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■■exploring IT/electronic media through English to investigate culturalrepresentations■■ using cultural informants including non-local English-speaking teachers andlocal English teachers with experience of intercultural communication andother cultures■■and engaging in face-to-face and online intercultural communication (Baker,2008; 2011).These offer opportunities to develop and put ICA into practice, and providematerials and experiences to reflect on in the classroom that can aid in thedevelopment of ICA. However, as of yet the discussion has been exploratory andfurther empirical investigation is needed. This is the first focus of this project.New technologies, e-learning and intercultural communicationThe use of new technologies and particularly the internet is one possible means ofbringing a greater cultural dimension into the classroom in a manner that reflectsthe complexity of English use in global contexts. There has been much discussionconcerning the potential for technology to aid in the process of language learningparticularly through offering learners access to a wide range of resources (Chapelle,2009). Furthermore, Laurillard (2002) highlights technology’s and e-learning’s roleas integral parts of teaching and learning in higher education contexts. Despitethis potential, at the present time technology has not been integrated fully intolanguage teaching within higher education and is far from being a ‘normalised’part of the education process, fitting seamlessly with other learning and teachingtechniques (Chambers and Bax, 2006; Chapelle, 2009). Both Laurillard (2002) andChapelle (2009) have highlighted the need for more critical and qualitative studiesof technology in language learning which go beyond development and deal in asubstantive way with the learners’ experiences and course evaluation.Nevertheless, Laurillard’s ‘conversational framework’ (2002: 87) has beeninfluential in e- learning at the University of Southampton (www.elanguages.soton.ac.uk), and this influence is seen in the development of e-learning materials,which attempt to incorporate key elements of the framework such as ‘discussion’,‘interaction’, ‘adaptation’ and ‘reflection’ into ‘learning objects’ (Watson, 2010).While there are many definitions of learning objects (LOs), the definition that willbe followed here is ‘activity-driven LO in which a pedagogic task or tasks forms thebasis for the learning. A single asset or combination of assets support the task(s),and might include video, audio, graphic or textual assets’ (Watson, 2010: 42). It isthis model for learning object development and delivery, grounded in Laurillard’sframework, which formed the basis of the materials used in the interculturalcommunication course in this project.Of particular relevance to the aims of this research is the potential of these newtechnologies to enable intercultural exchanges through access to authentic textsfrom a range of cultures and perhaps most significantly allowing interculturalcommunication with members of other cultures through the internet. In practice, themost popular applications have involved the notions of telecollaboration and tandem274 | Intercultural Awareness Thailand