TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Erik Henry
DATE: 3/6/08
SUBJECT: WWL 9

This week there was a lot of class time set aside for group work. However, on Monday during the beginning of class we had class discussion on the topic of what the class had frequent struggles with when writing papers. A few responses from students were: run-on sentences, starting and closing the paper. Jason also went over Revising and Editing papers and showed us the “track changes” (which I managed to fudge up in my editing assignment). More subjects covered in class on Monday included: Common grammatical errors, proofreading (and to do last) and to look for things like fragments, run-ons and inconsistent tense.

On Wednesday we spent pretty much the entire class in our project groups. We spent most of our time with scheduling. We decided that we would all have our rough drafts of our respective sections emailed to Dave by Friday so that he could write the abstract. Also, we need to have the parts emailed to Robert so that he could begin with the design of the white paper itself. I am writing the part about insulation and how it can help solve the problem of houses wasting of energy. Dave is writing the part of about the history and introduction of the problem and Robert is writing about solar panels as a possible solution.

On Thursday I am going to finish up my part of the rough draft so that I don’t have to work on it on Spring Break. Friday class is optional and we decided as a group that we weren’t going to attend and do things via internet.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Matthew Stipp
RE: WWL 9
DATE: 3/6/08

Our group finished writing the white paper on Wednesday. We have all contributed the pre-designated parts and finished a rough draft. I believe the white paper will turn out well. We will have the entire week after spring break to edit and design the finished product. I finished my portion of the white paper on March 2nd (photoelectrochemical hydrogen production). Looking back to freshman year, English 106 helped me become better at the writing process: through research techniques, outlining the paper, and editing. English 421 has benefited me by learning how to write for a purpose.

I started my portion of the whitepaper by outlining key points. These key points became my headings for each main topic. Then I gathered my research into subtopics in order to make the writing process more fluid. This allowed me to concentrate my efforts on each supporting detail. In the introduction to one of our solutions (photoelectrochemical hydrogen production), I gave the background of the process, disadvantages (mainly cost) of implementation, and current government legislation on hydrogen production. The next section involved photovoltaic cells. I explained the current research and the process in which it converts sunlight into electricity. Then I explained the process of water-splitting (electrolysis) in the following subtopic. Lastly I combined the constituent parts of the system into a final subtopic explaining the complete process. I made a conscious effort to relate the graphics with text boxes to explain the process or picture. I could not find a simplified flowchart to explain the overall process, so I constructed a chart using Microsoft Visio. The purpose of the final chart was to aid the “pressed-for-time” reader to quickly scan and get a grasp on the entire process.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Cory Robinson
Re: Weekly Work Log #9
Date: March 6, 2008

This week was a very crucial week for us as a class and as a group. Every day this week we were given time in class to meet as a group and collect our information and our thoughts. We have accomplished a lot thanks to these in-class group meetings and it helps us as a few members in our group can’t meet out of class. On Monday went over the struggles of the class so Jason could get a feel for where we are. Not many people spoke up probably because no one was far enough along to have any issues; this was the case with our group. We also went over how to track revisions for easy editing by using the feature in Word. After the class discussion we met in our groups and we assigned positions within to help us get organized. We continued to learn about our topic and gather our thoughts so we could do an outline.

On Wednesday and Friday we discussed common errors in writing since we are not English writers, this information was very useful. We spent the rest of class time meeting with our group. We made a rough outline and presented it Jason for review who assured us we were on the right track but needed to get moving before the deadline creeps up on us; I agreed. Over break we don’t plan on accomplishing much, but Jeremy has decided to knock out a large section of the paper that he is knowledgeable about. This will be very helpful so that when we get back we can meet up and finish the draft by Monday because I don’t plan on learning while I’m on the beach.

Cory Robinson
clrobins@purdue.edu

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Dan Stockwell
DATE: 03/06/08
SUBJECT: Weekly Work-log #9
This week in class was useful when talking about the process to review a paper, most notably the re(vision) process. This helped give different perspectives and methods to review a paper and actually make the changes instead of merely re-reading the paper and making little to no adjustments. The in-class workday was also extremely useful, allowing most of our group to sync and see where everyone was, and gave us some time to review our own sections.

Overall our group got a great deal done this week. We fairly successfully wrote most of the major sections of the white paper and were able to combine it into one mostly cohesive document. There are still a few key sections that need to be written and others that need to be revised, however it is a great relief to see the sections containing the major solutions and the introduction completed and on the paper. The complete draft document should (hopefully) be completed by Friday before leaving for spring break.

For next week:
• Have a good time in Florida

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Jeremy Fehrenbacher
Re: Weekly Work Log #9
Date: March 6, 2008
This past week focused a decent amount on our group white paper. We started off Monday by discussing some items that people struggled with when writing a paper (i.e.-getting started, elaborate vocabulary). We then cover some techniques for reviewing our papers. We covered such items as reviewing, editing, revisions, etc. Jason explained to us how revisions and editing are different, which was an interesting concept to me. He explained the order in which we were to carry out these tasks and why we do them in that order. It was actually a very helpful presentation, as I did not know the difference between lots of these items.
Wednesday, we focused primarily on group work. Our group got together and explained where we wanted to go with our paper and when we wanted to complete each task. We came to the conclusion that Jack and myself would work on the main body, such as the problems and solutions, seeing as we have some experience in this field, while Cory and Stephanie would work on the other parts. Jack and I will have our parts done by Friday, so that we can give them to Cory and Stephanie to work on over spring break. We then presented our ideas to Mr. Buchanan who approved our thinking. This coming week all my brothers are coming in from all over the country, so I hope to relax at home and spend time with the family. I’m already fretting the Monday that I get back, and I have to continue working on this project.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Jack Watson
DATE: March 7, 2008
SUBJECT: Weekly Work Log #9
This week in class was mainly spent time getting with our groups in class and discussing our white paper projects. On Monday we got together and discussed our deadlines that we had set out for the project. We decided that Jeremy and I will write rough drafts of the problems and solutions of our project and that Steph and Corey will write the abstract, introduction, and the conclusion. We decided that the content information needed to be written, or a rough draft put on paper so Corey and Steph could write the other parts of the paper based on the information provided throughout the content. We decided to write the paper this way due to the fact Jeremy and I are more in-tune with the subject matter in the white paper project than the others are.
On Wednesday during class we meet in our groups again and we went over a rough copy of what I had started for the project. During this meeting we decided to have the content rough drafts completed by Friday the 8th of March, so that Corey and Steph can begin writing their sections of the project. We also began discussing our design strategy such as setup, color schemes, and overall look.
On Friday I finished the rough draft section of the content that I was responsible. Overall I believe it is pretty well written, of course it needs a few changes but the paper reads pretty well. In class on Friday we meet as a group, minus Steph (spring break) and gave the content papers to Corey and e-mailed Steph a digital copy. We discussed that we should take a look at the information and try to stay a diligent as possible over spring break so we don’t have to cram long nights at the library to finish the project on time.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Heather Tennis
Date: March 7, 2008
Subject: Weekly Work Log #9

This week was a work week for our group. Everyday in class we were given time to work on our white papers along with an in class discussion of what we had the most trouble with when writing papers. Many students said beginning and closing the paper were what they had the most trouble with.

Wednesday and Friday were the two main workdays for the groups to work on their white papers. My group has assigned roles and a basic concept of what the topic is and how to write the paper. Jeremy sat down a knocked out a large portion of the paper so that we would not have a lot to do when we returned from Spring Break.

We plan to finish the paper and review the final project when we return from spring break and make any changes that we find necessary.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Jeremy Greene
re: wwl
Date: 3/7/08

This week was spent compiling research and beginning the writing process. As a group we formed an outline of the white paper. I spent a couple days writing so we could make some forward progress since it seemed we weren't really getting anywhere. We now have a couple of rough pages done and there is still a little left to write.

I will be spending some time over break writing some more, inserting correct citations, and getting the paper in a complete form to be revised. By the end of next week We should have something ready for thorough revisions.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Rob Chase
Date: March 7, 2008
Subject: Weekly Work Log #9
This week was mostly a work week, but we did some more work regarding the white paper design, including critiquing a white paper for design errors. As for our group, we decided on who is doing what parts, and when we were going to have the rough drafts completed. We were all going on spring break so we decided to have our parts mostly completed by next Saturday. After I receive each separate section I will have to take each and put them together into one. We are having class review of our project the Monday we return from break, so we want to have a decent draft by then.
After getting ideas from the class and teacher as to what can be improved, we will spend the first week back fixing and cleaning up the white paper so that it is ready to be turned in Friday.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Dave Lynn
Re: WWL
Date: 3-8-08

This week we didn’t have too much as far as lectures. We devoted most of our time into working on our own white papers. We did spend some time in class looking at white papers from a previous class. Our group had the white paper that happened to be in color. For the most part it was well designed. The coloring was similar to what we have agreed to use in our own. The main fault that we noticed was with the consistency. When they were designing it, parts looked like they had been done individually. Much of the rest of the week was spent talking about our ideas with our groups. Our group decided that we were going to have most of our research done before spring break. During spring break, I am going to gather all of the material to form an intro and a more specific outline. I am then going to get started on the abstract. I am then going to finish up and send it to Rob by Saturday. He is going to put everything together for our class meeting on the Monday after spring break. We will then go over some revision advice from the class to produce the final copy. We will then turn that in on that Friday. We took care of some important things this week. The most important accomplishment was the schedule. It seemed to fit in with everyone in our group. We were also able to come up with some very good pictures to use in the white paper.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Stephanie Simmons
DATE: March 8, 2008
SUBJECT: Weekly Work Log

This week in class the main focus once again was the white paper. We were allowed quite a bit of time to discuss the project in class. During this time my group mainly talked about deadlines we were setting for when each person’s portion needed to be completed. Two of my group members are working on the problems and solutions of commercial space travel, while one other person and I are writing the abstract, introduction, and conclusion. I did not come to class on Friday, but the rough drafts for the problems and solutions were completed by Friday morning and emailed to me. Since I will be home for the first part of spring break I will have more than enough time to write my rough draft of the conclusion.

We are still sticking with the deadline of finishing the rough draft by the Monday after spring break. If the due date was not moved from that Monday, we would have had a difficult time finishing it in time. Because the peer review is now on Wednesday, we are going to be able to talk about the design and potential graphics before then. There is one article we found that has a lot of the information we needed for this project, and it also provides several helpful statistical graphs that will be quite useful. We just have to decide what our colors will be so that we can modify the graphs accordingly.

This week was mostly a work week. Our group was concerned about completing and getting together a working rough draft of the paper including formating and design. For my section it ended up taking about 7 hours to write and properly cite all my sources used. I had to look up additional sources as my current ones did not have all the information I needed to back up my statements in the whitepaper. Most of my information already comes from whitepapers that discuss the various forms of green computing; so they are (supposedly) non-bias as that is the point of the white paper. Overall, the white paper turned out very good with only Matt needing to add some more information to his section. The paper is about 12 pages long with all the included graphics and formatting done. For my section I need to go through and edit the language to make it sound more professional. I try to write the paper in simple language in the first pass to make sure that I am getting my point across before trying to edit the document. On Monday the rough draft is due but there is only minor work needed to turn in a rough draft on Monday.

TO:Jason Buchanan
FROM:Erik Henry
DATE:3/21/08
SUBJECT: WWL 10

This week was pretty much all dedicated to the white paper. On Monday, all the groups came to class with their white paper rough drafts. The papers were passed around to the rest of the groups for review. The purpose for the reviews on the Monday was to focus solely on the content of the papers, and not the design. The biggest problems our group had was with using words such as; “you, we, and us”. Also, we indented our paper which we were not supposed to do. We were told we need to enlarge our headers and make them stand out better from the rest of the paper. We needed to go into depth on certain subjects and describe things better. This helped with our paper length as well.

I spent a lot of time on Tuesday with proofreading as well as overall design. And making sure the paper was flowing smoothly. On Wednesday, the focus of the class time was to have a workshop to fix design problems with our papers. Some major problems that we had that needed to be fixed was that we didn’t have our pages numbered. Also, we needed to make a title page for the beginning of our paper. We were also given class time towards the end of class to work on the project. We split up the remaining parts that needed to be done to finalize our project.

Thursday, the group emailed me their parts and I put the paper together and made finalizations such as proofreading and transition fixes. Friday we will turn in

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Dan Stockwell
DATE: 03/06/08
SUBJECT: Weekly Work-log #9

This week (as said above) was completely and entirely dedicated to the white paper. There was a variety of things that we needed to fix in order for the paper to be finalized. A great deal of the design of the paper was updated, rearranged, and restructured to better accommodate what was recommend in class as well as what we believed would have the best ‘flare’.

Everyone was also to thoroughly check their sections and make updates and final touches as necessary. The annotated bibliography also needed to be put back together along with a works cited page to list all new sources put into the paper. We also liked the title bar on the top of each page along with and interesting page numbering system (noted in some other groups) and integrated the ideas into our own. This, I believe, gave our paper a little more character, filling in some of the empty white space and giving it purpose.

We also updated our formal proposal to try and fix the mistakes we made in the draft, in hopes that this version might improve the grade. Overall our group worked very well, especially for this past week to get everything done.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Tim Huser
DATE: 03/06/08
SUBJECT: Weekly Work-log

During this week of English 421 I primarily worked on the White paper project. We were ahead of schedule for the paper going into break; however we did not work on it at all during spring break so we feel behind a little bit. I would have to say that the hardest part of the paper was the editing of the document. There was a lot to fix in the content, grammar, spelling and design. Our topic lead us to use words that Microsoft obviously doesn’t think exist. Due to the scientific nature of new alternative fuels, this became a big hassle to find what was actually correct. It seemed like one word in each sentence had a red line under it. Once the paper looked good text wise there were still things that needed to be done design wise. This was a hassle as well because different people were modifying the document on different machines with different versions of Microsoft office. This caused a ton of formatting changes and was rather inconvenient. The project finally came together Friday morning just in time to be printed and turned in hot of the press. Overall I thought it went well and we did a good job considering how short on time we were as a group.

TO:Jason Buchanan
FROM:Rob Chase
DATE:3/21/08
SUBJECT: WWL 10

This week was our final week to complete our white paper project. Monday in class we let other groups read and review our rough draft so that we could get a better idea of what might be missing. Mondays review was strictly over content. Our rough draft was very rough on Monday, but hearing others opinions really helped us realize what we needed to add to the paper to make it better. Each of our group members worked on the paper for Wednesday, so that it would be ready for the design critique. On Wednesday, our white paper was put on the overhead projector for the entire class and teacher to view. Everyone commented on what they liked, and what needed work. Wednesday night and Thursday was when we made our final changes to the project. We scheduled our time well so we weren’t rushing to put our project together at the last minute. Friday’s class was very short, and we got to leave early. We turned in our final white papers and were introduced to the next and final project. For this weekend I am going to try to find or organization what could use my help, and that can help me complete the final project.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Stephanie Simmons
DATE: March 21, 2008
SUBJECT: Weekly Work Log

This week we finished up the white paper projects. My group had most of the writing finished the Monday we came back from spring break and just had to put it all together. In class that day we exchanged papers with another group in class and critiqued the content of those papers. There were a couple of things the other group told us that we were able to improve, but because we put everyone’s parts together right before handing it in we knew everything did not flow.

Our group met on Tuesday to put everything together. We combined everyone’s individual sections and worked on the design, picking the colors and adding text boxes and pictures where we thought they were necessary. Class on Wednesday was set up similar to when we critiqued the resumes and cover letters for the employment project. Each group’s paper was displayed on the screen so that everyone in the class could comment on the design.

Class on Friday was short since we just went in to turn the white paper projects in, and talk about the next group project. This weekend we are supposed to look for businesses around Lafayette or organizations at Purdue who could use our help making a flyer or pamphlet. Groups will be formed based on our findings. This project seems like it will take the most time and effort because of the type of work it involves, working with a business or organization.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Matthew Stipp
RE: WWL 10
DATE: 3/21/08

The white paper project is completed. I am very pleased with the way our paper came together through collaboration. The way we designated people tasks through an excel matrix allowed us to see individual progress throughout the entire project. Our group members worked together and we didn’t have any slackers. As a group we proposed to have the majority of the white paper finished before spring break. This allowed us to take the entire week before the project was due to make editing changes and design implementations. We designated people to the design stage as we felt it would better benefit the white paper. E-mail was a valuable tool to the well-being of our project. Through utilizing e-mail we were able to work on our own parts and funnel them to a designated party to combine into the final paper. Most of us did not have time during the school week, and it was an easy solution that enabled us to share work. The white paper allowed me to become better at researching and writing for an audience. I learned how to edit sections and to use pictures to emphasize points. This has been one of the most interesting projects I have worked on at Purdue. I actually learned a scientific process and was able to break it down into a filtered format. Through this process I was able to make something complex rather simple so almost anyone could understand the technology.

For Next Week
•Begin to brainstorm ideas for the Service Learning Project.

This week the final white paper was due on Friday. This meant finishing the editing and formatting/styling of the paper. Most of the paper was already edited and formatted by Monday. On Monday, each group critiqued another groups white paper and made suggestions about what was good and bad about the white paper.

On Wednesday we continued critiquing the papers except that it was about the styling of the paper and not the content. There were some good suggestions about what types of colors should be used to because printed colors differ from LCD and projector screens.

Thursday was spent gathering up all the drafts and making the corrections on the annotated bib. and proposal. Also, the index was created and a final pass over the paper was performed on a printed copy to identify any mistakes.

On Friday, the final white paper and all other requested materials were turned in. Hooray. The next
project was then discussed and brainstorming needs to take place. Thats all for this week.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Dave Lynn
Re: WWL
Date: 3/22/08

I was not able to make class on Friday because I have the flu. Since we only had three members, we had to do some things differently. Everyone had to contribute to the writing of the paper. Last week I asked my group members to email me what they had so far. They were writing about the two solutions. I used what they had to form up the abstract and the introduction. I was focusing on making these two sections very readable. Then I then had to write the history. This was the most difficult section for me to write. It was especially hard to find any useable sources. Most of the information was unsuitable for our paper. I probably spent about eighty percent of my time doing research. I then sent everything off to Erik. He did a very good job preparing the paper for class on Monday. We had some very useful comments on the content, but most of the writing was at a close. After class, Erik then added in some of the basic graphics. We had some more very good tips about these. Rob then worked on finalizing the paper’s graphics. I then worked on annotated bibliography and the works cited page. These two steps were not that difficult because I have spent so much time in the past working with bibliographies. Rob then completed the table of contents. We both sent Erik our final results. He put everything together for the final product. The paper looks good and I am very happy with our groups combined effort.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Jack Watson
Subject: Weekly Work Log #10
Date: 3/22/2008
On Monday the class met in our white paper groups again for the first time since before spring break. As a group we discussed what had accomplished for the white paper over spring break. We decided to meet on Tuesday night to begin to finalize our white paper project. We also did a peer review of the other group’s project. We just looked for large errors, and give suggestions of things that would make the paper look better.
On Tuesday night we meet as a group at the library and began putting all our information together and mostly just worked on our overall design. We worked on colors, text boxes, pictures, and overall format.
Weds day in class we did another peer review, but this review was that we just looked at the overall design of the white paper project. We put everyone’s project on the overhead and reviewed it. We gave many suggestions on coloring, bordering, font size, structure, and grammar errors if we saw them. This review was very useful to help the groups make sure their overall project looked professional and sharp. Thursday night I took all our information and put everything together for the final white paper project to turn in. I also revised our white paper proposal to turn in along with the annotated bibliography.
Friday’s class was pretty laid back. We came in and turned in our white paper projects and since most of us were tired from working on white papers all night the previous night class was short. After we turned the papers in, we discussed the next project for the class. We need to think about some projects we can do for a company over the weekend. We need to find a company that needs some sort of technical writing done for them.

After coming back from spring break, we needed to have a rough draft done that Monday. We were doing some peer reviews based on the actual writing of the paper. So we exchanged with another group and it seemed like it was going to be useful. In our group, we took turns and each would read one paragraph and correct any mistakes. Then we would pass it to the next person. After we were done, we announced to the class the corrections we thought were necessary. Although I felt that we did a descent job and helped the other group, I felt that we did not get much help for our paper through this method. There were not very many suggestions at all on how to correct our paper. After class on Monday, we needed to meet again in order to finalize our paper and its design. Therefore, we all met at hicks on Tuesday. During our class on Wednesday, we did more peer reviews only this time we did it as a whole class on the projector and we focused on the design of the paper. This was more useful than Monday, I felt, because of the whole class participating. After class on Wednesday, we still had a couple things left to do on our paper. So on Thursday Stephanie and I met at hicks to work on the abstract because we could not meet later that night. Jack and Jeremy met at night to put everything together and re-write our proposal. Friday we had our whole project due. It was nice to finish with everything; however, now we have to start thinking about our next project, The Service Project.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Heather Tennis
Date: March 22, 2008
Subject: Weekly Work Log 10

This week was all about critiquing and editing and revising our white papers for the final due date which was Friday. Our white papers were one of two group projects for this semester, the other project is a Service Learning project which I read about just to get ahead a little bit before our white paper was due.

Monday we critiqued the actual white paper by trading with other groups in the class. They gave us some ideas as to what we needed to improve upon and what we could change as far as grammar or content if they saw anything that needed to be corrected.

Wednesday we critiqued the design and layout of our white paper by submitting them to Jason and then having the whole class critique them instead of another group, like we did the actual white paper. Everyone commented on what we can improve upon and what they liked and disliked about our layout, color scheme, and where the pictures were placed.

Friday was the actual due date of the final project. We also discussed a little more about the Service Learning Project. If we finish this project early we do not have to come to class the last day of class.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Elizabeth Woodcock
RE: WWL 10
DATE: 3/22/07

I spent much of this week working on my white paper with the group. I had an awesome group who was very motivated to get things done early. And while things may not have gotten done as early as we hoped, they all pulled together to make a good white paper. This week was somewhat stressful, but only because of the deadline. Since I am not a super fan of deadlines, this makes me rather nervous, and I tend to stress out – so I stressed out, lost sleep and of course because my group was on top of things, everything turned out to be just fine. The design of the paper was interesting. The whole red and yellow concept wasn’t exactly my favorite, but it turned out looking nice. My team like the change in text boxes that we used, the less yellow in the paper, the more professional it looked in my opinion. After the cover page was done, things went rather smoothly. It was fact that the cover page took so much effort because of the Word 2007 layering that gave us so many problems. The rest of the paper design came quite quickly and quite easily. I look forward to the next project, I think it might be more interesting helping an organization, and there will be more drive to provide a greater quality piece of writing. For this project I hope to work with Bowen labs because they are such a different kind of engineering, one that I don’t know much about. The development that is going on there is changing the way building and concrete are used, especially in regards to earthquakes and flooding. It is not to say that I am interested in concrete, I don’t really understand how people can send their entire lives working on it, but I am interested in the progress that the group has made over in Bowen.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Jeremy Fehrenbacher
RE: WWL 10
DATE: 3/22/08

This week we did a ton of work with our White Paper project. My group threw together everything we had on Sunday evening. Then on Monday, we reviewed each other’s White Papers. We noticed several mistakes, be we also saw several items that we liked, and thought about incorporating them into our paper. We then noticed the silly grammar mistakes on our paper, which then we edited the whole paper again. Tuesday, our group got together to work on the design of the paper. We found pictures and text boxes to add into our presentation. We threw it all together again, and added in other designs, such as backgrounds and where we put the added in pictures.
Wednesday, we presented our paper to the class via the overhead projector. The rest of the class had some decent reviews that we could learn from. We then reviewed all the other team’s design. Thursday night, we edited the entire paper as an entity for the final time. The past turned in papers (i.e. - bibliography, etc.) were gathered up and revised. Final changes were made, and we turned in the paper Friday in class.
Friday, we were told to start thinking about ideas for our up and coming project. We are writing a paper or some sort of a publication for a local affiliation of Purdue University. I personally believe that I would be capable of writing a decent article for the Aviation Technology Student Council that I am in, or for a local company that is going international in the next couple of months.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Cory Robinson
Re: Weekly Work Log #10
Date: March 22, 2008

This week the White Paper Project that we had been working on was completed after many revisions and design changes. The final result after weeks of research and collaboration turned out to be very good, I was pleased with what was turned in. The final result came together towards the last second, but we finally came together as a group and got everything done. The project was very useful because I didn’t know much about my topic, a white paper, or how to write one as a team.

On Monday we went over our draft with the class and talked about what needed to be done in order to successfully present our information and data on nanotechnology. On Monday we seemed to be behind everyone, which was a wakeup call for us to get it in gear. We lacked almost half of our paper that made it hard for the group critiquing our paper to draw any sort of conclusions from it.

On Wednesday we had class discussion over the design aspect of the papers. Once again our group was behind because of lack of communication. The design was a very important aspect of the paper, but because our groups lack of skills with the new Word, it proved difficult. Most of the issues that were pointed out were only small things like adding borders, making the document easier to read, and modifying the document to allow the reader to get the most out of it through tables and pictures.

For next week: brainstorm over ideas on the Service Learning Project so that we don't have to come to class anymore.

Cory Robinson
clrobins@purdue.edu

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Erin Stefanutti
DATE: 3/21/08
SUBJECT: WWL 10

During this week of class we have been working on the finals details of the white paper. On Monday we exchanged our paper with the other groups and made comments about positive and negative aspects of it. This task helped us to better understand what changes to make in order to ameliorate our work. According to the comments made by group 1, our paper was correctly written and the ideas well explained. Also the organization of the paper and how the different points were presented was correct. On Wednesday Jason showed our final draft of the white paper to the entire class. According to the comments made by the rest of the class some changes from the point of view of design needed to be done. In order to improve our work we had made changes in the design of the titles, heathers and how some images were presented.
Since Jason before spring break read our paper and made some corrections and observations, during this week I have incorporated these remarks on my part of the project and added an additional paragraph showing the advantages and disadvantages of replacing fossil fuels with photosynthetic microorganism.
For the rest of this week end I am going to start looking at the new project that Jason explained to the class yesterday. Since some of the aspects of this new project are not clear yet, I am going to better understand the tasks of this service learning project and try to find ideas that I will shear in class on Monday.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Matthew Stipp
RE: WWL 11
DATE: 3/28/08

This week marked the start of the Service Learning Project. I think this will benefit both parties involved (i.e. students and the organization). This project will allow us to have more freedom and creativity in planning a writing assignment as opposed to the Employment and White Paper projects. I initially proposed an idea to aid my academic department in promoting and informing technology students about an ergonomics course via poster board (large brochure). I am still in contact with my professor, but unsure if this project will lift off the ground. Therefore I searched the Boiler Volunteer Network and returned great project candidates. In the Lafayette area I found the following: Community Blood Center and Imagination Station. Also in the West Lafayette-Purdue area: The International Center and Project Move Out. The Community Blood Center would be a good choice because it would benefit an organization dedicated to saving lives. Imagination Station would also be a contender because they promote young children and parents to get their children involved in the sciences. The International Center would be a possibility because it helps foreign students acclimate to the Purdue community and the surrounding areas. Project Move Out seems like a very worthwhile project because it benefits students and low-income families. The move out will be held May 2-4, 2008, and encourages students leaving their apartments and dorm rooms to donate used furniture where it will be available for low income families in the Armory. I will make an effort to go to the Stewart Center and ask about the projects.

For Next Week
•Begin to meet with clients and discuss future projects.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Dave Lynn
Re: WWL
Date: 3/28/08
Last weekend was kind of a break from the work load due to the white paper. We had to turn in our peer collaboration response. I forgot that there was a template so I basically wrote it up twice. This week during class we talked about instructions and complaint letters. We first talked about instructions. You gave us the example of someone giving driving directions. We talked a lot about identifying the audience. This relates to the length of the instructions. The audience has a lot to do with the detail involved. We went into more detail about complaint letter. You reminded us to put ourselves in their shoes. They will not work with you if you piss them off too much. We also should not flatter the audience. We should keep it to the point. If something has been done incorrectly, people cannot go back in time to change it. A solution must be reached that leaved everyone as happy as possible. A threat can be used if things become very severe. A serious complaint letter should definitely be in writing. This is so you have proper documentation in case a law suit arises. You can also have the post office verify that the letter was delivered so they cannot deny that they received it. We also talked about our final project. We were put into groups. Our group’s idea has to do with aviation. You gave us some tips about finding a client. If all else fails, you will help groups find clients. On Friday we took a cumulative quiz. It wasn’t that bad except for the proposal section. I could not remember this section in great detail.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Dan Stockwell
DATE: 03/28/08
SUBJECT: Weekly Work-log #11
This week we learned a great deal about complaint letters as well as how instruction manuals should be written. The instruction manual writing lesson will no doubt come in handy with our potential project for the service learning project.
This week we also began the service learning project, hopefully benefitting both us for the class as well as the organization and those affected by it. This project is much more open than I expected and was quite anxious about coming up an idea, but once we got our groups an idea had already been formed, relieving me quite a bit. The instruction manual seems to be precisely what we plan to write for the project, creating a sheet (or multiple in a larger book in the front of a classroom) on how to use various items which are asked about frequently. This should aid both the teachers/assistants as well as the students reading the text.
Next week:
• Begin ironing out the service learning project

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Rob Chase
DATE: 03/28/08
SUBJECT: WWL 11
This week in class we learned how to write a complaint letter and directions. We won’t ever be asked to write a complaint letter for class, but having the knowledge of how to do it correctly and efficiently will no doubt come in handy at some point. We also learned how to write out directions, which might possibly be used for our final service project. We were asked Monday if we had any ideas for the project, and put into groups accordingly on Wednesday. Our group is yet to have a set job, but we are on the right track and have numerous ideas. For Wednesday we were asked to bring in some directions that we had around, so I brought a vacuum bag and the directions for my electric toothbrush. I found out that these were a little short in length since we were going to have to review the directions and make a bulleted list of the good and bad for Friday. I went online and found a lengthy owner’s manual for an Onkyo home stereo receiver and reviewed it. It was really well done and it followed all the criteria mentioned in class. I turned that homework in on Friday, along with the midterm quiz that we were asked to take.
*For next week I hope to have our projects set, and contact whomever we need to contact to start working on it. I think I have a highly motivated group, so I plan on getting the project done as soon as possible so that I can skip the last few class periods.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Stephanie Simmons
DATE: March 28, 2008
SUBJECT: Weekly Work Log

This week in class we went over a PowerPoint presentation on writing instructions and compliant letters. The main points to remember when writing instructions are to keep the user’s timeframe, goals, and expertise in mind, focus on the actions of the user, only include one instruction per step, keep explanations separate from the instructions, and include visuals. We learned the five components of a complaint letter, which include: background, problem, solution, an optional warning, and a conclusion.

We also got our new groups for the service learning project, and started talking about possible organizations we could work with. One group member has found several possibilities, so after deciding which ones we like we are going to start contacting them to see if the need anything written for them. Even though we have quite a bit of time to finish this project we want to get started as soon as possible in case we run into any problems or something does not work out.

On Friday we had a mid-semester quiz that had questions over what we have learned so far this semester. The only section I had a lot of trouble with was the proposals, but I remembered the other things in general, with some detail. Even though I could not remember anything about the proposals, I barely finished the rest of it in the allotted time. Getting to add to it on Monday will definitely help.

This week in class we started to discuss the next, and last, project for ENG421. The project our group picked was to write technical documents for the ITAP lab in the basement of Hicks on how to setup applications for classes and other activities. The next step is figuring out exactly which topics we want to do and have them approved before assigning all the members what tasks they are to perform. The first idea that one of our group members presented was the only one we had.

On Wednesday, we discussed how to write complaint letters and what not to write. A key piece of info that almost everyone I know makes is using a phrase similar to "I'm now no longer going to buy from your company". This closes down communication since the company now sees you are not going to buy from them anymore why should we compensate you. Also, a homework assignment that was due on Friday was assigned. This was to critique an instruction document and list a one page of good and bad qualities. I choose an IRS document since those are always filled with lots of both good and bad examples.

On Friday, we had out last ‘quiz’ for the semester. It felt more like five quizzes rolled into one other than a hand cramp it was not to bad.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Elizabeth Woodcock
DATE: March 29, 2008
SUBJECT: Weekly Work Log

This week was rather short for me in English because I wasn’t there on Wednesday. A sinus infection / mono – because at PUSH those are equivalent, kept me at home for the better part of that day. On Monday we talked mostly about the new project that we are going to be starting. This service learning project will help an organization either at Purdue or in the community. I find that this project is very amusing. I have heard from other instructors that the community isn’t fond of the Purdue students. We are all drunk college students who show up for an education and then leave. In part, I suppose this is true. So that is why opting for a project on campus seems like a better idea than going out in the community. Mainly I don’t want to have to drive anywhere, and university people are always a little more forgiving in my eyes. Plus, having the connection elsewhere on campus can never hurt. I would like to do something with either WIEP or SWE. These are two huge organizations that are always doing things and running events. I know they would benefit from an extra hand working on something for them. Especially since they rely so much on recruitment, enticing literature and informative presentation for parents would greatly enhance the programs that they offer. They are also extremely easy to access. They are right on campus, conveniently, near where I am, but close to everyone. It would not be hard to contact or meet with these people groups, and I am confident that they would receive us well. The other topic that was discussed this week was instructions. Knowing how to write good instructions can be an amazing skill. Instruction writers can either frustrate you to no end or be the most amazing person you have ever met, solely because you got our plasma TV working in 10 minutes and before the game.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Erik Henry
RE: WWL 11
DATE: 3/28/08

This week we were introduced to the service learning project. We were put into groups and instructed to begin thinking of service ideas if no one had any ideas already. No one in our group already had an idea so when we were put into groups we exchanged email and cell phone numbers. We also decided to come to class on Friday with ideas for the project and that we would exchange them in class. However, we had a “pop” midterm/final quiz in class and that took the entire class period. We were instructed to leave when we were finished so we never got the chance to meet. The quiz wasn’t too bad for the most part but the proposal section was the most difficult part. I couldn’t remember learning that section.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Corey Mikula
RE: WWL
Date: March 29, 2008

On Monday, we went over the guidelines for a complaint letter. We were told that we have to look at things in their point of view, and to include all the facts. Also, be careful not to bury the main point. The complaint letter has a couple different sections and they are as follows: background, problem, solution, warning (optional), and closing. The background describes the situation, the problem describes what has happened and includes the effect it has on the company, the solution is obviously a fair solution to the problem, the warning is a last resort if things are not getting fixed, and the closing is the final move. After we went over everything, we were given a complaint letter and went over it in class to see what looked right and what was wrong. On Wednesday we started off by going over the instructional writing. We talked about the different things that a writer needs to think about when writing an instructional paper. For example, knowing the user’s needs and goals, timeframe, modularization, textual structure, and visual structure are a list of the things that the writer needed to take care of. Then we were given an instructional assignment in which we had to find a manual and then write a bulleted list on good and bad things with the paper. Then we were put into our groups for the final service project. Although our group did not have an idea for our project we were able to share our contact information. Then on Friday we came to class with our assignment in hand and we were given a big quiz over all the papers that we went over which includes the following: resumes, cover letters, proposals, instructional writing, complaint letters, and white papers.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Jack Watson
DATE: 3/29/08
SUBJECT: Weekly Work Log #11
This week in class our focus shifted to our new project, service learning project. On Monday, we discussed complaint letters. We discussed that complaint letters should follow the AIDA strategy. A stands for Attention, I stands for Interest, D stands for Desire, and the last A stands for Action. While writing a complaint letter be sure not to bury the main point in a long, drawn out letter about the cause of the problem. A complaint letter should always include all the facts possible to ensure a letter that is as accurate as possible. Also while writing the letter try to see things from their point of view. When writing these type of letters always try to avoid writing in heat of the moment. Wait a day to cool down to write a professional letter. Always write serious letters on paper and keep a paper copy for your own records. By using paper it will leave a trail and can be proven that you wrote about the problem on a certain date and such. The complaint letter should be formatted in the first section is the background, next is the problem itself, then the effect the problem caused, next is the solution desired, the next section is optional in which you would have a warning issued to the company, and last would be the closing.
On Wednesday we discussed instruction manual writing the entire class period. Instruction manuals are used for many things such as; training, assembly, operating, servicing, and repairing. One of the most important aspects to know before writing an instruction manual is to determine the audience the manual is going to be for. A good instruction manual will be based on what the user needs out of that manual, and what the reader wants to be accomplished from that manual. Instruction manuals also use a concept called modularization. This concept is the connection between the information and the readers. Using modularization will start the manual with the easiest steps first then move on to the more complex tasks at the end. While writing the manual the focus should be on the actions or what the reader is doing. Always provide steps in an instruction manual.
On Friday we took the last and final quiz of the semester. The quiz covered material we have covered throughout the entire semester. My hand was tired from writing so much after I finished that quiz. The quiz took about the entire hour so that is all we did on Friday.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Jeremy Fehrenbacher
DATE: 3/29/08
SUBJECT: Weekly Work Log #11
This week we went over design and writing instructions and techniques. We also began our final project. My group got together to brainstorm what the possibilities of us writing a paper for one of our organizations could possibly entail. We came to the conclusion that Hunter’s Pub (where Jack works) is looking at putting in some new menus for their pub. We thought that we could help develop these menus and maybe some sort of other small advertising if need be.
We went over a PowerPoint presentation on writing instructions. We learned different items such as, the four specific lengths of a manual (very short, short, medium, and long). The presentation then went on to discuss modularization, where there needs to be a connection between the writer and the reader. This can be done by use simple words, and starting with a simple “low level” and moving on to a more complex one.
Friday, we took a brutal quiz over everything that we covered thus far in lecture. I discovered during that quiz that, all in all, I guess I haven’t learned too much, if anything.
Next week, I plan on our group getting some ideas set in stone, so we can work through this project thoroughly and quickly. I do not want to be rushed at the end of the semester to get it done. I hope we will be able to hand out tasks, and we will be able to get a decent amount of work done this coming week.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Cory Robinson
Re: Weekly Work Log #11
Date: March 29,2008

This week in class we went over a PowerPoint presentation on writing instructions and compliant letters. We learned the five components of a complaint letter, which include: background, problem, solution, an optional warning, and a conclusion. The main points to remember when writing instructions are to keep the user’s goals, timeframe, expertise, and use visuals. Something to keep in mind is to only write one step at a time and to keep them as simplistic as possible.

On Wednesday got rolling on the Service Learning Project and got to meet our group and discuss some topics. We have yet to decide upon a topic but understand that it is crucial to get started early so we don't but out backs against a wall when it comes to the deadline.

On Friday we had the pleasure of taking a mid-semester quiz over everything discussed in class to date. It was difficult to remember some of the details but I felt well about the whole situation, even though I drew a few blanks. It was nice because it basically wrapped up the semester and now all that is left is the Service Learning Project.Cory Robinson
clrobins@purdue.edu

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Erin Stefanutti
DATE: 3/28/08
SUBJECT: WWL 11

During this week of class we principally discussed about the new project assignment. On Monday we had a lecture about complaint letters; I think this was very instructive since we learned the main points that must be analyzed in order to write an effective complaint letter. On Wednesday we talked about the instructions new project and the basic points that must be present in our project. The book readings homework was very useful in giving detailed examples and providing good introduction and explanations about the subject. In order to write a successful instruction manual, it is necessary to understand the user’s ability and knowledge about the subject; use of active verbs and images, and list every step separately.
At the end of the lecture we were divided into groups and with the members of it we tried to find a topic about the new project. Personally at the before the class I did not have much ideas on what to write the instructions about. The members of my group are Elizabeth, Matt and Brent. We decided to focus our project on the ideas given by Elizabeth. For the rest of next week my group and I will focus on find information about the topic that we are going to decide on Monday.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Tim Huser
DATE: 3/31/08
SUBJECT: WWL 11
This past week in class was spent focusing on some new forms of writing, such as instruction manuals and complaint letters. These forms of writing are often overlooked in the business world. I was glad that we were able to cover these in case I will actually have to write these in the future. Our new groups for the service project were assigned and some ideas were tossed around. We have decided to write an instruction manual for many of the tasks students attempt in the Purdue Digital Learning Callaboratory, located in the undergraduate library. I have spoken to Kevin O’Shea, the supervisor of the Lab, and he has approved this and helped us come up with some specific ideas to write instructions on. Some things we have come up with are how to rip camera footage onto the computer, or do basic video editing. The instructions will differ depending on the equipment, software and operating system used in the lab. This will help the Digital media assistants that work in the lab, as they are often very busy with these requests this time of year, and help with training of new assistants.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Matthew Stipp
RE: WWL 12
DATE: 4/4/08

Our Service Learning Project has made progress as we received contact information from the Greater Lafayette Volunteer Bureau. I sent the delegate the information about our project and how we would like to present the Lafayette Tree Fund via a brochure and/or fliers. I think the goal would be to have this project done by Monday, April 21st because this would allow us to implement Arbor Day into the brochure (I have knowledge to believe they are planning to have a mini celebration with tree planting Saturday, April 26th). I think the best way to present the brochure would include the following information: Lafayette Tree Fund and photo on the front page and location, inside pages should include a little background history of philanthropy and previous projects, and information that volunteering with a GLVB organization can benefit students’ resumes and clubs at Purdue. Also the brochure should include a call to action (by a tear out with contact information) as we could also give instructions on how to electronically volunteer via the Greater Lafayette Volunteer Bureau website. I also learned a little about policy writing through the PWonline website. Policy writing can be a continuous process and has to be opened for change as new technology or security measures implement the current policy. The policy writer must know the history of the company and their overall goal. In PWonline, they also mentioned that policy writers must do research and find out how other companies are handling the situation in which an implemented policy must take ground.

For Next Week
• Continue forward on a project and produce a rough draft so we can get it rolling.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Jeremy Fehrenbacher
DATE: 4/4/08
SUBJECT: WWL 12
This week, we began by going over brochure tips. We went through a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating the dos and don’ts of brochures. Our groups then got together to discuss what our possible opportunities would be for writing for a specific company here in the Purdue area. We came to the conclusion that we will write up menus for Hunter’s Pub. We will write up supper, dinner, kids, specials and drink menus. We feel that this would be an excellent demonstration of what we are learning in class.
Our assignment then for Wednesday was to find a brochure and write some information on it. We then in class discussed in our groups which brochure was the best and which one was the worst. We told the class why we came to these conclusions. Several brochures, we found, were not in the proper place in comparison to the audience they were targeting. Other brochures were just plain ugly or uninformative.
Friday, I then stuck around in class while some left. We discussed the tips of writing policies. We looked at what causes them to be revamped and who influences the policy into what the final outcome will be. We then looked over an example given by the ALA. We reviewed several sections and answered the questions from the Digital Parlor website. Then, before we left class, Jason gave us a paper for us to read. He stated that if we read it and write a one page paper on the subject, that we will receive extra credit.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Heather Tennis
Date: April 4, 2008
Subject: Weekly Work Log #12

This week in class we began talking about brochure tips. Monday we discussed the dos and don'ts when it comes to writing brochures. For the next class we had to find an example of a brochure and write about what made you want to pick it up and keep it.

From the brochures that we picked up on Monday we had to decide as a group which one was the best and which one was the worst. Each group gave an explanation about why they chose the brochures they chose for worst and best. Many of the groups said that they were located in the wrong spot for the intended audience or they were just not informative.

Friday we had the option of staying in class and going over Policy Writing and doing the assignment in class or leaving and doing the assignment outside of class. If we chose to do the assignment outside of class we should read the readings in PWOnline as well as the powerpoint that is posted on the course website.

Goal for next week:

Come up with ideas of what could go into the menus of our service learning project

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Jeremy Fehrenbacher
DATE: 4/4/08
SUBJECT: Weekly Worklog #12
This week our group didn’t progress too far with the project because we really had everything (at least project idea/format wise) mostly figured out. We did narrow down a list of topics we need to cover in our instruction manual and what times we plan to meet to discuss, learn them for ourselves, and reproduce the instructions in either a webpage or manual fashion. Other than the project we learned more about the do’s and don’ts, the general forms and layouts of brochures. Through an in class activity we displayed actual brochures the class brought in and criticized to more practically learn from real life examples. On Friday we went over policy writing do’s and don’ts. This was helpful in that I didn’t really know the depth that policy writing had, and it was good to learn, however I’m unsure if this will ever have any bearing in the rest of my life (writing wise, not following wise).

For next week, our group plans to get together on Tuesday and nail down as much of the project as we can by getting all of the information and notes we need, and then hopefully be able to do the rest out of the lab setting.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Dave Lynn
Re: WWL
Date: 4-4-08

This week started off with discussions about brochures and flyers. Many of the same rules that applied to resumes and white papers also apply to brochures and flyers. When I first thought about making a brochure, I thought that it would be common sense. I soon found out that there was a lot that I didn’t know. Consistency has a large role when making a brochure. I was also surprised that a lot of written content was a good thing. Some times I would rather look at a brochure that was primarily pictures. But the power point taught me many things about brochures. When comparing professionally made brochures with the student made brochures I noticed a clear distinction. We then had a short writing assignment on them due. We also talked about policy writing today. I still need to go over the power point and the PW Online articles before I can complete that assignment.

We also had progress with our final project this week. We talked in our groups a few times and came up with our plan of action. We are going to make up menus. We are going to make a number of different types. The biggest one is going to be the standard lunch menu. We are also going to make dinner, drink, and a few other types of menus. Since the formatting would be complicated to all pull together after we each make one of our own, we are going to all meet at the library to do it together. After we make the menus we will then have to laminate them. We turned in our memo today.

TO: Jason Buchanan
FROM: Rob Chase
DATE: 4/4/08
SUBJECT: WWL 12

Monday in class we learned about making a proper brochure. We then used the information we learned to critique a brochure for Wednesday. I found multiple brochures in the Stewart Center and chose to critique one that was not too good. Wednesday in class we got into our project groups and each group discusses their best and worst brochure. This really showed how many different styles of brochures are available, and what works and what doesn’t. Our Proposal memo was due Wednesday also, we have decided to work with the Lafayette and West Lafayette Tree Funds. Fridays class was very short, and was basically to inform us of the policy assignment due Monday at the beginning of class. Also for Monday I plan on having my midterm quiz redone to receive as much credit as possible.
We have attempted to contact people from both the Lafayette and West Lafayette Tree funds, but so far have not gotten any definite answers. We have called but one number was disconnected, and the other nobody answered. We finally received an email address and another phone number, so we hope to talk to the right person to get a definite answer by early next week. Once we get the answer, we plan on getting the project done as soon as possible. We want to have the work done prior to Arbor Day and since we won’t have to come to class after it is complete, that will be nice.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Corey Mikula
RE: WWL
Date: April 5, 2008

This week was an extremely short week for me. I missed class on Monday so I had to make up the review on my own time. So I looked over the brochure tip PowerPoint and completed the assignment that was at the end of it. It involved finding a brochure to review using the specific guidelines. Living in a fraternity, I selected our recruitment brochure for last semester. It was actually good for me to look at because it made me realize some of the brochure was actually really poor, which gave me a great idea for our service project to redo it. Doing this would not only give us a good brochure for next semester but also a good outline for years to come. On Wednesday we all brought our brochures to class. We got into our service project groups and went over each one giving details about the good and bad parts of the brochure. Then we presented our best and worst brochure to the class. After that we were given some more time to talk about our project. We decided we would go ahead and do the brochure for my fraternity as well as make a yearly re-cap newsletter to send to alumni and some other little projects to go along with it. Friday in class, we were given the option to leave early and just do our homework over the weekend. So I left.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Jack Watson
Subject: Weekly Work Log #12
Date: April 5, 2008
On Monday the class discussed the design principles of brochures. Brochures are a good way to get information to customers in a quick, professional, and provide some details. A brochure should always have the selling message on the cover. When advertising with a brochure always remember to insist on a family resemblance. The cover should always have one picture that exemplifies the selling message. Along with the photos in the brochure be sure to put captions with the photos so the customer knows what they are looking at. When designing the brochure develop the words first. Always write it from the customer’s point of view. Once the brochure is complete go through it again and make it shorter and more descriptive. Some things not to do in a brochure is use more than 9 or 10 lines per paragraph. Also never ask open ended questions in a brochure. After we discussed brochures we got together with our groups for the service learning project and discussed what we were doing.
On Wednesday the class went over an instruction example. We discussed try to not to use the word “you” to much. When writing an instruction manual use the word “note” for emphasis on a step or steps. Always keep directions together and leave at least 2 steps before going to a new page.
On Friday the class voted to read the homework on line and do the homework on policy writing at home. I stayed in the class and read the policy and finished the homework in class. Jason did a quick and dirty version of the lecture of policies. A new policy has two forces developing it. These forces are society and other corporations and policies.

To: Jason Buchanan
From: Erik Henry
Subject: Weekly Work Log #12
Date: 4/5/08

On Monday Jason lectured on writing brochures. He also gave an assignment on critiquing brochures. I chose an online brochure about a European train pass. It wasn’t the average brochure. It was ten pages long and goes into more depth about the subject than a normal brochure would. Overall, it was a well written brochure.

All week my group has been doing research trying to find a topic or organization that we can write a brochure for. My idea wasn’t a very strong one; it was to do a brochure for my Dad’s small business, a construction company. Some other ideas from the group were to write a brochure about a member’s fraternity pledge events. Someone else had an idea to write an instruction manual for a product he was working on developing; I think it was a video magnifier. We decided to go with the pledge brochure for Corey’s fraternity. We decided this because we won’t struggle with having enough information to write about. In addition, it would help Corey out.

On Wednesday Jason lectured on policies and policy writing as well as gave us group class time to work on our project. On Friday we turned in our proposal for our service project. We had a shortened class period. He also gave us an assignment on policy writing that was due at the end of class for people that stayed or due at the beginning of class for people who left class.