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Below is a brief reflection of my experience completing my web folio.

Process:

I felt that since my ENGL 304 blog already contains a sizeable portion of documents for the web folio, converting my blog to a web folio is the most efficient and effective course of action.

Goals:

Since I’m close to the graduating from UBC, my web folio is geared towards the next step – establishing a career in tech and computer science. Therefore, I needed to update my blog/web folio in ways that would support these goals.

Audience:

My audience would be potential tech employers, as well as any potential colleagues interested in working with me. I needed to update my blog/web folio in ways that would visually and textually appeal to prospects.

Below is an overall reflection of my learning experience in this course.

Learning Process

Strengths:

With a generous number of opportunities to write, I feel as if my technical writing has become increasingly efficient. It feels as if I can communicate verbally and orally with improved clarity and precision.

Weaknesses:

One critical weakness I’ve uncovered in my writing is an occasional tendency to overlook the tone my documents express. I became aware of this in a peer review I’ve written. From this, I’ve learned to consider how my documents appear to their readers and to revise them.

Assignments:

Strengths: 

I feel like I’ve implemented ‘Writing with YOU attitude’ consistently in most assignments for the course. Perhaps it was one of the most crucial elements of writing in the course. I consistently wrote to persuade and appeal to the reader, often being politely courteous.

I also feel like I’ve been remarkably organized with my writing. I recall checking the textbook to further my writing skill and utilizing various checklists to ensure my writing meets standards of quality and effectiveness.

Weaknesses: 

My approach follows the textbook closely, in addition to utilizing my past experience in communication. Unfortunately, in the future, I may still be subject to occasional errors in communicating my aims. These errors may potentially result in missed opportunities and other setbacks.

I aim to mitigate and reduce as many potential errors in my communication as I can. Though my communication may not always be perfect, I aim to have it as close to perfection as I can.

Discussion: Career

Because of my chosen career path in Computer Science, my Web Folio will inevitably be an integral tool for future endeavours.

My web folio will be a major nexus for my career path. Links to my tech profiles, as well as my programming projects will be here.

One thing is certain, however. I feel as if my technical communication, whether it’s writing or speaking, is drastically improved. I look forward to taking my newly improved skills towards future aspirations.

Below is a brief reflection of my experience for Unit 3.

Formal Report Progress:

Fortunately, I selected a topic narrow enough to be manageable. There is enough information available within the UBC course registration website, as well as past class records from UBC pair.

Little did I know, however, that the scope was larger than anticipated. I narrowed my scope further to limit, narrow, and specify the number of courses required to examine. This way, the scope was more manageable despite a short completion timeframe.

The most challenging part of the report, so far, is gathering enough participants for the online survey. This is especially true when there isn’t any enticement or compensation for participants taking their time and energy to complete the survey. The chances of gaining several dozen participants would be unlikely. Instead, I focused on quality over quantity: my survey questions placed more focus on subjective responses, rather than large-scale statistical figures.

Formal Report Peer Review: Template

I took the strengths of the previous peer review template for LinkedIn pages and applied them to this one. I took note of certain guidelines provided from Lesson 3:3 and added them as checklists in order to better communicate my evaluation.

Formal Report Peer Review

This peer review is different; it allows us to analyze a work-in-progress instead of a finished work. This way, we are also able to consider and suggest which direction the report should progress.

It also gives us a glimpse into the various elements of technical writing that are present and/or required within the drafts. For example, I’ve noticed plenty of other students requiring a way to communicate the addressed problems in their reports as “bad news” – while having to write with “YOU Attitude”.

Nevertheless, my approach was highly organized and the process felt significantly more efficient.

 

Overall:

This unit placed a great emphasis on content management and organization, as well as prioritizing key elements in a report draft. I’ve had past follies of taking ambitious projects while also underestimating the cost of their efforts (time and money) and overestimating their necessary components. This time, I’ve learned to approach it differently and pursue what is feasible, but still essential, to the project. I also feel like I’ve improved my writing efficiency by staying focused on the key points of whatever I’m writing about. I feel more than capable of tackling the remainder of the course, as well as any future writing projects to come.

 

My Formal Report Draft:

ENGL301 Rob Trigo – Formal Report Draft

Below is a brief reflection of my experience for Unit 2.

LinkedIn Profile:
I’m already familiar with composing a social media profile with a professional appearance, but LinkedIn proves to be a unique long-term challenge. Our recent experience has granted us a solid start on LinkedIn, but I know I need to invest more time to fully utilize LinkedIn, in addition to showcasing my skills and talent. The endorsements are also a strong feature, but will take consistency and time to develop.

Report Proposal and Outline:
Coming up with an idea to pursue was perhaps one of the more challenging parts. However, I eventually settled on my idea to explore more online UBC courses because, since this is the first time I’m taking them, I began to understand how useful they are. Both students AND professors forego commutes while having the flexibility to do the work on their own schedule? It’s a godsend, especially with the state of transit and the cost of living in Vancouver.

The scope, I find, is one of the more challenging aspects of this project, as I have to properly identify what and how to pursue the topics for this project, but within a reasonable timeframe and logistics.

Overall, progress is steady. The research phase should be underway and the rest will follow.

Peer Reviews, LinkedIn Profile
The new format allows a far better visual organization for ideas. I took advantage of this by detailing my peer report template in a way that allows standardization and customization. And such is important when taking into account the many different aspects that compose a LinkedIn profile. I used checklists for standard items (i.e. having a professional profile pic) and long comments for fine details. My feedback received here was also similar to many others – the essentials are present, but there’s more work to do long-term.

 

Peer Reviews, Formal Report Outline
The most significant aspect I’ve learned here, in both peer reviewing other’s’ work and receiving peer reviews for my own, is how every content should be tailored to the audience. In practice, reports that follow this are more persuasive and agreeable towards their audiences. I find that, while small technicalities, such as reducing wordiness, clarifying phrases, and others, are relatively miniscule if the underlying content isn’t aligned towards a clearly defined audience.

Overall:
Beyond the fundamentals of proper word structure and meaning, I find that this unit has given me more insight towards catering my written content towards a clearly defined audience. Moving on, I look forward to the next units of the course.

Attachments:

revisedAssignment2.1FormalReportProposalbyRobTrigo

Peer reviews:

LinkedIn:
http://engl301.arts.ubc.ca/2017/06/19/assignment-22-peer-review-for-linkedin-profile-2/

Formal Report Outline:

Peer Review: Formal Report Proposal for Using Visual Notes (Lani Diana)

As of now, I’ve written for various purposes. This includes academic works, books and other works for my self-publishing endeavours, written communication for business purposes, and more. I feel as if the first unit of this course has already started to enhance my endeavours for these purposes. The course has bestowed upon me a greater foresight in writing skill – such as self-awareness in writing, self-editing, and optimizing for clarity and preciseness.

INITIAL WORK:

The first few works in the unit gave me opportunities to enhance my writing skills. The emails to prospective team members was a chance to review, improve, and enhance the persuasive aspects of my writing – while also complying with the conventions of an email. The letter of application and Bio were further chances for persuasive writing, while also offering a moment to reflect on my past efforts and work, as well as my acquired skills.

 

ORIGINAL WRITING:

I chose not to do Artificial Intelligence (AI) itself because it has become a generalized term today. Instead, I chose a subtopic, the term Machine Learning, not just because of its plentifulness in current technology but also because of its narrower specialization. It has become so ubiquitous in current technology that it may be worthwhile to educate the general public about its nature.

 

PEER REVIEW PROCESS:

The opportunity to peer review one another’s’ work has always been a valuable experience. Even at this standard of written English communication, us writers are still prone to unnoticed writing errors.

Hence, additional perspectives to my work are always beneficial. This has been attested by a peer review towards my definitions. My original draft required a few minor tweaks in addition to a few rearrangements to better accommodate the flow of thought.

The opportunity to review a peer’s work was another valuable experience. I had an opportunity to improve my writing practices by inspecting a peer’s work, while also referencing technical writing standards for compliance.

For the peer review and editing process, I’ve learned that the many guidelines provided by the textbook offer a set of key rules that outline and define well-written work. I’ve used these guidelines often during both peer-reviewing others’ work and editing my work. Also, I’m starting to write more efficiently and effortlessly.

In short, this was a fruitful experience. I look forward to more opportunities to sharpen my technical writing.

Link to written Peer Review:

http://engl301.arts.ubc.ca/2017/06/05/peer-review-of-arbitrage-assignment-1-3/

Attached Definitions:

MachineLearningrevisedAssignment1.3-Definitions

Date: May 26, 2017

From: Rob Trigo

To: Michael Aaron Robinson

Subject: ENGL 301: Invitation to form a writing team

 

 

Dear Aaron,

 

I hope everything is going well for you. Thank you for your application. I’ve looked over your application and decided that I would like to form a writing team together.

 

Your previous experience, accumulation of skills, and character will be a great advantage to us.

I notice your office experience and background in written and verbal communication, as well as your experience in managing a yacht club and communicating effectively to hundreds of members. Your interest in Economics would also be valuable in the professional world; I entrust that  you will hone your expertise well.

 

I’ve attached my application letter below. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

With sincere regards,

 

 

Rob Trigo


301 ROB APPLICATION LETTER

Date: May 26, 2017

From: Rob Trigo

To: Brooke Bowles

Subject: ENGL 301: Invitation to form a writing team

 

Dear Brooke,

 

I hope everything is well. Thank you for your application to our writing group. I’ve assessed it and decided that I’m interested in forming a writing team together.

 

Your background in economics would be a great asset to our group. Your status as a mature student, which indicates your diligence, responsible nature, and steady work ethic, would be a great fit with our group. I share many of your traits and I continually search for prospective members with traits similar to ours.

 

My letter of application is attached below. I’m available for any questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

With sincere regards,

 

Rob Trigo

301 ROB APPLICATION LETTER

Date: May 26, 2017

From: Rob Trigo

To: Lani Diana

Subject: ENGL 301: Invitation to form a writing team

 

Dear Lani,

 

I hope you’re doing well. Thank you for applying to our group. After reviewing your application, I’ve decided that I would gladly like to form a writing team with you.

 

Your skills and traits would prove to be valuable to our group. I notice your experience as a Math and Stats tutor, which indicates your adept skills in communication. Your previous experience with technical communications, as noted by your work in writing emails and memos, cannot go unnoticed. I also notice your mature, responsible studying habits, such as adhering to deadlines, dedication to practice, and being organized and detail-oriented.  I share many of your traits and I continually search for prospective members with traits similar to ours.

 

Below is my application letter. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

With sincere regards,

 

Rob Trigo

 

301 ROB APPLICATION LETTER

Email Memorandum

To: Dr. Erika Paterson
From: Robert Trigo
Date: May 23, 2017
Subject: Summary of my completed Letter of Application

Thank you for your consideration. Attending to your request, I summarize my completed Letter of Application below in order:

– Intention to form a writing team
– Description of working style and group synergy
– Overview of academic writing history
– Overview of business and professional experience in written communication

For the full content of my application letter, please access the attached document below.

With sincere regards,

Rob Trigo
301 ROB APPLICATION LETTER

Rob Trigo
666 Cool Kids Drive,
Beverly Hills, California
90210
May 23rd, 2017

ENGL 301: Technical Writing
The University of British Columbia
2329 West Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6T 1Z4

Dear Classmates,

We know we’re committing to this course because we understand the importance of learning, if not mastering, its material. One day, we’ll have employers to apply to, sales to close, ideas to support, and more. You have your individual reasons why you want to excel at this course. I can gladly help you with those as a member of your group. My get-it-done work ethic and adept, direct, persuasive writing style will be a great advantage for you.

In terms of group work, we’ll surely be a great fit. I’m an early initiator, a meticulate deadline finisher, and a consistent, timely producer. As a student and professional, I’ve joined numerous teams resulting in prosperous camaraderie. I’m also highly organized with a precise sense of detail; i often like to work with a clear set of criteria, guidelines, checklists, and benchmarks.

As a graduating student, I’ve written many essays, term papers, exams, and other academic works. Thus, my experience in academic writing will surely aid you.

As a self-publishing author and content writer with countless projects, you’ll benefit from my written communication skills. I believe it’s crucial to report information in a clear manner, especially when dealing with technologically complex issues or critically sensitive material.

I also manage and lead an online staff team plus a handful of subcontractors. They support my online businesses through social media support, product promotion, and more. I frequently communicate with them in a clear, direct, and precise manner.

I was also a marketing specialist for an industrial company. I’ve often communicated, executed, and supported my ideas during my employment period.

If you’re interested in collaborating together, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your consideration. I wish you the best of luck with the course. I look forward to working with you.

With sincere regards,

Rob Trigo

301 ROB APPLICATION LETTER