One of the challenges of writing a textbook about composition on the Internet is that it is often extremely difficult to explain or demonstrate the breadth, diversity, and complexity of on-line environments in a print-based medium. In conjunction with the Connections textbook, then, we have constructed a supplemental Web site that uses the Internet media treated in the book to provide additional resources, interactive exercises and forums for class discussion. The Connections Web site (http://www.abacon.com/connections) is a functional resource for composition classes which has been designed specifically as a companion-piece to the text. Instructors will be able to send their students to the site both as a jumping-off point to on-line resources, and as a workshop-space where students can walk through exercises, find examples of topics discussed in the book, and carry on conversations with other students and instructors from across the country about a wide range of issues.
The Connections Web Site consists of four major nodes: Exercises, Class Discussion Forums, Resources, and Teaching Connections.
Exercises
In this section, we have reproduced all of the exercises from Connections and created Web-enhanced versions of selected exercises from the text (listed below). The exercises, which are organized by chapter, use the strengths of the Web to provide students and instructors with more effective means of completing and exploring the assignments. For each Web-enhanced exercise we have linked up materials and/or examples to demonstrate the skills that we are attempting to teach. For example, we provide links to several interesting URLs for the site evaluation exercise in Chapter Nineteen, and we use the Web to walk students through the keyword search exercises in Chapter Seven.
These on-line versions lead students through the steps of Connections' exercises, provide prompts for student answers, and offer examples of on-line resources that will help them see the value of the assignment. This section of the site provides a simple way for students to complete class assignments and offers practical experience with on-line environments. Instructors will particularly like the fact that the authors of the Web site have located suitable and interesting examples, cutting down on the amount of Net surfing that instructors will have to do for class preparation.
Web-Enhanced Exercises:
Discussion Forums
Each "For Class Discussion" in the textbook is reproduced on the Connections Web site in an interactive interface designed to help explore the issues covered in that section of the text. Working on the Web site, students and instructors can contribute to discussion forums based upon their own interests and investments in the issues being discussed.
Instructors can increase the participation in their classes by having their students post to this section of the Connections Web site. Not only can these forums be useful as a means of encouraging students to articulate their thoughts in written form, but participating on these forums will also demonstrate to students the importance of considering audience and multiple perspectives. In addition to providing our own spaces for classes to hold on-line conversations, the site also links to the discussions on Allyn and Bacon's CompSite.
"For Class Discussions" on the Connections Web Site:
Resources
The third section of the Connections Web site gathers and presents resources that will be useful to composition classes. These resources include an extensive collection of links to relevant sites on the Net (such as the ones provided in Appendix One of the textbook), as well as new materials produced by the authors.
For example, we have constructed a frames-based HTML Resource Guide along with other materials on Web-development, and have put together resources for downloading the most recent versions of Internet software. This section of the Web site also collects several sample articles for students to read critically, applying the rhetorical skills that we stress throughout the book. Additionally, we have highlighted several proven newsgroups so that instructors will have a place to start when searching for pedagogically valuable examples on the thousands of Usenet groups.
Teaching Connections
Unlike the other three nodes which are aimed primarily at students, Teaching Connections targets instructors. This node has an on-line version of the printed instructors' manual (which you are currently reading ;-)) containing general strategies for teaching in computer-assisted environments as well as helpful tips about each chapter. Included in this section will be sample syllabi and sample class Web-site models. In addition to the instructor's manual, this section contains information about the textbook including contact and ordering information.
We're offering a Connections e-mail discussion list for instructors. This list is intended as a way for those of you who are teaching with Connections to keep in contact with each other, a forum to discuss how you've used the book, experiences you've had, and any other pedagogical matters. To subscribe to the list, simply fill out the form at the Web site.
As time goes by, we believe that the site will become an increasingly important supplement to the textbook. It will allow us to keep up-to-date information about client software, Web development, and any other technical advances which become available after the publication of Connections. Perhaps more important, we hope that classes will begin to use the site as a forum where students can meet, interact and participate in an academic on-line environment. Once the site achieves this community of student writers, it will become an evolving example of the kinds of electronic composition issues that are at the core of the textbook. As such, we strongly suggest that you bring your classes to the site and use it in conjunction with the textbook to help your students become better writers.