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Communicative Ai And Techno-Semiotic Mediatization: Understanding The Communicative Role Of The Machine, Göran Bolin

Human-Machine Communication

Mediatization discourse has so far mainly been centered on media from institutional or social-constructionist approaches. The technological developments within communications industries coupled with the wider societal process of datafication might, however, beg for dusting off the smaller, although the long-time existing, technological approach to mediatization as a complement to the two other approaches, in order to understand aspects of automation and human-machine communication. This theoretical article explores how existing mediatization approaches can refocus to include lessons learned from human-machine communication. The first section accounts for the main mediatization approaches. The second section discusses debates on communication, artificiality, and meaning-making. The …

S9 E1: Our Favorite Things, Rebecca Hines, Lisa Dieker

Practical Access Transcripts

Drs. Rebecca Hines and Lisa Dieker are back for season nine! This season we are talking all about "their favorite things." This includes topics such as co-teaching, technology, and a few special guests! Please tune in today as they kick off the first episode of the season and focus on technology.

Don't forget we love to hear from our listeners! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. We look forward to receiving your questions on our Google Phone (407) 900- 9305, Facebook (Practical Access), Twitter (@AccessPractical), or Instagram (@Practical_Accesss).

The Effect Of Technological Advancements On Interactions In The Agricultural Commodities Market, Savannah B. Armas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The objective of this research is to find, if and how, real and financial technological advancements influence interactions in the agricultural commodities market. Statistical testing was conducted to identify potential correlation and any positive linear relationships in the price data between agricultural commodities and their complementary agricultural chemical producers. Testing if higher trade volumes in this industry result from higher technology usage were initiated by identifying shared linear growth between general index volumes and agricultural commodities, alongside their chemical complement stock volumes. The scientific development of chemical engineering mirrors financial technologies influencing trader behavior as a significant contributor to agricultural …

Assessing The Impact Of Digital Health Technologies On Maternal Health Care In Sub-Saharan Africa, Samerawit Tadele

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Maternal morbidity and mortality are prevalent issues worldwide that profoundly affects low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa. Estimates vary, but by the end of 2015, at least 300,000 women died in LMICs due to preventable pregnancy and childbirth conditions. Pregnant women die from complications that could be detected and managed if they were able to receive early access to necessary health interventions. Mobile technology is increasingly common across the globe, including LMICs, and incorporating digital health technologies, especially mobile phone (mHealth) programs, can offer a possible solution to morbidity and mortality related to pregnancy. A literature review analyzing the …

The Problem Of Technology: Human Communication In The Age Of Automation, Alyona Leontyeva

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With the introduction of technology, our existence became different. Today we use technology for every aspect of our lives. We can study, work, communicate, and entertain ourselves. We find it very convenient to communicate via e-mail, text messaging, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, and Snapchat to connect with people in work, school, social and familial networks. Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed that Facebook's new mission is to "bring the world closer together" (Zuckerberg, 2017). The means of accomplishing that is through technological communication. According to research on close relationships and the use of technology as a way of communication, "mobile phone-based channels …

Blogging For Profit In The 21st Century: An Autoethnographic Analysis, Samantha L. Warren

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an autoethnographic analysis on my literate activities as a blogger to better understand the content creation and monetization practices of modern bloggers. In Chapter 1, I introduce readers to my blog and discuss some current lines of scholarship on blogging. In Chapter 2, I discuss my research methods and justify my use of autoethnography for my study. In Chapters 3 and 4, I explain my content creation and monetization processes in detail. In Chapter 5, I draw conclusions from my analysis and provide a few further directions for research. My suggestions for …

A Study On The Impact Of Technological Advancement On Community Bank Performance, Andre Ong

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigates the impact of technological advancement in community bank lending, more specifically, how online financial product and service offerings affect community banks' performance. Community banks, institutions with assets under $1 billion are praised as relationship banking specialists, are important source of credit to individuals and businesses. Their productive performance is highly beneficial for the economic development of the communities and customers that they serve, yet community banks' competitive power against large banks has become increasingly more challenging. Technological advancements radically shift all production and service based industries, including the banking industry and its institutions' offerings. The increasing use …

The Effects Of Emerging Technology On Healthcare And The Difficulties Of Integration, Skyler J. Pavlish-Carpenter

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Disruptive technology describes technology that is significantly more advanced than previous iterations, such as: 3D printing, genetic manipulation, stem cell research, innovative surgical procedures, and computer-based charting software. These technologies often require extensive overhauls to implement into older systems and must overcome many difficult financial and societal complications before they can be widely used. In a field like healthcare that makes frequent advancements, these difficulties can mean that the technology will not be utilized to its full potential or implemented at all.

Objective: To determine the inhibiting factors that prevent disruptive technology from being implemented in conventional healthcare.

Methods: …

Openness To Experience: A Predictor Of Technology Use At Any Age?, Olivia Ojalvo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Technology is an integral part of both modern culture and day-to-day communication. Older adults' relationships with technology are completely different than younger adults' because of the way they have learned to incorporate it into their lives. Past research has shown that certain personality traits can predict technology use in younger adults. The current research hopes to take that finding and see if it applies to older adults, too. Four hypotheses were generated. Participants took a survey that consisted of five different scales and measures. Participants also were asked to answer demographic questions. Independent-sample t-tests and bivariate correlations were run on …

Unplugging: A Parent's Handbook For Children's Technology Use, Victoria R. Taylor

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore children’s technology usage, technology’s effects, and what can be done to regulate technology use for children and families. The overuse of technology by children has been proven to be detrimental to a child’s emotions and health and wellness. Children need rules and regulations for proper use of technology as well as instruction on how to positively use technology. In a world of growing technologies and the creation of new digital devices, research is needed for assist parents and guardians of children of all ages. This thesis focuses on the negative effects of …

He Used The Internet - I Used The Encyclopedia, Rebekah Mccloud

UCF Forum

I was talking recently with one of my students who will graduate in May. He told me about his first year in college and began his reminiscence with: “Back in the day…”

Technologies To Enhance Optimal Glycemic Control In Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes, Shannon L. Hassett

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background

People with type 1 diabetes make up approximately two million of the American population. Every day, these two million people struggle to fight this lifelong, sometimes life threatening disease. While type 1 diabetes currently has no cure, there are technologies that can make diabetes management more effective. This study surveyed the type 1 diabetes (T1D) young adult population aged 18-30, to evaluate what technologies and tools are most often associated with achieving optimal glycemic control (OGC).

Methodology

The instrument is a 35 question, investigator developed survey that is designed to measure how often a participant utilizes the technology identified …

The Branding, Creation, And Promotion Of A Solo Comedienne, Anna Mccorison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comedy exists as a stronghold in American culture as a coping mechanism throughout history, but is often limited to the male headliner. From Charlie Chaplin to Jackie Gleason and Bill Cosby to Will Ferrell, men have kept us laughing from stages to screen throughout the last century. Thus, I inquire: who are the prominent women who rose to the top of this male-dominated industry and how did they create a brand for themselves that was distinguishable and celebrated? What is it about being a woman in the last century that made making a name in comedic entertainment more cumbersome, and …

Watch Me Disappear: Gendered Bodies, Pro-Anorexia, And Self-Injury In Virtual Communities, Leandra Preston-Sidler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the relationship between gendered identities, virtual communities, and material bodies, with an emphasis on eating disorders and self-injury practices. The use of the internet to represent and foster particular categories of material bodies, such as the anorexic, the fitness buff, and the self-injurer, has gained substantial visibility due in part to the proliferation of visual imagery presented through social networks. I analyze written and visual texts within specific social networks to assess their function and potential impact on individuals and larger communities. Drawing from Donna Haraway's cyborg theory, N. Kathryn Hayles' posthuman, Judith Butler's performativity, feminist poststructural …

The Perceived Effectiveness Of Mixed Reality Experiences In A Master Of Arts In Teaching (Mat) Program For Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Degreed Individuals, Chana Speir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived effectiveness of mixed reality experiences on resident teachers who successfully completed an undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) degree and were enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program as part of RTP3 at a large research university in Orlando, Florida. The population for this study consisted of those selected to be in the RTP3, which included being in the Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT) and becoming a middle or high school science, mathematics, or engineering teacher. The resident teachers experienced mixed reality as …

The Integration Of Technology Into Instruction By Elementary Teachers In Brevard County, Florida: An Investigative Study, Cynthia Spainhour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technology has become a part of the very fabric of society today. Technology's infiltration into business, industries, the medical field, and entertainment has accounted for huge advances. However, in the field of education the impact technology has had is regarded as less impressive. Muller, Wood, Wiloughby, Ross, and Specht (2008) stated "…it is critical to understand teachers' perspectives regarding computer integration in the classrooms" (p.1523). With the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-382) the integration of technology in schools should be strongly evident. Currently, twenty years after the commitment to develop technologically literate students, technology integration should …

Critical Programming: Toward A Philosophy Of Computing, John Bork

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Beliefs about the relationship between human beings and computing machines and their destinies have alternated from heroic counterparts to conspirators of automated genocide, from apocalyptic extinction events to evolutionary cyborg convergences. Many fear that people are losing key intellectual and social abilities as tasks are offloaded to the everywhere of the built environment, which is developing a mind of its own. If digital technologies have contributed to forming a dumbest generation and ushering in a robotic moment, we all have a stake in addressing this collective intelligence problem. While digital humanities continue to flourish and introduce new uses for computer …

Appreciating The Simple Moments More Than Onslaught Of Technology, Leandra Preston-Sidler

UCF Forum

I admit it. I’m addicted.

Technical Illustration: The Changes And Challenges Presented By Advancements In Technology, Cindy Caudill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the changes and challenges technology has created in the field of technical illustration. Technical illustration includes the fields of technical drawing as well as scientific and medical illustration. Previously, technical illustrators learned and used traditional illustration methods, without the aid of computers. However, technology has rapidly entered the field and has changed the education, work environment, skills, and role of the technical illustrator. I note both the benefits and disadvantages that current technical illustrators are facing in their work. I explore both sides of the digital media and traditional art debate while focusing on the technical illustrator's …

An Explanation Of Course Flipping And Its Application To Basic Course Instruction, Mary Mino

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Flipping courses has become a topic of interest for communication instructors. This essay’s primary purpose is to assist communication educators and administrators in understanding course flipping as an instructional delivery approach. Course flipping, encouraging consistent active student learning during class sessions and appropriately using technology (or another means) to prepare students for these sessions, has most effectively accentuated instructional objectives. In fact, flipping the basic course has significantly increased students’ understanding of the relevance of the course and positively affected performance outcomes. In addition, to help instructors who want to employ this approach, a process in which they can engage …

Performing On The Screen: An Exploration Of Gender Representation In Technology Video Advertisements, Subriena Persaud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the representation of gender in technology-related video advertisements. This thesis quantitatively and qualitatively examined 54 of the most recent commercials by the top nine Fortune 500 technology companies. A total of 407 characters were coded and quantitatively analyzed while the videos themselves were qualitatively assessed with particular attention given to the videos' themes and the interactions between the characters and the technology products and services. Results of the analyses showed that there were more male, Caucasian characters than any other character type based on gender and race/ethnicity. Females were mainly characterized according to traditional stereotypes, such as …

Utilizing Ipads To Enhance Student Engagement In Vocabulary Learning: A Case Study, Sarah Park

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to research evidence, the relationship between vocabulary and reading proficiency is so powerful that it is a valuable predictor of reading comprehension and academic achievement in the later school years (Scarborough, 2011). The major contributor to reading problem is the vocabulary demand of texts that students are assigned in school (Mckeown, Corsson, Arts, Sandora, & Beck, 2012). National Assessment of Education Progress (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012) stated the essential link between the words students know and students’ ability to use those words to understand what they read. Therefore, researchers and educators have both agreed the importance of …

I Play To Beat The Machine: Masculinity And The Video Game Industry In The United States, Anne Mcdivitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the video game industry within the United States from the first game that was created in 1958 until the shift to Japanese dominance of the industry in 1985, and how white, middle class masculinity was reflected through the sphere of video gaming. The first section examines the projections of white, middle class masculinity in U.S. culture and how that affected the types of video games that the developers created. The second section examines reflections of this masculine culture that surrounded video gaming in the 1970s and 1980s in the developers, gamers, and the media, while demonstrating how …

Virtual Teams And Intercultural Ethics: Preventative Measures For Ethical Dilemmas, Rebecca Blanton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the ethical challenges faced by technical communicators working in global virtual teams. Virtual teams usage are becoming increasingly more popular and diverse. As a result, it is valuable for technical communicators to understand and recognize the challenges that are faced within global virtual teams in order to find solutions and preventive measures for these challenges. The ethical challenges present in global virtual teams were determined by examining the literature on virtual teams and intercultural ethics and conducting a survey of practicing technical communicators who have experience in virtual teams. The purpose of the survey was to determine …

Technology Can Be Blessing, Curse To Students, Alexandra Pittman

UCF Forum

Many college students seem to have forgotten what a university is for because they have become lost within their own technology.

Improving Student Learning In Undergraduate Mathematics, Gabrielle Rejniak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to investigate ways of improving student learning, par- ticularly conceptual understanding, in undergraduate mathematics courses. This study focused on two areas: course design and animation. The methods of study were the following: Assessing the improvement of student conceptual understanding as a result of team project-based learning, individual inquiry-based learning and the modi ed empo- rium model; and Assessing the impact of animated videos on student learning with the emphasis on concepts. For the first part of our study (impact of course design on student conceptual understanding) we began by comparing the following three groups …

A Sense Of Belonging: New Technologies' Effect On Recruitment Practices Of Graduate Programs, Elizabeth Dorrance Hall, Emily C. Simmons

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

College recruiting has changed drastically as a result of new technology such as interactive Web sites, blogs, social media, and on-line videos. This study surveyed 144 college undergraduates about their attitudes and interests in enrolling in their institution’s graduate program as well as different types of recruitment technology. Video, printed handouts, and Web sites, were explored to assess their effectiveness as recruitment tools and discover how views of effectiveness are constructed. The study found video is perceived as the most interactive and influential recruitment tool and Web sites are the most credible, trustworthy, and user-friendly recruitment tool. This study allowed …

Are We Becoming Superhuman Cyborgs? How Technomorphism Influences Our Perceptions Of The World Around Us, Heather Christina Lum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although traditionally researchers have focused on making robotics more user-friendly from a human perspective, a new theory has begun to take shape in which humans take on the perspective of a robotic entity. The following set of studies examined the concept of technomorphism defined as the attribution of technological characteristics to humans. This concept has been mentioned anecdotally and studied indirectly, but there is nothing currently available to tap in to the various forms that technomorphism may take. Therefore, one goal of this dissertation was to develop a scale to fill that purpose. The results of the Technomorphic Tendencies Scale …

Using Cell Phone Technology For Self-Monitoring Procedures In Inclusive Settings, Pena Bedesem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects and social validity of an innovative method for middle school students with high incidence disabilities to self-monitor their behavior in inclusive settings. Traditional self-monitoring procedures were updated by incorporating cell phone technology. The updated self-monitoring procedure, called CellF-Monitoring, used a cell phone to replace traditional cueing and recording procedures. The study took place in an inclusive middle school classroom in central Florida with two students with high incidence disabilities. A multiple-baseline-across-participants single subject design was employed. Results indicate that the CellF-Monitoring procedure is an effective and socially valid intervention. Although …

Increasing Novice Teacher Support In 21st Century Classrooms: Induction And Mentoring For Beginning Teachers Through Bug-In-Ear, Wanda Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Novice teachers in today's classroom are in need of support during the initial years of teaching. Providing beginning teachers in special education classroom settings with coaching and immediate feedback through Bug-In-Ear, Bluetooth technology has been identified as a effective strategy for supporting beginning teachers while simultaneously improving generalization and maintenance of instructional strategies in diverse classrooms (Anagnostopoulous, Smith & Basmadjian, 2007; Darling-Hammond and Baratz-Snowden, 2007; Brownell, Ross, Colon & McCallum, 2005). The present study was designed to examine the effects of using BIE, Bluetooth technology with novice teachers in inclusionary settings at a PK-5 charter school. As it has been …