Heidi haLevi – PhD student at BIU’s Science, Technology & Society program, teaching at HIT’s Learning Technologies Dept., Hasifa, and Beit Berl’s Gameology program, freelance interactive and game designer.
Research interests: Media and cultural theory, constructs of self, ludology, infomysticism.
A little more personal:
Born in the US, grew up Canada and living all over Israel since 1988.
Currently, I live amongst forested mountains in the Beit-Shemesh area, about 20 min. from Jerusalem.
Life in Israel is the most challenging, satisfying, intense, creative and meaningful life I could imagine, and I don’t see myself living long-term anywhere else.
Professionally, I’m basically situated at the interface between Psychology & Technology.
Technology-wise: I’ve worked in Internet since 1995, running the gamut from web-designer/programmer in a small startup to project manager and finally a freelance interface and information architecture designer.
Over the past year, I’ve been focusing more on serious games for children, soon completing my first game for 4th-5th graders.
Teaching activities: I’ve been teaching since 2000, and am currently housed mainly at H.I.T. (Holon Institute of Technology) – a fantastic teaching environment. I also teach Interactive Design at Hasifa, and user-nterface related subjects in the Gameology program at Beit-Berl.
Academia-wise: My background is in Psychology. Towards the end of my MA in Cognitive/Experimental psychology, I had something of an epiphany and changed my career course rather dramatically, deciding to focus on digital and media theory while tying it into my psychological interests in consciousness, language, conceptualization, self/identity and meaning.
Over time, I’ve developed stronger interests also in aesthetics, philosophy of science, media theory, digital/interactive art, gaming and critical theory.
I began my doctoral studies in fall 2007 at Bar-Ilan’s Science Technology & Society program, expecting to finish end of 2012, (just in time for the revolution… ). After a few years of coursework, I am currently working on my research proposal – a phenomenological study of children’s play in and between metaphorical and game spaces.
A few words about a bilingual blog
This is probably as good a place as any to explain the bi-lingually challenged nature of this blog. As a general rule, my academic writing is in English, and most other writing is in Hebrew.
I finally decided mainly to just go with the flow.
The language of this blog is English, because anyone interested in what I’m writing about here will probably have a good grasp of the language. However, some of the posts will be in English and some in Hebrew – it depends on my mindset and on the subject as much as on the audience I’m writing to in my mind.
To make things easier, all Hebrew links will be labeled (H), and I will make an effort to translate full-length stuff I think is most interesting. Of course, if there’s something specific that you’d like to see in Hebrew or in English, let me know and I’ll do my best!
Enjoy, and I’m always happy to receive questions, comments and thoughts…
Research interests: Media and cultural theory, constructs of self, ludology, infomysticism.
A little more personal:
Born in the US, grew up Canada and living all over Israel since 1988.
