Three writing spaces that I frequently use are Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Email. Microsoft Word is a writing space which appears on the computer screen as a blank page in which you can enter text, insert pictures, clip art, tables, and much more. Microsoft Word is generally more efficient in producing documents than handwriting them because many people can type faster than they write, and typewritten documents are much neater and more uniform, making them easier to read. Microsoft Word gives writers the ability to stylize their work using highlight tools, different fonts, colors and sizes. It also features a spell check tool which checks documents for spelling and grammar mistakes. It allows the writer to edit as they compose and easily change any aspect of the document before printing a final copy.
Microsoft PowerPoint is a program which allows people to create presentations. It provides many templates that the writer can choose to make their presentation visually appealing to the audience or they can create their own custom template. Like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint offers writers different fonts, sizes and colors to stylize their text. Writers can add pictures, clip art, tables and graphs to enhance their presentation. They can edit their presentations throughout the entire process of composing them. PowerPoint also has a spell checking tool that scans the presentation for spelling and grammar mistakes. Writers can totally personalize their presentations any way they want – it can be any length or number of slides. They can also add transition and sound effects to their presentations. PowerPoint is a great program to use for presentations because it entices the attention of the audience in a neat, easy to read format.
Email is a popular form of communication. It is a unique way to write out a message and send it to any number of people at the same time. In email, a writer can attach documents and websites and insert pictures and videos. It is a simple way of mass communication. It features spell check tools, as well as different fonts, sizes and colors for personalization.
According to Bolter and Grusin’s article “The Double Logic of Remediation,” remediation occurs in society because society wants media to multiply, but as they do, they are erasing other media. If I were to choose two of the above writing spaces and describe how one remediates the other, I would say that email remediates the word processor (Microsoft Word) to an extent because it performs mostly the same functions but is enhanced in that it allows writers to electronically submit their work or share it with others. In many cases it has the ability to eliminate the printing aspect of writing and the traveling through time and space to get the document where it needs to go. All three of the above mentioned writing spaces remediate older writing spaces. The word processor remediates handwritten documents, PowerPoint remediates forms of presentations like posters, handouts and transparencies, and email remediates writing letters.
