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Posts authored by tengrrl

Analysis Project Submission

Analysis Project Submission published on

This is the post for Friday, December 30, 2016.

Notes for Today

  • Weekend Break: There will not be any posts for Saturday or Sunday. Daily posts will resume on Monday, January 2.

  • Weekend Availability: I will check in during the weekend. I aim to reply within 24 hours to any questions in Piazza.

Readings for Today

  • Markel, Chapter 6, “Writing for Your Readers” (help with phrasing, organization, paragraphing)
  • Markel, Chapter 7, “Designing Print and Online Documents” (help with design and layout)

Work for Today

  • Post any questions or observations about Chapters 4 and 5 in Piazza. Your posts will count as Class Discussion in your Participation Log.

  • Use the feedback from your Writing Group in Piazza to revise your Analysis Project. Writing Group posts count as Small Group in your Log.

  • Submit your Analysis Project in Canvas by 11:59 PM today, Friday, December 30, following the submission instructions. If you need extra time, take advantage of the grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, January 2. (I don’t count the weekend.)

  • Want to work ahead? Read the Report Proposal assignment (Due Thursday) and the Genre Analysis Report assignment. There are related examples and textbook readings in the assignments.


 
Last updated on 30th December, 2016, 2:36 AM

Analysis Project Overview

Analysis Project Overview published on

This is the post for Thursday, December 29, 2016.

Notes for Today

  • Discussion in Piazza: The conversations you are having in Piazza about your drafts and the assignments are great. You are doing the kind of participation that I am looking for in the course.

  • Help with Ethics: If you need help with the Ethics column in your Analysis project, check out Chapter 2 of Markel.

  • Feedback: I grade projects in the order they were submitted. I rely on the rubric and the commenting tools in Canvas, so you’ll find feedback there. If you’re unfamiliar with Canvas, use this support document to learn more about how feedback works: How do I view assignment feedback comments from my instructor using Crocodoc annotations?

Readings for Today

Slideshow for Today

Get started on your project, by working through the slides in this Analysis Project Overview & Tips Slideshow:

Work for Today

  • If you are using the grace period for the Bio project, turn in by 11:59 PM tonight, following the submission instructions. 

  • Begin work on your Analysis Project by following the advice in the slideshow above. Your table needs a minimum of 10 kinds of writing, but you can add more if you have more to talk about. Also you can use different arrangements of the table or add columns that are appropriate for your field.

  • To get ahead, share the draft of your Analysis Project with your writing group on Piazza. Use the Peer Feedback page to guide the questions you ask and the feedback that you give members of your group.


 
Last updated on 29th December, 2016, 1:29 AM

Bio Submission Day

Bio Submission Day published on

This is the post for Wednesday, December 28, 2016.

Notes for Today

  • Reading the Textbook: I will begin suggesting when to read the chapters today. Because there are often delays in obtaining the textbook, all reading quizzes are due at the end of the term. To do well in the class however, reading the chapters as they relate to the activities in class will help you do better work.

  • Discussing the Readings: As you read the textbook, look for places where you have questions, want more details, or would like to make a comment. You can add notes on things that you really like, things that your experience has confirmed in the past, as well as things you don’t like or have seen work differently in the workplace.

Readings for Today

Work for Today

  • Post any questions or observations about Chapter 1 and 3 in Piazza. Your posts will count as Class Discussion in your Participation Log.

  • Use the feedback from your Writing Group in Piazza to revise your Professional Bio.

  • Submit your Bio in Canvas by 11:59 PM today, Wednesday, December 28, following the submission instructions. If you need extra time, take advantage of the 1-day grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Thursday, December 29.

  • Want to work ahead? Read the Analysis of Writing in Your Field assignment (Due Friday) and its rubric.


 
Last updated on 28th December, 2016, 12:40 AM

Professional Bio Overview

Professional Bio Overview published on

This is the post for Tuesday, December 27, 2016.

Notes for Today

  • Posting Questions: Thanks to everyone who has jumped in and gotten into activities on Piazza. If you have questions about the assignments or the course, please continue posting them in Piazza, rather than emailing them to me, so that everyone in the class can benefit and help find answers.

  • Course Pacing: Winter session is exceptionally fast paced. We have only 15 weekdays in the course. Since a regular semester has 15 weeks, this course needs to cover one week of work every day.

  • Work Hours: Normally, I am online from late afternoon through early morning hours. I’m not a morning person. So look for responses from me during those hours.

Readings for Today

Work for Today

  • Follow the instructions on the Participation Log page to begin tracking your participation in the course. Thanks to those of you who have already set up your logs.

  • Get to know the members of your Writing Group on Piazza. I have set up three groups (listed below). If you want your name listed another way, let me know:

    • Team Ada: Calvin, Nick, Alex, Graham, Pamela, and Chimere
    • Team Adele: Onat, Jared, Jose, Michael, Dev, and Alexandria
    • Team Grace: Moath, Stephen, Nicholas, Afrasiab, Kyle, and Shaifali

  • Draft your Professional Bio and share it with your writing group on Piazza. Use the Peer Feedback page to guide the questions you ask and the feedback that you give members of your group. Your bio is due by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 12/28.


 
Last updated on 27th December, 2016, 2:53 AM

Welcome to English 3764

Welcome to English 3764 published on

Surprise! People with Stronger Writing Skills Are Better at their Jobs, Get Paid MoreThis is the post for December 26, 2016.

Welcome to the Winter 2016–2017 session of Technical Writing. The Winter Session begins today, Monday, December 26, 2016. This site is the official home for our Fall 2016 course (CRNs #83753 and #83754). Information on all assignments, weekly activities, and related resources will be posted here. Check this site regularly for the details on what to do for the course.

For today’s activities, please do the following:

1. Buy the book. If you want the physical copy, you need to order it ASAP so that you have time to read the chapters before the quizzes are due. The ebook version is fine, and you will have it faster obviously.

  • Markel, Mike. Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.

    2. Read these pages on the course website:

    If desired, you can read details all the major writing projects and the participation portion of your course grade as well.

    3. If you have any questions, you can log into Piazza and ask them. Please place general questions about the course in the Logistics folder. Additionally, read through what your classmates have posted. If you can answer a question, please do. Likewise, if you want to clarify or add onto a question, do that as well. There is also an AMA folder in Piazza if you’d like to know more about me.

    Naturally, if you have a personal question, you can send me an email message at tengrrl at vt.edu.

    4. Confirm that your notifications in Canvas are set the way you want them. Note that Canvas uses your notification preferences to determine whether to email you or text you (or not tell you at all) about information in the site. See the section "How do I adjust my notification preferences?" in the Student Getting Started with Canvas Guide for more information on setting up your notifications.

    5. Take the Syllabus Verification Quiz to confirm that you have read the Syllabus and information on course logistics.  

     

    [Image: Detail from Why Good Writing Is Needed for Better Jobs]
     
    Last updated on 30th December, 2016, 2:42 AM

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