Unlike many Internet writing guides, Connections is not primarily concerned with providing "how to log on" instructions or descriptions of Internet sites. Though this is an important endeavor, and we do point to a large number of sites that are likely to be useful in a writing class, our concentration is on providing strategies that will work on the Internet for a long time to come. More important, the book focuses on how to use the unique writing environments of the Internet to teach students about the process of writing. Connections' main approach is to treat the Internet as an incredibly complex, rich and useful tool for teaching rhetoric and composition. To further this end, the book couples instruction in the basics of finding and posting information on the Internet with instruction in strategies for argumentation. Don't think of Connections as a book that will solve all of your students' problems with the Internet. Think of it as a book that will show them how to use the Internet to become more practiced writers.
Because the Net is made up of communities that are continuously engaged in written conversations, it provides an excellent site for gathering information, critically examining written texts, and allowing students to compose for a large and interested audience. For this reason, our book focuses heavily on the ways in which language use and meaning can be seen as constantly evolving forces that are constructed through collaborative debate, discussion, and argumentation. Viewed in this way, the Internet is not only a vast storehouse of information or a communications tool, but also a living, breathing conversation.
Because we cover both rhetorical principles and Internet activities while dividing the text into distinct, thematically-arranged chapters, Connections supports a broad range of teaching goals. We've made each chapter stand on its own in some respects as an investigatory, pedagogical session on considerations of Internet writing, but we've also made them fit into our larger conception of how to teach writing using the Internet. The text is designed to be modular so that instructors can pick and choose which sections are the most appropriate for their courses and/or move through the text in the order that best suits their syllabi. For instance, some instructors might choose to have their students read the four chapters devoted to World Wide Web design (Seventeen through Twenty) at the beginning of the semester to get students comfortable with the process of building Web pages. Others might have students begin with the four chapters devoted to Internet research, while still others will begin at the beginning with the five chapters on rhetorical principles. Similarly, Connections isn't designed to programmatically walk students through formulaic writing projects. Instead it gives students the tools to engage in a wide variety of writing situations (both on- and off-line) and gives instructors the ability to use the book in conjunction with the kinds of writing projects that they are most interested in teaching.
Because our focus is on writing strategies rather than Internet resources, you won't find much information on how to get on-line or how to use specific software. This is largely because the instructions for these operations change drastically from institution to institution. Usually, you'll have to have someone at your institution show you how to get on-line and setup the software designed to work with your school's system. Hopefully, your school will have staff devoted to helping faculty with instructional computer technology, or at least an expert in the field who can help get you and your class set up for Internet use. Often your institution will already have handouts to instruct students on the basics of getting accounts, setting up software, and using Internet applications. A few will even have these instructions on a Web site so that you and your students need only learn the basics of Web browsing to get started.
Once you are on-line, there are numerous Internet resources that can provide you with further assistance. You can always use the information in Chapter Seven to search the Web for help with any problem. In addition, most Internet software will have a Web site with some technical support available (for instance, Netscape's site http://www.netscape.com has information on the latest browser developments as well as other Net innovations). Further, you can consult the sites listed in Appendix One or on the Connections Web site for more specific resources.
Our point here is that there are numerous resources available to help you with your work on the Net, and that you will need to customize most information somewhat to match the facilities at your institution. We couldn't hope to get every student set up on the Net because everyone's situation is different. For each of your assignments, get familiar with your Internet access and software as you come up with specific instructions for your students.
Because the Internet demands so many different types of writing in so many different situations, Connections steers away from long, formal writing projects and concentrates more on small assignments that explore the rhetorical implications of various Internet media. Rather than seeing the 5 page essay as the goal and the measure of student's writing abilities, Connections tries to stress the importance of all different types of writing processes. In that vein, we provide assignments that focus on writing an e-mail message, creating a thread in a newsgroup or Web forum, or a series of Web pages leading up to a larger project. We feel that focusing on the different writing situations of the Internet provides plenty of opportunities to explore the principles inherent in more traditional, formal essays. This also allows instructors to use the exercises in Connections as building blocks that can prepare students for the topic-related assignments that instructors assign to complement the particular goals and subject matter of individual courses.