Point-in-time Training Monday, January 26th, with George Bolden and GW Rolle

Counting the homeless of Pinellas county seems like an impossible task, as you can expect to see a homeless person God-blessing you under almost every overpass. Mr. Bolden presented us with a great training session on how the volunteers would conduct this census. After his discussion, I feel as if I could confidently go out and participate in this effort.
Bringing G.W. Rolle along to give the class, most of whom don't know anyone who is homeless or has ever been homeless, insight as to how anyone can have his or her life turned upside-down and become homeless.
Most of the "bums" I have known were in such a rut because their recreational drug or alcohol use took over their lives; that made it easy to file most other homeless people in the same category. I often forget to think about how our economy is putting many good, clean people out of jobs, houses, family, and luck.
Mr. Rolle also brought to light the future of involuntary homelessness. It saddens and frustrates me to think that there is another wave of foreclosures rolling our way, and there's no way to stop it. Tens of thousands of jobs are lost every week, without any other doors opening. I hope a change is going to come.

These two gentlemen presented the class with a very laid back brand of technical communication. We were delivered precise information in a very effective and refreshing manner. Mr. Rolle gave us the problem, with an appeal to pathos and ethos, and the goals we, as a community, need to meet. Mr. Bolden gave us the tools which can be used to reach such goals.

A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

Chapter 3: A Rhetorical Toolbox for Technical and Professional Communication

This chapter has been very satisfying, offering connections between all of the elements of technical communication. I can see now how purpose, emotions, audience, and fact, all come into play when a technical document is born.
This type of communication didn't roll in with the computer age, the foundations were laid when the great orators of ancient Greece passed on their values and thoughts to their students. We are simply applying these techniques to how we live today.

Chapter 2: Service Learning in Technical and Professional Communication

This chapter clears up many questions I had before reading it, mainly, "How do you do this 'service-learning'?" One thing that has always concerned me about graduating with my degree and stepping out into the world with only that diploma to back me up, is that so many potential employers want applicants with experience. How can I gain experience if no one will hire me? Service-learning gives students an opportunity to work in the "real world" while still earning their degree, so that when we get kicked out of this nest we will have some experience to land on. I had not considered all of the benefits of service-learning- from how students benefit, to the organization "hiring" us, and even the university. The citation from Linda Flower's book on page 20 about how universities usually hold a holier-than-though attitude to the surrounding community is all too real and sad. It often seems as though universities close themselves off to the neighborhood they are nestled into, but could so obviously benefit from considering and working with the community. I am excited to get the ball rolling on our projects in class. In truth, I had quite a different idea of technical communication before starting this class, and my appreciation for the field and work of technical communication has more than quadrupled.

Civic Engagement

I didn't have much time to browse the booths at the Civic Engagement Fair last Wednesday, but it seemed a lot like I had expected it to be- YMCA/YWCA, blood drive, Girl Scouts, and a few community aware churches, amongst others. Although I appreciate those who take care of fellow human beings, I've never been driven to join them. Being born and raised in Florida, I have become extremely aware and proud of my surroundings; but I have also watched my favorite orange groves turn into subdivisions, and seen the beaches sprout hotels and apartments. Florida Forever is what caught my eye, a sign on the table of the Suncoast Sierra Club (which I had always thought of as a hobby for rich old people, but this fair proved me wrong). Florida Forever is a state-run program that involves buying large parcels of land throughout Florida in the name of conservation. Even though I have witnessed irreparable damage done to this beautiful place, I got a shot of hope from this billion-dollar program that Florida will not be conquered by concrete.

"Did you know....Shift Happens?"

"Shift Happens" presents a mind-boggling collection of numbers and facts on the information age. I am surprised to find out how fast, far, and wide technology is moving, or exploding, even. It really makes me wonder what will happen to the human race when the capabilities of the mentioned technology surpass human capabilities to process information. Are we in danger? Will robots take over? I am doubtful. We are capable of adapting to so many new things, and have been doing so for thousands of years (i.e. fire, the wheel, electricity, oil, computers, fiber optics). Although somewhat frightening, our exponentially growing civilization is becoming more and more tightly woven. Cultures are coming together in amazing ways, making the near impossible possible.

"Rhetorical Analysis" & Chapter 1 "What is service-learning?" in "Service-Learning in Technical and Professional Communication

I really enjoyed the article on rhetorical analysis, appreciating the fact that it broke down the idea of communication to, simply, why we use words. I especially liked the essay by Jason Thompson. His essay made rhetorical analysis much easier to understand, causing some kind of a light bulb effect in my head about the first part of the article. At first, I felt somewhat insecure, reading and thinking to myself that I should be understanding this concept. When I finished the article, I realized that I have used some of the methods mentioned, only in slightly different ways and contexts. Although I am still notcompletely confident in my analyical capabilities, I am satisfied knowing that I will be given the chance to sharpen my skills as a writer through the course of this class.
As Dr. McCracken had noted it would, reading the article first helped with the book reading and many of the concepts and terms used within the first chapter.
I am very much looking forward to working within the community for non-profit organizations, but am still unsure on how we will be going about finding organizations to work with.

First day...

What does the word technical mean? To me, the word is definitely multifaceted, obviously having to do with technology, computers, electronics, information systems, artificial intelligence, but also meaning something that is in-depth, concise, with many details, complicated, representing the progress of humankind.
Communication, in comparison to technical, seems to be a much simpler thing. One small idea comes to my mind when thinking about what communication is, words. Words in so many forms- handwritten, telegraphed, e-mailed, typed, spoken, signed, digitally recorded, sang, and in any language. Communication is personal, customized to connect two people.
Technical communication involves connecting the technical things in the world with the people who live in it, spanning many forms of communication.
I would like to be a translator of sorts between different groups using the technical communication skills I learn in my courses and work at USF. I want to go beyond the world of computers and microchips to connect those who would otherwise be anonymous and/or unknown to one another through the careful use of words.