William Clark's blog

Unit 3 was an extremely useful and engaging unit. Learning to write wth YOU attitude, the formal report draft, and a peer review were very advantageous exercises for this course and for the future.

Learning to write with YOU attitude in the form of bad news and complaints letter was a very advantageous exercise. It opened up my eyes to simple details in writing that can make any letter, email, or simple memo much more powerful. I learnt many strategies for writing that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and pass on to anybody who needs it.

The Formal Report Draft was a very helpful exercise for this course. It pushed me to do more work on the assignment, instead of just leaving it to the last minute which can sometimes be an issue. In addition, I truly enjoyed and treasured the information I was able to find on non-profit organizations, as much of the research will be passed on to an actual organization which can use it for beneficial purposes.

The peer review opened my eyes up to the many possibilities this report could have been on, and the wide range of knowledge students in this class have. My partner showed impressive expertise in the field of his formal report draft, which pertained to a subject I barely knew existed. Furthermore, the peer review process showed me the different ways to implement images, and better ways to use interviews, surveys, or secondary data, and how to incorporate those sources into the text of the Formal Report. It was a very beneficial experience.

Overall, Unit 3 consisted of very advantageous and helpful exercises. The assignments gave me a much better idea of technical writing, and gave me strategies that I will be able to use in my future.

Assignment 2:3 was a very engaging and useful assignment. The creation of a Linkedin account, a Formal Report progress report, and a peer review were advantageous exercises.

The creation of a LinkedIn profile was a very beneficial assignment for this unit. I did not have a LinkedIn profile before we were assigned to create one, and I was excited to finally initiate my professional profile. It is a very widely used social networking site, so I felt that it is almost a necessity to have one.

The process of preparing the report proposal and outline was also a very engaging assignment. It allowed me to use critical thinking to address what would best cover each necessary part of the formal report. Furthermore, I feel confident and excited about continuing with my progress, as it is nice to see the pieces of the formal report fall into place. Although I feel it may take an extensive amount of work, I feel my formal report will come together in the end.

The peer review I received was very helpful information. I found, at times, I was not clear enough, and did not consistently keep my audience in mind. However, I did notice improvement from my latest assignment, which was peer reviewed. I discovered I need to be more aware of careless mistakes, such as repeating words or punctuation marks.

The peer review for my partner’s proposal was also a very interesting assignment. I found that, with a more extensive piece, it was quite engaging to discover an individual’s writing style. I also found that many writing mistakes are quite common, and are simply overlooked during the writing process. It was also very interesting to read what one clearly has a passion for, as one’s writing is usually better when discussing a subject which the writer is passionate about. The peer review process allowed me to read more into the detail of a certain piece, and not just scan the words mindlessly. I found the peer review assignment to be one of the most helpful parts of the unit.

Overall, unit two consisted of very beneficial and helpful assignments. The assignments gave me a much better idea of technical writing, and gave me strategies that I will be able to use in my future.

William Clark Revised Formal Report

Peer Review: http://engl301.arts.ubc.ca/2017/02/10/peer-review-of-formal-report-proposal-for-william-clark-by-daryn-mulholland/

Lesson 1:3 was a very useful and beneficial assignment. It made me aware of three different types of definitions, and how to write properly in a simple, yet engaging format.

Writing the definitions was a challenging and thought provoking assignment. Euroscepticism is a term I was not very familiar with prior to this assignment, but one that seemed interesting and relevant to my field of study. While writing the different definitions, I attempted to consider that my audience would be those who are unfamiliar with my field of study. This made me attempt to write as simply as I possibly could, using terms which would be familiar to a general audience. The choices I selected to further explain the expanded definition were also picked with the same goal.

The peer review was the most challenging and thought provoking part of the assignment. I found Emily Lam’s (my partner) definition on “equilibrium” very well done and an interesting read. The assignment was challenging because it can be difficult at times to critique someone else’s work, when we are learning the same material. However, I attempted to keep a completely objective view, and think of the assignment guidelines in order to present the best peer review I was capable of. I also found it interesting to read in-depth into someone else’s writing style, and to try to analyze what their thought process was when creating their assignment.

The self-editing was a very interesting part of the assignment as well. I found that when writing my definitions, I would sometimes lose thought of who my audience was intended to be, and only consider those who knew the context of my definition. When proofreading my definitions, it still was not obvious that this was overlooked. I was thankful for my peer review, as it allowed me to view my work from a fresh set of eyes. Once the mistakes were pointed out, it was quite obvious where the mistake was made, and how simple it was to fix.

Overall, I found the assignment a very enjoyable and beneficial assignment for my future. I believe it will help me write in a technical style much better, and it gave me an understanding of how to write for a certain audience.

http://engl301.arts.ubc.ca/2017/02/01/peer-review-for-william-clarks-assignment-13-definitions/

From: William Clark
To: Fei Wang
Subject: Writing Team Membership
Date: January 23, 2017

Dear Fei,

I have reviewed your letter of application, and would like to invite you to be a part of my writing team for the semester. I believe that your extensive experience in academic research and professional work would be an asset for a technical writing team. Your background in statistics could be complemented quite well by my background in Political Science. In addition, both our strong work ethics would only be beneficial.

Attached to this email is a copy of my application letter. The letter describes my own academic and professional experience, as well as my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I hope you find interest in me being part of your writing team. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook or through my email at willieclark37@hotmail.com

Thank you,

William Clark

301 William Clark Application Letter

From: William Clark
To: Kristi Collins
Subject: Writing Team Membership
Date: January 23, 2017

Dear Kristi,

I have reviewed your letter of application, and would like to invite you to be a part of my writing team for the semester. I believe your academic background and experience with scientific writing could complement my background in the arts very well. In addition, I believe your excellent time-management skills would be beneficial to any team.

Attached to this email is a copy of my application letter. The letter describes my own academic and professional experience, as well as my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I hope you find interest in me being part of your writing team. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook or through my email at willieclark37@hotmail.com

Thank you,

 William Clark

301 William Clark Application Letter

From: William Clark
To: Kumar Rithvik Kasireddy
Subject: Writing Team Membership
Date: January 23, 2017

Dear Rithvik,

I have reviewed your letter of application, and would like to invite you to be a part of my writing team for the semester. I believe that our similar academic backgrounds in the field of Political Science could be extremely advantageous for our success in English 301. In addition, your extensive experience with working in groups can only be beneficial to any writing team.

Attached to this email is a copy of my application letter. The letter describes my own academic and professional experience, as well as my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I hope you find interest in me being part of your writing team. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook or through my email at willieclark37@hotmail.com

Thank you,

William Clark

301 William Clark Application Letter

This blog assignment will show our understanding of how to properly use an email memorandum. This memorandum summarizes our letter of application.

MEMORANDUM

To: Erika Paterson, English Professor
From: William Clark English 301 99A Student 52663151
Date: January 19, 2016
Subject: Letter of Application

As instructed, I have posted my letter of application onto my blog. There will also be a copy of the letter attached to this memo.

The letter of application contains the following information:

• My request to be accepted into a professional writing team for the duration of the semester
• My professional interests and experience in a professional workplace
• My strengths and weakness’ in terms of writing skills and work habits
• My learning philosophy

Thank you for taking the time to review my application, and I look forward to hearing your suggestions as to where I can improve my writing. I am looking forward to the semester.

301 William Clark Application Letter

1234 English Road
Vancouver, BC A1B C2D
January 16, 2017

English 301 Technical Writing
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

Dear fellow students of English 301 Technical Writing,

My name is William Clark. I am currently enrolled in my third year of a Political Science undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC). I am extremely grateful for all that I learn at UBC, but I am particularly excited to expand my knowledge in the field of professional and technical writing with you all.

During my academic career, I developed an ability to write persuasively through the form of an essay or scientific report. This matured my writing skills, while my oral communication skills were developed outside of academia. While a high school senior, I volunteered as an inline hockey coach for youths, which showed me the importance of thorough communication. In the summer of 2016, I worked in the country of Portugal in the hospitality industry at a hostel. This sparked my interest in professional and technical writing, as it gave me an understanding of the importance of communication on a business level. I wrote e-mails to future guests, contributed to the hostel’s Facebook page, and was shown the importance of advertising.

As an avid reader, I am well aware of the detail and effort that can go into even a simple sentence. I found that my ability to write persuasively and confidently, while paying attention to detail, are considered my strengths in my writing. Despite my experience in the summer of 2016, I do not have much knowledge in professional and technical writing, as my career in academia has not expanded to the field of business.

My learning style is based off of organization and an interest in the subject matter. This stimulates a greater effort with more efficiency. I found that this can cause me to take a bit longer to understand the subject matter completely. However, with greater practice and effort, I believe this can be overcome.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application. If you are interested in forming a writing group, please contact me at willieclark37@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,

William Clark

301 William Clark Application Letter