Class Notes

Peer Review for Project 2

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This is the post for the September 25, 2014 class meeting.

We will finish this week with peer review for Project 2. Your projects are due on Tuesday, and we’ll begin Project 3, an Informational Report and Proposal on Job Application Needs, on Thursday.

Class Work for September 25

Today we focus on peer review. Here are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Refresh yourself on using the comment system in Google Drive.
  • Post drafts for Project 2 in the forums.
  • Respond to two students on Google Drive and in the forums.
  • Review the comments on your own work.

Important Dates

  • Thursday, Sept 25 by noon: Project 2 Rough Drafts Due for Peer Feedback
  • Tuesday, Sept 30 by 11:55 PM: Project 2: Writing in Your Field Due
  • Tuesday, Oct 7 by 11:55 PM: Project 2: Writing in Your Field Deadline (end of grace period)

Refresher on the Google Drive Comment System

If you need a reminder on the comment and sharing systems in Google Drive, use the step-by-step instructions for how to use Google Drive for peer review on the FAQ site, which includes details on how to share your document, how to comment, and how to respond to comments.  If you need a more detailed explanation, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”

Posting Your Drafts for Project 2

You will post the share link to your draft in the forums:

  1. Go to the Project 2: Analysis of Writing in Your Field forum, and find the topic you created with your name or your username and career or field (e.g., my example was “Traci, college writing instructor”).

  2. Post a reply in your topic, doing the following:
    • If you do not want to share your last name in the forums, change it in your draft to a pseudonym. You can use a generic last name like Doe or Smith, or you can change it to Lastname.
    • Share the link(s) to your Project 2 draft(s) in Google Docs, using the FAQ linked in the section above. You will have a link to your spreadsheet, and if you are going for an A, you will also have a link to your analysis memo.

  3. Let your classmates know about any specific concerns that you want them to consider as they comment on your draft.

  4. Be sure to Preview your draft to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then submit your post.

Responding to Your Classmates’ Drafts

Follow these instructions to respond to your classmates’ drafts:

  1. Read and comment on the drafts of at least two of your classmates:

    • Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
    • Find a second post that has only one other student reply.

  2. Use the Share link to go to your classmate’s draft on Google Drive and do the following:

    • Check the title of the document, and add a comment to tell your partner if it is clear and effective.
    • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, mark them as you read, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
    • Add comments on the content of the draft. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on. It’s fine (excellent, even) to include more than the minimum number of comments.
    • If your classmate has included the optional analytical memo, check whether the draft addresses all six characteristics of technical communication. If anything is missing, add a comment that lets your partner know.

  3. Once you finish commenting on the document, go back to your classmate’s post in the forums and add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the paper and gives your partner some encouragement.

Reviewing the Comments You Received

Once you have finished adding comments to your classmates’ projects, return to your own draft, read the comments that your partner gave you, and add replies as appropriate. For instance, you might thank your partner for catching an error, ask your partner for more detail on feedback you don’t understand, or share a revision and ask your partner if it is an improvement. Your goal is to reply today so that your classmate can respond if you need more information.

Class Notes

Analyzing Example Memos

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This is the post for the September 23, 2014 class meeting.

Today, we’ll look at examples that are similar to the memo you can write if you are aiming for an A on Project 2.

Class Work for September 23

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Discuss your focus for Project 2.
  • Read and discuss some example memos analyzing tech writing documents.
  • (Optional) Analyze the Microsoft layoff email.
  • Be sure you are comfortable with Google Drive’s spreadsheet tool.

Important Dates

  • Thursday, Sept 25 by noon: Project 2 Rough Drafts Due for Peer Feedback
  • Tuesday, Sept 30 by 11:55 PM: Project 2: Writing in Your Field Due
  • Tuesday, Oct 7 by 11:55 PM: Project 2: Writing in Your Field Deadline (end of grace period)

Focus for Project 2

Thank you for your posts about your careers and fields of study. You all have a great start on the second project.

As you work on your spreadsheets, don’t panic if you find that you have an empty slot on your spreadsheet. If one of the columns is irrelevant for one of the documents you have listed that is okay. Likewise, if you cannot find an example of the document online to link to, that’s okay too. Remember, however, that you need to account for those empty spaces in your reflection memo when you turn in your work next week.

If you have any questions about Project 2, post them in the Questions about Project 2 topic in the forum or email me.

Discussing Example Memos

The example memos included on the Project 2 assignment page were written by students who were analyzing a piece of technical writing in their field using the six characteristics of technical writing that are explained in Markel, Chapter 1. If you are aiming for an A, these memos are similar to what you need to write. Note that I have updated the list with new examples, as some of the examples disappeared from the Internet.

Today, I want you to review them and think about what makes some better than others. It’s useful to understand what makes a good memo even if you aren’t aiming for an A. You will probably write more memos (in the form of email messages) than anything else during the arc of your career.

Here’s what you should do for today:

  1. Read through the Example Analysis Memos. You don’t have to read every word, but look at them well enough to get a sense of how they work, what they do well, and what they could improve on.

  2. Go to the Discussion of Example Memos topic in the forums and weigh in on which of the examples seemed more effective. You can quote someone else’s post or just start in on your own ideas. You will find some guiding questions in the forum post.

Optional Post: Looking at the Microsoft Memo

Back in July, Microsoft Executive Vice President Stephen Elop released an email that was sent to all employees, announcing layoffs and the reasons for the job cuts. At the time, many people criticized the email (for instance, Microsoft Just Laid Off Thousands of Employees With a Hilariously Bad Memo).

Read the original email and visit the optional forum topic to say what you think of the Microsoft email announcement. Having just read about writing memos and email messages, do you think it’s as bad as the story says? How would you feel if you got this message? What could you do to improve it?

Setting Up Your Spreadsheet

Just to repeat the note from last week:
If you have never worked with the spreadsheet tool in Google Drive before, please explore it a little bit so that you can ask any questions you need to. Your spreadsheet needs to be a native Google Drive document, not an uploaded PDF, Word doc or Excel spreadsheet.

You can set up your spreadsheet similar to the example, but feel free to add or change the column headings to fit the writing in your field.

If you need a tutorial, go to the Virginia Tech login for Lynda.com, and then watch the section on Working with spreadsheets. You are only entering text in your spreadsheets, so you don’t need to worry about making calculations or using functions and formulas.

Class Notes

Writing Correspondence

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This is the post for the September 18, 2014 class meeting.

Class Work for September 18

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Talk about kinds of correspondence.
  • Learn about you attitude.
  • Post about your field for Project 2.
  • Set up your spreadsheet.

Important Dates

  • TODAY, Thursday, Sept 18 by 11:55 PM: Project 1: Professional Biography Statement Deadline (end of grace period)
  • September 25: Rough Drafts for Peer Feedback, due by noon
  • September 30: Due date for Project #2 (no forum posts will be due that day)
  • October 7: Grace period ends. All work must be in by 11:55 PM

Kinds of Correspondence

Chapter 9, “Writing Correspondence,” discusses letters, memos, and email messages. If your experience will be anything like mine, you will probably write more email messages than any other kind of correspondence in your day-to-day work.

The table in the textbook on p. 219 outlines the differences between types of correspondence. Use the information there as a guideline, but also pay attention to the practices where you work. It’s completely possible for one company to rely on formal letters and another company to rely almost exclusively on email messages. There is no universal right decision. Instead, there are decisions that are right because they match a company’s or organization’s standard practices. Let the company’s practices be your guide.

Remember that the “Writer’s Checklist” (pp. 238-239) gives you a nice summary of the important concepts in the chapter. If you are writing the optional memo for Project 2, be sure to use the Memos section of the checklist as you write and revise.

Using You Attitude

You Attitude is the concept of focusing on the needs and interests of the reader in technical and business writing. It’s all about seeing things from the audience’s perspective and situating information so that readers understand and accept it.

The textbook has a short explanation on pp. 220–221, and you can find more information in “What Is the ‘You Attitude’?”

Posting About Your Field

Today’s forum post will help you begin Project 2. I’ve outlined below what I would like you to do. You can’t do today’s posts incorrectly. Just begin gathering ideas according to the directions. Also you’re not in competition with one another. Don’t worry if someone is further along than you are.

  1. Go to the Project 2: Analysis of Writing in Your Field forum.

  2. Create a New Topic, and use a subject line that includes your name (or nickname) and your career/field. I would create “Traci, college writing instructor.” Be as specific as you can be with your career/field. For example, don’t say, “computer science,” if you could say, “Android Game Development.” Adding your career to the subject line will help with the process of replying to one another.

  3. In the body of your message, provide some background on your career/field choice. Tell us a little bit about the field and how you ended up in it. Think of your audience as people who do not know the nuances of your career options. Explain your career in lay terms. Aim for a few sentences here.

  4. Next, tell us a little bit about your experience with writing in your field. Have you done lots of writing? Have you watched others? Again, you just need a few sentences.

  5. Finally, brainstorm some of the different kinds of writing people do in your career/field. Aim for at least 5, and include a few words about how the writing is used if you can.

  6. Review your response, and add headings for each of the three sections to help organize your post. Submit your post when you happy with what you have.

  7. Reply to a classmate’s post, offering suggestions and encouragement. Choose a post that no one else has replied to so that we can be sure everyone gets a response.

  8. (Optional) Write a second reply to someone else. Use the career info in the subject line to find someone in a field similar to your own if you can. Again, offer suggestions and encouragement.

Setting Up Your Spreadsheet

If you have never worked with the spreadsheet tool in Google Drive before, please explore it a little bit in the next few days so that you can ask any questions you need to. You can set up your spreadsheet similar to the example, but feel free to add or change the column headings to fit the writing in your field.

If you need a tutorial, go to the Virginia Tech login for Lynda.com, and then watch the section on Working with spreadsheets. You are only entering text in your spreadsheets, so you don’t need to worry about making calculations or using functions and formulas. If you run into trouble, post a question in the Questions about Project 2 section of the forums or email me directly.

Class Notes

Overview of Project 2: Analysis of Your Field

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This is the post for the September 16, 2014 class meeting.

Many of you have already turned in your first project. If you are taking advantage of the grace period, you should have your work in my 11:55 PM on September 18. Today we move on to Project 2.

Class Work for September 16

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Go over the assignment for Project 2.
  • Discuss the way design elements are used in technical writing (chapter 7 of Markel).
  • Discuss effective design of email messages in the forum.

Getting Started on Project 2

The second assignment is to analyze the different kinds of writing that you will do in the workplace. You will create a list of kinds of writing and the characteristics that apply to them. Think of your audience for this project as yourself. Your goal is to learn about the characteristics of the kinds of writing you will typically do in the workplace. A year from now, if you were in the workplace, you should be able to come back to this analysis to remind yourself of the kinds of features to include in a text you are writing.

Here’s what I want you to do:

    1. Read the assignment completely. Begin thinking about the goals you will set for the assignment and the specific field you will choose.

    2. If you have any questions (today or in the future) about the assignment, go to the Questions about Project 2 forum and add add a new topic with your question. You can skim through this forum for answers as well.

Design Elements in Technical Writing

Chapter 7 of Markel, “ Designing Documents & Web Sites,” outlines four design principles that you and use to make your writing clearer and easier to read. The secret to remembering them is to rearrange them into a mnemonic: CRAP (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity).

As the chapter explains, you can use various design elements like page layout and headings in your documents. The underlying goal for these elements is to help your audience use the document easily by making key information easy to find and making the document easy to read.

The choice of a spreadsheet for Project 2 demonstrates how design choices can make information more readable and useful to an audience. Spreadsheets (or tables in a Word Processor) are frequently used in the workplace to present information that the audience will compare. For instance, you might create a spreadsheet for benchmarking purposes, to compare different features of competitor’s websites, or to compare contractors for a project to find the best choice.

As you read chapter 7, pay attention to the CRAP design principles, the details on designing documents (such as using layout, columns, and typography), and the information on analyzing page designs.

Discussing Effective Design

Because you have different career goals, you will write different kinds of documents in the workplace. It’s highly likely, however, that all of you will use email to correspond with such varied people as clients, coworkers, managers, vendors, and contractors. I have collected several webpages that talk about how to write email messages that we will use today to talk about effective design.

  1. Visit the following pages and look at how they use design principles and strategies to arrange the information. Make sure you scan through the complete information. For instance, the Forbes article will require you to step through a slide show. Your goal is to scan for design. No need to read every word on the pages.

  2. Visit the Analyzing Document Design (email sites) topic in the forums and talk the way the sites use design. There are some questions there to help you get started.

  3. Aim to add two posts: one with your first impressions upon looking at the sites, and a second one that replies to another person in the class. Read through what others had to say, and reply to one or more of the ideas or questions that your classmates have posted.

Class Notes

Submitting Project 1

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This is the post for the September 11, 2014 class meeting.

Today is the due date for Project 1. We’ll go over the reflection memo and how to submit your project. Aim to submit your work by midnight in your timezone, but remember that you have a one-week grace period if you need it. No excuses needed. If something has gone wrong in your world, simply be sure that you have your work turned in by 11:55 PM on September 18.

Class Work for September 11

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Review requirements for Project 1.
  • Discuss the FAQs for using Google Drive.
  • Go over the reflection memo and how to submit Project 1 in Scholar.

You may want to print out today’s post so you can check off the steps for submitting your project as you work through them. If you run into trouble submitting your work, send me an email message with the details and I will reply ASAP.

Important Dates

  • Thursday,  Sept 11 by 11:55 PM: Project 1: Professional Biography Statement Due
  • Thursday, Sept 18 by 11:55 PM: Project 1: Professional Biography Statement Deadline (end of grace period)

Requirements for Project 1

You need to turn in a reflection memo as well as a link to the biograpy statement(s) you have written. The number of bios you turn in will depend upon the grade you are working toward.

Remember to check your spelling and proofread for grammar and punctuation in your bios.

Using Google Drive

The FAQ site has step-by-step instructions for tasks you will complete with your Google Drive, including converting your document if you have worked in another word processor, adding comments, and sharing your documents are all included.

To make sure that you can submit your first project smoothly, pay attention to the following FAQs:

Note that if your documents are in the wrong format or the permissions do not allow me to comment, I will return your work ungraded.

Writing Your Reflection Memo

As I explained in the assignment, the reflection memo is your chance to tell me anything you want me to know about your project. I will read your reflection before I read the bios.

For this project, your reflection memo will give me the link(s) to your biography statements on Google Drive and to your About.me profile if you created one. You will also tell me about what you have written. Follow these instructions to submit your work:

  1. Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
  2. Choose “P1: Professional Bio Statement.”
  3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your reflection memo in this box. (Alternately, you can write in a word processor and copy/paste your text into this box.)
  4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date). For your reflection memo, you’ll use the following:
    • Address your memo to me (Traci) and from you (use your name).
    • Add a subject line that indicates this is your reflection memo and which project it is for.
    • Add the current date.
  5. Insert a horizontal divider line using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below:
    Insert Horizontal Line button in Scholar
  6. Introduce your project—what are your overall goals, what grade have you aimed for, and what documents have you written for the project?
  7. For each part of the project you have written (e.g., the formal bio, the informal bio, the About.me profile), do the following:
    1. Label the document so I know whether it is a formal bio, an informal bio, or an About.me profile.
    2. For the formal or informal bio, add the Share link to the document on your Google Drive. Use the instructions for how to get the Share link on the FAQ site if you are unsure how to share documents.
    3. Explain who the audience for your statement(s) is. What do I need to know to understand the information you have included and the tone you have used?
    4. For the About.me profile, add the link to your public page.
    5. Tell me anything else you want me to know about the bio, including the content, the layout and design, and any images you included.
  8. Review the information for your bio statements. You should have a block for each piece you have written that tells me what it is, gives me the link, and tells me about it.
  9. Add a concluding section that tells me anything else you want me to know about your project.
  10. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar. You cannot finish submitting the project without clicking that checkbox (and it’s easy to miss).
  11. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID. If something goes wrong in Scholar, you can contact 4HELP with that information.
  12. Celebrate! You’ve finished the first project!

Class Notes

Peer Review for Project 1

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This is the post for the September 9, 2014 class meeting.

Today is peer review day for the first project. By sharing the draft of your first project, you will have the opportunity to get some feedback on your work before it is due. In addition, you will have the chance to get to know your classmates better by reading through the bios everyone else has posted. Details on how to submit your project will be posted on Thursday.

Class Work for September 9

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Review Editing and Proofreading tips (Markel, Appendix, Part B).
  • Learn how to use the Google Drive Comment system.
  • Post drafts for Project 1 in the forums.
  • Respond to two students in the forums.
  • Read everyone’s posts to get to know your classmates.

Important Dates

  • Tuesday, Sept 9 by noon: Project 1 Rough Drafts Due for Peer Feedback
  • Thursday,  Sept 11 by 11:55 PM: Project 1: Professional Biography Statement Due
  • Thursday, Sept 18 by 11:55 PM: Project 1: Professional Biography Statement Deadline (end of grace period)

Editing and Proofreading Tips

Part B of the Appendix in your text goes over various rules for grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. You can review these rules as needed. There’s also a list of 20 Most Common Errors available under the Resources menu at the top of the page.

Using the Google Drive Comment System

Review the step-by-step instructions for how to use Google Drive for peer review on the FAQ site. The page includes details on how to share your document, how to comment, and how to respond to comments.  If you need a more detailed explanation, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”

Posting Your Drafts for Project 1

You will post details on your draft in the forums, just as you posted your topics last week:

  1. Follow the instructions in Step 1 of How do I use Google Drive for peer review? to set up sharing permissions for your documents. You need to share your draft with “Anyone with the link” or “People at Virginia Tech with the link” so that we can read your work.

  2. Go to the Project 1: Professional Biography Statement
    board in the forums, and find the topic you created with your name or your username (e.g., “Traci’s Bios”).

  3. Post a reply in your topic, doing the following:
    • If you do not want to share your last name in the forums, change it in your draft to a pseudonym. You can use a generic last name like Doe or Smith, or you can change it to Lastname.
    • Share the link to your bios in Google Docs.
    • If you have written more than one bio, please label them so that your readers will know what they are reading (for instance, you might note one is a formal bio for the company website, and the other is an informal bio for the internal company newsletter).

  4. If you have any specific concerns that you want your readers to consider, add a note on that as well.

  5. Be sure to Preview your forum post to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then Submit your message.

Replying to Project 1 Drafts

Next, you will reply to the posts of some of your classmates:

  1. Review the instructions in Step 2 of How do I use Google Drive for peer review? to learn how to use the Comment features in Google Drive.

  2. Go to the Project 1: Professional Biography Statement board in the forums, and read the drafts of at least two of your classmates and add a reply with advice and encouragement (more below).
    • Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
    • Find a second post that has only one other student reply.

  3. Use the Share link to go to your classmate’s draft on Google Drive and do the following:

    • Check the title of the document(s), and add a comment to tell your partner if it is clear and effective.
    • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, mark them as you read, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
    • Add comments on the content of the draft. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on. It’s fine (excellent, even) to include more than the minimum number of comments.

  4. Go back to the forums and add a reply to your classmate’s topic and add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the bio(s) and gives your classmate some encouragement.

Reviewing the Comments You Received

Once you have finished adding comments to your classmates’ projects, return to your own draft, read the comments that your classmates have given you, and add replies as appropriate. For instance, you might thank your partner for catching an error, ask your partner for more detail on feedback you don’t understand, or share a revision and ask your partner if it is an improvement. Your goal is to reply today so that your classmate can respond if you need more information.

Reading the Remaining Project 1 Drafts

To get to know your classmates a bit better, read through the remaining bio statements that are posted. If you notice anything you want to comment on, feel free to post additional replies.