Mission is a central aspect of the Christian faith and much thought is given to the challenge of proclaiming the gospel in a new context or to a different people group (i.e. contextualization). In recent years, a new context has come to the forefront that has been and is being created through technology, namely virtual reality (VR). The purpose of this study is to explore how contextualization, with regards to evangelization, needs to be done in VR. The proposed thesis is that VR provides a new context in which the Christian faith is, or should be, shared in a contextualized way. Although much thought is given to the question of religion in VR, it mostly focuses on the nature of communities online. This study addresses the issue of online evangelization, which has so far received less attention. This doctoral thesis is structured after the empirical-theological praxis cycle of Faix (2007a), and the Policy Delphi Method (PDM) is the research technique used. Through the PDM, a panel of experts from different backgrounds (theologians, sociologists, and practitioners) discussed the various ways in which VR affects evangelization, the way people form their religious identity, and how contextualization could take place. The aim of this research is to contribute to the field of missiology by investigating VR as a new context in which to proclaim the Christian faith. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th.(Missiology)

The increased interest for self-tracking through the use of technology has given birth to the Quantified Self movement. The movement empowers users to gain self-knowledge from their own data. The overall idea is fairly recent and as such it provides a vast space for exploration and research. This project contributes to the Quantified self movement by proposing a concept for visualization of personal data using an avatar. The overall work finds inspiration in Chernoff faces visualization and it uses parts of the presentation method within the project design.   This thesis presents a visualization approach for Quantified Self data using avatars. It tests the proposed concept through a user study with two iterations. The manuscript holds a detailed overview of the designing process, questionnaire for the data mapping, implementation of the avatars, two user studies and the analysis of the results. The avatars are evaluated using Spotify data. The implementation offers a visualization library that can be reused outside of the scope of this thesis. The project managed to deliver an avatar that presents personal data through the use of facial expressions. The results show that the users can understand the proposed mapping of data. Some of the users were not able to gain meaningful insights from the overall use of the avatar, but the study gives directions for further improvements of the concept. / Visualizing quantified self data using avatars

This thesis tells the story of a design case creating an user interface for a MMORPG where the player are able control the body language of the avatar. By this the game can achieve a gameplay about drama and strong characterization. The thesis addresses considerations on what aspects of body language that can be important for computer games and other virtual environments. It also offers design considerations when designing interfaces for using gestures and other body signals to communicate emotions in virtual environments such as computer games. The main design consideration when creating the interface was to treat the player as an actor and the game world as a stage. The player needs to be in control of combinations of facial expressions, body posture and gestures as well as relative avatar positioning to other characters and objects. The interface was first tested as a paper prototype, re-designed, re-tested and then implemented into a computer prototype.

Orientador: Roxane Helena Rodrigues Rojo / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T02:14:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dias_AnairValeniaMartins_D.pdf: 3003650 bytes, checksum: 72fd3939879bdfa350b8e1cfac90ba47 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo compreender e refletir sobre o ensino de língua materna mediado pelas tecnologias e, além disso, tentar apontar caminhos que possam contribuir para a transformação na maneira como esse ensino tem sido efetivado nas escolas públicas. Para isso, optei por ministrar um curso para alunas (os) do 9ª ano do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública, que possuía laboratório de informática funcionando, no município de Uberlândia/MG. O curso foi desenvolvido entre os meses de agosto e dezembro de 2009 e organizado em torno de alguns eixos norteadores: (i) a definição do estudo de um gênero específico, a autobiografia, a partir do qual estudamos uma cadeia de gêneros; (ii) a utilização de uma proposta metodológica com base em uma sequência didática para o estudo do gênero autobiografia; (iii) o estudo de um aspecto linguístico significativo para o gênero abordado; (iv) o desenvolvimento de avatares, pelos alunos participantes do curso, com o objetivo de potencializar a recepção e a produção do gênero autobiografia e (v) a utilização da plataforma de ensino virtual TelEduc na efetivação do curso proposto. Como pressuposto teórico, filiei-me às perspectivas teóricas de Bakhtin (2003[1952-1953]) para discutir sobre os gêneros discursivos; de Swales (2004) para refletir sobre aspectos referentes à cadeia de gêneros; de Dolz e Schneuwly (2004[1996]) para discutir sobre sequência didática; de Lejeune (2008) para abordar questões referentes ao estudo do gênero autobiografia; de Koch (2003), (1996) e Travaglia (2011) para refletir sobre os usos significativos dos elementos coesivos, de Kalantzis; Cope (2006), (2003) e de Rojo (2009) para refletir sobre os multiletramentos. No desenvolvimento desta investigação busquei, portanto, mostrar que a utilização dos laboratórios de informática nas escolas deve partir de um fazer pedagógico significativo para o aluno. Nesse sentido, é possível afirmar que o ensino de língua materna pode ser potencializado pelo estudo dos gêneros discursivos em ambientes virtuais, bem como pelo trabalho pedagógico com avatares. Esse fato ficou evidenciado quando observei que os alunos-adolescentes, ao desenvolverem as atividades propostas durante o curso de produção de autobiografias, não promoveram distinção entre a sua própria história de vida e a história de vida do seu respectivo avatar. Esse aspecto especificamente foi importante porque favoreceu a recepção e a produção do gênero em questão, sendo o envolvimento dos alunosadolescentes com a escrita redimensionada quando passaram a escrever sob a égide de seu avatar / Abstract: This research aims at reflecting and understanding the teaching of mother tongue mediated by technologies, trying to point out ways that can contribute to the changes in the way of teaching in public schools. For this, I chose to teach a course for the 9th grade students from a public elementary school in Uberlandia/MG, where there was a computer lab working. The course was developed between August and December 2009 and organized with some guiding principles: (i) the definition of the study of a specific gender, autobiography, from which we studied a chain of genders, (ii) the use of a methodology based on a didactic sequence for the study of the autobiography gender, (iii) the study of a significant linguistic aspect to the gender approached, (iv) the development of avatars by the participants of the course, in order to enhance the production and reception of the autobiography gender and (v) the use of a virtual learning platform - the TelEduc - on which the proposed course was based. As a theoretical assumption, I based on the theoretical perspectives of Bakhtin (2003 [1952-1953]) to discuss discursive genders, of Swales (2004) to reflect on aspects relating to the chain of genders, of Dolz and Schneuwly (2004 [1996 ]) to discuss about didactic sequence; of Lejeune (2008) to deal with issues related to the study of the autobiography gender; of Koch (2003), (1996) and Travaglia (2011) to reflect on the significant uses of cohesive elements of Kalantzis; of Cope (2006), (2003) and of Rojo (2009) to reflect on multiliteracy. In developing this research I tried to show that the use of computer labs in schools should happen with a pedagogical work that is meaningful to the student. In this sense, I can say that the teaching of the mother tongue can be enhanced by the study of genders in virtual environments, as well as by the use of a pedagogical method with avatars. This fact became evident when I observed that the students, in developing the proposed activities during the course of producing autobiographies, did not distinguish their own life stories from the life stories of their respective avatar. This aspect was particularly important because it favored the production and reception of the gender in question and resized the involvement of the students with their writings when they started writing under the aegis of their avatars / Doutorado / Linguagem e Tecnologia / Doutora em Lingüística Aplicada

La recherche en « art et sciences de l’art » que nous avons menée pour notre doctorat a comme point de départ le projet artistique de la Mosaïque. Celle-ci regroupe des avatars qui sont générés de manière stratégique et critique pour investir le milieu de l’art. Ce projet a vu le jour au début des années deux mille pour répondre, avec une certaine distance, à des attentes institutionnelles dans le cadre de notre bachelor en arts visuels pour ensuite être développé dans un contexte professionnel. Cette démarche réflexive nous a permis d’accumuler des expériences et des informations sur le fonctionnement sociologique, économique et politique des mondes de l’art. Pour cette thèse, nous avons explicité cette méthode de dédoublement, mais nous l’avons aussi utilisée comme méthode méta-réflexive pour proposer une posture d’artiste[ ]chercheur. Ainsi, dans un cadre institutionnel aux sensibilités académiques parfois divergentes entre l’Université et les Beaux-Arts, nous avons tenté de dépasser un certain nombre de clivages (théorie/pratique, artistique/esthétique, subjectif/objectif, etc.) propres à notre discipline que sont les arts visuels. Pour nous approcher de ce but, nous avons formalisé et conceptualisé le rendu de notre projet artistique à travers la rédaction d’un « essai augmenté » (par des hyperliens) dans les pages qui vont suivre et un diagramme interactif (une topographie conceptuelle de la Mosaïque) consultable sur un site Web (www.mosaique.li). Nous avons envisagé, dans une approche pragmatique, la diversité de ces niveaux d’investigation comme un écosystème s’inscrivant dans une « écologie esthétique ». Autrement dit, en étant paradoxalement acteur, chercheur et spectateur dans notre propre domaine, nous avons effectué, sous ce triple statut, une recherche (sur un projet artistique) et une méta-recherche (sur la méthodologie et l’épistémologie de cettedite recherche). Par conséquent, nous n’avons pas souhaité aboutir à une « vérité » scientifique à partir d’une hypothèse à valider, mais plutôt à étudier en quoi un projet en art peut être une source de savoirs éclairés par l’analyse d’une pratique artistique avec l’apport des sciences sociales, humaines et naturelles. En partant du fait que l’art est destiné à un public, la dernière partie de cette recherche est consacrée à sa propre réception par un spectateur-lecteur. Nous nous sommes interrogés sur les régimes cognitifs qui permettent de solliciter l’attention, mais aussi sur la manière dont nous la prêtons dans un environnement médiatisé par une interface numérique. Il s’agissait ici de réfléchir à la réception d’une recherche produisant des objets d’informations singuliers ayant une dimension esthétique et prenant forme dans l’hybridation du tangible et du numérique. / Doctorat en Art et Sciences de l'Art / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Food waste has become a serious matter which negatively impacts the environment worldwide. This raises the issue of managing food waste more efficiently, which in many cases can be aided with technology, and there has been previous research suggesting possible solutions. On a household level, food waste could be better managed by providing individuals with visual representations or summaries of how much they waste, and hopefully motivating them to waste less. However, typicalcharts used for visualizing data often fail to motivate users. Abstract visualizations might have a better chance at doing so. The focus of this master thesis is to design and develop a responsive web application which helps users keep track of their food purchases. Using the application, users can create product lists and perform two actions on products: consuming and wasting. The app prototype aims to increase an individual’s motivation towards wasting less food by providing a virtual “tree” visualization with similar features to a real tree such as branches and leaves. However, instead of growing depending on its’ environment like a real tree would, this virtual “tree” representation would grow based on the user’s actions: subject to how much food is consumed or wasted, the virtual tree will grow further or gradually start withering. A user study was conducted which involved a questionnaire surveying the general attitudes and practices of the participants regarding their household food waste, which was sent to participants both before and after using the resulting prototype.This enabled for relevant comparisons to be made between the user attitudes before and after trying the prototype. Furthermore, at the end of study, two user groups could be identified: most active participants and less active participants. This classification was made based on the activity logs gathered from the application database, where “most active” refers to participants that used the application regularly during the evaluation period and “less active” means the participants with very little or no activity recorded in the database. A final questionnaire was developed in two variants for collecting user feedback, tailored for the two groups identified: most active participants and less active participants. These surveys were shared with a group of participants who had agreed on using the resulting prototype for a period of at least two weeks. The results of the user study suggested that users were positive to the concept of the prototype and most users showed a keen interest in future improvements of the application. It is hoped that this work makes a relevant contribution to the areas of household food waste management, digital inventories, and web technologies, specifically web applications.

No description available.

Avatars are used more and more in online communication, in both games and socialmedia. At the same time technology for facial puppetry, where expressions of the user aretransferred to the avatar, has developed rapidly. Why is it that facial puppetry, despite this,is conspicuous by its absence? This thesis analyzes the available and upcoming solutions for facial puppetry, if a com-mon framework or library can exist and what can be done to simplify the process for de-velopers who wants to implement facial puppetry. A survey was conducted to get a better understanding of the technology. It showedthat there is no standard yet for how to describe facial expressions, but part of the marketis converging towards a common format. It also showed that there is no existing inter-face that can handle communication with tracking devices or translation between differentexpression formats. Several prototypes for recording and streaming facial expression data from differentsources were implemented as a practical test. This was done to evaluate the complexity ofimplementing real-time facial puppetry. It showed that it is not always possible to integratethe available tracking solutions into an existing project. When integration was possible itrequired a lot of work. The best way to get tracking right now seems to be to implement astandalone program for tracking that streams the tracked data to the main application. In summary it is the poor integrability of the solutions that makes it problematic forthe developers, together with a wide variety of facial expression formats. A software thatacts like a bridge between the tracking solutions and the game could allow for translationbetween different formats and simplify implementation of support. In the future, instead of working towards making all tracking solutions output stan-dardized tracking data, research further how to build a framework that can handle differ-ent configurations. / <p>Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet</p>

No / This volume contains the papers presented at Computer Graphics International 2002, in July, at the University of Bradford, UK. These papers represent original research in computer graphics from around the world.

There has been an increasing demand for commercial organisations to foster real-time interaction with customers, because harnessing customer competencies has been shown to be a major contributor towards various benefits, such as growth, innovation and competition. This may drive organisations to embrace the development of multimodal interaction and complement Electronic Customer Knowledge Management Systems (E-CKMS) with metaphors of audio-visual nature. Although the implementation of E-CKMS encounters several challenges, such as lack of trust and information overload, few empirical studies were devoted to assess the role of audio-visual metaphors, and investigate whether these technologies can be put into practice. Therefore, this thesis describes a comparative evaluation study carried out to examine the implication of incorporating multimodal metaphors into E-CKMS interfaces on not only usability of E-CKMS, but also the user¿s trust, knowledge and acceptance. An experimental E-CKMS platform was implemented with three different modes of interaction: Visual-only E-CKMS (VCKMS) with text and graphics, Multimodal E-CKMS (MCKMS) with speech, earcons and auditory icons and Avatar-enhanced multimodal E-CKMS (ACKMS). The three platforms were evaluated by three independent groups of twenty participants each (total=60) who carried out eight common tasks of increasing complexity and design based on three different styles. Another dependent group of forty-eight participants (n=48) was instructed to interact with the systems under similar usability conditions by performing six common tasks of two styles, and fill a questionnaire devised to measure the aspects of user acceptance. The results therein revealed that ACKMS was more usable and acceptable than both MCKMS and VCKMS, whereas MCKMS was more usable than VCKMS, but less acceptable. Inferential Statistics indicated that these results were statistically significant.