Explore the vast range of titles available.

Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL offers backgrounds in information studies, computer science, and sociology.This book is divided into three parts: analyzing social media, NodeXL tutorial, and social-media network analysis case studies.Part I provides background in the history and concepts of social media and social networks.

Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL offers backgrounds in information studies, computer science, and sociology. This book is divided into three parts: analyzing social media, NodeXL tutorial, and social-media network analysis case studies.Part I provides background in the history and concepts of social media and social networks. Also included here is social network analysis, which flows from measuring, to mapping, and modeling collections of connections. The next part focuses on the detailed operation of the free and open-source NodeXL extension of Microsoft Excel, which is used in all exercises throughout this book. In the final part, each chapter presents one form of social media, such as e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Youtube. In addition, there are descriptions of each system, the nature of networks when people interact, and types of analysis for identifying people, documents, groups, and events. Walks you through NodeXL, while explaining the theory and development behind each step, providing takeaways that can apply to any SNADemonstrates how visual analytics research can be applied to SNA tools for the mass marketIncludes case studies from researchers who use NodeXL on popular networks like email, Facebook, Twitter, and wikisDownload companion materials and resources at https://nodexl.codeplex.com/documentation

This paper identifies subgenres of asymmetric virtual reality (AVR) games and proposes the AVR Game Genre (AVRGG) framework for developing AVR games. We examined 66 games “in the wild” to develop the AVRGG and used it to identify 5 subgenres of AVR games including David(s) vs. Goliath, Hide and Seek, Perspective Puzzle, Order Simulation, and Lifeline. We describe these genres, which account for nearly half of the 66 games reviewed, in terms of the AVRGG framework that highlights salient asymmetries in the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics categories. To evaluate the usefulness of the AVRGG framework, we conducted four workshops (two with the AVRGG framework and two without) with novice game designers who generated 16 original AVR game concepts. Comparisons between the workshop groups, observations of the design sessions, focus groups, and surveys showed the promise and limitations of the AVRGG framework as a design tool. We found that novice designers were able to understand and apply the AVRGG framework after only a brief introduction. The observations indicated two primary challenges that AVR designers face: balancing the game between VR and non-VR player(s) and generating original game concepts. The AVRGG framework helped overcome the balancing concerns due to its ability to inspire novice game designers with example subgenres and draw attention to the asymmetric mechanics and competitive/cooperative nature of games. While half of those who used the AVRGG framework to design with created games that fit directly into existing subgenres, the other half viewed the subgenres as “creative constraints” useful in jumpstarting novel game designs that combined, modified, or purposefully avoided existing subgenres. Additional benefits and limitations of the AVRGG framework are outlined in the paper.

Adolescents' access to health information on the Internet is partly a function of their ability to search for and find answers to their health-related questions. Adolescents may have unique health and computer literacy needs. Although many surveys, interviews, and focus groups have been utilized to understand the information-seeking and information-retrieval behavior of adolescents looking for health information online, we were unable to locate observations of individual adolescents that have been conducted in this context. This study was designed to understand how adolescents search for health information using the Internet and what implications this may have on access to health information. A convenience sample of 12 students (age 12-17 years) from 1 middle school and 2 high schools in southeast Michigan were provided with 6 health-related questions and asked to look for answers using the Internet. Researchers recorded 68 specific searches using software that captured screen images as well as synchronized audio recordings. Recordings were reviewed later and specific search techniques and strategies were coded. A qualitative review of the verbal communication was also performed. Out of 68 observed searches, 47 (69%) were successful in that the adolescent found a correct and useful answer to the health question. The majority of sites that students attempted to access were retrieved directly from search engine results (77%) or a search engine's recommended links (10%); only a small percentage were directly accessed (5%) or linked from another site (7%). The majority (83%) of followed links from search engine results came from the first 9 results. Incorrect spelling (30 of 132 search terms), number of pages visited within a site (ranging from 1-15), and overall search strategy (eg, using a search engine versus directly accessing a site), were each important determinants of success. Qualitative analysis revealed that participants used a trial-and-error approach to formulate search strings, scanned pages randomly instead of systematically, and did not consider the source of the content when searching for health information. This study provides a useful snapshot of current adolescent searching patterns. The results have implications for constructing realistic simulations of adolescent search behavior, improving distribution and usefulness of Web sites with health information relevant to adolescents, and enhancing educators' knowledge of what specific pitfalls students are likely to encounter.

In this paper we introduce an approach to cybersecurity education and helping students develop professional understanding in the form of a Playable Case Study (PCS), a form of educational simulation that draws on affordances of the broader educational simulation genre, case study instruction, and educational Alternate Reality Games (or ARGs). A PCS is an interactive simulation that allows students to “play” through an authentic scenario (case study) as a member of a professional team. We report our findings over a multi-year study of a PCS called Cybermatics, with data from 111 students from two different U.S. universities who interacted with the PCS. Cybermatics increased student understanding about certain key aspects of professional cybersecurity work, improved their confidence in being able to successfully apply certain skills associated with cybersecurity, and increased about half of the students’ interest in pursuing a cybersecurity career. Students also reported a number of reasons why their perceptions changed in these areas (both positive and negative). We also discuss design tensions we experienced in our process that might be encountered by others when creating simulations like a PCS, as they attempt to balance the authenticity of designed learning experiences while also sufficiently scaffolding them for newcomers who have little background in a discipline.

During her junior year of high school, Katrina landed an internship at a cutting-edge nanotechnology company, Microcore. She quickly got up to speed by exploring Microcore promotional materials about the small army of tiny robot doctors that helped heal cuts and related medical maladies. Bob, her internship supervisor, told her she would be doing some research, writing reports, writing emails, and placing phone calls. At this point, there are some things readers of this article should know: Microcore is a fictional (and virtual) company that hires students as virtual interns who practice argumentative and professional writing. Katrina is a real student at Hilltop High School who participated in a type of educational simulation we call Playable Case Studies. Her virtual internship at Microcore facilitated her use of inquiry, speaking, listening, and writing to help Microcore address and solve its problems.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate novel techniques for exploring relationship data extracted from social media sites for actionable insights by educators, researchers, and administrators.Design methodology approach - The paper demonstrates how non-programmers can use NodeXL, an open source social network analysis tool built into Excel 2007 2010, to collect, analyze, and visualize network data from social media sites like Twitter and YouTube.Findings - Researchers and education professionals can use NodeXL to explore (a) social networks to identify important individuals and subgroups, as well as (b) content networks to map the underlying structure of a domain and find important content. Illustrative examples are provided using NodeXL to examine followers of a Twitter user focused on open education, as well as a content network of YouTube videos about surgery.Research limitations implications - Tools like NodeXL are making network analysis accessible to non-technical researchers in a variety of fields spanning the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Despite their value, network analysis techniques are only as good as the data that underlie them, requiring careful assessment of possible selection biases and triangulation of findings.Practical implications - Educational institutions and educators can benefit from more systematically analyzing their social media initiatives from a network perspective.Originality value - This paper describes some of the techniques and tools needed to make sense of the social relationships that underlie social media sites. As relational data are increasingly made public, such techniques will enable more systematic analysis by researchers studying social phenomena and practitioners implementing social media initiatives.

It was the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, who said the role of government is to do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves.

Widespread adoption of information technologies has fostered new social arrangements and opportunities for large-scale collaboration. Many of these new collaborations occur in online support communities where members help each other make sense of, and deal with, a particular topic (e.g., website design, cancer treatment). Many of these communities struggle with meeting the divergent needs of novices, experts, and those who overhear their conversations. A few communities have recently augmented their existing threaded conversations (e.g., email list discussions) with a wiki repository which serves a similar purpose as an FAQ document. I demonstrate how a threaded conversation and wiki repository can complement each other by describing in detail a technical support community (css-d) where they do. Using a mixed method approach I empirically examine how activity is organized to leverage both resources through an analysis of the governance structure, social roles and norms, information genres, participation patterns, and technical features. I also use an action research methodology to help 3 online medical support communities implement a wiki repository. I first the limitations of using a community conversation for reuse by arguing that the very same characteristics that make community conversations useful to their participants (e.g., their personalized, immediate, and social nature) make their reuse by onlookers problematic. I then describe how a wiki repository was used by the css-d community to create reusable content that complements the discussion. I characterize the wiki genres most useful to the community (e.g., Annotated Links, Debate summaries, How To pages, Articles) and describe the processes important to their creation, and how they lead to content that fills information gaps, is reusable, and relevant to the masses. I describe how the synergistic relationship between community conversation and wiki repositories helps overcome some of the information sharing and maintenance challenges common to help-based communities, as well as how it helps overcome some of the common social maintenance challenges of online communities such as keeping the discussion on topic and avoiding contentious debates. Finally, I characterize some of the challenges of implementing wiki repositories and collaborative authoring, such as the hesitancy of members to edit others' work.