Bücher von Regine Hampel

Although new technologies are embedded in students¿ lives today, there is often an assumption that their use is transparent, inconsequential, or a distraction. This book combines complex systems theory with sociocultural theory and the multimodal theory of communication, providing an innovative theoretical framework to examine how communication and meaning-making in the language classroom have developed over time, how technology impacts on meaning-making, and what the implications are for learners, teachers, institutions and policy makers. Recent studies provide evidence for the disruptive effect of technology which has resulted in a phase shift that is reshaping language education by creating new interaction patterns, allowing for multimodal communication, and introducing real-world communication into the classroom. The book proposes ways of responding to this shift before concluding that the new technologies are radically transforming the way we learn. It is likely to appeal to arange of readers, including students, academics, teachers and policy-makers.

When moving towards teaching online, teachers are confronted every day with issues such as online moderation, establishing social presence online, transitioning learners to online environments, giving feedback online. This book supports language teaching professionals and researchers who are keen to engage in online teaching and learning.

Taking as its point of departure the remarkable increase in the production of fictional autobiographies in Britain and Ireland over the last thirty years, this book sets out to explore the historical, philosophical and literary context motivating and shaping such an increase. It seeks to show that as a result of the epistemological crisis of the 20 century and of the consequent assault on traditional modes of representation, writers began to look for alternative textual spaces and narrative forms which would allow them to highlight the constructed nature of identity and selfhood. The contention is that fictional autobiography is particularly suitable for postmodern needs, since it explores the relationship between text and reality and focuses on language as mediator between the two.