Screen Capture of My Desktop

When I saw the screenshot of my desktop and windows as a photograph, I could see several differences and benefits to using a personal computer to compose an essay or document as opposed to writing one out by hand on a piece of paper or in a notebook.

How does composing change shape in digital spaces?

Composing changes shape in digital spaces in various ways. First of all, when you are typing up a paper on your computer you can multitask and do other things that you normally do when you are on a pc. You can have your internet browser, such as Mozilla Firefox, on another tab, separate from Microsoft Word or wherever you are typing your paper, and can be able to check your email, and keep updated on your personal networking or news websites. You can also keep a messenger client open, such as Windows Live or AOL Instant Messenger, to stay in contact with your friends and family or to ask them for help if you have a question about your paper or research that they may be able to help with.

Secondly, you can have digital media in the background to keep you entertained and focused while you are composing your paper on the computer. It is always nice to have a large picture that covers your desktop that you enjoy looking at; it gives you a sense that the computer is your personal working space. Also, you can have Windows Media Player or iTunes running in the background so that you can listen to music while you are working, to keep you calm and entertained.

Lastly, you have the internet. The internet is a vast expanse of information that you can always access when you are composing a paper on your computer. If you ever get stuck on something, or have a question that requires research, you can google your problem or check various databases for your answer.

Overall, composing in a digital space is much different than writing out an essay on paper because there is so much more you can do on a computer to help you with your composition and keep you up to date with your daily life.

How can we better understand digital composition processes?

I believe that we can better understand digital composition processes by using the computer to compose documents ourselves. The more we use digital composition, the more we can understand it.