Len Unsworth’s Blog

Image/Text Relations in Narrative and Information Texts for Children in Print and Electronic Media
Project Overview
This project focuses on image/text relations in print and electronic materials designed for children in primary school and early secondary school. Both narrative and information texts will be considered. The research is informed by systemic functional linguistic theory and its social semiotic applications to other modalities of communication. To date, the main focus of the project has been on relations between images in narrative picture books. Work on the affective dimension of these relations is currently underway. As this theme nears completion our research is shifting to consideration of the mutually informing relation between words and images in narrative and information texts, including CD-ROM and web based materials. Information texts recontextualising science, history and culture for children are being considered, concentrating on themes from the Australia, Asia and the Pacific.

Research Team

(Top L to R) Talia Gill, Clare Painter, Len Unsworth, Chris Cleirigh, Jim Martin
(Bottom L to R) Ariane Welch, Sumin Zhao

REME (Research in English and Multiliteracies Education)SEMINAR
Tuesday14th February, 2006, Lecture Theatre 111, University of New England
For UNE staff and students and teachers of primary/secondary school
ALL WECOME!

Interfacing Research and Teaching in ICT and Multiliteracies Education

PRESENTERS:
Dr. Angela Thomas (University of Sydney) & Prof. Len Unsworth (UNE)

12.30 - 2.00 The blog as a literacy research tool (Dr Angela Thomas).
For the past 18 months I have been using blogs as means for: conducting research with young adolescent research participants; developing a network of like-minded researchers; discussing and soliciting feedback about my research within my blogging community; writing, refining, editing, and thinking ‘out loud’ about the issues related to research; and communicating my research to others. I have also involved my post-grad students in researching through blogging. This session will explore these various uses of blogs and the benefits of maintaining an active online presence (“googleability”).

2.00 – 2.30 Afternoon Tea

2.30 – 3.00 Building School/University Research Partnerships: ARC
Linkage Grants in Literacy Education – current and projected
examples (Prof Len Unsworth).
The advantages in terms of funding and professional development to ‘industry partners’ such as schools, groups of schools, directorates and offices of government, Catholic and other independent education systems, of becoming research partners with universities will be outlined. Key elements of one existing ARC Linkage Grant and one proposed grant will also be outlined.

3.00 – 3.30 From the PhD blues to Publication Bliss (Dr Angela Thomas)
In this session I will discuss the process I undertook for establishing a research and publication agenda after the completion of my PhD. Issues such as how to find a publisher, how to convert the PhD into publications, and how to start building a track record will be discussed.

4.00 – 5.00 Kahootz: Children as active designers of 3D animated
simulations, games and narratives. (Dr Angela Thomas)
Kahootz is a powerful set of 3D multimedia tools that allows students and teachers to be creators, designers, inventors and storytellers. Kahootz is also an active, online community. Kahootz students and teachers can publish their work and exchange, share, collaborate, de-construct and explore with other schools in the Kahootz community. The affordances of Kahootz and how children are manipulating these affordances will be the focus of this session.

This book was first published in 2000 and has been re-issued by Continuum for 2006.

Purchase my new book from the publishers here!
For more information click on the left sidebar link to books published by Len