times change: mobile phone and my personal data

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Week 24, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

When I was at the serious game workshop at Nordic DiGRA I realized I lost my mobile phone. I wanted to record something from the workshop and I could not to do it because I did not find my phone. Then, I started to think when and where I used my phone the last time and I realized:  I left my phone on the train. Auch!

My brain then started to spin in reference of what I have lost. Firstly came to my mind a couple of interviews I haven’t backed up, some new photos. The rest of the information I could recover (notes, phone numbers and most of the photos) because I had backed up, but still I feel uncomfortable thinking that an unknown person will have access to my personal data. Finally came the idea of the money, an expense not planned to have.

In the first workshop’s break I ran to the VR office and asked for help.  They offered me a phone number for lost items  (löytötavaratoimisto) but remember in Finland there are not public phones…..  Another approach was that a friend call to my mobile phone and if someone answers maybe I could recover it. However, since I have my friends’ phone numbers recorded in my mobile phone, I have no idea of their phone numbers by heart and I do not have a phone book with me neither. Of course digital backup of my phone is not traveling with me.

My solution: email. I still have my laptop with me. So, next was to get Internet access and I emailed Mikko and he helped me. Later I got an email from Eeva, because the personnel from the VR called her about my phone. Apparently, I will recover my phone!!! I am impressed about it!!! 🙂 and I am looking forward to have it back 😉

However the event let me thinking about my personal data. I have hear – read – discuss about security issues of personal data in reference to social networks. But now my thoughts go to a more simple device, just my mobile phone.  I do not connect to internet and social networks on my phone then that part is “safe” but still there is certain data exposure on my phone just because I use a  smartphone  beyond calling and sending SMS.

Things are changing fast. In the late 90’s I wouldn’t have imagine myself looking for my mobile phone via email. Still public phone boxes were surround me. I could call friends easily, with or without mobile phones because I had a physical agenda and some numbers I knew them by heart. My mobile phone did not have much extra information about myself.

Now the situation has changed and I haven’t though thoughtfully on this. I start to wonder if actually I am letting myself to be vulnerable by depending blindly on my mobile phone. Perhaps as times change it might be wise to think a bit about this and also change. The main question is how  and what do I want to change about this topic?

change

change

 

Photo source here

 

digra 2012

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Week 23, 2012
Tampere, Finland

Last time I was in Tampere was for the role-playing seminar. Right after the seminar, I went to the Salmokohta. I want and need to post about those events, and I will but somehow I am still digesting them.

Now, I am back in Tampere for the Nordic DiGRA conference. The community is special, and I learning to know them. Well, I start to join the community since late 2005, so little by little I have gotten to know them. This community approaches research from a different perspective than how we do in my research group at EdTech. In here the stress is more on culture. So, for someone like me who studied a “technical” degree and somehow is practical, it takes me a time to tune in. I assume this is because I was taught to  see and analyze our world differently. However, that offers me an opportunity to learn a lot too. It takes personal energy, but to be able to understand the discourse of others interested in the same artifact of study is a rich experience. At the end our world is made from different persons who have different views.

From this morning, I realized I need to reflect more in:

  • Utopias
  • Perceptions
  • Believes
  • Habitus
  • Authentic
  • Aspirations
  • As we notice concepts related to identity, the key issue!
Opening of Nordic DiGRA 2012

Opening of Nordic DiGRA 2012

 

workshop on basics of game design @ jtel ss

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Week 23, 2012
Joensuu, Finland

On May 21 I gave my first workshop at an international event.  I am thankful with JTEL for the opportunity.

When I wrote the workshop proposal, my naïve mind was thinking that I might have an afternoon for it. Once the program showed up, I realized I only had 1.5 hr, which it is not much time in order to run a practical workshop.

The program also let me know that other sessions would talk about games.  I am aware that gaming is relatively new in for the JTEL community. So I decided to focus directly on the basics, and still put hands on 😉  So, instead to design a game as a puzzle, as originally was designed, I pushed to have a game using dices. For that, I needed to seek for dices in Joensuu.  Oh my! That was an adventure. But at the end of the day I got all the material for my workshop:

Material for the workshop basics on game design @ JTEL 12

Material for the workshop basics on game design @ JTEL 12

It was funny to bring all that non-digital technology tools to an event that focuses on digital technology, but well, one knows it is what one must do 😉

How was the workshop? Well one should ask that question to the participants actually.

Participants of the workshop basics on game design @ JTEL 12

Participants of the workshop basics on game design @ JTEL 12

On my side, I did my best and I learned a lot.  Now, I am aware that I still I should cut my presentation a bit so that the participants have more time to put hands on. Also, I MUST learn how to close the exercise session or give feedback there is something there I am missing, and for that, of course I need to pay more attention to the experts….

I felt delighted for those who gave positive feedback, thank you! 😉 But overall, I hope the participants got valuable 1.5 hrs of their time while we were together, while gathering information and an experience of the facinating world of games.

Something very interesting happened thanks to the workshop. Dr. Igor Mayer joined the workshop, and I was unaware about who he was. However, at the end of the session he suggested some improvements for the slides, e.g. correct the year of the Huizinga publication, which I had typed wrongly. UPS!!! Now it is correct in the slides, no panic!

As it happens often to me, what I enjoyed more is to listen to others and make questions. Dr. Mayer has been around in the game research world for a time already, however as my attention has been mainly on DiGRA community, I had been a bit careless with the S&G community, so I could not connect right away. After talked to Dr. Mayer, I got eager to re-read several S&G journal articles, which in theory I had read but it seems I did not process them as I should. I really indentify with the vision of Dr. Mayer and I am grateful for the opportunity to talk with him, undoubtedly, he illumined me with his experience, constructive feedback and valuable information.

The fun thing was that at Dr. Mayer’s keynote, he pointed out one of the slides I presented at the workshop (Garner Hype Cycle in slide 26) with a different perspective. That was a rich episode. I felt it as a conversation, so cool!

At the end of the JTEL SS, I understood the purpose of a workshop, which I had no idea earlier. If I understood well, at least one of its functions is to explore ideas. Hmmm… I usually like workshops, but now I know that I will be a workshop  fan!

Summarizing:

  • From my workshop I learn A LOT and I had fun. Thank you JTEL for the opportunity and overall thank you to all the participants of my workshop.
  •  The whole JTELLSS was a great event. We share knowledge and undoubtedly it was built a sense of community. I should be able to do a proper post of the event, but later in time, I am lacking behind in other writing duties. However this post is the first of the series

 

2012 JTEL – Workshop: Basics of Game Design

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!