Writing online

What is the difference between writing on paper and online? Writing is writing, after all.  But as we saw before, there are many types of writing.  The tools we use to write can sometimes influence the way we write: do you write differently on an old piece of paper or on a new, expensive notebook that you received as a gift?  You probably don’t write the same things, or write them in the same way.

Writing online often changes our style, making it a little more informal, a little more personal. 

In this unit, we will look at a short history of the internet, and the way writing there has evolved.  We will then look at the influence of orality and the influence of the presence of a reader.  When it comes to teaching, we will try to imagine our readers/students, and to tailor the way we write and the content we write to them.  Finally, we will have some tips for those of you who are creating a module as a group.

Let’s grab our screens and keyboards and start reading and writing!