219 Assignment #1
My first assignment is for my Sequence 1: Instructions. I believe that all Technical Writing is instructional. The students will be learning how to write concise and comprehensive instructions.
MWA1
INstructions: DIY
Throughout this sequence we have learned that technical writing is instructional. You will be creating your own set of do-it-yourself (diy) instructions for this assignment.
Rhetorical situation
We are all experts at something. Whether it’s working on a car or tying a shoelace, we explain and teach each other how to do things all the time. Pick something you are an expert in. Pick something you feel comfortable teaching someone else. Pick something you could teach a 5-year-old to do, or a stranger, or your grandmother, if you had to. You are the expert, the teacher, the mentor – guide your diy through this lens. Consider people that already have experience with the object or task in question. What does your audience know? What do they not know?
Genre & medium
Instructions – specifically, diy instructions. Diy instructions teach an audience how to do a task by themselves – that is: without the help of a professional or others (i.e., do-it-yourself). They are innovative and instructional. They use easy-to-follow steps. They use straightforward language that is plain and honest. Diys are often multimodal – use this to your benefit: you may make a video, podcast, website, instructable, etc. For this assignment.
Audience
To make effective instructions, you must consider your audience. You must decide how much your audience already knows. Do they know anything about what you are trying to teach them? Are you trying to teach them to be better at the thing in question? The way we teach people is always different, and it is always based on their perceived knowledge (angle).
Practical details
A good diy explains the object or goal of the instruction before getting started (topic). It provides a clear beginning and end. It uses multiple forms of communication (video & textual, audio & textual, and so on). It is important to be clear what you are trying to accomplish (purpose) with your diy, so that the user may know if your set of instructions is right for them. An author of a diy should have the relationship between the object and the audience in mind at all times – the object or task is often in the presence of the author at all times. A good diy details the materials or tools needed to complete the instructions. Further, provide other options for the user if a tool or material is specific, as diy is flexible and accommodating. A diy is suggestive as well as encouraging.
Rhetorical situation
We are all experts at something. Whether it’s working on a car or tying a shoelace, we explain and teach each other how to do things all the time. Pick something you are an expert in. Pick something you feel comfortable teaching someone else. Pick something you could teach a 5-year-old to do, or a stranger, or your grandmother, if you had to. You are the expert, the teacher, the mentor – guide your diy through this lens. Consider people that already have experience with the object or task in question. What does your audience know? What do they not know?
Genre & medium
Instructions – specifically, diy instructions. Diy instructions teach an audience how to do a task by themselves – that is: without the help of a professional or others (i.e., do-it-yourself). They are innovative and instructional. They use easy-to-follow steps. They use straightforward language that is plain and honest. Diys are often multimodal – use this to your benefit: you may make a video, podcast, website, instructable, etc. For this assignment.
Audience
To make effective instructions, you must consider your audience. You must decide how much your audience already knows. Do they know anything about what you are trying to teach them? Are you trying to teach them to be better at the thing in question? The way we teach people is always different, and it is always based on their perceived knowledge (angle).
Practical details
A good diy explains the object or goal of the instruction before getting started (topic). It provides a clear beginning and end. It uses multiple forms of communication (video & textual, audio & textual, and so on). It is important to be clear what you are trying to accomplish (purpose) with your diy, so that the user may know if your set of instructions is right for them. An author of a diy should have the relationship between the object and the audience in mind at all times – the object or task is often in the presence of the author at all times. A good diy details the materials or tools needed to complete the instructions. Further, provide other options for the user if a tool or material is specific, as diy is flexible and accommodating. A diy is suggestive as well as encouraging.
The Rubric
Conventions of Genre - 25 Points
The author demonstrated strong knowledge over the conventions of the instructions, specifically DIY instructions:
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Quality of instructions - 25 Points
Clearly details instructions in a way that is comprehensive, ultimately meeting the original goal of the DIY.
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Modality - 25 Points
Uses the strengths of the mode of choice in demonstrating the instructions. Considers the multimodality nature of DIY, using it to the strength of the instructions. Doesn't overwhelm audience with chosen mode (e.g., using too many images or music or text or visual etc.) |
Discourse - 25 Points
Considers audience when communicating tasks and instructions.
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