Jonathan Bishop

Jonathan Bishop is a British information technology executive and researcher based in Pontypridd in Wales. A Chartered IT Professional, he is known for his work in designing, developing and researching e-learning systems and virtual communities and using new media technology, such as weblogs and websites to engage citizens in political and community activities.

Biography
Career
A graduate of Cardiff School of Art & Design (1998) Bishop established early presence in online communities, through his employment at Trefforest-based Broadway Studios, where he was managed by professional photographer Steve Powderhill when he developed the Circle of Friends technique for social networking during 1999, applying it to websites that preceded the existence of Friendster. Bishop went on to gain undergraduate degrees in Multimedia in 2000 and 2002 at the Glamorgan School of Computing in Pontypridd, where his dissertations were directly linked to his work experience in Internet-based communities.

Around 2002, Bishop diversified into electronic learning, developing the PARLE e-learning system, a piece of assistive technology for people with forms of autism like Asperger Syndrome, which enables them to take part in social situations that they usually find difficult or confusing. PARLE has been recognized as an innovative and useful system; it was a finalist for the New Statesman New Media Awards in 2004, and has been discussed in courses such as the Autism Theory and Technology course at MIT. While at Broadway Studios in 2003 Bishop developed a number of e-learning systems and online communities, which resulted in new methodologies for designing such systems being presented by him to the International Conference on Internet Technologies and Applications. After gaining an MSc in E-Learning from the Glamorgan School of Computing in 2004, Bishop went on to study LLM in European Union Law from the Glamorgan Law School which he graduated from in 2007 after completing a dissertation on e-learning law in the EU. In 2006 Bishop co-founded e-learning firm, Glamorgan Blended Learning, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (no. 06328406), where a number of his technologies are now being used for the benefit of people in the South Wales Central region.

Civic Activities
In 2003 Bishop was elected to Llantwit Fardre community council for the Labour party. In 2004 he was a finalist in the New Statesman New Media Awards along for using his website and weblog to communicate with the electorate.. In 2008 Bishop was was elected to Pontypridd Town Council, and currently represents Treforest as a Labour and Co-operative Party town councillor.

Media Relations
Bishop has a regular column in the Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer. He has been quoted in his capacity as an information technology researcher and elected representative in national newspapers and magazines in the Wales and the UK such as the The Western Mail and New Statesman, as well as national and regional newspapers in the United States and China, such as the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Beijing Review.

Bibliography
* Bishop, J. (2003). The Internet for educating individuals with social impairments. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 19(4), 548-558
* Bishop, J. (2005). The role of mediating artefacts in the design of persuasive e-learning systems. In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Internet Technologies and Applications, University of Wales, NEWI, Wrexham, 7-9 September 2005. Available online
* Bishop, J. (2007). Increasing participation in online communities: A framework for human-computer interaction. Computers in Human Behavior 23 (2007), 1881-1893. Available online
* Bishop, J. (2007). Evaluation-centred Design of E-Learning Communities: A Case Study and Review. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Internet Technologies and Applications, ITA07, University of Wales, NEWI , 1-9. Available online. ISBN 0946881545
* Bishop, J. (2007). Ecological Cognition: A New Dynamic for Human-Computer Interaction. In: B. Wallace, A. Ross, J. Davies & T. Anderson (Eds). The Mind, the Body and the World: Psychology After Cognitivism?. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 327-345. ISBN 1845400739
* Bishop, J. (2008) 'Increasing Capital Revenue in Social Networking Communities: Building Social and Economic Relationships through Avatars and Characters', in Romm-Livermore, C. (ed.) Social Networking Communities and eDating Services: Concepts and Implications. New York: IGI Global.
* Bishop, J. (2008) 'Understanding and facilitating the development of social networks in online dating communities: A Case Study and Model', in Livermoore-Romm, C. (ed.) Social Networking Communities and EDating Services: Concepts and Implications. New York: IGI Global.

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