ENGL 334W Reflection Post: Week 1

1. While I am already familiar with some of the basic rhetorical and communication principles we are going to study this semester, I am really excited about the opportunity to practice the "real world" technical writing. I look forward to learning how to produce effective corporate and professional documents - both print-based and digital.

2. Specifically, I feel that I will benefit from learning how to write to multiple audiences - how to choose tone, language, and formatting depending on the audience. One thing I already learned from the class readings is ethical and legal considerations of technical communication. In previous writing and communication classes we learned about plagiarism and basic ethics concepts. ENGL 334W goes into much more details. A technical writer/communicator has obligations to his or her employer, the public, and the environment. These obligations are governed by a broad range of laws and statutes. It is important to always bear them in mind.

3. The current project will help me better understand what technical writing and technical communication is all about. For instance, by better understanding the challenges of producing technical communication and characteristics of a technical document, I will be able to explain to my boss and my collegues why technical writer is important for the organization, and why he or she shall play a major role and be reimbursed accordingly.