English 424: Technical Writing--Reflecting on It All
Paul Cover
Rhetoric is Everywhere
In 424 we attempted to understand the meaning of technical
communication and rhetoric. Technical communication is a long
process that is not straightforward. The writer needs to
connect
with his or her audience by beginning to understand them.
Rhetoric can take many forms all around us. In
every
exchange, rhetoric takes place. When we ask the mailman how
his
day is going and he responds, we are involved in rhetoric.
The Team Introduction Memo (TIM) and Process
Documentation Memo (PDM): Hey, it's me!
Contextualizing the TIM & PDM
The Problems of "Joining" a Tech Writing Team
When we started discussing putting together a memo that would introduce
us to the rest of the class, most people thought it would be easier
than it turned out to be. When we got a chance to really look
at
the function of each sentence was, I think everyone realized how much
revision was needed.
Reflecting on the TIM & PDM
Tutorial Layout Design
I had never really thought about what went into a document and the
features that go along with that document. After having this
class I have learned that every word of every sentence has to fulfill a
need of the reader.
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The
Creative Rhetoric Scenario:
Rhetoric What!
Contextualizing the Creative Rhetoric Scenario
Heading for Context-CRS
The creative rhetoric scenario was used to help us understand
how to
explain rhetoric using our own contexts and words. By
explaining
this to someone else, we were able to further understand it ourselves.
Reflecting on the Creative Rhetoric Scenario
The creative rhetoric scenario was used to help us understand
how to
explain rhetoric using our own contexts and words. By
explaining
this to someone else, we were able to further understand it ourselves.
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The Airbag Letter Case: I don't even have a seatbelt
Contextualizing the Airbag Case
In the airbag letter we were asked to make a letter for an automobile
company that could be sent to worried customers on issues of airbag
safety. This was difficult because I had no idea how tough it
would be to fulfill all of the needs of different people using only a
single document.
[ Airbag Letter not Linked | return to top ]
The Context & Genre Analysis
Project:
How do they do it?
Contextualizing the Context & Genre Analysis
Project
The context and genre analysis project allowed us to go more in depth
in a process that we were previously involved in. I learned
how
documents functioned for different readers. I was also able
to
see how documents may be manipulated by the writer.
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