Process of Creating Instructions for Charette

Organize items that need to be completed from the list into sections. This will group related items into manageable sections that can be organized into an outline format. This will create a more concise to-do-list and make the tasks less overwhelming.

Place students into groups to manage each section. This will also assist in grouping the information into manageable sections to be completed.

Assign a section from the list to each group of students. Students can then take ownership of the task. Each group of students will be responsible for a certain section and then specific tasks can be divided within that group.

Create a maintenance / status log for students to document updates to the project. Students can report percentage complete and progress for each section. This will ensure that all groups know the status of each task.

Ideology and the Map

The most interesting concept of this article was the user’s perception of the representation of the map and what the map actually represents. For example, Huck sees the map as a literal representation. He states that Indiana must be pink because that is how the state is represented on the map. Also, the representation of Russia and Africa on the Mercator map can lead to several conclusions. Was the designer of the map trying to show that Russia is more powerful than Africa? Or was the map designed poorly?

These examples show that it is important to keep in mind the user’s perception of what the design actually means when publishing a piece. Therefore when designers and writers publish documentation they need to remember that the user is the most important piece of design. They need to determine how the users will use the information and what questions may arise.

Connecting Paradis and Doheny – Farina

Both of these research articles discuss writing in the workplace. Similar concepts discussed in each articles are the writing process of documentation in the workplace, specifically the relationship of writing and the company organization and the technical writers’ process of developing documentation.

Paradis mentioned that it is important to determine the technical writers’ role in the process of documentation in the workplace. It is important for technical writers’ to write adequate instructions for the general operator, but it is difficult to determine who can decide this information. If the experts are streamlining the information for an operator manual how can technical writers’ make sure that this information is comprehensible for general users? I think it is crucial for technical writers to be involved in the testing of the documentation. The only way the technical writers’ can determine the accuracy of the documentation is to test the procedures themselves. We must ask questions throughout the procedure and think about how the general operator will be using the documentation. Experts generally want us to document how to complete the procedure. But as technical writers we need to document how the general user can complete the procedure if things go wrong or if there are problems.

Doheny-Farina discussed how the relationship between writing and organization in a company affects the documentation. This article also shows the affect of gatekeepers on the documentation. The process of how technical writers develop their documentation and what factors affect their ideas for the final product is important. Technical writers need to decide how to incorporate gatekeepers, experts, and company standards into a product that will serve as a useful manual.

Faber – Professional Identities

What do I think about professional communication? I think that writing by doctors, etc should be considered professional but …writing by other fields in which there are professionals should also be considered professional writing. As a technical writer I see my work and writing as professional. I think professionals and professional communicators are individuals who have earned respect by gaining credibility and authority in a specific field. I think that these individuals have earned respect in a field by their education and work experience. Others who may not have a degree or are a member of a specific organization can also gain respect in a specific field. I work with a few technical writers who do not have a degree, but they have earned my respect because of their work experience and their credibility.

I think that who individuals describe as professionals is unique. I define professionals as someone who has earned respect is his/her profession and has gathered the respect of colleagues in their field. I would trust this person with situations in their field because they are recognized as a professional. Others who may have similar qualities to a professional in a specific field but are not recognized as a professional would not earn as much respect for me as someone that is recognized in this group.

Welcome

This is my first blog entry.