The Organisation of the Thesis
The thesis is organised in three parts. Part I consists of chapters One through to Three
and in these chapters I provide an introduction and overview to the thesis, its aims,
the questions and themes that inform it, and outline the theoretical concepts and
methodological approach that informs it. In Part II, consisting of Chapters Four, Five
and Chapter Six, I explore the semiotic potentials of new technologies for learning. I
do so through the analysis of three examples of technology-mediated learning each of
which explores an instance of teaching and learning with a specific computer
application set in the English, Mathematics, and Science classroom respectively. In
each chapter I show how the resources of screen re-shaped curriculum knowledge and
classroom practice. Part III consists of Chapters Seven and Eight, in each of these
chapters I return to the two aims of the thesis. In Chapter Seven I draw on the
findings of the analysis to discuss literacy, knowledge practices and the implications
for technology-mediated learning more broadly. In my concluding chapter, Chapter
Eight I discuss the contribution of the thesis to the development of multimodal
theory.
Part I: A Multimodal Framework for Technology-Mediated
Learning
1. Multimodality and the Screen
In Chapter One I describe the focus of the thesis, its aims, and the research questions
that it sets out to address. I review the literature on technology-mediated learning in
relation to the central themes and concerns of the thesis. The six themes are the
multimodal character of technology-mediated learning, the role of speech and
writing, the interaction of modes on screen, multimodal learning, multimodal literacy,
and the multimodal engagement of students with the resources of screen.
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