Proposal Report Summary Memos & Presentation Handout Friday, Dec 5 2008

This was the last group assignment of the semester.  We talked about three different things in our individual progress memos.  We talked about our group, our tasks, and changes we would make.

 

Our group managed the overall project well.  We turned in every assignment on time.

 

We communicated with each other frequently.  We used e mail and text messaging to do this.  We met outside of class twice.  We divided the workload for the proposal and worked on the presentation during these meetings.  We also went to your office hours for editing help.  This helped a lot with the style and organization of our report.

 

I had three different tasks for the proposal report.  I wrote the “title page,” “problem,” and “conclusion” sections of the proposal report.  The problem section explained the issue of sportsmanship at Tech.  It proved that our students at Texas Tech have been “bad sports.”  The problem section said that the behavior was a problem that wasn’t acceptable, and that it needed to be solved.

 

I also wrote the conclusion section.  This section restated the main points of the paper.

 

I also printed out all of the assignments from each group member to bring to class on the due dates.  I did this because I can come to class early if I needed to.  This ensured that the assignments were able to be turned in on time.

 

I also wrote about changes I would make if I did this assignment again.  I would do more research.  I would also give the Student Government Association more solution ideas for the problem.

 

Our presentation handout was one page.  We handed this out to every classmate before our presentation.  It had our title (Red Raider Pride: Sportsmanship at Tech) at the top.  It also had a picture of the double T on it.  The handout had the main points of the presentation on it.  It described the issue.  It described the campaigns that Tech has already tried to improve sportsmanship.  It also described our solution ideas. 

 

We put these things on our handout for the benefit of our classmates.  They were able to follow along with the main points of our presentation from our handout.

 

I’m attaching the file for our individual progress memos here below.  I’m also attaching a file of our presentation handout.

 

Proposal Report Summary Memos

Presentation Handout

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Formal Group Proposal Report Friday, Dec 5 2008

This Group Proposal Report was the big assignment of the semester.  All of the other little group assignments lead up to this report.  

 

This assignment was really challenging.  It was a very long paper.  It had to be at least ten pages.  We had to pick our own topic, audience, and goal.  It was hard to think of a topic for this assignment.

 

The hardest thing about this assignment is that it was a group effort.  We worked individually most of the semester.  It’s much easier to work by yourself because you don’t have to cooperate with other people.

 

I can see how this group project could be beneficial to me for the future.  I practiced cooperating and communicating with my other group members.  I practiced setting goals so that everyone would finish their tasks on time.  I practiced being very detailed and organized.  This helped our group know exactly what we had to do, and by what date.  I practiced communicating with group members very often.

 

There were a lot of challenges with this assignment.  One of the hardest things for me was working with other people.  I had to try very hard not to try to do everything myself.  That is what I’ve usually done in the past.  I usually just do everything myself so I know it’ll get done. 

 

However, it wasn’t that way for this assignment.  Our group members divided the sections of the report of evenly.  It was a new experience for me.  It was nice not to have to do everything myself.

 

There were benefits of working in a group.  The best thing for me was not having to do all of the research.  I really don’t like doing research.  Our group members split the research up evenly.  We did our own research for our own sections of the report.  I researched examples of bad sportsmanship at Tech.  Lydia researched the Student Government Association at Texas Tech.  Liz researched previous sportsmanship campaigns that Tech has done.

 

Our group also worked well together.  It was a relief to have group members that evenly contributed.  All of us turned in every assignment on time.  We never had any major problems.  We also got along with each other.  It made the project much easier.

 

This group project was definitely my least favorite project of the semester.  However, it was useful and practical.  I will most likely be working with groups of people in whatever my future job will be.

 

I am attaching the file of our group proposal report here below.  It also contains the handout we gave to the class at the bottom.

 

Formal Group Proposal Report

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Proposal Rough Draft and Progress Memos Wednesday, Dec 3 2008

Our Proposal Rough Draft was about sportsmanship at Tech.

 

The title of our group report was “Red Raider Pride: Sportsmanship at Tech.”  My other group members were Lydia Saldana and Liz Montgomery.

 

Our audience was the president of the SGA (Student Government Association) at Texas Tech.  Her name is Lee Bobbitt.  She represents the student body.  If the students want something done she’ll try to get someone to do it.

 

Our issue was that our students at Texas Tech have been “bad sports” at football games.  It has contributed to our bad reputation as fans.  We decided to prove this to the SGA by giving them examples of the student’s bad behavior in the past.  We included events like the “Vick ‘em” t-shirts and the goalpost brawl with Texas A&M fans.  We also described bad behavior like singing alternate profane words in the fight song.

 

We changed our solution ideas to make the more effective.  We made the Sportsmanship Award idea more clear.  We described that a Sportsmanship Award only exists for athletes, and not for student fans.  Our award would be implemented in the Big 12 for the most sportsmanlike student fans.

 

We also changed our idea of involvement with the athletes.  We decided it wasn’t practical for the athletes to take time out of their game preparation to make a speech to fans.  We decided to have them record a video promoting good sportsmanship instead.  This video would be played before the game and during halftime.

 

Lydia and I came to your office hours to get editing help on the rough draft.  You helped us edit for style.  You helped make our tone more conversational.  You also helped us eliminate wordiness.

 

Our group communicated effectively through all of the assignments so far.  We completed our individual parts and e mailed them to each other.  Every member of the group was able to make suggestions or changes to each other’s work.

 

We texted each other and reminded each other about upcoming assignments.  This was a good way to make sure everyone was still doing their sections of the report.

 

I’m attaching our group’s rough draft for the proposal below.  I’m also attaching the individual progress memos of each group member.

Proposal Rough Draft

Individual Progress Memos

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Proposal Outline and Progress Memos Wednesday, Dec 3 2008

This assignment described the audience, issue, and solutions of our proposal report.  It described our ideas for the design of the report.  It also included an outline of the sections we planned to use in our report.

 

The title of our group report was “Red Raider Pride: Sportsmanship at Tech.”  

 

My other group members were Lydia Saldana and Liz Montgomery.

 

We decided the audience of our report was the president of the SGA (Student Government Association) at Texas Tech.  Her name is Lee Bobbitt.  We decided to write to her for many reasons.  We did some research on her to see what she does for the students.  We found out that she represents the student body.  Basically, if the students want something done she’ll try to get someone to do it.

 

Our issue was that our students at Texas Tech have been “bad sports” at football games.  It has contributed to our bad reputation as fans.

 

Our group made a lot of progress on the “solutions” section since the Proposal Plan Memo assignment.  We came up with three different solution ideas.  Our first idea was to implement a Sportsmanship Award for the students of the Big 12.  

 

We had some problems with this solution.  We needed to research this idea more.  We didn’t make it clear in the assignment that a Sportsmanship Award already exists.  However, it only exists for the athletes.  Our idea involved the student fans.

 

Another solution idea was to get the athletes involved.  We had some problems with this solution idea too.  We originally said that the athletes should give a speech to the fans before the game or during halftime.  However, you said that that idea was not very practical.  This is because the coach would not want their players to waste valuable time making speeches.

 

You said we had generally effective editing for this assignment.  However, we had some trouble with the style.  Our sentences were too wordy.  We also needed to make the tone more conversational.

 

This assignment was useful in different ways.  It made our group think about the design of our final report.  It was also a chance to see what else we needed to get done to be able to turn the assignments in on time.

 

I’m attaching a copy of the Proposal Outline here below.  It includes the individual progress memos from each group member.

 

Proposal Outline and Progress Memos

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Proposal Plan Memo Tuesday, Dec 2 2008

The Proposal Plan Memo was the first of the many group assignments.  The people in my group were Lydia Saldana and Liz Montgomery.  

 

We decided to write about sportsmanship at Texas Tech football games.  We decided on “Red Raider Pride: Sportsmanship at Tech” for our report title.

 

We decided our audience was the President of the SGA (Student Government Association) at Texas Tech.  Her name is Lee Bobbitt.  We chose this audience because it made our assignment easier.  Talking to a fellow student would let us use a less formal and more conversational tone.  We also wouldn’t have to do a lot of research on the audience since Lee Bobbitt is a student at our own University.

 

The issue we chose to write about was sportsmanship at Tech.  We explained that our students have been bad ‘bad sports” at football games.  We tried to convince Lee Bobbitt to consider thinking about implementing a program to improve sportsmanship at Tech.

 

We had some problems coming up with ideas to give the SGA.  We weren’t sure what solution ideas we should give them to improve sportsmanship at Tech.  We talked with you in class.  You helped us and gave us some ideas for solutions.

 

Our group decided to communicate with each other using e mail and text messaging.  We decided this would be the most effective way since we all check our e mail a lot.  We also decided to use class time to work on our assignments.  

 

We met once outside of class before turning in this assignment.  This meeting was useful and productive.  We decided to split up the assignment evenly between the three of us.  We decided what sections of the report we wanted to do.  Then we divided the sections evenly between us.

 

We decided to have eight different sections in our report.  The sections included: a title page, a table of contents, an abstract summary, information about our audience, the problem, what Tech has already done, the solutions, and a conclusion.

 

We decided that we would turn in all of the assignments in on time.  We decided not to try for early submission because the assignments were due very close together.

 

I’m attaching a file of the Proposal Plan Memo here below.

 

 

Proposal Plan Memo

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Instructions Analysis Tuesday, Dec 2 2008

I did my Instructions Analysis assignment on origami instructions.  My instructions explained how to make a “hopping frog.”

 

I chose parents with kids as my audience at first.  However, this audience seemed to be too hard to define.  I chose a new audience instead.  My new audience was experts versus beginners.  I said my instructions were written for beginners.  Each step was short and simple.  There were pictures to go along with most of the steps.  

There wasn’t any confusing language in the steps.  I said my audience could have little to no origami knowledge to make the frog.

 

I had two goals for my instructions.  The first goal was for the user to take as much time as they needed to make the hopping frog.  However, they had to try to make it look very similar to the picture of the finished hopping frog.

 

My second goal was for the user to make the frog as quickly as they could.  The finished product only had to look somewhat like the picture of the finished hopping frog.

 

I did a brainstorming exercise for this assignment.  I sat down and wrote down all my ideas on paper.  This helped to get the “creative juices” flowing.  Brainstorming helps me to remember my ideas and train of thought.  I’ve used this method for almost every assignment this semester.

 

I did the Instructions Analysis assignment in about two sittings.  I like to do as much of the assignment as I can at one time.  It helps me keep my train of thought.

I went to your office hours for editing help this time.  It was more helpful than the people at the Writing Center.  You helped me eliminate wordiness in my paper.  This was the first major assignment that I got 100% on!

 

I think I improved on my writing style in this assignment.  However, I don’t think it took me less time to do it.  I’ve taken about the same amount of time for each assignment.  I think it’s because I like to be extra careful about my assignments.  I like to be content with everything before I turn it in.

 

I’m attaching the file of my Instructions Analysis here below.

Instructions Analysis

 

 

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Instructions Selection Memo Wednesday, Nov 19 2008

This assignment was the first of the “Instructions Analysis” assignments.  I turned in a copy of the instructions I chose.  I also described the goals and audience of my instructions.

 

I chose instructions that showed how to make an origami hopping frog.  I chose these instructions because I thought they would work well for the assignment.  Origami instructions need to be very clear for a person to do them correctly.  I also thought origami instructions would work well for user testing.  It should be easy to tell if the instructions are confusing if the person has a hard time with the folding steps. 

 

The instructions I chose didn’t connect with my academic major or future career because I haven’t declared a major yet.  I also don’t know what I want my future career to be.  I chose instructions that seemed fun and interesting instead.  I think it made the assignment easier to do since the instructions are a little more light-hearted.

 

I chose parents with young kids as my audience when I first started this assignment.  I chose this audience for several reasons.  The instructions say that the paper frog can be a “fun action toy” and also mentions Kermit the Frog.  I thought the instructions could also be used to teach young kids how to make a fun and inexpensive toy.

 

I decided my instructions were also for people with little to no origami experience.  Each step is very short.  There are pictures to go along with most of the steps.

 

I decided my goal for the instructions was to learn how to make an origami hopping frog in a short amount of time.  This is because the steps are very short and simple.  The pictures serve as a guide to a person to see if they are making it right.  The person can quickly look at the picture and move on to the next step. 

 

I wasn’t sure if this assignment would be useful to me when I first started.  I had never done an assignment like this before.  I had never had to write about any kind of analysis testing.

 

However, I think my writing was still improving at this point in the class.  I tried to write shorter sentences.  I tried to make most of the sentences simple.  I learned it is easier for you to grade assignments with simple sentence structure. 

 

I am attaching a link to my instructions selection memo below.

Instructions Selection Memo

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Formal Memo Tuesday, Nov 11 2008

I wrote about the Texas Tech gymnastics club for my formal memo.  I pretended I was the president of the Tech gymnastics club.  My memo was addressed to Texas Tech incoming freshman.

 

The purpose of my memo was to try to convince incoming Texas Tech freshman to join the Tech gymnastics club. 

 

I chose Texas Tech freshman as my audience for many reasons.  One reason is that our club is always looking for more members.  New college students usually want to find a place to belong while in college.  I tried to convince the freshman that the Tech gymnastics club provides students a chance to be involved in their University.  I also emphasized that the club offers students an opportunity to have fun, meet new people, and get a good workout.

 

I divided my paper into five different sections.  The first four sections were reasons that incoming freshman should join the club.  These sections included: friendship, fun, travel and competition, and independence.  The last section of the memo included information about how to join the club.

 

I appealed to my audience through my memo in different ways.  I decided to use simple language.  I used simple language because I was talking to my peers.  I wanted to be very clear and concise.  I also emphasized the opportunity to make friends and have fun.  This usually appeals to new college students who don’t know very many people.  I also emphasized independence.  College freshman are very excited about the new-found independence that college brings.

 

I edited my memo by taking it to the Writing Center.  This was somewhat helpful.  They gave me a couple ideas about making my ideas more clear.  However, it is hard for the people at the Writing Center to really effectively help you.  They didn’t know exactly what criteria you were looking for.

 

I think I improved from the “Resume and Job Letters” assignment to the “Formal Memo” assignment.  It was easier to see the writing style that you preferred after getting back the first major assignment.  I think I used more simple sentences in my formal memo.

 

I think this assignment made me think more about audience analysis.  I had to accommodate to my audience that I wrote to.  I did this by writing simple sentences that are easy to understand.  I helped them by writing points that I thought appeal to them.  These things helped prove my point to my audience.

 

I am attaching a file of my formal memo here at the bottom. 

 

Formal Memo

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Resume & Job Letters Monday, Oct 27 2008

The “Resume and Job Letters” assignment was the first major assignment of the semester.  I didn’t really know what to expect for this assignment since it was the first one.

 

I decided to apply for an internship position instead of a job position for my assignment.  I chose this because I don’t have a major yet.  An internship position was easier for me to relate to.  I chose to apply for French language internship in Paris.  I did a hypothetical resume and job letter for this assignment.  I don’t have all of the qualifications on my resume and job letter in real life.  However, I plan to have them before I graduate from Texas Tech. 

 

It was hard for me to do the resume assignment because I’ve never written a resume before.  I had to start from scratch.  I researched other resume examples.  I got organization ideas from them.  I ended up separating my resume into different categories.  My categories were experience, education, and honors.

 

I edited my rough draft by adding more quantifiable facts to my resume.  I also tried to create a good use of white space and good organization.

 

My biggest problem with my first assignment was sentence structure.  I started out the semester by using complex sentences.  I learned very quickly that you preferred short and simple sentences.

 

This assignment was practical in many ways.  It’s important for every college student to know how to write an effective resume and job letter.  It’ll help a lot after college graduation when I apply for jobs.  It’s very practical for the “real world.” 

 

This assignment was especially useful for me since I had never written a resume or job letter before.  This assignment helped me to figure out that I need to tailor my resume for each specific position I apply for.  Tailoring my resume for a specific position corresponds with the “specific audience and goal” assignments.  It seems to be the theme of the English 2311 class.

 

I am attaching files of my Resume and Job Letter here at the bottom.

 

Resume

Job Letter

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Introduction Monday, Oct 27 2008

I am creating this weblog portfolio for Dr. Fricke’s English 2311 class. 

My specific audience is Dr. Fricke.

The goal of this portfolio is to communicate and share information.  This weblog portfolio lets me post my assignments for English 2311 online for you and my classmates to see.  I will explain what I did for each major assignment.  I will explain my writing process of each assignment.  I’ll also talk about things like improvements and problems of each assignment.

I have never done any sort of blogging before, so this is very new to me.  I do not really like having my assignments up for all to see.  I usually like to keep my work to myself. 

However, I can see the benefits of a weblog portfolio.  The portfolio makes it really easy for you to see and grade my assignments.  The portfolio is also a good way to keep my assignments very organized for a class.  The website lets other people easily see my work without having to belong to a particular group or organization.

I will create a separate post for each major assignment in my English 2311 class.  The post will contain reflections of each assignment. 

I will have a link of the specific assignment in each post.  The link will let you see my whole assignment.  This should help you understand my assignment reflections.  This will also let you see my original assignment. 

This blog site does a good job of reflecting the goals of the English 2311 class.  It is practical.  It also establishes a specific audience and goal. 

Similarly, my English 2311 class has been very practical.  I learned to write resumes and job letters.  I learned how to write effective memos.  I worked the whole semester on defining a specific audience and goal in my writing assignments.  Connecting my writing style to my audience and goal is the most practical lesson I’ve learned from this class.  This class taught me to write clearer and more concise sentences.  Simple sentences are much easier for you to read and grade quickly.

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