Class Notes

Finding Project 3 Resources

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We will spend the next two weeks working on the job-application materials that you have chosen. Since everyone has different goals, we will spend most of our class time working independently and collaboratively.

Topics for Project 3

I’ve checked and responded to all the Topics that were posted as of 5 PM Sunday, 3/30. If you haven’t posted your topic yet, please go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete “03/28 P3 Topic” assignment by the end of the day today. In case you need motivation, remember that this project is graded on participation and effort, so put in the effort!

Today’s Class Session

I want you to accomplish two things today:

  1. Spend some time in your groups explaining your plans for Project 3 to one another. Ideally, you can work together on some of the tasks for this project (like sharing resources you find). The first step in that process is knowing what everyone in the group is doing.
  2. Search for resources that will help you with the activities you have chosen for Project 3. You can (in fact you should) collaborate on your search with your group members. Use Google Advanced Search if you have trouble with the vt.edu search on the Career Services site.

In-Class Writing

Post the resources you have found to help you with your project. The goal is to have 3 or 4 good resources that you can use, including materials from Markel and from the Career Services Planning Guide. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “03/31 P3 Resources.”

Because you may not have your textbook with you, I’m giving you extra time to get your writing posted. Please have your work submitted in Tests & Quizzes by Thursday, 04/03/2014 05:04:15 PM.

Homework

Do what you need to do for your project. On Wednesday, you will work with your group to set the criteria for your projects. Think about exactly what you will need to turn in for your project so that you are ready to create your criteria in class.

Unless something comes up, you will have the full class session on Friday to work on your project. I’m shifting the peer review session to next week (rather than this Friday) to give you more time to get your projects underway. Plan to have a working draft to share on Monday, April 7. It doesn’t have to be finished, but it should be enough that your group members can review it and give you some feedback.

Class Notes

Presenting Group Job-App Materials

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Today, you and the members of your group will present the job-application materials for your cartoon character.

The Class Activity

  1. You will have about 10 to 15 minutes to make any last minute changes to your cartoon job-app materials and get ready to present them.
  2. Each group will make a short presentation, with your materials displayed on the screen. There will be laughing and applauding.

In-Class Writing

You will have the last 10 to 15 minutes of class to compose your Project 3 writing plan for approval.

Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “03/28 P3 Topic.” You have until 5 PM Saturday, 3/29, to turn in your work.

Homework

Starting Monday, you will be working independently and with your group on Project 3. Have the resources with you that you need to get started. The goal for Monday will be to share your plan with the others in your group and do some work to establish criteria for your project. We’ll go over the summary and reflection writing I want you to do each session for your in-class writing as well.

Class Notes

Composing Group Job-App Materials

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Today and Friday, you will work with the members of your group to create job-application materials, with the following goals:

  • To get to know the people in your group.
  • To get some practice collaborating.
  • To spend some time thinking about what goes into effective job-application materials.
  • To get some experience using Google Docs for group composing.
  • To have a little fun in the process.

The Class Activity

Your job is to create job application materials for a cartoon character and then to present your documents to the class. I have posted a Collection of Cartoon Resumes so you have some examples to inspire you. They’re not perfect, but they will give you some idea of what your group needs to do.

You can make up information that isn’t known, but keep your responses appropriate for the character you’ve chosen. You can do some simple research to remind yourself of details about the character your group chooses. Wikipedia usually has facts about many cartoon characters, and some cartoon series have fan sites where you can find information.

Use the information in Markel, Chapter 10 (“Writing Job-Application Materials”) or the Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online) as a model for what goes into the job-application materials.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. As a group, choose your cartoon character. Stick with a relatively well-known, family-friendly character please.
  2. Have one person in the group create a Google Doc, and share it so that everyone in the group can edit the document. Please also share it with tengrrl@vt.edu, and email me the share link. [The idea is that you can now all compose and work in that document at the same time. Also, I will use the names and the work in your shared document to give you credit for in-class writing today.]
  3. Go to Monster.com, find a job listing that fits the capabilities of your cartoon character, and copy and paste the listing into your Google doc. Include the URL for the listing. [The idea is that having a job the character is applying for will help you decide what facts to include in the resume and cover letter.]
  4. Create a resume that includes the following information:
    1. identifying information (address, email, phone #, etc.)
    2. job objective
    3. educational information
    4. employment details
    5. relevant interests and activities
    6. any other appropriate sections, such as military service, language abilities, or willingness to relocate
    7. references
  5. Create an application letter the includes the following information:
    1. opening paragraph that identifies the source of information and the position the character is applying for and forecasts the rest of the letter
    2. education paragraph that responds to the company's needs/requirements
    3. employment paragraph that responds to the company's needs/requirements
    4. concluding paragraph that refers to the resume, asks for an interview, and includes contact info
  6. Spell check and proofread your documents to catch any errors.
  7. Prepare to share the documents with the class:
    1. Decide who will be the spokesperson for your group.
    2. Determine the main points of the job listing that you will share.
    3. Choose three or four highlights from your resume to point out.
    4. Choose two or three highlights from the application letter to share.
    5. Prepare a concluding comment that sums up why the character is a great choice for the job.

Homework

  • You will have about 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of class Friday to make any last minute changes to your cartoon resumes and get ready to present them. If necessary, do whatever work you need to outside of the classroom so that you’re ready to go on Friday.
  • Be ready for Friday’s In-Class Writing. You will have the last 10 to 15 minutes of class time to compose your Project 3 writing plan for approval. I will ask you to tell me the specific thing you have chosen to do for your Job-Application Materials, and I would like you to tell me about why you have chosen what you have so that I understand your goals.

Class Notes

Introduction to Project 3

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Today, we begin Project 3, an assignment that asks you to choose a job-application materials that matters to your future, research it, and create it. You can use resources from Markel, Chapter 10 (“Writing Job-Application Materials”) as well as the Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online or in print from Career Services). You may also use resources you find online or elsewhere.

Here’s what we’ll do today:

  • I’ll answer any lingering questions about Project 2 and clear up any issues that came up last week while I was out of town.
  • I’ll explain the requirements for Project 3.
  • We’ll brainstorm some potential topics for Project 3, and talk about how to ensure that they are specific enough.

Homework

On Wednesday, we will arrange the class into the groups that you will stick with for the rest of the term. In those groups you will start on a short resume activity that the group will write together and present to the class on Friday. Be sure you’ve read Markel, Chapter 10 (“Writing Job-Application Materials”) as well as skimmed through the Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online or in print from Career Services) before class. You will want to have one of those texts to refer to in class Wednesday.

Class Notes

Submitting Project 2 (3/21)

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Because I will be at a convention in Indianapolis, class is working online Wednesday, 3/19, and Friday, 3/21. Office hours are canceled for this week.

March 21 is the due date for Project 2. For today’s session, you’ll write your reflection memo and (if you’re ready) submit your project. We will not talk about Project 2 in class after Friday 3/21; however, you have a one-week grace period if you need it. The very last moment when you can submit Project 2 is Friday, March 28 at 11:55 PM.

Write Your Reflection Memo

For this project, your reflection memo will give me the links to the document you are analyzing and to your rhetorical analysis. 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 “P2: Technical Description, Definition, and Instructions.”
  3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your reflection memo in this box.
  4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and 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. Follow the instructions in Submitting Your Projects to make sure you have sharing set up properly and get the link to the final version of Project 2.
  7. Add the Share link from your Google Drive.
  8. Follow the instructions in xxxx to save your document as a PDF and upload it to the Help for Hokies website.
  9. Add the link to your document on the Help for Hokies site to your memo.
  10. Write your reflection comments on the second project, following the explanation in the Project 2 Assignment page. Use what you know about effective memos to organize your reflection. For instance, use headings to arrange the information in your memo.
  11. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar.
  12. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID.

Homework

We will begin takling about Project 3: Job-Application Materials during the next class session. This assignment will rely on Markel, Chapter 10, “Writing Job-Application Materials” and the Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online or in print from Career Services). Go ahead and begin reading these materials.

Getting Help

I will be in sessions and presenting on Friday, March 21, so I may not see any questions you have about this activity until late in the evening. The process for submitting your work is the same as we used for Project 1, so you should be able to complete the task without any trouble. Email me if you have a question however, and I will respond when I can.

Class Notes

Checking Your Project 2 Draft (3/19)

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Because I will be at a convention in Indianapolis, class is working online Wednesday, 3/19, and Friday, 3/21. Office hours are canceled for this week.

For Wednesday, March 19, you will focus on assessing your work on Project 2 and planning your revision strategies. You have been working on your second project for a month now, so you should have a very complete draft by this point. For Wednesday’s session, your task is to review the information for this assignment and then apply the Writer’s Checklist to your draft. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

  1. Review Chapter 14 of Markel (“Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions”).
  2. Go through the slideshows on Writing Definitions, on Writing Descriptions, and on Writing Instructions.
  3. Make sure that the images you have chosen fit the guidelines for choosing graphics that we discussed in class. See Chapter 8 (“Creating Graphics”) of Markel if you need any additional information. Remember that screenshots are okay, but they should be properly sized and cropped to eliminate any unrelated information.
  4. Complete the online Writer’s Checklist from Chapter 14 of Markel.
    1. Log into your vt.edu Google to get to the form.
    2. Answer the questions honestly. The goal is not to check “yes” for every question. It is to answer honestly and use what you find out to improve your draft. You get credit for completely the checklist regardless of whether you answer yes, no, or other.
    3. Make sure that you click the checkbox at the end labeled “Send me a copy of my responses,” so that you have a backup and so that you can use the information to guide your revision.
  5. Check your vt.edu email for the copy of your responses, and address any of the questions that you answered “no” to. Revise your draft so that you could answer “yes” to all the questions.

Getting Help

I will be in sessions and presenting on Wednesday, March 19, so I may not see any questions you have about this activity until late in the evening. Email me if you have a question, and I will respond when I can. Generally though, just do your best work. Consult the page indicated in the textbook for more information if you are unsure of anything, and use the text space at the end to tell me anything else I should know about how the checklist applied to your work.