April 26, 2016
This is an old classic, customized for our area, culture and a class of 20 students, but you can always add more judges. I use this exercise when we are talking about persuasive writing, as we are discussing the proposal assignment (chapter 8 of Technical Communication Today). It can be seen as bigger group version of the elevator pitch (p. 223). It takes 35-60 minutes, depending on how many questions are asked.
September 8, 2014
This presentation discusses the genre of technical descriptions, which your students should be working on in ENGL 316. Technical description is a complex genre that involves a detailed explanation of an object or process. This explanation is typically organized by the parts or functions of an object, or the stages of a process. The information contained in this presentation is derived from the textbooks of Richard Johnson-Sheehan and Mike Markel. Much of the presentation information is taken from Johnson-Sheehan’s Technical Communication Today.
August 18, 2014
This activity is designed for any class in which students are giving an oral presentation using a delivery aid like PowerPoint. Not only will it help build clear content for visual design, but also will ensure more comfort in delivery. It is essential that each student participate in the sample activity to build comprehension and build the class community.
August 18, 2014
“In English 150 and 250, we are implementing a process-oriented approach for every major assignment, which requires students to substantially revise as well as proofread their earlier drafts. Also, at the end of the semester, they are supposed to submit portfolio for which they should revise earlier assignments and describe what was added, deleted, changed, or reorganized. However, it is not easy for both students and teachers to see whether they considerably revised their essay or merely corrected minor mistakes until they compare the original and final drafts line by line. This activity helps students and instructors to easily see the degree of revision and reflect or evaluate their writing process. As this activity needs Microsoft Word, it works best in a computer lab.”
