Pelatihan Pembuatan Film Animasi Menggunakan Aplikasi Toontastic 3d untuk Mendukung Minat Belajar Siswa SMP

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government implemented bold learning at various levels of education, from kindergarten to university. There is a possibility that the applied learning can result in low student interest in learning. This is because the learning process carried out only transfers recordings of learning patterns to WhatsApp text messages, so there is no other innovation to help students' interest in learning become better. As teachers we must be able to make interesting learning media according to the characteristics of students, where one of the learning media is to make animated films that students can see and do while studying at home. The purpose of this activity is to help and train junior high school teachers in making animated film learning media using the Toontastic 3D application so that it can support students' interest in learning. The method used in the implementation of this service activity is to use the method of discussion and question and answer, demo, and expository. Participants in this service activity are partners of MGMP SMP in Muaro Jambi in the field of mathematics as many as 35 teachers and 20 students. The instrument used in this service is a teacher motivation response questionnaire after training and a student interest response questionnaire after learning with learning media in the form of animated films. Based on the results of the training, it was obtained that most of the teachers who participated were very satisfied and happy with this training, this can be seen from the teacher's motivation, most of the teachers answered on average the statements given agreed and strongly agreed agree category. Furthermore, student learning interest can also be said to be good, this can be seen based on the results of the student learning interest questionnaire where the average student on a positive statement is in the agree and strongly agree category, while in the negative statement questionnaire on average are in the category of strongly disagree and disagree. . Therefore, it can be said that this training in making animated films as a learning medium can provide good motivation for teachers and good learning interest for students during the covid-19 pandemic. ABSTRAK Masa pandemic covid-19, pemerintah menerapkan pembelajaran secara daring di berbagai jenjang Pendidikan mulai dari TK sampai perguruan tinggi. Tidak menutup kemungkinan selama pembelajaran daring diterapkan dapat mengakibatkan minat belajar siswa rendah. Hal tersebut dikarenakan proses pembelajaran yang dilakukan hanya memindahkan pola pembelajaran yang dibuku ke pesan teks WhatsApp saja, sehingga tidak adanya inovasi lain untuk membantu minat belajar siswa menjadi lebih baik. Sebagai pengajar kita harus bisa membuat media pembelajaran yang menarik sesuai dengan karakteristik siswa, dimana salah satu media pembelajaran tersebut adalam pembuatan film animasi yang dapat dilihat dan di toton oleh siswa selama belajar dirumah. Tujuan kegiatan pengabdian ini adalah untuk membantu dan melatih guru SMP dalam pembuatan media pembelajaran berbentuk film animasi menggunakan aplikasi toontastic 3D sehingga dapat mendukung minat belajar siswa. Metode yang digunakan dalam pelaksanaan kegiatan pengabdian ini adalah menggunakan metode diskusi dan tanya jawab, demonstrasi, dan ekspositori. Peserta kegiatan dalam pengabdian ini adalah mitra MGMP SMP di Muaro Jambi pada matapelajaran matematika sebanyak 35 orang guru dan 20 orang siswa. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam pengabdian ini adalah angket respon motivasi guru setelah pelatihan dan angket respon minat siswa setelah belajar dengan media pembelajaran berbentuk film animasi tersebut. Berdasar hasil pelatihan diperoleh bahwa kebanyakan guru-guru yang ikut merasa sangat puas dan senang dengan adanya pelatihan ini, hal tersebut dilihat dari angket respon (motivasi) guru menunjukkan bahwa kebanyakan guru rata-rata menjawab pernyataan yang diberikan pada kategori Setuju dan Sangat Setuju. Selanjutnya minat belajar siswa juga dapat dikatakan baik, hal tersebut dilihat berdasarkan hasil angket minat belajar siswa dimana rata-rata siswa pada pernyataan positif berada pada kategori setuju dan sangar setuju, sedangkan pada angket pernyataan negatif rata-rata pada kategori sangat tidak setuju dan tidak setuju. Oleh karena itu dapat disimpulkan bahwa pelatihan pembuatan film animasi sebagai media pembelajaran ini dapat memberikan motivasi yang baik bagi guru dan minat belajar yang baik bagi siswa dimasa pandemic covid-19.

Daily uplifts during the COVID-19 pandemic: what is considered helpful in everyday life?

Background Knowledge of what is uplifting and helpful during pandemics could inform the design of sustainable pandemic recommendations in the future. We have explored individuals’ views on helpful and uplifting aspects of everyday life during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods Participants answered a brief, daily survey via text messages during 14 consecutive days in July–August, 2020. The survey included the question: “During the past 24 hours, is there anything that has made you feel good or helped you in your life?” We used content analysis to compile responses from 693 participants, who provided 4,490 free-text answers, which resulted in 24 categories subsumed under 7 themes. Results Positive aspects during the COVID-19 pandemic primarily related to social interactions, in real life or digitally, with family, friends and others. Other important aspects concerning work, colleagues and maintaining everyday life routines. One theme concerning vacations, going on excursions and being in nature. Leisure and recreation activities, such as hobbies and physical exercise, also emerged as important, as did health-related factors. Bodily sensations, thoughts, feelings and activities that benefited well-being were mentioned frequently. Lastly, people commented on the government strategies for containing COVID-19, and whether to comply with restrictions. Conclusions To summarize, daily uplifts and helpful aspects of everyday life centered around social relationships. To comply with recommendations on physical distancing, people found creative ways to maintain social connections both digitally and face-to-face. Social interaction, maintenance of everyday life routines, hobbies and physical activity appeared to be important for well-being.

A Technology-Based Intervention Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men and Nonbinary People (The Conectad@s Project): Protocol for A Vanguard Mixed Methods Study

Background In many parts of the world, including Brazil, uptake for biomedical interventions has been insufficient to reverse the HIV epidemic among key populations at high risk for HIV, including men who have sex with men. Young MSM (YMSM), particularly Black YMSM, have high HIV incidence, low viral suppression, and low preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and adherence. Therefore, novel approaches to increase the HIV biomedical interventions uptake by YMSM are urgently needed. Objective We describe the Conectad@s Project, which aims to: (1) estimate the prevalence and incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the onset of sexual risk behavior, and barriers to biomedical interventions among YMSM aged 18 to 24 years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and (2) conduct a technology-based adherence intervention study to promote a rapid linkage of YMSM to HIV care or prevention, and support and sustain adherence. Methods A cross-sectional survey will be conducted with 400 YMSM recruited using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) adapted for social media-based sampling, preceded by a formative phase. HIV and sexually transmitted infections testing will be conducted, including early HIV infection biomarker detection. Behavioral, partnership, network, and structural measures will be collected through structured questionnaires. All individuals recruited for the survey will have access to HIV risk assessment, antiretroviral therapy (ART), PrEP, prevention counseling, and a technology-based adherence intervention. Those who accept the adherence intervention will receive weekly text messages via a social networking app (WhatsApp) for 24 weeks, with follow-up data collected over 48 weeks. Results The Conectad@s project has been approved by our local institutional review board (#CAAE 26086719.0.0000.4262) in accordance with all applicable regulations. Questionnaires for the RDS survey and intervention were developed and tested in 2020, formative interviews were conducted in January and February 2021 to guide the development of the RDS, and enrollment is planned to begin in early 2022. Conclusions The Conectad@s Project is a vanguard study that, for the first time, will apply digital RDS to sample and recruit YMSM in Brazil and rapidly connect them to ART, PrEP, or prevention counseling through a technology-based adherence intervention. RDS will allow us to estimate HIV prevalence among YMSM and measure HIV infection biomarkers in the context of the onset of risky behavior. The data will lay the groundwork to adapt and implement HIV prevention strategies, identify barriers to the earliest HIV infection diagnosis, immediate ART or PrEP initiation, and detect new clusters of HIV transmission. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/34885

Factors associated with back pain in children aged 6 to 12 years of age, an eight months prospective study

Associated factors of back pain (BP) development before puberty and its persistence are poorly documented. We investigated the association and possible temporality between prior BP history (PBPH), muscular endurance (ME), aerobic capacity (AC), sport activity variables (SAV) and BP in children aged 6 to 12. We collected baseline characteristics (demographics, PBPH, ME, AC and SAV) of children from three primary schools in Canada. Parents replied to weekly text messages regarding their children BP status over an 8-month period. Logistic regression models were adjusted for potential confounders. Data from 242 children (46% female; 8.6 ± 1.7 years) were included. Over the 8-month survey BP prevalence was 48.1%, while the cumulative incidence was 31.9%. The occurrence of at least one BP event was associated with PBPH [OR (IC 95%) = 6.33 (2.35–17.04)] and high AC [2.89 (1.21–6.90)]. High AC was also associated with the development of a first BP episode [2.78 (1.09–7.07)], but ME and SAV were not. BP appears to be relatively common before puberty. BP history seems to be strongly associated with BP recurrence in children. Aerobic capacity is associated with first BP episode development.

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Physical Activity Tracker and Text Messages to Promote Physical Activity During Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Smart Pace II)

Background We conducted a pilot 2-arm randomized controlled trial to assess the feasibility of a digital health intervention to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) during chemotherapy. Objective This study aimed to determine whether a digital health physical activity intervention is feasible and acceptable during chemotherapy for CRC. Methods Potentially eligible patients with CRC expected to receive at least 12 weeks of chemotherapy were identified in person at the University of California, San Francisco, and on the web through advertising. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to a 12-week intervention (Fitbit Flex, automated SMS text messages) versus usual care. At 0 and 12 weeks, patients wore an Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 days and completed surveys, body size measurements, and an optional 6-minute walk test. Participants could not be masked to their intervention arm, but people assessing the body size and 6-minute walk test outcomes were masked. The primary outcomes were adherence (eg, Fitbit wear and text response rate) and self-assessed acceptability of the intervention. The intervention would be considered feasible if we observed at least 80% complete follow-up and 70% adherence and satisfaction, a priori. Results From 2018 to 2020, we screened 240 patients; 53.3% (128/240) of patients were ineligible and 26.7% (64/240) declined to participate. A total of 44 patients (44/240, 18%) were randomized to the intervention (n=22) or control (n=22) groups. Of these, 57% (25/44) were women; 68% (30/44) identified as White and 25% (11/44) identified as Asian American or Pacific Islander; and 77% (34/44) had a 4-year college degree. The median age at enrollment was 54 years (IQR 45-62 years). Follow-up at 12 weeks was 91% (40/44) complete. In the intervention arm, patients wore Fitbit devices on a median of 67 out of 84 (80%) study days and responded to a median of 17 out of 27 (63%) questions sent via SMS text message. Among 19 out of 22 (86%) intervention patients who completed the feedback survey, 89% (17/19) were satisfied with the Fitbit device; 63% (12/19) were satisfied with the SMS text messages; 68% (13/19) said the SMS text messages motivated them to exercise; 74% (14/19) said the frequency of SMS text messages (1-3 days) was ideal; and 79% (15/19) said that receiving SMS text messages in the morning and evening was ideal. Conclusions This pilot study demonstrated that many people receiving chemotherapy for CRC are interested in participating in digital health physical activity interventions. Fitbit adherence was high; however, participants indicated a desire for more tailored SMS text message content. Studies with more socioeconomically diverse patients with CRC are required. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03524716; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03524716

Combining Farmers’ Preferences With Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent and Lower Farmers’ Distress: Co-design and Acceptability Testing of ifarmwell

Background Farming is physically and psychologically hazardous. Farmers face many barriers to help seeking from traditional physical and mental health services; however, improved internet access now provides promising avenues for offering support. Objective This study aims to co-design with farmers the content and functionality of a website that helps them adopt transferable coping strategies and test its acceptability in the broader farming population. Methods Research evidence and expert opinions were synthesized to inform key design principles. A total of 18 farmers detailed what they would like from this type of website. Intervention logic and relevant evidence-based strategies were mapped. Website content was drafted and reviewed by 2 independent mental health professionals. A total of 9 farmers provided detailed qualitative feedback on the face validity of the draft content. Subsequently, 9 farmers provided feedback on the website prototype. Following amendments and internal prototype testing and optimization, prototype usability (ie, completion rate) was examined with 157 registered website users who were (105/157, 66.9%) female, aged 21-73 years; 95.5% (149/156) residing in inner regional to very remote Australia, and 68.2% (107/157) “sheep, cattle and/or grain farmers.” Acceptability was examined with a subset of 114 users who rated at least module 1. Interviews with 108 farmers who did not complete all 5 modules helped determine why, and detailed interviews were conducted with 18 purposively sampled users. Updates were then made according to adaptive trial design methodology. Results This systematic co-design process resulted in a web-based resource based on acceptance and commitment therapy and designed to overcome barriers to engagement with traditional mental health and well-being strategies—ifarmwell. It was considered an accessible and confidential source of practical and relevant farmer-focused self-help strategies. These strategies were delivered via 5 interactive modules that include written, drawn, and audio- and video-based psychoeducation and exercises, as well as farming-related jokes, metaphors, examples, and imagery. Module 1 included distress screening and information on how to speak to general practitioners about mental health–related concerns (including a personalized conversation script). Modules were completed fortnightly. SMS text messages offered personalized support and reminders. Qualitative interviews and star ratings demonstrated high module acceptability (average 4.06/5 rating) and suggested that additional reminders, higher quality audio recordings, and shorter modules would be useful. Approximately 37.1% (52/140) of users who started module 1 completed all modules, with too busy or not got to it yet being the main reason for non-completion, and previous module acceptability not predicting subsequent module completion. Conclusions Sequential integration of research evidence, expert knowledge, and farmers’ preferences in the co-design process allowed for the development of a self-help intervention that focused on important intervention targets and was acceptable to this difficult-to-engage group. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12617000506392; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=372526

Stream Stage Monitoring with Community Science-Contributed Stage Data

Volunteered Geographic Information, data contributed by community scientists, is an increasingly popular tool to collect scientific data, involve the community in scientific research, and provide information and education about a prominent issue. Johnson City, Tennnessee, USA has a long history of downtown flooding, and recent redevelopment of two land parcels has created new city parks that mitigate flooding through floodwater storage, additional channel capacity, and reduced impervious surfaces. At Founders Park, a project to collect stage data using text messages from community scientists has collected 1479 stage measurements from 597 participants from May 2017 through July 2021. Text messages were parsed to extract the stage and merged with local precipitation data to assess the stream’s response to precipitation. Of 1479 observations, 96.7% were correctly parsed. Only 3% of observations were false positives (parser extracted incorrect stage value) or false negatives (parser unable to extract correct value but usable data were reported). Less than 2% of observations were received between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., creating an overnight data gap, and fewer than 7% of observations were made during or immediately following precipitation. Regression models for stage using antecedent precipitation explained 21.6% of the variability in stream stage. Increased participation and development of an automated system to record stage data at regular intervals will provide data to validate community observations and develop more robust rainfall–runoff models.

Face to Facelessness: Imagined Intimacies and Socially Distant Desires

This paper revisits a performance titled Falling in Love Again - and Again which was first performed in 2014 as part of a series of works I created questioning relational intimacy and proximity in public space. During Falling in Love Again - and Again participants were invited to explore public space with the intention of anonymously falling in love with strangers. The details of these encounters were shared with me as the leader of the piece via mobile phone text messages, but never with the subjects of the participants' desires.  Understanding the dynamics of intimacy and proximity in 2014 was a very different experience to how I understand them in 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing, and two periods of lockdown has drastically influenced how relationality and physically being in the world with others is performed.  This paper is concerned both with the intimate and proximate dynamics of relational bodies during that performance as I understood it then, and, as a consequence, how we might understand relational proximity and intimacy now.Critical points of departure for the paper include art historian Grant Kester's writing on conversational art practices and his framing of dialogic encounters through the use of Jeffrey T. Nealon's Alterity Politics: Ethics and Performative Subjectivity (1998).  Models of 'dialogical' experience and 'responsibility', as situated by Mikhail Bakhtin and Emmanuel Levinas respectively (Nealon, 1998, cited in Kester, 2004, 118) are used in this article to frame a rethinking of the dynamics and ethics of face to face contact and physical proximity, as bodies in space maintain distance from one another, connected only by our digital devices and our imaginations.  The voyeuristic practices of Sophie Calle and Vito Acconci converge with theatre makers Forced Entertainment's 'writing over' of place (Kaye, 2000) to explore imaginary relational connectivity.  The writing of geographer Doreen Massey supports this framing through the use of Massey's thoughts on the fictional poetics of social interactions and 'stories so far' (Massey, 2005).  Ultimately the paper asks what happens when we are required to imagine being with others in physically distant and imaginary ways with only our mobile devices as depositories for our fictional desires. 

Levels of Warning in the Text messages Sent by the Saudi Ministry of Health during Covid-19 Pandemic

With the beginning of the Corona pandemic at the beginning of 2019 and its rapid spread, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was among the countries that moved very quickly to address this matter. All state institutions played the role related to them. Saudi Ministry of Health launched an intensive package of warning, awareness, and guidance in the form of text messages through multiple electronic platforms to reach the largest segment of society. The study took three sources to collect data, three telecommunications companies, the official account of the Ministry of Health on Twitter and the official website of the Ministry. The current study was based on analyzing these messages in terms of warning levels in various speech acts according to the theories of Austin and Searle, in addition to analyzing the content in terms of its relationship to the actual text and the objective context. The study tried to seek the warning levels in the messages which were classified into three sections: high, moderate, and low and identified the types of actions that represent the levels. The significance of the study lies in revealing how language is used to raise the level of awareness in society. Based on the research methods, this study is analytical and descriptive, based on the theory of speech acts in its foundations, and the development of a reference model for analyzing warning levels that depend on the type of action and its implications, taking into account the indirect speech acts. The results of the study concluded that there is a clear discrepancy in the use of speech verbs to express the three levels of warning.

Feasibility of Behavior Change Techniques to Increase Parent Involvement in STEM ?with Young Children Experiencing Poverty

Broadening participation in early, informal STEM is important for families experiencing poverty. We explored the feasibility of the Teaching Together STEM preschool program for increasing home-based parent involvement and reducing barriers to informal STEM learning with 181 families at schools where 92% of students received free/reduced lunch. The core treatment included family engagement events and text messages; STEM events were delivered at school sites by museum-based informal science educators. We randomly assigned schools to business-as-usual or one of three additive treatment groups to evaluate adult behavior change techniques of adding materials and parent rewards to the core treatment. The primary outcome was parent involvement in STEM. There were no significant impacts of any treatment on home-based parent involvement in STEM; however, the groups that included take-home activity kits along with family education events/resources were the most promising way to get focal parents involved in doing science and math with their young child. Interestingly, the most intensive treatment group that added parent monetary rewards produced short-term improvements in parent involvement that faded at a later follow-up timepoint. We discuss the relative effects of different behavior change techniques and uptake of components, as this has implications for family engagement programs that aim to ensure equity when many parents have competing demands on their time.