http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/NCTE_TETYC A listing of works published by NCTE TETYC in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/NCTE_TETYC http://tc.eserver.org/28829.html http://tc.eserver.org/28829.html As the semester's first assignment in a first-year writing course, I have used the professional e-mail assignment for several years in both face-to-face (f2f) and virtual classes, and have experienced great success as well as positive feedback from students. I have also shared this assignment with colleagues who have remarked on the value of critically thinking about e-mail since the genre cuts across every class, every discipline, and almost all employment and home situations. The assignment also sets the tone for all of my assignments because it fits within my pedagogical/theoretical framework, incorporating three important principles: community, critical engagement, and application (Digital 231). As with all of my assignments, this one has a theoretical underpinning, is framed by readings, is distributed to students via a written document that itself serves as 'good writing,' provides scaffolding for later assignments, and emphasizes digital literacies that are crucial if students are to be engaged and empowered citizens. http://tc.eserver.org/14975.html http://tc.eserver.org/14975.html Times have changed. The industrial age has become the information age, and technology and equipment evolve at such a rapid pace that it is wasteful to train a person for only specific psychomotor skills. Employers are calling for the hands-on training to be combined with more communication and critical thinking skills so that employees have a broader education that allows them to switch speeds or tasks. http://tc.eserver.org/14043.html http://tc.eserver.org/14043.html With the shift in writing pedagogy from product to process, from emphasizing the individual writing--in a vacuum--to emphasizing the social context and social nature of writing, collaboration of some sort has found a place in most writing classes. The inclusion of collaborative projects in technical writing courses has a second, practical justification: the idea that these courses should prepare students for writing on the job, where collaborative writing is common. http://tc.eserver.org/14044.html http://tc.eserver.org/14044.html Things have changed since I began teaching research writing ten years ago. I used to require students to use at least one electronic source; now, I require that students use at least one paper source. Students used to start their search at the card catalog; now they log onto the Internet. Of course, the change has been gradual, but I have begun to ask what this shift from paper to electronic sources means to academic integrity.