Page 32 - Composition in Convergence The Impact of New Media On

Chapter 1

Moving Toward Internetworked
Writing and Assessment

Words and the texts they produce are the bonds of Internet culture,
just as they are the bonds of Composition's culture. David Porter,
writing in Internet Culture, best summarized the prominence of lan-
guage that exists within networked spaces: "Whatever else Internet
culture might be, it is still largely a text-based affair. Words are not
simply tools which we can use in any way we see fit. They come to
us framed by specific histories of use and meaning, and are prod-
ucts of particular ideological struggles" (1996, p. 6). We could sub-
stitute the word composition for Internet and the intended meaning
continues to hold. Both worlds are indeed text-based affairs, re-
gardless of whatever else they might be. Yet, students who write in
online environments display a marked difference compared with
those students writing in a real classroom setting, as many writing
instructors can attest. There is something transformative about
teaching writing in networked space. The computer, a maze of
wires and circuits in a box, recasts the writing process into some-
thing alive and genuine for students. Instructors who teach Com-
position in networked environments have suggested this point for
years, both in lore and in the literature.
But, what is this "something" that marks the difference between
virtual and real classroom spaces? How do we name this "some-
thing," and more important, what do we value about this "some-
thing" that happens in the writing classroom when we move from
print to pixel? From what I observe in my own classes as students
post to their discussion lists, enter MOOs and adopt new identities
through making textual choices, develop weblogs for themselves
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