Title: Conducting genre convergence for learning

Authors: Gunnar Liestol

Addresses: Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1093, Blindern, Gaustad Alleen 21, N-0317 Oslo, Norway

Abstract: The perspective on Rich Internet Applications (RIA) in this paper is derived from the humanities and promotes a synthetic-analytic approach to inventing new and improved communicational forms and document types (digital genres) in learning by combining the procedures of both construction and interpretation. A central question is: How are we to fully develop the potential of RIAs exploiting both multimedia and multimodal functionality when applying ICT for learning? Within the framework of the divergence-convergence dichotomy, the paper attempts to answer the question by re-applying the topical operation of rhetoric as a method for making presentations. It is demonstrated how this methodology could be used to find, select, and combine features and qualities from relevant existing genres to form new (potential) digital genres within the context of learning.

Keywords: rich internet applications; RIA; convergence; divergence; genre development; hypermedia; multimodality; online learning; e-learning; rhetoric; digital genres.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2006.009202

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2006 Vol.16 No.3/4, pp.255 - 270

Published online: 09 Mar 2006 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article