assignments ENGL202 Business Writing: Personal Webpage
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Overview: It might be crazy to think it, but there was a time when doing a personal website took weeks and weeks in a class like this. It was because of the technology. Now, however, doing your own personal website can happen in as little as an afternoon--and developing a page can happen over time with such ease that it becomes an almost fun and certainly interesting genre to explore.
This project will be the last component of your midterm portfolio. It is connected to your work on your resume and cover letter to some extent. This assignment will help you to think about how design--or how we make an argument visually--will help you to achieve your purpose for whatever audience you are trying to reach.
The Details: As you design your web page, you will need to take yourself and your thinking through the following questions.
Once you've gone through the thinking and planning work you'll need to do to answer the above questions, you'll want to try out a few different plans for laying out the information. Then the hardest work will be done. You'll load up your material, and you'll be all set.
While we are working on this aspect of your project--the real meat of it--we'll be working in class on learning how to actually create your website. You'll use weebly, which is the platform I use. If you want to use something else (like foursquare), more power to you, but this is the platform that I know how to use. I find it highly intuitive, and, for a basic website and even a not so basic website, it does everything you could need it to do. We can talk about the free version of the platform, and we can also talk about version you have to pay for (including buying your domain name), but you don't have to do any of that to get up and running.
You'll workshop your page in class (as per usual), and I will look at it and give you feedback in the midterm portfolio. It is a testament to how easy the platform is that it will be no problem to revise your page and republish it. You'll be able to keep and use and expand and change your site to your hearts content. I hope you find this assignment and this experience a very useful one.
REFLECTION LETTER FOR INCLUSION IN MIDTERM PORTFOLIO
When you turn in your midterm portfolio, please include 500 words, typed and double-spaced, in a 10 or 12 point font that 1) discusses your answers to the three questions above; 2) talks about how you made revision decisions after the workshop and 3) tells me how successful you feel your web page is.
How I will evaluate this Assignment
The Personal Web Page is worth 10% of your final grade in this class. In order to earn a "B" grade you must
In order to earn an "A" grade for the Personal Web Page
You must do all of the required work to earn a "B" Grade and
In order to earn a "C" grade for the Personal Web Page
Failure to meet the requirements for a "C" paper means you fail the entire 10% of the Personal Web Page grade.
**You will turn in a web address and a reflection in your midterm portfolio were I will assess your materials. You'll have the chance to revise for the final portfolio as an optional extra credit assignment.
This project will be the last component of your midterm portfolio. It is connected to your work on your resume and cover letter to some extent. This assignment will help you to think about how design--or how we make an argument visually--will help you to achieve your purpose for whatever audience you are trying to reach.
The Details: As you design your web page, you will need to take yourself and your thinking through the following questions.
- Why should I have a website? That's sort of a loaded question, I know, because I'm making you have one. But humor me. What kinds of professional or personal interests could be showcased for an audience or potential employer on the interwebs? Maybe I should add "interestingly and effectively showcased". Once you've determined what the point of your site is going to be, the rest gets easier.
- What information, files, links, text, images should I include? This is where we start to seriously consider how we make an argument in an electronic space. Some of your argument will be about what you write. Some of it will be about what you include in terms of links and files. Some of it will be what images you include. This takes us to the next question
- What is the best way to arrange and connect all of these disparate parts in this highly visual environment? People read websites differently than they do other texts, and being aware of that is the first step in thinking about layout and design. Additionally, you will recall that one of the measures of really professional writing is how well it conveys the professionalism of an organization or an individual. What sort of professional are you trying to come off as? That will mean the difference between dancing babies on neon fuchsia background or taupe lettering on a robin's egg blue background (not knocking the dancing babies here, we don't know what argument might be helped by them).
Once you've gone through the thinking and planning work you'll need to do to answer the above questions, you'll want to try out a few different plans for laying out the information. Then the hardest work will be done. You'll load up your material, and you'll be all set.
While we are working on this aspect of your project--the real meat of it--we'll be working in class on learning how to actually create your website. You'll use weebly, which is the platform I use. If you want to use something else (like foursquare), more power to you, but this is the platform that I know how to use. I find it highly intuitive, and, for a basic website and even a not so basic website, it does everything you could need it to do. We can talk about the free version of the platform, and we can also talk about version you have to pay for (including buying your domain name), but you don't have to do any of that to get up and running.
You'll workshop your page in class (as per usual), and I will look at it and give you feedback in the midterm portfolio. It is a testament to how easy the platform is that it will be no problem to revise your page and republish it. You'll be able to keep and use and expand and change your site to your hearts content. I hope you find this assignment and this experience a very useful one.
REFLECTION LETTER FOR INCLUSION IN MIDTERM PORTFOLIO
When you turn in your midterm portfolio, please include 500 words, typed and double-spaced, in a 10 or 12 point font that 1) discusses your answers to the three questions above; 2) talks about how you made revision decisions after the workshop and 3) tells me how successful you feel your web page is.
How I will evaluate this Assignment
The Personal Web Page is worth 10% of your final grade in this class. In order to earn a "B" grade you must
- create and publish a web page
- participate in the workshop for the page
- write a response letter to your workshop partner during the workshop
- Read the letter you get from workshop and put in writing how you intend to incorporate that feedback into your revision
- Turn in your revised, final page in the midterm portfolio with your reflection letter.
In order to earn an "A" grade for the Personal Web Page
You must do all of the required work to earn a "B" Grade and
- create a page that demonstrates what we've learned about visual design
- produce a document that reflects serious consideration of audience and purpose
- produce a reflection letter that takes seriously the work of explaining why you made the choices you made, including how you incorporated revision suggestions from the workshop.
In order to earn a "C" grade for the Personal Web Page
- create and publish a page.
- turn in your reflection letter with the final product.
Failure to meet the requirements for a "C" paper means you fail the entire 10% of the Personal Web Page grade.
**You will turn in a web address and a reflection in your midterm portfolio were I will assess your materials. You'll have the chance to revise for the final portfolio as an optional extra credit assignment.