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:
   
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.

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.

There are two goals for Monday’s class: learning how to post on the Help for Hokies site, and share the links for our online classes for Wednesday and Friday.

Posting on the Help for Hokies website

You will post your second project on the Help for Hokies website, where any new or returning Virginia Tech student can benefit from the information. You will need to complete 4 different steps (linked below) to post your contribution.

1. Download your second project from Google Drive as a PDF.
2. Register on the Help for Hokies site to create a personal login.
3. Upload the PDF for your second project, using the Add New Media page.
4. Add a new post and embed your PDF media on that page.

You’ll post the PDF of your project on the Help for Hokies site when you are ready to turn in your project. For Monday’s class, skim through the instructions to make sure you understand the process. You’ll return to these instructions when you are ready to turn in your project.

“In-Class” Writing

For Monday’s class, Register on the Help for Hokies site by 5 PM on Tuesday, 5/18.

If you want to impress me, you can edit your profile to include an avatar image. Click on the upper right toolbar, where it says “Howdy,” and click on Profile and then Edit. The process is fairly simple and obvious.

Online Class Instructions for 3/19 and 3/21

Classes take place online for Wednesday and Friday of this week, since I will be at a convention. Everything you need is set up and explained in these two posts:

• Wednesday, March 19: Checking Your Project 2 Draft
• Friday, March 21: Submitting Project 2

Getting Help with the Online Sessions

I may not be able to respond to your questions quickly this week. I will be traveling all day Tuesday and all day Sunday. On Wednesday to Saturday, I will be attending sessions and meetings as well as presenting.

Email me if you have a question, and I will respond when I can. Realize, however, that I may not see any questions you have until late in the evening. Do your best work, try to figure things out, and above all, don’t panic if you don’t hear from me immediately.

1. Review the information in the textbook on definitions (pp. 359–366).
2. Go through the slideshow on Writing Definitions.
3. Get some practice by using the Writer’s Checklist at the end of Chapter 14 to evaluate the Hokie Speak glossary of terms (use this version on the Wayback Machine if the vt.edu file is 404). This glossary is shared with new employees during orientation. Focus on the terms, which appear at the top of the page, rather than the acronyms at the bottom. You will use the complete Writer’s Checklist on your own text after spring break.
4. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete the day’s assignment, “03/07 Definition Rewrite.” By completing the writing, you will get credit for attendance as well as the credit for the in-class writing. You have until 5 PM on Wednesday, 3/12 to submit your work.

Homework

• Review your draft before class on Monday, 3/17. Be ready with any questions you have.
• Be sure you are in class on Monday, 3/17. We will go over how to post your project to the website, and I will explain the class plans for Wednesday, 3/19 and Friday, 3/21. Remember that class will not meet either day, as I will be presenting at the Convention of the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Indianapolis. Office hours will be cancelled for 3/19 and 3/21 as well.
• Safe travels if you’re leaving town, and no matter what, enjoy your week off.

Online Class Instructions for Friday, March 7

Instead of meeting for class on Friday, March 7, you will review the information about writing definitions and evaluate a glossary of terms that relate to Virginia Tech. You will complete an “in-class” writing that explains your assessment of the glossary and then rewrite the definitions for three of the terms in order to improve them.

By completing the writing, you will get credit for attendance as well as the credit for the in-class writing. The blog post with all the details will go up Wednesday afternoon, by 4 PM on 3/5/2014. You have until 5 PM on Wednesday, 3/12 to submit your work.

Peer Review Instructions for Today

We’re using the same basic set-up that we used for for the first project. You’ll pair up with another student in the classroom, share your Google Docs with each other, and add comments. Please use these instructions to guide the feedback you leave:

• Imagine that you are your partner’s manager, and your job is to review the draft that your partner has given you and make suggestions to improve it.
• Check that your partner has included all the required elements in the draft (e.g., technical description, a glossary, and instructions with five images). If anything is missing, add a comment that lets your partner know.
• Read through the document and comment on at least three things your partner does well and at least three things that your partner could improve. You can comment on more than six things.
• At the end of the document, add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the paper and gives your partner some encouragement.
• Once you have finished adding comments to your partner’s project, return to your own paper, read the comments that your partner gave you, and add replies as appropriate.

In-Class Writing

After you have read the comments on your project and replied, go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s in-class writing, “03/05 Peer Review.” The post is short and easy, but you need to do it to get credit for your work today. You have until 5 PM tomorrow (3/6) to post your response.

Homework

Come back on Wednesday, 3/5/2014, after 4 PM for all the links and details on the activities to complete in place of attending class on Friday, 3/7.

Be sure to attend class on Monday, 3/17 (the Monday after Spring Break) for important details about Project 2 as well as information on the online work due for Wednesday, 3/19, and Friday, 3/21. Class will not meet in the classroom on the 19th or 21st, as I will be presenting at the Convention of the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Indianapolis. Office hours will be cancelled for 3/19 and 3/21 as well.

Today, we’re talking about graphics. You’ll find lots of useful information in Chapter 8 of Markel, including specifics on how to use different kinds of graphs. We’ll go over some important tips that are relevant for your second project.

Creating (and Choosing) Graphics

Create or choose images that meet these criteria:

• The graphics need to be free of copyright restrictions (unless they fit the definition of fair use), or you must obtain permission to use them. [More on this topic in the next section.]
• Photos and/or illustrations should accurately depict the information in the document. Avoid images that are simply decorative.
• The images should be crisp and well-lit.
• Garish, clashing, and overly colorful images are a poor choice. Think about the image and the rest of the design on the page as you make a choice.
• Background noise should be eliminated. There should be nothing irrelevant or distracting in the image. Avoid photobombs!
• The text should refer to the pictures, and the graphics should work in harmony with the written text.

Finding Graphics You Can Freely Use

• Read Copyright Fair Use and How it Works for Online Images, from Social Media Examiner, for an explanation of how and when you can use images that you find online.
• Visit these tools to explore whether images you find online are copyright protected and whether your use is fair use:
  • Digital Slider, from the American Library Association.
  • Copyright Genie, from the American Library Association.
  • Fair Use Evaluator, from the American Library Association.
• If you are unsure, you can look for copyright and media use guidelines online. For instance, NASA has posted guidelines on Using NASA Imagery and Linking to NASA Web Sites, and the U.S. government has posted this explanation of Copyright and Other Rights Pertaining to U.S. Government Works.
• If you are looking for images, here are two good starting points:
  • Finding Public Domain Images for Multimedia Projects, from EdTechTeacher. Note that some of the links on this page are out of date.
  • The British Library Puts 1,000,000 Images into the Public Domain, Making Them Free to Reuse & Remix, from Open Culture.
  • Selected Internet Resources — Government Resources for
    Science Images and Video, from the Library of Congress.
  • Creative Commons Search.

Using Graphics

• If necessary, be sure that your crop and resize your images before you add them to your document.
• Use the insert tools in the word processor you prefer to place the images on the page. On your Google Drive, look under the Insert menu.
• Be sure that cite the source for your graphics as well. See pp. 186–187 of the text book for details.

In-Class Writing

We’ll end with the in-class writing. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “03/03 Choosing Graphics.” As usual, you have until 5 PM tomorrow (3/4) to finish your work.

Homework

• Have your rough draft available on your Google Drive for peer review on Wednesday, 3/5. You’ll use the instructions in Step One of Using Google Drive for Peer Review to upload your work with a classmate that day.
• I will also explain the online class work for Friday, 3/7, so be sure you attend so that you know what you need to do!

• We will go over information about Writing Instructions.
• We will look at several example descriptions and talk about what they do well and how they might be improved:
  1. Virginia Tech – ROLM 751 DIGITAL CBX, Faculty / Staff Telephone Quick Reference
  2. Employer’s Accident Report Instructions
  3. Instructions on how to pay the $3000 deposit
  4. Join Virginia Tech’s McNair Listserv
  5. PlantSimLab Basic Tutorial
• We’ll end with the in-class writing. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “02/28 Instructions.” As usual, you have until 5 PM tomorrow (3/1) to finish your work.

Homework

Next time we will talk about finding, creating, and using graphics. Please read Markel, Chapter 8 (“Creating Graphics”).

• We will go over the kinds of descriptions and the questions they typically answer.
• We will look at several example descriptions and talk about what they do well and how they might be improved:
  • Rayovac Workhorse Flashlight
  • Salted Password Hashing – Doing it Right
  • How Do You Make Maple Syrup?
  • About Lumenhaus
• We’ll end with the in-class writing. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “02/26 Description.” As usual, you have until 5 PM tomorrow (2/27) to finish your work.

Homework

Next time we will talk about writing instructions so be sure that you have read the section in Markel on that topic (pp. 375-386).

• We will go over the kinds of definitions, focusing on sentence and paragraph definitions and talking about glossary format.
• We will look at several example glossaries and talk about what they do well and how they might be improved:
  • Distillation Glossary 1
  • Distillation Glossary 2
  • Engineering Glossary
  • Food Allergy Glossary
  • Nitrocellulose Glossary
  • Soccer Glossary
• We’ll end with the in-class writing. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “02/24 Project 2 Topic.” As usual, you have until 5 PM tomorrow (2/25) to turn in your topic.

Homework

We will also talk about descriptions (pp. 366–374), so be sure you have read that section of the text.

Here’s what we’ll do today:

• I’ll explain the requirements for Project 2, and talk about some changes to the schedule.
• We’ll brainstorm some potential topics for Project 2, and talk about how to ensure that they are specific enough
• We’ll find some examples of technical definitions, descriptions, and step-by-step instructions on the Virginia Tech website.
• We’ll end with the in-class writing. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “02/21 Major Website Analysis.”

Homework

On Monday, I will ask you to propose your topic for Project 2 for the in-class writing. Spend some time this weekend thinking about possibilities and choose a topic. Think about your specific audience and purpose as they relate to that topic. Return to the information on audience and purpose in Chapter 4 if you need a refresher.

We will also talk about definitions (pp. 358–366), so be sure you have read that section of the text.