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#InfographicInspiration: Your Guide to Technial Writing

#InfographicInspiration: Your Guide to Technial Writing published on

Today’s infographic shares 5 tips that will help you do well in your technical writing projects and in the workplace. The information is clear and to the point (just as the first tip suggests). If you follow these tips, you will always have a very good project. Discuss the infographic in the #InfographicInspiration Discussion in Canvas. You can talk about whether you agree with the tips and share any tips you have learned from your work in the field or studies. And here’s a challenge: what words are misused in the infographic?

Your Guide to Technial Writing: 5 Tips to Get Started

from https://contentmart.com/blog/2017/07/03/technical-writing-guide/


 
Last updated on 13th July, 2017, 11:52 PM

#WednesdayWorkshop: Simplifying and Varying Sentences

#WednesdayWorkshop: Simplifying and Varying Sentences published on

Every Wednesday, I will share resources that demonstrate how to improve your writing. This week, I focus on how to simplify and vary your sentences to make your ideas stronger, clearer, and easier to read.

The first resource is a short video from the American Chemical Society titled, “Technical Writing: How to Simplify Sentences” (3m45s). While the video focuses on only one sentence, it shows a complete revision process that takes the sentence from a wordy 35 words to a slim and clear 15 words.

My second resource, “Revising for Sentence Fluency” (7m8s), demonstrates how to analyze a draft for sentence variety, by counting the words in each sentence and noting how each sentence begins. While the video uses what is probably a first-year composition essay, the strategy still applies to technical writing. If you want a better idea of the variety required in writing in your field, apply the strategy to some example documents from your field.

 


 
Last updated on 12th July, 2017, 11:11 PM

Labor Log Examples

Labor Log Examples published on

I have two labor logs to share as examples that you can follow as you work on your entries for the rest of the term. You will notice that they use different strategies, but both show well-developed details and have strong design elements and organization.

Submission Format Change

To give you more flexibility for the labor logs, I have set them to accept either an uploaded Word Doc or PDF, OR a website URL (like a link to a Google Doc). If you use Google Docs, be sure that you have set the share settings so that I can view and make comments.


 
Last updated on 12th July, 2017, 10:00 PM

Policy Updates

Policy Updates published on

I have two policy updates for you. Both are effective immediately and apply to all work from this point forward.

  1. If you do not turn in your work by the end of the grace period, you receive a zero for that activity, and you cannot revise. This policy applies to all work in the course: major projects, labor logs, and discussions. Why? Unlimited, punishment-free revisions are NOT intended to support those who never did the work in the first place.
  2. Deadlines for revisions will be announced in the grading summary blog post and/or in a comment with the returned work. Why? I want to create a manageable workload for both you and me. If there were no deadline, many of you would wait until the end of the term, and there would be a burdensome load for all of us.

 
Last updated on 12th July, 2017, 9:31 PM

Grades for the 07-07 Labor Logs

Grades for the 07-07 Labor Logs published on

I have graded all of your Labor Logs for last week.  In this post, I am providing details on how you all did so that you can improve on your next submission. I will post a couple of examples of excellent work later in the week to help you understand the requirements for the assignment. I am waiting for permission from all of the authors.

If you need to revise your work, please submit your revision by 11:59 PM on Friday, July 14.

Overall Feedback for the Class

  • 2/3 of the requirements met by almost everyone: Nearly all of the class members included details on the time worked and the intensity of that work. Quite a few people were missing the reflection. Without all three parts, logs will be marked unacceptable in the future.
  • Off-topic information included: The Labor Logs should be about the work in this class. You can certainly mention other things as they relate to the course. For instance, you might mention that you went home during the weekend, so your work falls a little short of the goals you set for this week. You should not be including details about completely unrelated things you have done. The assignment is to write a log of your work for the class, not diary entries.
  • Underdeveloped sections: In many cases, the information in the logs was the bare minimum, showing little work or effort on the part of the writer. The log should include much more detail, such as the specific things that were written and how the intensity of the work varied from one piece to the next.
  • Lack of relevant organization: Most of the Labor Logs used chronological order, which would be fine if the log allowed you to easily see the details. For instance, if you used a table that listed the various things you have done, it would be easy for you to find all the different kinds of work later, when you are writing your final. Without strong headings as organization, it is hard to find what kind of work you have done on which projects.
  • Ineffective design choice: Using headings and lists would help with document design. Remember that at the end of the term, you are going to come back to these Labor Logs to write your final and argue for the grade you should earn. Think about what you can do to make the information you need easy to find and use at the end of the term.. More ideas that can help with document design are on the Ten Ways to Improve Your Writing page on the course website.

Grade Strategy

Canvas has a Pass/No Pass grading scheme that we will use for this course. You need to Pass all your Labor Logs (along with the other requirements) to receive a B in the course.

100 (P) Acceptable work. Meets all expectations for Labor Logs. There may still be room for improvement, but it is good enough to Pass.
 75 (P) Earns a passing grade this week, but in the future your logs will need more attention to details, organization, and design to earn a passing grade.
   0 (F) Unacceptable work. Please revise.

 
Last updated on 12th July, 2017, 4:42 AM

#TuesdayTutorial: Using Slack

#TuesdayTutorial: Using Slack published on

We’re using Slack for informal and real-time discussion. You’re already signed up on Slack, so in today’s post, I want to give you some how-to’s that will help you get the most out of the tool.

Connecting with Your Writing Group

Slack may provide the fastest way to connect with your group members, because the tool can send a notification directly to your cell phone. Here’s how to make that happen:

  1. Download and install try the mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android. There is a beta for Windows Phone.
  2. Join the channel for your writing group. I have invited you to the groups, and I set the channels to private.
  3. Tag whoever you want to notify:
    1. To connect with a particular person, use @ + username. For instance, to tag me, you’d type @tengrrl.
    2. To connect with the entire writing group, use @channel.

That’s it. When you tag someone, you trigger notifications in Slack. If your group members have the mobile app installed, it will ping their phones.

Using EmojiPoodle Emoji

Emoji work pretty much as they do in any other app. Either click the smiley button at the end of the input field and choose your emoji from the pop-up box, OR if you know what you want, type it, such as :poodle: (My family has poodles, so :poodle: is my favorite.)

At this point in the term, you probably have little use for the search tool. There’s not much in Slack yet. Later in the term, when you are working on your final, you may want to know how many messages you posted in Slack. At that point, these search modifiers will help:

  • From: – a specific user
  • To: – a specific user
  • In:- a channel, group, or direct message
  • After: – a specific date
  • Before: – a specific date
  • On: – a specific date
  • During: – during a specific month or year
  • Has: – a star or a link

Here’s how it works: In the search box, type the modifier, followed by a colon, and then the related information. For instance, if you wanted to see all the messages I sent, you’d type this: from:tengrrl

Other Slack Tutorials

If you want to learn even more about Slack, try the Slack Guides on the Slack website.


 
Last updated on 11th July, 2017, 11:35 PM

Focus on Writing in Your Field

Focus on Writing in Your Field published on

This is the post for the week of July 10, 2017.

This week, you will turn in your Professional Bio project and move on to the second major project, which asks you to consider the kinds of writing that people in your field do. We’ll also spend time developing the writing groups.

Anonymous Survey

To get started on our next project, add a kind of writing or two to the PollEverywhere survey shown below. The answers will show up on this page in a word cloud. You can take pertinent answers from the responses to help fill out your second major project.

You need to use one word answers OR hyphenate the words so that they stick together in the word cloud. For example, as an English teacher, I see short stories as a kind of writing in the workplace. I’d enter that as short-story so that the word cloud shows the words properly.

Note that I’m using the free version of PollEverywhere (because I just don’t have $349/semester for this thing), so you can only answer the survey twice (40 answers total for the class).

Readings for the Week

Tasks for the Week

  1. By 11:59PM on Monday, July 10, submit your Professional Bio Statement in Canvas. The grace period ends at 11:59 PM on Thursday, July 13.
  2. Collaborate to set ground rules for your writing group. The primary work of your writing group is explained in the Writing Groups Overview. You may also collaborate to write some short documents. Your group should make a set of guidelines that covers all of the following:
    • If you want, contact information that group members can use to contact one another outside Slack and Canvas.
    • Group responsibilities (division of labor) for the project. For instance, do you want a leader? Who is responsible for making sure everyone gets feedback on drafts?
    • Communication policies that account for how the group will deal with any issues that arise, such as someone being offline for a few days.
    • Revision strategies and plans.
  3. Read the Analysis assignment, and ask any questions you have. If you have any questions about the assignment, check in #general in Slack to see if they have already been answered. If they have not, post your question there, and I will answer when I check in. Asking a question is not required.
  4. Begin work on the Analysis assignment. Use the suggestions in Step 3 of the Analysis assignment (Research writing in your field) to begin work on your project. The information in items a to e (below) will help you with specific parts of your project:
    1. Find info to help with the Audience column in your project in Audience Analysis: Primary, Secondary, and Hidden Audiences (from Writing Commons).
      There is a missing image that is here: http://writingcommons.org/images/Audience_Analysis.JPG
    2. Find info on ethics. If you are focusing on ethics in your table, check out Chapter 9 (9.1–9.6) of Technical Writing by Hamlin, Rubio, and DeSilva. You need to click through to access all the sections of the chapter.
    3. Find info on intercultural and global issues. If you are focusing on intercultural and global issues in your table, check out Practicing Intercultural Communication from Writing Commons.
    4. Work on the design and phrasing of your Analysis of Writing project. Apply information from the Ten Ways to Improve Your Writing and from the slideshow in the assignment to your project. For instance, pay attention to things like the layout of the columns, how you phrase the information in your table, and the alignment of the information in the columns. You will find more information in the linked resources.
    5. Check any of the textbooks for information on the specific kinds of writing. The textbooks can especially help with describing the characteristics of kinds of writing.
  5. Share a draft of your Analysis of Writing project  in the Feedback on Analysis of Writing Projects on Canvas.
    • In your message, ask your group to look at anything you are trying to improve. Let them know the kind of advice you need.
    • Provide feedback to your group members, using the strategies in the Peer Review Commenting Strategies video.
    • Your Analysis of Writing project is due Monday, July 17 at 11:59PM. The grace period ends at 11:59PM on Thursday, July 20.
  6. By 11:59PM on Friday, July 14, write your 07/14 Labor Log in Canvas. Specific questions for your log are included in Canvas. The grace period for your log entry ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, July 17.

 
Last updated on 10th July, 2017, 1:26 AM

#WeekendWatch: Peer Review Commenting Strategies

#WeekendWatch: Peer Review Commenting Strategies published on

As you begin the process of providing feedback to the members of your writing group, this video from the University of Minnesota Writing Studies program will help you figure out how to provide constructive and helpful feedback.

The MIT video on our Writing Groups page gives you some overarching suggestions for what peer review looks like. This University of Minnesota video gives you six very specific ways that you can give your writing group members feedback. If you are unsure how to make constructive comments, spend five minutes on this video. You’ll know exactly the kind of comments I’m looking for once it’s finished.

Peer Review: Commenting Strategies (video, 5m4s)


 
Last updated on 8th July, 2017, 2:38 PM

#FridayFact: Writing Strong Emails Matters

#FridayFact: Writing Strong Emails Matters published on

Bar Graph with results on Pew Research Center survey on Technology's Impact on WorkersEmail is critical to the work of over half of the workers surveyed by the Pew Research Center on Technology’s Impact on Workers. The bar graph on the right shows that 61% of workers said that email was “very important” to their work.

Why is this fact important for technical writing? The better you are at writing emails, the better you are likely to do in the workplace. As more businesses and organizations skip paper-based communication and turn to email, you will find that you spend a great deal of time reading, writing, and responding to email messages in the workplace. With email such an important part of the work that people do, learning the strategies that ensure your messages get read and accomplish their goals is crucial.

To get started on improving your email savvy, I want to share some tips on writing the subject for your email messages. If you want your email message to be read, you need a subject line. Readers expect a subject line to give them a short description of the contents in a way that piques their interest in the topic. When a subject line doesn’t, it’s possible that you won’t people will just skip on to something else in their inboxes that is interesting or has a clear purpose.

So how do you make sure you have strong subject lines? Here are ten tips (you may have noticed that I have a thing about tens):

  1. Be sure you have a subject line in the first place. Email without a subject grabs no one’s attention.
  2. Think about your audience and purpose. Your subject should summarize the key point of your purpose in a way that the audience will understand.
  3. Keep it short, since only the first few words are going to show up in the receiver’s inbox. Keep it to 50 characters or less.
  4. Put the most important words at the beginning. If your subject line does get cut off, you want to be sure the words that matter are visible. Additionally, people skimming down their inboxes look at the beginning of the subject, not the ends.
  5. Be specific. “Upcoming Trip” leaves the reader wondering whose trip and to where. “Your Upcoming Trip to NYC” is much clearer.
  6. Avoid all caps. Nobody likes all caps.
  7. Use emoji sparingly. If you aren’t sure that your recipient will know what the emoji means, don’t use it.
  8. Make the subject unique. If that subject could be added to nearly anyone’s message, try again. For instance, “A Question for You” could go on any email that asks the recipient a question. “Question About New Invoice System” tells the recipient exactly what to expect in the message.
  9. Think of your subject line like a headline for a news story. Make it click-worthy (but avoid misleading subjects that seem more like clickbait).
  10. Use title case, capitalizing every important word. Never use all lower-case, since it looks unpolished and less professional.

I’ll more tips on writing effective email messages later in the course. So stay tuned.


 
Last updated on 7th July, 2017, 11:21 PM

#InfographicInspiration: Succeeding in this Course

#InfographicInspiration: Succeeding in this Course published on

How to Succeed in this Online ClassEvery Thursday, I will post an infographic that relates to the course. This week, I am sharing the infographic that I asked you to view in the Course Overview Module.

It is tempting with online courses to think that you can easily fit the work in each week. Many times though, I have had students write me to let me know that they underestimated the time needed for the course and weren’t sure that they would have their work finished by the end of the grace period.

Some planning now, at the beginning of the term, can help you avoid finding yourself in this situation. Follow the tips in this infographic and the expanded tips on the How to Succeed in this Online Class page to be sure you set yourself up for success.

Perhaps the most important piece of advice I can give you is to set a schedule for yourself while you’re taking the course. Your other classes, your job, and your social and professional obligations typically have set times that you can track in your calendar or planner. Be proactive and block out class time for this course several times a week as well. Treat your online course just like a face-to-face course by adding some 50-minute blocks to your schedule that you will dedicate to doing work for the course.

Online courses require the same time commitment as regular face-to-face classes. At Virginia Tech, courses are required to have 36.5 hours of class time. In addition, each course usually has about 3 hours of out-of-class work for each week in the regular semester. Summer school has a shortened term of only 5 weeks. That means that you expect about 7 hours of class time and 9 hours of out-of-class work for each week during summer session.

You may be thinking, “But hey, we don’t meet in class. How can we have 7 hours of class time during the week?” For this course, your class time is the time you spend doing readings and watching videos as well as the time you spend working with your writing group. The time you spend researching and writing your drafts is out-of-class work.

So in closing, I advise you to plan well so that you can avoid problems. Further, keep the other advice from the infographic and page in mind as you work. You will find that simple actions like checking in on Slack and letting me know whenever you have a question will also make a big difference.

And that’s this week’s #infographicinspiration. If you have a tip for succeeding in online classes, jump on Slack and share it in #general.


 
Last updated on 7th July, 2017, 11:25 PM

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