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Pre-Class 8-23-13 Friday. Compare the new Lego kits to the older ones from last year. List one advantage and one disadvantage to the newer NXT kits?. Be sure to turn-in your Pre-Classes!. Technical Writing. communicates complicated levels of knowledge in understandable language.
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Pre-Class 8-23-13 Friday Compare the new Lego kits to the older ones from last year. List one advantage and one disadvantage to the newer NXT kits? Be sure to turn-in your Pre-Classes!
Technical Writing communicates complicated levels of knowledge in understandable language Chapter 7: Technical Communication
More about technical writing • One of the most widely read form of communication (e.g. “How to” guides) • Applicable to technical, business, and educational fields • Provides a message that is clear, concise, and helpful to readers
Before starting, consider: • How well do I know the subject? • Who is the main audience for this information? • What is the purpose of this document? • For what occasion is it written?
Content • Rule #1 • Know your subject. • In other words, if you are not an expert in the content, then you cannot write an effective technical document. • You cannot change this part of your writing…facts are facts.
Audience • Rule #2 • Know for whom you are writing the document. • This has the biggest impact on how you write your document. • What do they know of the topic? • What would interest them the most? • What questions would they ask on this topic if they could?
Purpose • Rule #3 • Know the end before you begin. • The document should be logically structured from start to finish. • This directly affects your style conveying information.
Occasion • Rule #4 • Know where the document will go. • This determines the type of document: • Lab report • Proposal • Technical publication • This will directly affect the layout of the document.
Pre-Class 8-26-13 Monday In writing a technical document, there are 4 things to consider before beginning. Give me one of them and explain why it is important to the technical document.
Let’s look at some… • http://www.sv-jme.eu/home/ • http://www.aisc.org/SearchTaxonomy/EngJournal.aspx?id=7806 • http://ascelibrary.org/journal/jaeeez
Practice Writing Technically • Read the problem from the 2007 AP Physics: Mechanics test. • An announcement is to be made on the intercom to the entire school. • It is Science Week, so each day will have a new scientific invention or experiment emphasis. • The announcement will be read by someone who is not taking or has never taken AP Physics. i.e. AP Physics average student