User:Flowertulip1

Dr Julia Gillen is a Reader in Digital Literacies in the Department of Linguistics and English Language and Director of the Lancaster Literacy Research Centre, a member of the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning and the Centre for Mobilities Research. J.Gillen's research interests include exploring and expanding the boundaries of digital literacies. Her main practical aim is to increase access to innovative and creative yet safe online spaces. Her principle academic aim is to expand understandings of the relationship of language with multimodality, through combining study of new media with early twentieth century literacy practices. She also works with young deaf users of Sign Languages in marginalised communities in the Global South who are collaborating online to improve their English literacy.

Dr Gillen is also a Co-Investigator in the ESRC/DFID project Transforming deaf learners' multiliteracies into sustainable educational approaches for 3 years from July 2017 following a one year pilot ESCR/DFID project Literacy Development with deaf communities using sign language, peer tuition, and learner-generated online content: sustainable educational innovation.

She is the director of the Edwardian Postcard project, the current holder of a FASS impact award and recentlly completed an AHRC Creative Exchange mini project which is constructing a more interactive website and engaging in other activities to connect with family and local history audiences as well as museums and e-heritage users.

Dr Gillen is famous for her most recent book "Digital Literacies", which consolidates empirical and theoretical interests in recent work including on Twitter as a professional practice and online ethnography. Her research on children and teenagers learning in formal and informal settings including in virtual worlds also features in this recent book and its associated ESRC seminar series.