has improved too. There is also space for improvement, specially with practice. But I want to thank  the organizers of the workshop! as well as the expositors and colleges with whom I discussed.

To close this post, I share a presentation from Marco Kalz which I honestly like and might be useful for others as well.

Peer review – Why does it matter for your academic career?

View more PowerPoint from Marco Kalz