Challenges in the teaching of Cartography during the COVID-19 pandemic: use of Minecraft in the remote classroom setting

The multi-tasking and technological phenomena of modern society form the basis for so-called active methodology options, which engage students through several different teaching strategies. Among these strategies is game-based learning, very appealing to the younger generation of students and with great didactic potential in the teaching of Cartography and Geography. With the increase in versions of games available on different platforms, their lower cost and the introduction of devices such as mobile telephones, smartphones, tablet computers and desk top computers into the school environment, it has been possible to introduce a sandbox-type game in the didactic approach to the teaching of Geography, which includes cartography content. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the potential of a methodology based on use of the digital game Minecraft for the learning of cartographic concepts related to geographical themes in primary education during the period of social isolation, in which schools remained closed in Brazil, due to the advancing COVID-19 pandemic. This didactic concept was applied to 178 students at a private school in the city of Ribeirão Preto/SP [São Paulo] in the context of remote learning, between the months of October and November 2020. The outcomes were assessed based on the students’ comprehension of the different viewpoints and the function and importance of scale in representations they created using Minecraft. The study demonstrated that, by “constructing” their representations, students could become the protagonists of their own learning process, connecting theoretical concepts to everyday practice and, thus, giving meaning to what they were being taught.

The use of the mobile phone in the rural zones of Peru

PurposeThe main objective of the research is to examine whether the possession and the consumption of the service of a mobile telephone by the families of rural zones has improved their wellbeing in the last 10 years (2007–2016).Design/methodology/approachA quantitative analysis of panel data is proposed in order to analyze the effect of the use of the mobile telephone in rural zones by region of Peru during the last 10 years and capture the unobservable heterogeneity during the said period. In this manner, it is hoped to investigate the effect of the increased use of said technology in Peru.FindingsThe results obtained show that the increase in the acquisitions of mobile telephones in rural zones has had a positive impact on the wellbeing of households. Continuous business innovation driven by citizens’ needs and the greater accessibility of mobile telephones are the main reasons based on the Peruvian context under study.Originality/valueIn Peru, there has been an explosive increase in users of mobile telephones in the last 10 years. The use of this technology may be arriving in rural households before other basic services, provoking individual and social changes and creating new employment and income opportunities. This would support the recent recognition of the mobile telephone as an essential tool for development, especially in underdeveloped countries.

The Prevalence of Cyberbullying among Adolescents: A Case Study of Middle Schools in Vietnam

This paper aims to investigate the prevalence of cyberbullying among Vietnamese adolescents. Special emphasis was placed on gender differences regarding different forms of cyberbullying and victimization. In this study, 200 middle school students from four state schools in Vietnam were online surveyed to obtain information about the prevalence of cyberbullying and victimization. The results show that most of the students used the Internet daily and that almost all of them possess mobile telephones. On average, 7% of students reported that they have cyberbullied others online, whilst 14% of them were victims of cyberbullying. The most common types of victimization reported by students were harassment including “prank or silent phone calls” or “Insults on instant messaging and website”. There were not any significant gender differences in cyberbullying and being victimized by cyberbullies than females.

Development of an application tool to support returnees in Fukushima

To promote radiation protection and health promotion among returning residents (returnees) in coastal areas of Fukushima, eHealth principles were used to develop a new application tool (app) that can record radiation exposure and health status while providing comprehensive support to returnees. Intended users are returnees and health and welfare workers. After assessing their needs, a flowchart and prototype for operational logic were created using commercially available software tools. Professional developers will focus on improving the user interface and ensuring data security. The finished app will be compatible with mobile telephones and tablets. Utility and ease of use are paramount to serve returnees of all ages effectively.

Micro-separations: how to traumatise your spouse on a daily basis

Back in 1917, Professor Sigmund Freud highlighted the role of loss and bereavement in the development of melancholia. During the 1930s and 1940s, pioneering psychoanalysts such as Dr John Bowlby and Dr René Spitz underscored the ways in which profound separations might contribute to the genesis of depression, delinquency, and other forms of severe psychopathology. But what impact do brief, or even tiny, separations— micro-separations —have upon individuals and, moreover, upon partners in intimate couple relationships? In this essay, we shall offer a typology of the micro-separations which occur between the members of long-established couples, ranging from fleeting moments of misattunement, to periods of vanishing into laptops and mobile telephones, to those of a more overtly dramatic nature. We shall also explore the "frequent-flyer couple", in which one or both members of the pair might travel extensively for work. Above all, we will consider the cumulative traumatic impact of micro-separations upon the atmosphere and dynamics of the couple relationship and we will discuss how the powerful attentivity of the psychotherapeutic situation both exposes and heals this potentially toxic and, often, invisible pathogen.

Agricultural Perspectives on Hailstorm Severity, Vulnerability, and Risk Messaging in Eastern Colorado

Eastern Colorado is one of the most active hail regions in the United States, and individual hailstorms routinely surpass millions of dollars in crop loss and physical damage. Fifteen semistructured interviews with eastern Colorado farmers and ranchers were conducted in the summer of 2019 to gauge perceptions of the severity and vulnerability associated with hailstorms, as well as to understand how forecasts and warnings for severe hail are received and acted upon by the agricultural community. Results reveal a correspondence between perceived and observed frequency of hailstorms in eastern Colorado and highlight financial losses from crop destruction as the greatest threat from hailstorms. In contrast to the National Weather Service defining severe hail as at least 1.0 in. (25.4 mm) in diameter, the agricultural community conceptualizes hail severity according to impacts and damage. Small hail in large volumes or driven by a strong wind are the most worrisome scenarios for farmers, because small hail can most easily strip crop heads and stalks. Larger hailstones are perceived to pose less of a threat to crops but can produce significant damage to physical equipment and injure livestock. Eastern Colorado farmers and ranchers are avid weather watchers and associate environmental cues with hailstorms in addition to receiving warning messages, primarily via alerts on mobile telephones. Hailstorms elicit feelings of dejection and anxiety in some respondents, whereas others accept hailstorms as part of the job. Increasing awareness of the agricultural perceptions of hailstorms can help the meteorological community direct hail prediction research efforts and improve risk communication to the agricultural sector.

Language

The rise of information and communications technologies (ICTs) since the year 2000 has had a transformative effect on authorship, especially in the developing world. Mobile telephones, tablets, and internet cafés have, along with the social media that thrive on them, created entirely new avenues for writers to connect with a worldwide audience, often bypassing the traditional gatekeepers of global celebrity. But ICTs, owing to technological limitations and the fact that the vast majority of them originate in the developed world, frequently present access hurdles of their own to authors writing in so-called smaller languages. What happens, for example, to authors who favour a language with a script not yet universally supported by social media platforms? As Nathalie Carré shows in this chapter, small languages may well be dependent on translations to ensure their survival in a global literary system, but this process is a two-way street.

Kredibilitas Komunikator pada Destinasi Wisata Melalui Media Sosial (Video Viral Negeri di Atas Awan Citorek, Banten)

Abstrak. Telepon seluler (gawai) menjadi kebutuhan primer bagi masyarakat. Khalayak membutuhkannya sebagai sarana informasi, bersosialisasi atau pengungkapan diri dalam berkomunikasi. Arus pesan komunikasi melalui aplikasi instant messaging WhatsApp meningkat dan menduduki posisi pertama. Informasi yang disebarkan melalui WhatsApp sering menjadi viral. Misalnya peristiwa fenomenal tayangan video mengenai wahana wisata baru bernama Negeri Di Atas Awan, Citorek, Banten pada September 2019. Komunikator dalam tayangan adalah Pemimpin Daerah yang tidak disebutkan namanya namun komunikasi visual dalam video dan narasi yang diunggah berhasil memikat hati penerima pesan dan memviralkannya. Dalam hitungan hari, viral tayangan video lanjutan berisikan antusias masyarakat yang berkunjung. Namun, pengunjung kecewa karena mendapati fakta yang berbeda. Penelitian ini ingin melihat bagaimana kredibilitas komunikator pada destinasi wisata yang viral melalui media sosial. Penelitian menggunakan metode studi dokumen dengan pendekatan kualitatif desktiptif. Temuan menunjukkan, kredibilitas komunikator pada media digital menjadi kekuatan sesuai pernyataan McCorskey ada tiga nilai yaitu keahlian, karakter, dan kedinamisan yang tersajikan melalui komunikasi audio visual. Namun demikian, perlu diperhaikan cermat sehingga tidak menjadi kecewa. Kerelaan publik memviralkan menyebabkan kepanikan, dimana realitas yang tersaji dalam komunikasi visual tidak sesuai harapan yang dilihatnya. Kekuatan penyebaran pesan komunikasi visual melalui media aplikasi sosial hadir seperti dalam the bullet theory, pesannya cepat memiliki daya tarik antusiasme publik. Kata kunci: pesan singkat, komunikasi viral, komunikasi visual, video, media sosial, aplikasi wahatsapp Abstract. Cellular or mobile telephones for Indonesian people become the primary needs now. The audience needs it as a means of information, socializing or self-disclosure in interpersonal and group communication. The mobile phone used is increased.especialy use of WhatsApp (WA) instant messaging application which occupies the first position in Indonesia. Information distributed by WA immediately went viral such as the phenomenal event called Negeri Di Atas Awan, Citorek, Banten. The communicator in this video is the local Governor, but the visual communication and its narrative succeeded in capturing the heart of people were willing to see it. But then the visitors are disappointed to find different facts. This study wants to see how the communicator's credibility in tourist destinations through social media. The research used the document study method with a qualitative descriptive approach. The result is the credibility of communicator on digital media becomes a strength according to McCorskey's statement there are three values, namely expertise, character, and dynamism which are presented through audio-visual communication.The power of spreading visual communication messages through social media applications is present as in the bullet theory, the message quickly has the appeal of public enthusiasm.Keywords: instant messaging, viral communication, visual communication, video, social media, whatsapp aplication.