Course Overview and Introduction
About the courseThe Technology of the Book is a journey through the past, present, and future of one of the most powerful technologies in human history—the book. We’ll explore the spread and impact of the printing revolution as it transforms the production and distribution of knowledge and ideas. By exploring and analyzing the making of print culture, we will gain an understanding of how the technologies of printing and bookmaking have shaped the modern world.
Today, a book can take many forms—print or digital, page or screen. We are in the middle of a major shift from print culture to a new form of multimodal literacy. Many people have strong opinions about what this shift means for culture and society. In this class, we are not going to settle for easy answers. Our goal is to look more deeply at the technologies and people that have shaped the way books are written, designed, circulated, and read, in order to develop a clearer understanding of the history that shapes where we are today and where we can go in the years ahead. Who is the course for?
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Video: Course Introduction(Length: 3 minutes)
This video introduces you to the themes of the course and will help you start thinking about the first assignment for the course, a literacy self-portrait. (Downloadable transcript of the audio can be accessed below the video player.) 
About the instructor
Michael Greer (Prof G) teaches online courses in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Michael is author of the bestselling Little, Brown Handbook series and editor of Research in Online Literacy Education, a new online journal published by the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators. He publishes and presents on topics including user-centered design, interactive media, and digital publishing. Michael serves as a faculty advisor and author for Gadget Software, where he is helping to design and develop a mobile publishing and learning platform. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.
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