Recent And Ongoing Research 110908

Timothy James Pasch, Ph.D. [email protected] 2603 Boylston Av E #2 Seattle, WA 98102-3236 206-391-0890 A Summary of Recent and Ongoing Research International Communication: Arctic Internet and Social Networking in the North I am currently working on preparing segments of my dissertation for publication based on the data collected while living in the Canadian Arctic. Elements of focus are Cybersecurity in the North, Social Networking in the Arctic, and the development of tools enhancing native-language use online. is work extends into the International Circumpolar through the development of portals linking the Ainu in Japan with Inuit in both Nunavik and in Greenland. Two papers are initially planned, the first in collaboration with Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, director of the Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity at the University of Washington, and the second paper works with Seattle and Montreal-based software developers and focuses on language preservation technologies enabling streaming video within Bebo and Facebook pages. Digital Media and Distance Learning Design My current position at the University of Washington is funded by a federal grant and involves designing New Media content for education and communication curriculum. Specifically, I am creating immersive content by embedding flash video into PDF and Powerpoint files. is media format is designed to target multiple learning styles during distance learning. e development of these projects is achieved through software workflow that I developed integrating Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems and multiple software packages. e results are professional, exceedingly user friendly and very effective at transmitting a maximum of information in a format engaging to the user. I am very interested in the synergy between media formats on the web, specifically combining streaming media, immersive distance learning, and interactivity online, and am writing a paper on this workflow for submission to the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication. I anticipate that my academic and media production tutorials and papers will be a consistent and fertile source of publications in the future. Examples of my work can be seen on the website I coded at www.timpasch.com. Critical eory of New Media, Cybersecurity and Constructing Online Identity A research project in progress investigates the illusory nature of perfect privacy online through a detailed exploration of personal information that search engines currently archive. is work continues through proposing that a conscious creation of online identity is a more appropriate and indeed, constructive option than the quest for total privacy. A detailed series of specific steps involved in working with search engines towards constructing a positive online identity ensues, designed to create an effective online profile that will emerge when the user’s name is searched.

My background in interdisciplinary critical theory serves as a conceptual framework for an exploration of identity online, seen through the lens of race and virtual environments. Foucault, Gramsci and Nakamura, along with Deleuze, Guattari and the works of William Gibson and Neil Gaiman among others merge in my research during the search for identity and meaning in the virtual. Moving from the rubric of theory into the latest developments in software and hardware interfaces, this aspect of my research looks at issues of identity and race representation online, language use in social networking, privacy and cybersecurity, web censorship, audio and video production, and hacking the digital divide through the creation of open-source software solutions. Qualitative/Quantitative Communication Mixed Methods Research In my consulting and research work at the University of Washington, I have developed ability with a workflow combining SPSS and Nvivo, permitting qualitative data analysis of meaning within online text followed by quantitative statistical analysis of the results. I am working on analyzing web-based content, with the goal of finding statistical significance in word choice, word usage, and hits on various websites. A current project involves analyzing data concerning online mentions of rights to the Northwest Passage and Arctic Sovereignty issues. A paper based on preliminary results was presented at the Western Social Science Association and is currently being developed into its final form. rough the use of the word/number synergy, I anticipate completing a series of projects based on qualitative content analysis of the written web, and statistical analysis of the results using SPSS. I additionally look forward to teaching these Communication software research methods. Synergies Among Research Topics rough a combination of my research interests, I situate my work at the intersections of International Communication, Distance Learning, Web Design, New Media Analysis, and Audio and Video production. ese elements work together as I position myself as a Communication/New Media scholar working on combining elements of New Media and delivering them online and in the classroom in new and effective ways. I am specifically seeking a post that will allow and encourage the development of my distance learning and content creation acumen, and will permit the research of new and innovative content delivery methods. My goal is to publish broadly both on the techniques of creation themselves, and the mixed-methods data generated through the implementation of these communication strategies. e larger goal of such distance learning and new content creation is to empower all learners, regardless of race, social standing, physical location or economic status. For a university environment, distance learning is an effective and financially efficient manner of creating new courses and broadening the student body to regions that would previously be inaccessible. For minority groups, aboriginal learners, and economically inconvenienced students, distance learning is a superlative means of achieving a University-level education without the need for relocation. I am confident that this burgeoning field will undergo rapid expansion and I plan to position myself at the forefront of such Communication technology; in research, practice, publication and instruction. Seattle, 11/09/08.