Writing Space: Writing in the Late Age of Print
Jay Bolter (2001) critically reflects upon how the writing space has evolved over time, and how it has been impacted by technology. People initially built an understanding of their world through the authority of the church. This representation of knowledge was subject to change over time. Individuals are now influenced by their senses, and their interaction with their environment, and they start to question and explore the validity of their knowledge. In my opinion, students should be provided with opportunities for reflection and exploration to gain understanding and expand their knowledge. Being afforded opportunities to work with one’s peers, students develop important, valuable, real-life competencies such as critical thinking, reasoning, negotiation and persuasion. These skills cultivate learning and understanding.
I believe that students who are encouraged to actively take a role in the construction of their own knowledge are able to discover whether or not their understanding of a concept does or does not work. Active learning empowers students. I think that it is important to foster a non-threatening classroom environment where students feel comfortable interacting, questioning and responding to one another. Nurturing and supporting students in their discovery and understanding of the truth of their knowledge is critical in their development.
Jay Bolter (2001) acknowledges that “technology is displacing printed communication for various purposes.” Technology is constantly evolving, and my concern is that some segments of the population, such as the elderly or disenfranchised, feel illiterate and/or displaced because they do not understand or do not have access to the same information as others in society.
Technology is appealing to the masses because it is flexible, engaging and fast. Print is considered to be a stable, reliable medium. Technology “threatens the definitions of good writing and careful reading” (Bolter, 2001). Prior to using a computer, I know I spent more time thinking and planning an outline before I wrote an essay. The computer has made it so simple to edit a document that people approach writing much differently than if they had to print out an essay by hand. I think it would be interesting to try using Draftback to play back the revision history of an essay written using Google Docs, and to gage how much time is spent on particular tasks. I definitely think that people read differently online as a result of the influx of material they receive on a daily basis via email and social media, and the amount of material people navigate on the web. In my work experience, people quickly glance at an email, and then judge its level of urgency before responding to it or setting it aside to be tasked for follow-up or completion on another day. Much time is wasted corresponding back and forth when a person misunderstands or misreads the content of an email.
Some predict that print will eventually become extinct as readers migrate to electronic devices. The sale of e-books increased by 1260% between 2008 and 2010, and book stores struggled to stay in business; however, digital sales have slowed sharply since 2010. Those who use e-readers are either “returning to print, or becoming hybrid readers, who juggle devices and paper” (Alter, 2015).
Bolter (2001) states that “our culture is redefining the voice of the text, and the visual and conceptual space of writing.” I appreciate being able to discuss and collaborate when collectively creating a piece of writing as an alternative to writing something by myself, but sometimes I experience a loss of ownership in the process, especially when a piece of writing is over-edited, and it loses its original intended message. Sometimes a piece of writing does not flow cohesively because each person has taken responsibility for specific sections, and the style and flow become disjointed. Most people tend to skim when they are reading online. When an article is broken into small readable chunks using headings and bullet points, and includes images, videos and interactive content then it is easier to read, is more engaging and appealing, and better meets the needs of different learning styles.
Resources
Alter, A. (2015, September 22). The plot twist: E-book sales slip, and print is far from dead. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/1QXZyvn
Bolter, J. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. Mahway, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
“Jay Bolter (2001) acknowledges that “technology is displacing printed communication for various purposes.” Technology is constantly evolving, and my concern is that some segments of the population, such as the elderly or disenfranchised, feel illiterate and/or displaced because they do not understand or do not have access to the same information as others in society.”
I enjoyed your post as it bluntly states the obvious truths about technology being used as a replacement for written text. I like your point about email and how it relates to digital literacy. Technology does not change the concept of literacy, one still needs to be able to understand what they are reading in order to be technologically literate as well. I do feel that communicating and writing via technology does require some basic common sense especially with the introduction of slang and abbreviated terms. Which is why I was so drawn to your point about certain segments of the population being unable to maximize on this technological communication we have all come to know. I think it takes being introduced to certain communicative techniques on a consistent basis in order for one to be deemed savvy. This brings me to my important question which arose upon reading this, if we are to make this world one of complete digital communication and literacy, should we not find a way to make it accessible to all? I have a parent in my class who does not own a cell phone or a computer and it has been increasingly difficult to communicate with them. Phone calls are becoming a thing of the past and many individuals are having to conform to the “norm” which is now a technology based world (classroom). Thank you for sharing, I found this post quite thought provoking.
You make several excellent points about technology: its availability, its relative instability, and its ability to engage. I was particularly interested in your comments about “writing spaces” and the changes in the way we approach composition. It’s true that I compose an essay or letter in a completely different manner than I might once have. I can start in the middle, write my conclusion, then return to my introduction, if I so desire. I can insert quotes, pictures, and charts after the fact—when I find them. I hate to think of having to use a typewriter…of committing to the form and content of my writing at the outset. Yet that has been how people have presumably been writing for centuries.
It seems to me that writing is becoming as non-linear as hypertext, at least for some. Bolter (2001) observes that the web has made “hypermedia culturally ubiquitous” (Ch. 2, Global Hypertext, para. 5). Surrounded as we are with all kinds of media competing for our short attention spans, it is perhaps no wonder that the process of writing might be affected (or infected?). Mostly I am glad, as I am sure we can output more, and hopefully better work. However, I have to wonder how I would fare now if faced with a three-hour exam, one exam booklet, and once piece of scrap paper to outline my ideas before I start writing. I suspect it would be a serious struggle for me to write it down with one take, in sequence, with no option to start at the end.
Reference
Bolter, J.D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print.(2nd Ed.) [SocialBook version]. Available at http://www.livemargin.com