2. Turning a MultimodaI Lens on Technology-Mediated
Learning
In Chapter Two I describe the theoretical perspective of the thesis. I bring together a
social semiotic theory of representation and communication (Halliday, 1978, 1985;
Hodge and Kress, 1988; Kress, et. al, 2001;Kress and van Leeuwen, 2001), and a
social-cultural theory of learning (Engestrom, 1999; Daniels, 2001; Russell, 2002). I
introduce and discuss the concepts that inform the theoretical framework of the thesis
including semiotic mediation, activity system, sign, mode, materiality, modal
affordance, and site of display and design. I conclude the chapter by exploring the
implications of these concepts for learning.
3. Towards a Multimodal Analysis
The ways in which these theoretical concepts are applied to the context of
technology-mediated learning in the thesis are outlined in Chapter Three. More
specifically I describe the dimensions for the analysis of visual communication,
colour, animated movement, sound, and gaze in some detail. I briefly describe the
data analysed in the thesis, and discuss the issues data collection, the use of video as a
method of collecting data, sampling, and transcription.
Part II: MuItimodality and Technology-Mediated Learning
This part of the thesis provides the empirical data in the form of the multimodal
analysis of three illustrative examples of technology-mediated teaching and learning
in the classroom. This includes analysis of the use of two CD-ROMs (Of Mice and
Men (1996) and Multimedia School Science (2001)), and Toontalk, a computer
programming application. In each chapter I deal with a specific school subject
(English, Mathematics and Science) and focus in on an entity that is significant to
that curriculum. The multimodal analysis that I present in each chapter asks how
curriculum entities are realised through the range of modes that the computer
application makes available. Having described the resources made available in the
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