Technology and Writing

Abstract

Information and communication technologies are having a profound affect on all aspects of language use, especially in written communication. The purposes of writing, the genres of written communication, and the nature of audience and author are all changing rapidly with the diffusion of computer-mediated communication, both for first and second language writers. This chapter reviews research on the relationship of new technologies to writing and discusses the implications of this research for English language learning and teaching. Issues addressed include the participatory dynamics and linguistic features of computer-assisted classroom discussion, the impact of e-mail exchanges on students' writing process, and the relationship of writing purpose to student outcomes in multimedia authoring. The chapter also addresses areas of debate and concern, such as whether the internet fosters plagiarism, and whether new forms of computer-mediated writing serve to complement and enhance more traditional forms of writing or detract from them. Finally, future trends in technology-intensive writing, such as the increased importance and nature of electronic literacy, are also discussed, as are the implications of these trends for teaching and research.