Faculty of Information and Communication Studies

Permanent URI for this community

https://repository.upou.edu.ph/handle/20.500.13073/1

Browse

Browsing Faculty of Information and Communication Studies by Issue Date

Jump to a point in the index:
  • Item
    False prophets: exploring hybrid board/video games
    (Association for Computing Machinery, 2002) Mandryk, Regan L. ; Maranan, Diego S. ; Inkpen, Kori M.
    In order to develop technology that promotes social interaction rather than isolation, we are exploring the space between board games and video games. We created a hybrid game that leverages the advantages of both physical and digital media. A custom sensor interface promotes physical interaction around the shared public display while the un-oriented tabletop display encourages players to focus on each other rather than on the interface to the game. The ensuing social interactions define the course that the game takes, while the computer enhances the gaming experience by completing the menial tasks and providing dynamic, exciting environments. Our hybrid board/video game has the potential to enhance natural and enjoyable recreational interaction between friends.
  • Item
    Cinemaspace, Cyberspace: Mapping the Philippine Moving Image
    ( 2008-11-20) Trice, Jasmine ; Maranan, Diego S.
    This presentation will consist of two, interrelated parts, reflecting the interests of the participants in integrating the critical and theoretical, on the one hand, and the artistic and material, on the other. Operating under the same rubric and tackling parallel conceptual problems regarding nation, the moving image, and notions of the public, we hope to unravel some distinctions between art and criticism, following the cue of many practitioners and theorists in the Philippines, in order to sketch out possibilities for links between Philippine cinema as a digital mode of production, the usual way in which cinema and new media are linked, as well as examining the use of Philippine online spaces as a digital mode of circulation.
  • Item
    Flow: Expressing Movement Quality
    ( 2011-05) Subyen, Pattarawut ; Maranan, Diego S. ; Carlson, Kristin ; Schiphorst, Thecla ; Pasquier, Philippe
    Flow was an improvised dance performance at the User in Flux workshop at the 2011 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Movement qualities are extracted in real time from the performer’s body using EffortDetect. EffortDetect is a real-time machine-learning system that applies Laban Movement Analysis, a rigorous framework for analyzing the human movement, to extract movement qualities from a moving body in the form of Laban Basic Efforts. It produces a dynamic stream of Laban Basic Effort qualities in real time. We extended the use of EffortDetect by designing a visualization system that uses movement quality parameters to generate an abstract visualization for use in dance performance.
  • Item
    Biomodd: A Case Study In Combining Online Learning With On-Site New Media Art Practice
    ( 2011-09) Librero, Al Francis D. ; Maranan, Diego S. ; Vermeulen, Angelo
    Biomodd is a new media art project that integrates cross-cultural dialogue, ecology and technology while encouraging innovative collaboration. The project started in 2007 in the United States, and has since spawned multiple versions that have been built both by the people that originally came up with the idea, and by other communities throughout the world. During its run in the Philippines, a team was formed to build an installation that went on display was exhibited in two cities in the Philippines. The UP Open University, in return for its sponsorship, employed the project as a springboard in a course for students to explore and practice new media art. Since Biomodd involved a series of on-site workshops and classroom sessions, the challenge was to find a way to engage students despite their ability to physically attend the workshops. This was addressed through the use of various online applications to accomplish tasks outside the construction of the art installation. Communication was coursed through several avenues, including the university's official learning management system, text messaging, mailing lists, online photo albums, personal blogs and mass media. Through an analysis of the exchanges conducted through these various channels of communication, we show how learners and course facilitators were able to build and sustain a sense of community, as well as connect with external stakeholders who enabled learners to extend their exploration in new media art practice as shaped by their experience of working on Biomodd, thus constituting a highly enriching learning experience.
  • Item
    Technical Challenges with E-Learning Tolls: A Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies Case Study
    ( 2012) Leongson, Joanna Camila T.
    Technology is a key instrument in distance learning. The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has been utilizing distance learning tools to facilitate the learning process. The first batch of Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies (BAMS) students, as well as the faculty, has been exploring these tools. Distance learning tools were used for effective communication, access to information, and different ways of fulfilling course requirements. However, both the students and faculty may have also experienced technical challenges. This study aimed to assess the usage of the different distance learning tools (Moodle, Email, Yahoo! Messenger, Skype, Google Groups, WizIQ, Academiacs, and Facebook) by the senior students and faculty of the Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies (BAMS) through Web surveys. From their usage of the distance learning tools, the technological challenges were determined. The distance learning tools have been grouped according to the type of teaching and learning, and interaction. Type I refers to distance learning tools used for teaching and receiving (student-teacher interaction); Type II refers to facilitating and sharing (student-student interaction), and Type III refers to collaborative teaching and learning (collaborative interaction or student-teacher and student interaction). The usage and technical challenges were classified into the access to distance learning online tools, functionality of the tools, interaction with the tools or effects of tools in the interaction of students and instructors, and attitude towards the tools.
  • Item
    Student's Usage of and Attitudes Toward Multimedia Resource in Selected Private High Schools in Davao City
    ( 2012) Suicano, Ricky I.
    This study aimed to determine the students' usage of and attitudes toward multimedia resources in high school level in Davao City. The illustrative survey method was used to determine the students' usage of and attitudes toward multimedia resources in high school level specifically, the profile of the respondents, the students' attitudes toward multimedia resources in their library, the extent students are using multimedia resources, the extent to which multimedia resources contribute to the students' usage of their library, the factors that influence students' use or non-use of multimedia resources, the students' perception on the relevance of available multimedia resources and the relationship between the student's use of and attitudes toward these resources. The questionnaire was the main instrument used in gathering data from the 173 students of secondary level in selected private schools in Davao City. Percentage, weighted mean and chi-square were the statistical tools used on this study. Based on the findings, the respondents sometimes use the multimedia resources in their library. Most of them use multimedia resources less than once a week. They are undecided as to what extent do multimedia resources contribute to their usage of library as well as to the factors that influence their use or non-use of multimedia resources in their library. On the other hand, they agreed to moderate extent on the relevance of available multimedia resources in the library. Results also show that there is no relationship between the students' use of and attitudes toward multimedia resources in the library.
  • Item
    A Case Study on the Use of Multimedia in Resource Mobilization and Advocacy Work of Upland NGOs the Cases of the Kalahan Educational Foundation (KEF), Koalisyon Ng Katutubong Samahan Ng Pilipinas (KASAPI) and the Upland Marketing Foundation Incorporated (UMFI)
    ( 2012) Martinez, Diana Jean
    Multimedia is known to facilitate communication with and heighten awareness of the target audiences. It obliterates distance and time as it provides accessibility and interactivity at any time and at any place, although several technical considerations have to be considered as well. The study aims to contribute to the limited information on NGOs, particularly on the small to medium sized upland NGOs' usage of multimedia. This study looks at the multimedia capacity of these organizations, as well as the multimedia material, tools, and applications being utilized by upland NGOs in their activities particularly in fund sourcing and advocacy initiatives. It also attempts to determine the effectiveness of these multimedia applications according to the purpose by which these were adopted. The study shows that there is a wide recognition of the immense capacity of multimedia in information dissemination in general and upland NGOs are currently utilizing various multimedia applications and tools in project implementation, resource mobilization and advocacy support. Effectiveness of these applications has also been rated to be very effective where desired output was completely achieved.
  • Item
    Biomodd Do-It-Yourself Manual
    ( 2012) Gomez, Blaise Cedrick N.
    Biomodd is a collaborative art project that strives to generate a symbiotic relationship between electronic elements and ecological life. Each version of the project is predicated by the following themes: 1) fusion of technology and ecology, 2) re-use and recycling of e-waste, 3) sculptural approach in case modding, 4) gaming, 5) collaboration and cocreation and 6) open-sourcing. In 2009 a manual for building a version of Biomodd was created. However, its contents were mostly tips and warnings that the author has for Biomodd builders. It is more of a commentary than an objective manual. To fill this gap, the creation of a second version of the Biomodd DIY Manual is needed. The second version of the manual improves upon its predecessor, by integrating multimedia content and including links to online resources. These will provide potential Biomodd makers sufficient information to properly address challenges that the development team will be encountering, while building a version of Biomodd. The first part of the manual tackles the themes behind Biomodd, the project's stages of development and solutions to issues and concerns that may arise during the build process. The second part is comprised of tips and suggestions that the author has for future development teams. All of these were drawn from the author's personal experiences and observations, while working in various versions of the Philippine Biomodd.
  • Item
    A Perception Survey on the Influence of Social Media on the Academic Performance of Public High School Senior Student in Tagum City
    ( 2012) Suaybaguio, Mervin Jay
    Filipino students have become more and more active in using social media sites. Two of the most popular among these sites, Facebook and YouTube, are of the interest in this study. Several studies have been conducted to examine the impacts of the active use of social media to the academic performance of the students. However, these studies were not able to produce results from which generalizations as to the negative and positive effects of the use of these social media sites can be derived. In the absence of these generalizations, this study looked into the specific case of some groups of students in Tagum City. As analyzing the influence is deemed to be a complicated measure, this study aimed to at least cover the preliminaries, that is, user perception. A perception survey was conducted. From which, students conferred that the effects of social media in their studies is mostly positive. It has been deduced as well that though social media pose negative impacts, it is mostly due to the lack of the sense of responsibility of the user, and the lack of accountability from the parents, guardians, and mentors. It is thus recommended, that as in all good things concerning the youth, moderation is the key and parental guidance is advised.
  • Item
    Installation of a Virtual Language Laboratory Integrated into a Learning Management System Using Open-Source Technolog
    ( 2012) San Buenaventura, Roy B.
    This project is about the implementation of a virtual language laboratory integrated into the online learning management software using open source technology. A computer is installed with Ubuntu Server 11.10 64-bit as its operating system. To manage the server, Webmin version 1.570 is installed. Moodle version 2.2.2 is then installed as the learning management software. To integrate the language laboratory into the Moodle system, Red5 Media Server version 0.8.0 is then installed into the Ubuntu box. Inside Moodle, MoodLL version 2 plugin is then added which is then activated as one of the activity blocks in the management of courses. This installation intends to replace the existing language laboratory systems which are using either the traditional setup of cassette tapes and reels; or the newer digital setup using computers in a single room.
  • Item
    Implementing and Maintaining a Completely Free Solution for Hosting a Small Organization's Content-Management System
    ( 2013) Olavides, Meneleo P.
    A website is a very powerful and efficient content management system (CMS) platform for storing, updating, and distributing information over the Network. It is a very ideal system that primarily focuses on automating the process of information dissemination, retrieval, and querying. Through a website, data and information that were previously written on manual files are already being encoded and stored in electronic format. These electronic files, which are patterned after the convention of a content management system, are now made more flexible compared to their manual counterparts. In view of this, a website therefore is very applicable in managing and disseminating information that are often subject to repetitive updates and queries such as those of a cooperative. Providing a website for the TRC employees' cooperative however entails a sizable amount of investment that may go against the basic principle of frugality or financial conservation on their part. Moreover, it is also possible that not every officer and member of the cooperative are aware of the advantages of a website for their organization; considering the organization's long time practice of disseminating data and information among its members in the traditional manner. Being mindful of these, it is therefore proposed through this project that a cost-free beta version CMS website be constructed and implemented for the TRC employees' cooperative. This beta version is envisioned to serve as an initial platform for future improvements by the time when the cooperative has already enough awareness and capacity to adapt and implement a full-scale CMS website in its operation. Providing a cost-free CMS website for the TRC employees' cooperative therefore will not only enhance the management and dissemination of information among its members, but will also enhance the image of the cooperative itself; translating into a sense of pride among its members. These enhancements will later become part of the cooperative's intangible asset that increases members' confidence and patronage towards their organization. Moreover, this cost-free website project will not compromise the cooperative into any financial and miscellaneous obligations. This manuscript includes all the details in creating and implementing a completely free solution for hosting the TRC employees' cooperative CMS website. This manuscript also contains a brief summary of the cooperative member's feedback regarding the website when it is already published online.
  • Item
    Expressing technological metaphors in dance using structural illusion from embodied motion
    (ACM, 2013-06) Maranan, Diego S. ; Schiphorst, Thecla ; Hwang, Albert ; Hwang, Albert
    We illustrate how technology has influenced creative, embodied practices in urban dance styles by analyzing how technological metaphors underlie conceptual representations of the body, space, and movement in three related styles of urban dance: liquid, digitz, and finger tutting. The creative and technical embodied practices of urban dancers are not well understood in either the ethnographic or creative movement scholarly literature. Following an exploratory netnography of movement practitioners, we claim that unlike most dancers of traditional genres or other urban dance styles, dancers of these three styles frequently employ representations of the body and of space that are geometrical, mathematical, mechanical, or digital. To explain how viewers perceive and understand these metaphors, we extend the perceptual theory of structure from motion in order to apply dance performance reception theory to a model we call 'Structural Illusion from Embodied Motion' (SIEM). Our analysis of performance techniques of these styles suggests that during performance, dancers leverage SIEM to represent two types of 'illusions' to viewers: a) the dancer's body has a reconfigurable structure; and b) the dancer is immersed in a virtual environment that contains invisible, mutable objects and structures that are revealed only through the dancer's movement. The three dance styles exemplify a trend in popular dance in which body, space, and time are understood in the language of technology.
  • Item
    Anthropology Of, For, And With Design: A Philippine Perspective
    ( 2014) Cajilig, Pamela G. ; Maranan, Diego S.
    The intersection of the fields of design and anthropology emerges as fertile ground for study as societies increasingly acknowledge the tremendous impact the objects we create for ourselves have on our lives. As anthropologists and ethnographers involved in running our own design research company in the Philippines, negotiating the alignments and contradictions between the two fields of knowledge is an essential component of our everyday research practice. This paper outlines different models of the relationships between design and anthropology as systems of knowledge and practice. We first extend a theoretical framework that distinguishes between anthropology of, anthropology for, and anthropology with design (Gunn and Donovan 2013): we maintain that anthropology with design underlies an approach increasingly used in commercial industries known as "design thinking", and describe the different ways by which knowledge is generated and mobilized in each of these relationships; we further describe how the artifacts of design can be seen to either materialize, shape, or probe culturally-mediated meanings, power relations, and values. We illustrate these concepts through client-commissioned projects that our organization has conducted in the Philippines. We next examine how and when these design-anthropology relationships are realized when working with clients. While anthropology with design will likely create better outcomes for our clients, larger clients must often settle for anthropology for design; we describe how we have negotiated these tensions and present our outcomes from our engagement with them. We end with a call for the development of a local prism through which practitioners in the field of design can further engage in critical reflection of the production of artifacts, particular those created with the intent of addressing social concerns. Specifically, we call for more localized conceptual frameworks of design that can be patterned (for instance) on India's notion of jugaad, and advance an increased engagement for anthropology with design across various sectors of Philippine society.
  • Item
    MOOCathon: Crowdsourced Planning and Development of a MOOC Platform
    ( 2014) Manalo, Joyce Mae ; Figueroa, Roberto B ; Maranan, Diego S.
    Massive Open Online Courses or MOOC is a recent phenomenon in distance education in which a course can cater to a very large number of learners. To support the massive nature of MOOC, it needs a platform that is flexible and scalable both in the technological and pedagogical sense. In order to solicit as many ideas as possible for an ideal MOOC platform, crowdsourcing was applied both offline and online. Crowdsourcing utilizes the wisdom of the crowd as opposed to that of a single expert. A design-thinking workshop was conducted to identify the needs and features of the MOOC platform based on the combined experiences and ideas of the participants.  MOOC students, teachers and enthusiasts participated in the said event. The development of the platform was achieved through a hackathon, in which several teams created different prototypes addressing the said needs. The output from the hackathon was evaluated in comparison to the existing University MOOC platform developed by a lone team.
  • Item
    Basay National High School Online Registration System
    ( 2014) Estrellado, Jeanalyn G.
    This project research is about the Online Registration System of Basay National High School. The current system problem includes excessive paper consumption, multiple entries of forms, filing difficulties, and handwritten data entry errors. This system was proposed in order to automate the enrollment, organize the students' file automatically and print the ID and students' records directly. Thus, it could save time and effort, as well as increase productivity. The recipient of this project is Basay National High School formerly Basay Municipal High School in 1971, established by the local government headed by its town officials and in coordination with the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) administrators of the Division of Negros Oriental. The school enrollment is approximately more than 700 students for the last three years. The system is accessible via the internet. The principal, registrar and the teacher-adviser can access the system anywhere provided that there is an internet connection. The editing and adding of data is only limited to the teacher-adviser. The data is printable according to the format needed. The format includes school ID, report card, form 137, good moral and diploma. The program used is XHTML 1.0 Transitional, PHP 5.4.35, CSS, Apache for the webhost and Joomla 3.3.6 for the content management (Kempkens, 214). For the system development process and design studies, the Information Systems Strategic Planning (ISSP) of Strategic Information Systems Development (SISD) course in MIS was used (Khan, 2003). The project assessment scheme involved preliminary tool for strategic planning like the SWOT Analysis. The output of this assessment process is concerned about the relevance, feasibility and sustainability of the project. Basay National High School Online Enrollment System study and project is sponsored by PCAFPD (Peace Corps Alumni Foundation for Philippine Development).
  • Item
    Designing for Movement: Evaluating Computational Models Using LMA Effort Qualities
    ( 2014-04-29) Maranan, Diego S. ; Alaoui, Sarah Fdili ; Schiphorst, Thecla ; Pasquier, Philippe ; Subyen, Pattarawut ; Bartram, Lyn
    While single-accelerometers are a common consumer embedded sensors, their use in representing movement data as an intelligent resource remains scarce. Accelerometers have been used in movement recognition systems, but rarely to assess expressive qualities of movement. We present a prototype of wearable system for the real-time detection and classification of movement quality using acceleration data. The system applies Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) to recognize Laban Effort qualities from acceleration input using a Machine Learning software that generates classifications in real time. Existing LMA-recognition systems rely on motion capture data and video data, and can only be deployed in controlled settings. Our single-accelerometer system is portable and can be used under a wide range of environmental conditions. We evaluate the performance of the system, present two applications using the system in the digital arts and discuss future directions.
  • Item
    Biomodd: Exploring Relationships Between Biological, Electronic, And Social Systems Through New Media Art
    ( 2014-11-17) Maranan, Diego S. ; Librero, Al Francis D.
    Biomodd is a collaborative new media art project that explores the symbiosis between biological, electronic, and social systems. The project started in 2007 in the United States, and has since spawned multiple versions globally. The Philippine team was led by educators from the UP Open University, who organized a course on new media art practice as a springboard for exploring and developing the project. We discuss the imaginative and abstract relationships between biological, eletronic, and social systems that learners articulated over the course of the project. We describe how local, culturally-specific narrative elements were imaginatively integrated into the physical and interactive design of the installation, resulting in a technically complex, visually poetic expression of the relationship between nature, technology, and humans.
  • Item
    Content framing of the Tulong Na Tabang Na Tayo Na Project of ABS-CBN’s Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation., Inc. and influence on viewer’s response
    ( 2015) Espineda, Melvin N.
    Guided by Goffinan's (1974) Framing Theory and Gerbner and Gross'es Cultivation Theory ( I 976), this descriptive study explored how the framing of Tulong Na Tabang Na Tayo Na project of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc. had influenced the responses of I 14 students from three higher education institutions in the Philippines towards it. The project was a call to help the victims ofTyphoon Yolanda in Tacloban, Leyte. Through a survey, data were obtained and analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. Of the 114 (76%) student­respondents, 89 (78%) are female and 25 (22%) male. Most student-respondents (67 or 58.7%) belonged to the 14-18 years old bracket. The study recorded 78 or 68% of student-respondents were actively watching television and assumed to be capable of deciding whether to support or ignore the project's framed content. Twenty percent of student-respondents shared that the framed content by using emotional appeal (i.e. crying people asking for help) accompanied by emphatic messages (i.e. Kapamilya, magkapit-bisig po tayo sa panahon ng sakuna, bukas po ang aming tanggapan para sa inyong mga donasyon (Members of the ramify in this time of disaster, let us hold hands, our office is open for your donations) had influenced them to support the project because of their experience. While personal experience did not form part of the communication frame as forwarded by Lakoff (2004 ), it surfaced that audiences' decision to support a project is motivated by it. Most student-respondents have experienced floods and strong typhoons, making the situation familiar. Thus, empathizing with the victims would be easy to establish. Moreover, long exposure to television and continuous watching of the project led them, as espoused by the cultivation theory, to support the project. Suffice to say that in developing a communication material, inclusion of a related experience of intended audiences may be considered.
  • Item
    When Ideas Migrate: A Postcolonial Perspective on Biomodd [LBA2]
    ( 2015-08) Maranan, Diego S. ; Vermeulen, Angelo
    Biomodd is a global series of art installations in which computer technology and ecology converge. Computer networks built from upcycled computer components are provided with living internal ecosystems. In a symbiotic exchange, plants and algae live alongside electronics and use the latter’s waste heat to thrive. Sensors and robotics provide additional interaction possibilities with the organisms. The first version of the project was completed in the US, while the second version was built in the Philippines. Using a postcolonial stance, we reflect on the challenges involved in translating the project from one context to another. We focus on issues related to heat recycling in the tropics; authenticity and hybridity; obsolescence and the convertibility of capital; cultural sampling, remixing, and appropriation; and structures for social organization. We advance Biomodd as a significant contribution to artscience collaborative initiatives in the global South.
  • Item
    Speculative Somatics
    (Intellect, 2015-12-01) Maranan, Diego S.
    Based on a presentation at The Undivided Mind conference at Plymouth University, this article sketches out speculative applications of somatics, the first person, phenomenological study of sensation, perception and movement. I first introduce the subject of somatics through an experiential exercise for the reader before summarizing theoretical aspects of somatic study. Drawing from the literature in embodied cognition and from personal recollections of embodied experiences, I propose how somatic approaches could potentially be used in working with immigrant communities, living in outer space, and empathizing with non-human animals.