DigiMedia

students@DigiMedia #01
2022-07-14 08:00 - 18:30 UTC | Auditório CCCI, DeCA, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal
In the first edition 17 proposals were submitted by 32 researchers. The closing event presented the 13 ongoing projects, involving 31 students from all study cycles (CTC area) and 24 DigiMedia researchers.
The video of the event is already available in the Youtube channel of DigiMedia HERE

DigiMedia Dialogs#6 | Immersive Web Environments in Education
2022-06-13 10:00 - 11:00
The DigiMedia Dialogs#6 took place on June 13 with an interesting session on Immersive Web Environments: the “tools” being used, how we can use them in an educational setting and figuring out if they work and how they work in envolving students in school activities. Three PhD students – Maria Ferreira, Bárbara Cleto and Ricardo Carvalho -, an Italian Doctoral student – Michelina Occhioni-, and three undergraduate students (within the Students@DigiMedia initiative) work together to see this research through and presented the result.

Media Innovation Circle #12 Always on – Lessons learned from research into social media addiction
2022-05-27 14:00 - 15:00
Always on – Lessons learned from research into social media addictionSpeaker: Dr. Daria J. Kuss, Associate Professor in Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, UKModeration: Liliana Costa, University of Aveiro

Digital Interaction 2022
2022-05-23 09:15 - 17:30 | Auditório CCCI, DeCA, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal
Digimedia hosted the event “Digital Interaction 2022”, under the theme “Multimedia…”. The main activities were held at the José Grácio Auditorium, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro.
Full of activities, the morning started with the welcome session delivered by the Vice-Rector, João Veloso, the Head of DeCA, Ana Isabel Veloso, and the Director of DigiMedia, Nelson Zagalo.
Afterwards, a talk between some representative faculty members of several UA departments focused on “The University of Aveiro and Multimedia”.
Similarly, and just before lunch, directors of Multimedia-related courses from other Portuguese Higher Education Institutions debated the topic “The basic training in Multimedia”.
During the afternoon, a moment on “Media innovation centred in the consumer/producer” was delivered by Alexandre Ulisses, representing MOG Technologies, followed by the presentation of undergraduate and master’s projects to the several companies attending the event – TICE.PT, Pixelmatters, Ubiwhere, Critec, Mindera and AlticeLabs.

Supporting social interaction in hybrid STEAM learning
2022-05-18 14:30 - 15:30
JANIKA LEOSTE is a researcher in educational robotics and chief specialist in entrepreneurial cooperation and Innovation at the School of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University, Estonia. Janika’s research focuses on the sustainability of technology enchanced educational innovations, including robot integrated learning, and the didactics of STEAM learning at all school levels. Her short bio https://www.etis.ee/CV/Janika_Leoste/est?lang=ENG&tabId=CV_ENG

Media Innovation Circle #14 and the topic "Jogos Digitais, Saúde Digital e Criatividade"
2022-10-26 14:00
The Media Innovation Circle#14 took place on October 26, both on-site and online, with a talk by Cristiano Max Pinheiro & Marta Rosecler Bez, University of Feevale, Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil, followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Jogos Digitais, Saúde Digital e Criatividade”, moderated by Nelson Zagalo (DigiMedia/UA).
This event was organised in articulation with the Master in Digital Games Development (MDJD).
More information available here.
Cristiano Max is graduated in Advertising, Master in Social Communication and Doctor in Social Communication, with the thesis “Notes for an approach between digital games and communication”. He was Coordinator of the Courses of Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising (2007-2014) and founded the Undergraduate Course in Digital Games at Feevale University. He was partner and founder of “Engenho de Ideias” Advertising Agency and Ludema Game Studio developer. He is currently Coordinator of the Master in Creative Industry at FEEVALE University in Novo Hamburgo/RS, is Coordinator of the Laboratory of Creativity and founder of the Ibero-American Interdisciplinary Research Network in Creative Economy. He represents the University in the work groups of the Secretariat of Culture, and in the Secretariat of Innovation of the Government of the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
Marta Rosecler Bez has a PhD in Computer Science in Education from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2013) with the thesis “Model for the use of technological tools in the teaching of Medicine”. Master in Computer Science from PUC-RS (2001). She is a professor at Feevale University in the courses of Informatics, Medicine and in the Professional Master in Creative Industry. She has experience in teaching health permeated by technologies, working mainly on the following topics: technologies in education, simulators, digital games and technology in health. He is a fellow of Productive Desen. Tec. and Innovative Extension of CNPq – Level 2 with the project New technologies applied to education in health and Virtual Reality in health. She works in research and technological development projects in partnership with health organizations, such as clinics and hospitals. She is a mentor in initiatives that promote entrepreneurship in the Technological Park of Feevale University, advising the development of startups. She participates in the Creative Industry Research Group in the research line Creative Content, where she works on projects involving teaching methodologies, digital games and recently in the area of Public Policy.
Abstract
Cristiano Max presents the games sector in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, bringing the current cluster project that aims the economic and social strengthening, through actions that stimulate the generation of intellectual capital in the sector, the value chain, the competitive capacity and innovation of companies and actors involved in the ecosystem, aligned with the Strategic Planning of the Sector for 2030 developed in the GAMERS program of RS.
Marta Bez presents initiatives for the development and use of Virtual Reality in Physiotherapy. Games were developed by an interdisciplinary team where the active participation of a physiotherapist allowed the development of a fully parameterizable game environment for trunk control exercises for wheelchair users. In a new initiative, a hardware and game environment for respiratory physiotherapy exercises for children in the Intensive Care Unit is being developed. The game interface will be controlled by the child’s breath.

Media Innovation Circle #11 and the topic Machinima. How a vernacular practice became a new artistic avant garde.
2022-05-06 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#11 took place on May 6 with a talk by Matteo Bittanti, IULM University, Italy, followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Machinima. How a vernacular practice became a new artistic avant garde”, moderated by Pedro Cardoso (DigiMedia/UA).
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Matteo Bittanti is an Associate Professor in Media Studies at IULM University in Milan, Italy, where he teaches at undergraduate and graduate level. He lives in Milan and San Francisco. More information is available here.
Abstract
In this talk, Matteo Bittanti discusses the origins and the evolution of machinima, a genre of video art that deliberately appropriates and repurposes video game content, providing an overview of an ever expanding practice. Bittanti argues that although machinima emerged both in vernacular and avantgarde contexts, it the the latter that has evolved in remarkable ways, while the former has largely plateaued. The talk will touch upon several examples of artists engaged with contemporary machinima and chart the possible future of the medium.

Media Innovation Circle #10 and the topic e-Health Rio Project: Research and Innovation Network for Digital Healthcare Applied to Chronic Diseases
2022-02-25 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#10 took place on March 25 with a talk by Débora Saade, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Brazil, followed by a participated discussion on the topic “e-Health Rio Project: Research and Innovation Network for Digital Healthcare Applied to Chronic Diseases”, moderated by Rita Oliveira (DigiMedia/UA).
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Débora C. Muchaluat-Saade received the bachelor’s degree in computer engineering (1992) and the M.Sc. degree (1996) and Ph.D. degree (2003) in computer science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). She is currently a Full Professor with the Department of Computer Science, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Brazil. She is also one of the founders and heads of the MídiaCom Research Lab. She received several research grants from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Rio de Janeiro State’s Research Support Foundation (FAPERJ), the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), and other funding agencies. She is the PI of the e-Health Rio Project: Research and Innovation Network for Digital Healthcare Applied to Chronic Diseases, supported by FAPERJ. She has contributed to the design and development of the Ginga-NCL middleware, used in the Brazilian Digital TV Standard and ITU-T H.761 IPTV services. Her main research interests include multimedia systems, computer networks, smart grids, IoT, and digital healthcare.
Abstract
Project e-Health Rio aims at building a research and innovation network for the development of activities related to Information and Communication Technologies applied to e-health, specifically to Chronic Diseases. The project activities are structured in five major themes, which are: neurodegenerative diseases, breast and thyroid cancer, psychiatric diseases, remote monitoring of cardiac patients and tele-health. The project team is composed of Brazilian universities (UFF, UFRJ, UERJ and LNCC) and international partners from the United Kingdom, Spain and The Netherlands. The main project goals are: proposing clinical decision support systems; proposing multimedia cognitive exercises with sensory effects to aid health therapies; proposing new techniques for analysis of thermographic images for detection of breast and thyroid tumors; development and application of pattern recognition techniques, using artificial intelligence mechanisms to predict psychiatric symptoms; proposing new communication protocols for wireless body networks for efficient monitoring of cardiac patients; and development of support systems for teleinter-consultation. This talk is focused on the use of interactive media for healthcare therapies, using multisensory experiences for helping treatment of dementia and autism spectrum disorder.

Media Innovation Circle #9 and the topic Empathic experiential design with playful and gameful inspirations
2022-02-25 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#9 took place on February 25 with a talk by Sylvester Arnab, Coventry University (UK) followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Empathic experiential design with playful and gameful inspirations”, moderated by Ana Veloso (DigiMedia/UA).
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Sylvester Arnab is a Professor of Games Science at the Disruptive Media Learning Lab and an associate of the Centre for Post-digital Cultures at Coventry University, UK. His research focuses on the investigation into engaging, empathic, and empowering experiences through the lens of playful and gameful design practices. Sylvester is a co-founder of multi-award winning GameChangers initiative, which has been adapted in Malaysia and is currently being expanded into Vietnam and Indonesia towards responding to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Sylvester has published a book on ‘Game Science in Hybrid Learning Spaces’, which provides insights into the research and practice of purposeful game design with a focus on hybrid education. For more information click here.
Abstract
Our relationships with experiential artefacts such as games are evolving, where games and gameplay are becoming more pervasive in our daily lives. As serious outcomes are achieved through game-based experiences, it is essential to ensure a more empathic approach that would be co-creative and participatory towards onboarding practitioners into the design process. This talk draws from existing research, development, and practice under the multi-award winning GameChangers initiative that focuses on the onboarding of educators into the co-creation of playful and gameful experiences for achieving purposeful outcomes.

Media Innovation Circle #8 and the topic There is a future for TV
2022-01-28 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#8 took place on January 28 with a talk by Guido Lemos, Federal University of Paraíba – UFPB (Brazil) followed by a participated discussion on the topic “There is a future for TV”, moderated by Jorge Ferraz de Abreu (DigiMedia/UA).
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Guido Lemos is full Professor in the Department of Computer Systems at the Informatic Center at the Federal University of Paraíba (DI-CI-UFPB) holds a Ph.D. in Informatics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RIO). Coordinates LAVID (Center for Research and Extension in Digital Video Applications), where he researches the following topics: digital television, digital cinema, distributed multimedia applications, video distribution networks, distributed artistic performances, accessibility, telehealth, and blockchain applications. Worked on developing the Ginga middleware, published as ITU-T and ITU-R Recommendations, and adopted as a standard in the Brazilian Digital Television System and in several countries in Latin America, whose implementation runs on about 100 million TV devices. He drove the expansion of UFPB, foreseeing the increase from 20 to 45 thousand in undergraduate and graduate students. He also serves as a member of the Deliberative Council of the Brazilian Digital Television System Forum and a guest of Ancine’s Technical Accessibility Chamber.
Abstract
With recent changes in the way media is distributed, delivered today anywhere, anytime, on any device; is there still room for television systems with live content distribution from one to millions? What was the value of a mass communication system like TV in the past? Will this value be preserved in the future with communication systems promising to offer 10 Gbps transmission rate, density of 1 million devices per Km2, 1 mS delays with support for differentiated service and broadcast? How is the television business reacting to survive? These and other questions will be the subject of this talk.

DigiMedia Dialogs#5 | Students@DigiMedia: what we need to know about it
2021-12-17 10:00 - 11:00
The DigiMedia Dialogs#5 took place on December 17 with an interesting session on the design process of the initiative, the implementation and main results of the pilot study #00 and the expectations for the future of the Students@DigiMedia project. The team of the pilot edition – Carlos Santos, Liliana Costa, Mónica Aresta, João Batista, Tânia Ribeiro, Francisco Regalado, Lorena Sousa e Maria Clara Rodrigues – proposed a task at the end that helped the DigiMedia members to get familiar with the form opened for proposals’ registration and that promoted team work and cohesion.

Media Innovation Circle #7 and the topic Thinking / Creating / Rethinking / Recreating – Computers and the Arts
2021-11-26 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#7 took place on December 17 with a talk by Mario Verdicchio, School of Engineering – University of Bergamo (Italy) followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Thinking / Creating / Rethinking / Recreating – Computers and the Arts”, moderated by Pedro Cardoso (DigiMedia/UA).
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Mario Verdicchio is a researcher at the School of Engineering at the University of Bergamo in Italy and a member of the Berlin Ethics Lab at the Technical University of Berlin in Germany. He is the co-founder of the xCoAx international conference series on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics and X. He has written mostly about Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence and has been a Sunday artist for some years.
Abstract
Computer Art has now made amazing strides in comparison with its beginnings of the 1950s, at least from a technological point of view.
Such evolution must have also guaranteed a transformation in the creative processes in the arts, but whether such change has led to answers to the long-standing questions on creativity, authorship and the meaning of art remains to be seen. Actually, the more in-depth one goes in thinking of Information Technology and its impacts on society in general, the more doubts seem to emerge on the role it plays within artistic and cultural contexts. This talk takes a critical view on technological enhancements with the goal of shedding light on what it means to use computers for artistic purposes.

Media Innovation Circle #6 and the topic Asymmetrical cooperative play: Doing (international) game research from the fringes
2021-11-26 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#6 took place on November 26 with a talk by Víctor Navarro Remesal, Tecnocampus Mataró-Maresme Foundation (Spain), followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Asymmetrical cooperative play: Doing (international) game research from the fringes”, moderated by Liliana Costa (DigiMedia/UA).
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Víctor Navarro-Remesal is a media scholar specialized in games. He teaches History of Videogames and Interactive Narrative at Tecnocampus, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Game Design at UOC. He’s the author of ‘Libertad dirigida: Una gramática del análisis y diseño de videojuegos’ (Shangrila, 2016) and ‘Cine Ludens: 50 diálogos entre el juego y el cine’ (Editorial UOC, 2019), as well as the editor of ‘Pensar el juego. 25 caminos para los game studies’ (Shangrila, 2020). His research interests are player freedom, Zen-inspired games and slow gaming, gêmu, and game preservation. He is one of the founding members of DIGRA Spain. His current funded project is ‘LUDOMYTHOLOGIES: Myths and ideology in contemporary video game.
Abstract
Academia is by definition an international enterprise. The search and construction of knowledge cannot be attained by one individual alone, not by a closed community. This is specially important when dealing with games and video games, cultural objects that come from industries that were transnational from their inceptions. But this internationality can overshadow the idiosyncrasies of the local and how local spaces come together to form uneven international networks. The interest of this presentation, motivated by the foundation of the Spanish chapter of DiGRA and the coming release of the book “Perspectives on the European Videogame”, is to explore the state of game studies, or game research, as a field from this perspective: how exactly is it international? What are the ways in which we can play it as a cooperative play and how we are made to compete? How can we be aware of the asymmetries in the design of this cooperative play, and can they be played to our collective advantage? And what does it mean to be in the “fringes” (geographically, linguistically, conceptually) of game studies?

DigiMedia Dialogs #4 | Extra cold DigiMedia – How to break the ice in Antarctica?
2021-11-17 10:00 - 11:00
The DigiMedia Dialogs#4 took place on November 17 with a surprising and creative session on the topic Extra cold DigiMedia – How to break the ice in Antarctica?. Catarina Lelis, Hélder Caixinha and Pedro Cardoso made us travel into a narrative that included both personal and research interests and that allowed a participated discussion on several topics on Communication Sciences and Technologies.

Media Innovation Circle #5 and the topic Thoughts on a discipline of interactive narrative study and design by Hartmut Koenitz
2021-10-29 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#5 took place on October 29 with a talk by Hartmut Koenitz, Södertörn University (Sweden), followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Thoughts on a discipline of interactive narrative study and design”, moderated by Luis Frias, UBI / ICNOVA.
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Hartmut Koenitz is an Associate Professor at Södertörn University in Sweden, a visiting researcher at the University of Amsterdam, and a visiting research fellow at Trinity College Dublin. He is currently writing a book on “Understanding Interactive Digital Narratives” to be published by Routledge. His research is concerned with the theory, practice, education and societal impact of interactive narratives and games. He has published over 60 scholarly publications including the co-edited volume Interactive Digital Narrative – history, theory and practice(Routledge 2015). Koenitz is the chair of the EU COST Action 18230 INDCOR (Interactive Narrative Design for Complexity Representations) and one of the editors of the upcoming Routledge Encyclopedia of Interactive Digital Narrative. He is also the president of ARDIN, the Association for Research in Digital Interactive Narratives. Koenitz holds a PhD from the Georgia Institute of Technology on the theory and practice of Interactive Digital Narrative. Koenitz is the creator of the ASAPS authoring tool, which has been used to create more than 150 works. He is also a visual artist, and his works have been shown in Atlanta, Paris, Istanbul, Seoul, Copenhagen and Porto. His latest artwork, The Multiple Lives of Walter B. is a physical installation that explores virtual biographies of Walter Benjamin.
Abstract
So far, interactive digital narratives have not yet gained full recognition as both a field of scholarly inquiry and a developed professional practice. After more than five decades of practice as well as a history of scholarly enquiry that can be traced back to at least 1985, this is a perplexing situation. In my talk, I will consider reasons for the status quo, consider current initiatives including ARDIN and INDCOR and propose avenues for future work.

Digimedia Dialogs#3 and the topic Research in times of platformization: opportunities and methodological challenges in the analysis of digital sharing economy services
2021-07-09 10:00 - 11:00
The DigiMedia Dialogs#3 took place on July 9 with the talks of Raissa Sales (DigiMedia PhD Student), Vania Baldi (DigiMedia Researcher) and Lídia Oliveira (DigiMedia Researcher), followed by a participated discussion on the topic Research in times of platformization: opportunities and methodological challenges in the analysis of digital sharing economy services.

Raissa Sales is a PhD student in Information and Communication at the University of Aveiro (2016). Master in Business Administration from the Postgraduate Program in Business Administration (PPGA), Marketing line, University of Fortaleza – UNIFOR. Graduated in Social Communication – Journalism (2009) and specialist in Communication Counseling (2011) by the same Institution.

Vania Baldi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Aveiro, has a degree in Sociology from La Sapienza University of Roma, has a master’s degree in “Identité et Unité de l’homme” (CETSAH/EHESS/CNRS, France) and Phd in “Ethics and Anthropology” from the University of Salento (Italia). His research interests are related with Network Society, Hypermediated Space and Civic Media, Affordance of Algorithms in Our Lives, relationship between Immediacy and Hypermediacy in Digital Culture, Culture and Imaginary of Consumption, Anthropology and Epistemology of Technique, Spreadable Media among Open Innovation and InfoWar, Engagement and Authorship in WebDoc, Analysis of Discourses on Technological Innovations.

Lídia Oliveira (full name: Lídia de Jesus Oliveira Loureiro da Silva) holds a degree in Philosophy from the University of Coimbra (1990), a Master’s degree in Educational Technology from the University of Aveiro, in partnership with the University of Valenciennes (France) and Mons (Belgium) (1995), and a PhD in Communication Sciences and Technologies from the University of Aveiro (2002).

Her research focuses on individual, collective and institutional behaviour on the internet. The areas of interest are: Social Network Analysis, Cyberculture Studies, Sociology of Communication, Science and Technologies of Communication, ICT and Education, Multimedia, Information Systems, Digital Libraries, Science Communication, Communication in the Scientific Community (theoretical and empirical studies).

Abstract:
he creation and development of digital platforms dedicated to the sharing economy have generated discussions about some economic implications in the markets where it operates and social implications within the scope of its users’ experiences. In addition to the existence of a great diversity of digital services for the sharing of goods and services, the platformization of social experience opens the way to a new set of research practices. In fact, if the functioning of some platforms can limit researchers’ knowledge about intermediation phenomena, at the same time, the researcher’s skill can make some of their functionalities profitable by combining opportune methods and techniques.

Media Innovation Circle #4 and the topic Ways of Seeing and Hearing: Representational Limits in Two Docweb Case Studies by Diego Zavala Scherer
2021-06-25 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#4 took place on July 23 with a talk by Diego Zavala Scherer, Professor at the Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Ways of Seeing and Hearing: Representational Limits in Two Docweb Case Studies”, moderated by Pedro Cardoso, a DigiMedia Researcher.
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Diego Zavala Scherer, Mexico City (1978) holds a PhD in Social Communication at Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain). Research professor at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. His research interests are interactive documentary, documentary theory and Mexican film. Member of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT, Mexico). Coordinator of the Research Group in Media, Arts and Digital Culture at Tecnologico de Monterrey. Director of Virtualis, Digital Communication Journal.
Abstract
As part of the contemporary discussion between the representational (Nichols) and operational modes (Farocki, Mittell) of understanding images (and sound) in documentary and interactive documentary theory, this talk questions the limits of the indexical link with reality through two doc web examples. The interest of this presentation is to explore some of the paradoxes that interactive nonfiction production creates by following the canonic perspective of a verisimilar bond with the world and how, in the times of media hyperproduction, this relation between reality and image fells short to explain our ways of engaging as individuals, public, and consumers with some dimensions of our life such as history and politics.

Media Innovation Circle #3 and the topic Designing for play with physical and digital media: from tools and methods to approach and mindset by Eva Brooks
2021-06-25 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#3 took place on June 25 with a talk by Eva Brooks, Professor of Digital Media at University of Aalborg (Denmark), followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Designing for play with physical and digital media: from tools and methods to approach and mindset”, moderated by Mónica Aresta, a DigiMedia Researcher.
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Eva Brooks is Professor in IT-based Design, Learning and Innovation at the Department of Culture and Learning, Aalborg University, Denmark. She is the Director of the research laboratory Xlab – Design, Learning, Innovation. Her research has a design focus on social interaction, and the use and development of digital technology and their implications for play and learning. Her research also includes an innovation dimension, where she applies a design-oriented approach to co-creative processes with children. She has been involved in several research projects concerning children’s participation, play, and learning in state-of-the-art technology settings; for example, related to computational thinking, digital play, and digital game-based interactions. Currently, her research also has a focus on teachers’ professional digital competence grounded in creative workshops where the learning is participative, collaborative and peer oriented.
Abstract: The presentation focuses on the question of how collaborative explorations as a method and mindset can inform the design of media technology to reinforce innovative play and learning. The research laboratory Xlab – design, learning, innovation will be introduced addressing its work on enhancing children’s participation and collaboration through exploration, with aims of achieving pedagogical innovation and change. At the same time, the intent is to support researchers and practitioners to find new problems and understandings of educational practices for exploration and pedagogical innovations as a foundation for design of media technology. This work, which relies upon insights gained during empirical work with children for several decades, has resulted in a workshop methodology that combines principles and approaches from co-design and playful learning. The methodology reinforces children’s creativity, imagination, and social interaction with peers during collaborative tasks and represents a new approach to involve children in the design of media innovations. Thus, the presentation recommends guidelines for designing interactions that include media technology to foster creative expressions in children, highlighting the role of collaborative explorations combining digital tools and a ‘making’ mindset where children can act as protagonists.

Digimedia Dialogs#2 and the topic Bridging interaction and interfaces between the physical and the digital world
2021-06-11 10:00 - 11:00
The DigiMedia Dialogs#2 took place on June 11 with the talks of Joaquim Santos (DigiMedia PhD Student), Silvino Martins (DigiMedia PhD Student) and Rui Raposo (DigiMedia Researcher), followed by a participated discussion on the topic Bridging interaction and interfaces between the physical and the digital world, moderated by Mário Vairinhos, a DigiMedia Researcher.

Joaquim Santos holds a degree in New Communication Technologies (University of Aveiro – 2009), a Post-Graduation in Digital Effects (Bournemouth University, UK – 2011) and a Master’s degree in Multimedia Communication, Interactive Multimedia branch (University of Aveiro – 2018). Currently a PhD student in Information and Communication in Digital Platforms at the University of Aveiro, with the theme “Semi-autonomous and Secure Tangible Media Interface: A Framework and A Prototype for Children with Speech Sound Disorders to Use at Home” (Working title). FCT grant SFRH/BD/141119/2018 (October 2018 – December 2021)

Silvino Martins holds a degree (University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro – 2014) and a Master’s degree (University of Aveiro – 2016), both in Multimedia Communication, the latter in the Interactive Multimedia branch. His master’s thesis aimed at researching augmented reality applied to a surgical context and included the development and evaluation of technological prototypes in iteration with stakeholders. His main research interest lies in the field of HCI, particularly in what concerns to user experience and interaction design in subjects such as mixed reality, digital games, tangible media and web.

Rui Raposo: Currently an Assistant Professor within the field of Science and Technologies in Communication. His current research interests focus on issues related with UX and Mixed Realities in e-tourism, cybermuseology and cultural contexts. He also develops practical research and supervises work in audiovisual content production with a special focus on documentaries.

Abstract:
In a world where interaction with digital devices is inevitable, interaction paradigms have led us in various directions but, in most cases, have seen little change since the 1980´s. What happens when we go beyond mediation through the, widely known, windows, icons, menus and pointing devices and bring the interaction with digital interfaces closer to our actions and behaviour in the physical world?
This talk will hopefully challenge and enable us to put into perspective various studies with different views on how extended reality has helped bridge the digital and physical realm and how it has found its way into specific use cases such as learning and therapeutic contexts.

Media Innovation Circle #2 and the topic Virtual and Augmented Reality for Underwater Cultural Heritage by Fotis Liarokapis
2021-05-28 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#2 took place on May 28 with a talk by Fotis Liarokapis, Professor of VR, AR and Games at University of Technology (Cyprus), followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Virtual and Augmented Reality for Underwater Cultural Heritage”, moderated by Mário Vairinhos, a DigiMedia Researcher.
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Dr. Fotis Liarokapis is currently working at the Research Centre on Interactive media, Smart systems, and Emerging technologies (CYENS – Centre of Excellence), Nicosia, Cyprus. He received the D.Phil. degree from the University of Sussex, U.K., and has worked as a Research Fellow with City University, London, U.K., Coventry University, U.K., and most recently at Masaryk University, Czech Republic, where he was an Associate Professor and Director of the HCI Lab. Dr. Fotis Liarokapis has contributed to more than 140 refereed publications with more than 3430 citations (h-index: 33 and i10-index: 72). He has organised multiple conferences and workshops and he is the co-founder of the International Conference on Virtual Worlds and Games for Serious Applications (VS-Games). Currently, he is the program co-chair of IEEE CoG 2021 and a member of IEEE.
Abstract: The project iMARECULTURE (Advanced VR, iMmersive Serious Games and Augmented REality as Tools to Raise Awareness and Access to European Underwater CULTURal heritage) is focusing in raising European identity awareness using maritime and underwater cultural interaction and exchange in Mediterranean Sea. The aim of the project is to bring inherently unreachable underwater cultural heritage within digital reach of the wide public using virtual visits and immersive technologies. This talk will present results in respect to virtual and augmented reality interfaces for underwater environments. In terms of virtual reality, two different types of applications will be illustrated. The first one is a dry-visit solution for exploring ancient sites and it is focused on the general public. The second one is a serious game that aims in teaching maritime and archaeologist students the main principles of ‘site formation’, ‘surveying’ and ‘excavation’. Moreover, a novel augmented reality underwater interface will be presented which can detect square markers in poor visibility conditions as well as serve as virtual guide for divers that visit underwater archaeological sites. Evaluation results will be presented for all applications illustrating the effectiveness of the interfaces.

Digimedia Dialogs#1 and the topic Image as a strategy for eHealth
2021-05-14 10:00 - 11:00
The DigiMedia Dialogs#1 took place on May 14 with the talks of Ceci Diehl (DigiMedia PhD Student), Lersi Duran (DigiMedia PhD Student) and Pâmela Pinto (DigiMedia Invited Researcher), followed by a participated discussion on the topic Image as a strategy for eHealth, moderated by Rita Oliveira, a DigiMedia Researcher.
Pâmela Pinto: Realiza estágio de Pós-doutoramento no Departamento de Comunicação e Arte da Universidade de Aveiro. É doutora em Comunicação pela Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). Pesquisa temas relacionados à Comunicação e Política, à Mídia Regional e à Comunicação e Saúde e tem experiência docente nestas áreas. Em 2017 publicou o livro “Brasil e as suas mídias regionais” e recebeu o prêmio de melhor tese, pela Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores em Comunicação e Política (Compolítica).

Lersi Durán: Estudante do programa Doutoral em Multimédia em Educação da Universidade de Aveiro. A área de investigação relaciona-se com o papel das intervenções psicoeducativas digitais para estudantes universitários.

Ceci da Costa Diehl: Estudante do Doutoramento em Informação e Comunicação em Plataformas Digitais na Universidade de Aveiro e Universidade do Porto. A área de investigação relaciona-se com os princípios e guidelines de design da interface do utilizador para soluções digitais voltadas principalmente ao utilizador senior.

Abstract: Image assumes a central role as a visual communication strategy in the area of eHealth, being also considered a primary vehicle of communication in public health, support for personal health monitoring and promotion of well-being and quality of life. Its potential impact and applicability in different digital solutions in these different areas open space for this first edition of DigiMedia Dialogs in which the centrality of image as an eHealth strategy will be discussed. The discussion will also allow the contextualization of three studies with different perspectives of the use of image as a tool for health promotion and education of youth, adults and seniors.

Media Innovation Circle #1 and the topic Learning Analytics and Ethical Issues by Nuno Otero
2021-04-30 14:00 - 15:00
The Media Innovation Circle#1 took place on April 30 with a talk by Nuno Otero, Professor of Media Technology at Linnaeus University (Sweden), followed by a participated discussion on the topic “Learning Analytics and Ethical Issues”, moderated by Carlos Santos, a DigiMedia Researcher.
The video is already available on DigiMedia YouTube channel. Watch HERE. We invite you to subscribe the channel.
Nuno Otero is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Media Technology at Linnaeus University (LNU) in Sweden. He is interested in theories and conceptual frameworks in HCI, and Technology-Enhanced Learning. The main question driving his research concerns the understanding of how the properties of distinct devices, computational artefacts and embedded external representations impact on people’s activities.
Abstract: Research in Learning Analytics (LA) has contributed to various guidelines, ethical frameworks, and checklists to ethically collect and use student data. However, little is still known about how users and, in particular, students reason about student data for analytics purposes in practice. Our research tries to fill this gap and is investigating students’ situated views of data and analytics. While there have been studies asking students about student data ethics collected in institutional LMS, those often lead to abstract reasoning on student data. Our research efforts aim at determining how students reason in-situ on the data collected during their studies. We conducted a deployment study using a value-sensitive design methodological approach. The study investigated the students’ views of data collected in institutional LMS before and after interacting with an analytical dashboard we designed explicitly for raising students’ awareness of data collection practices at the university. Results indicate that increased awareness impacts students’ privacy perception and their acceptance of LA systems and data-driven practices. This study contributes to gaining a grounded understanding of how students reason in practical terms about their data and discuss the role that awareness and context play in students’ willingness to share their data for learning analytics purposes.

Global Game Jam 2021
2021-01-29 09:00 - 2021-01-31 17:00
The University of Aveiro is promoting the Global Game Jam® (GGJ), from 29 to 31 January 2021, the largest game creation event in the world, which takes place simultaneously in dozens of countries.
DigiMedia members are involved in the organization of the event – Ana Veloso, José Nunes, Liliana Costa, Mário Vairinhos, Mónica Aresta, Nelson Zagalo, Pedro Beça, Silvino Martins, Sofia Ribeiro, Tânia Ribeiro – along with other researchers from the Department of Communication and Art, the Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics and the School of Technology and Management of Águeda.
In the past edition of Global Game Jam® (GGJ) more than 60 UA members participated, among students, teachers and researchers.
The University of Aveiro participates for the fourth time (https://globalgamejam.org/2021/jam-sites/universidade-de-aveiro-ggj2021), now in an online format. The organization expects the participation of more than a hundred young creative and innovative university students, who during the 48 hours of the event will develop team games.
For more information please contact ggj.uaveiro@gmail.com.
