Week One Introduction to Technical Communication Theory, Writing Letters, Using Email

In Class Day One:

1. Review the syllabus and become familiar with the tools and resources used in this course:

• This wiki, which contains all the course instructions, assignments, and supplementary materials. Materials are linked by week in the menu to the left, and resources are linked in the box to the right on the homepage. Campus class (subsequently referred to as F2F) - you will also use the discussion forum in this wiki for several activities.
• WebCT (for online students): Assignments, Discussions, and Announcements. You will use the discussion forum in WebCT for weekly posts on readings or assigned activities.
• The textbookand its online web companion. The web companion contains links to resources, case studies, and documents you will use for some assignments.
• MSU email - activate (or reactivate) your account. You will use this account for all course communication. See the syllabus for more details.

2. Discuss characteristics of technical documents and principles of effective technical communication and anayze syllabus as an example of a technical document.

Homework for Thursday:

• review concepts of Tech Comm by reading Ch. 1
• read Ch. 14 on letters, memos, and emails.

In-Class and Online Day Two:

Homework:

1. A1 due 8am Monday, 8/30. Send an email to the instructor containing a letter of inquiry concerning this course. Use the following scenario:

Having heard positive feedback from fellow majors, you are considering taking Technical Writing as one of the electives for your program; however, your schedule is rather heavy, and you have some concerns about the workload, relevance of the course, skills required, etc. Write a letter of inquiry to the instructor (Me!) with specific questions that will help you decide whether to enroll in this course in the upcoming semester. Follow the guidelines in Ch. 14 of your text for composing letters of inquiry, and the email guidelines in the syllabus for submitting the letter.

2. Discussion posts due 8am Tuesday, 8/31. Write 2 posts on the discussion board (WebCT for online class, wiki for F2F class) under the following Topics:

• Most of the writing tasks you will complete this semester ask you to think of yourself not as a student but as a member of a professional community or workforce. So to begin, imagine the following workplace or community scenario:
  
  Introduce yourself as a member of a new team (a virtual team) whose task is to improve communication in the workplace or community you are a part of. Although you haven't yet formed a group or know exactly what task you'll be working on, describe the skills, experience, or character traits you would bring to the team.

• Under the topic "Email," choose one of the four prompts to respond to.
  • What annoys or concerns you most about emails? What can be done about the behavior?
  • Share a personal example of email fraud. How did you know it was phishing? What did you do about it?
  • Describe an experience you have had or read about concerning inappropriate email behavior or the unethical or illegal use of email (perhaps at work).
  • Argue that email will soon be or will never be out of vogue and replaced by social media in the business or professional world. Provide an example.
  • Comment on something you found interesting, relevant to your experience, or perhaps surprising from Ch. 14.