Author Archives: Christopher Shannon

Monday, May 4: Studio Time and Group Roundtables

Instructions

Today, you will be working in your groups on your proposals.

1) Blog Assignment—Proposal Outline (Due @ end of class today): Each group should talk through their proposals together and aim to have a detailed outline completed by the end of class. Please Categorize this blog post as “Proposal Outline.”

In your outline, please be as detailed as possible. Make sure to note where you need research, where you need to get quotes, what kind of images/graphics you may wish to include, and of course who is completing each portion.

Schedule of Final Days

M, 5/4:  Studio time; outlines due

W, 5/6: Studio time; research emphasis

M, 5/11: Studio time; writing emphasis

W, 5/13: Studio time

M, 5/18: Rough Drafts due for Peer Review

W, 5/20: Final Draft Due via Assignment Uploader

Wed., April 29: Proposal Assignment for Service Learning Project

Instructions

1. Review Requirements/Components of Proposal

Following the example of proposals we review in class, you will collaboratively create a proposal for your project. Please include the following elements in your proposal:

A. Executive Summary: Briefly summarize the project–including short paraphrases of each of the proposal components. Must not exceed 250 words/half page.

B. Statement of Need/Problem: Briefly explain the problem you are addressing, with research demonstrating the severity of the problem. You should include statistics from City Tech, quotes from fellow students and/or admin/staff, as well as research/stats from other colleges/universities in NYC and beyond. (3/4 – 1.5 pages)

C. Population to be Served: What population will be impacted by your project? Why did you choose this population to serve? What is the size of this population? (1/2 page)

D. Project Overview and Strategy:  Provide a clear and concise description of the project, as well as the strategy that you will use to achieve your goals. Include details about any potential partnerships (IE, contractors) or collaborations necessary for completing the project. Also include comparison with other potential solutions for the problem your project is addressing, and an explanation of why your solution is the best choice. (1-2 pages)

E. Expected Barriers / Challenges: Please name the obstacles to your project’s success as well as your strategies to overcome those obstacles. (1/2 page)

F. Project Outcomes: Be specific in describing measurable and verifiable outcomes that you expect to achieve. Be reasonable here—but don’t be afraid to shoot for ambitious goals. (1/2 page)

G. Project Budget: Details TBD – I will post an Excel template for your team’s use. This will be a very rough estimate.


 

2. Read the following proposals in class & discuss; when finished reading, please assign proposal elements to each member of your group.

Note: The first example adheres closely to our format, while the second has a few more/different requirements. Both are excellent.

Proposal from Southeast Community College to Community Health Endowment of Lincoln

Proposal from Building Tomorrow to Echoing Green

Monday, April 20: Group Brainstorm & Pitch

Instructions

Today, we will work in groups to a) identify the top two potential projects for your proposal, and b) to develop a brief, 5-minute “Pitch” to present in class this Wednesday.

Meeting Minutes: From now through the end of this project, each and every time your group meets I will ask one member of your group to write down meeting minutes, covering what was discussed in your meeting, what decisions were made, and what are the next action items to be taken by each group member. Please post Meeting Minutes as a blog entry (categorize as “Meeting Minutes”).

After 15 minutes of group discussion, we will take a moment for each group to announce their top project ideas, making sure that no groups choose the same idea.

Crafting the Pitch: This will be your first component to the project. After brainstorming and choosing a problems that needs to be addressed around campus, you must decide on a solution to that problem. Obviously, you might not be able to carry out this solution on your own–the project–and your task–is to persuade your classmates and our administration that your proposed project is both necessary and  likely to succeed. 

The pitch is simply a 5-minute presentation that your group will deliver in front of the class, explaining the the problem and your proposed solution. Only one team member is required to speak, but all team members must join the presenter in front of the class. The deliverables for this component include a script or outline and your PowerPoint file. (Please either email me the Powerpoint file or bring it to class on a flash drive).

Note: The Powerpoint presentation should consist of three slides:

Title Slide—include group member name, date, and draft title for your project

Problem Slide—A slide that highlights the problem you are addressing. Include some facts, perhaps a quote, and anything else that will illustrate the dire nature of your chosen issue.

Solution Slide—How do your propose solving this problem? What will be the main components of your solution (IE, parking lot–where would it go? Do you propose we build a new building or repurpose another space?)

 

The Pitch is due this Wednesday, April 22.


FYI: GROUPS (names in bold face are group leaders)

A — Sam, Shrehyar, Michael, Juan Lu

B — Amelia, Yishi, Vivian

C — Francisco, Marlon, Harold, Cynthia

D — Nestor, Chris M., Pratik, Juan

E — Catherine, Meredith, Carla, Luis

Project Focus Ideas

 

Networks

Parking

Elevators

Academic Advising

Availability in Core Classes — Summer

Lack of Communication / Financial Aid

Support for Full-time students

Support for Commuting

Gym / Pool

Sports

Career Services

Computer workstations — graphic design

Evening Tutoring Services

Library Resources — keep up to date

Residential Services

Software up to date & available to students at home

Email

Social Opportunities

Class Sizes

Class Offerings

Quality of Instruction

Book Store — book $

Quality of Instruction / Teacher Evaluation — students should create questionnaires

 

Monday, March 30 & Wed, April 15: Nonprofit Introduction Letter

In-Class Assignment, Monday & Wednesday: While your classmates meet with me, I will ask you to launch in on a business letter assignment—a letter of inquiry requesting permission to submit a full request for funding from a NYC non-profit based on web research.

1. Before beginning the assignment, please read these guidelines to creating a Letter of Inquiry:

2. Learn about Letters of Inquiry–please learn and follow this general formatting: http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/grants/samplefoundation.html

3. Choose a nonprofit organization. I suggest you choose from one of the following groups, unless you know of another nonprofit you’d like to write about. These groups have good information on their websites. If you do choose another org, please get my approval first!

4. Address your letter to:
Mr. Tom Finkelpearl
Commissioner
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
31 Chambers Street
New York, New York 10007

5. Finished draft of this letter is due by the end of class this Wednesday, 4/1, as a Microsoft Word Document via our upload manager.

Learning Outcomes
The essential point of this letter is to…
  • learn standard business letter formatting
  • develop a persuasive style while adhering to professional standards
  • develop an ability to synthesize new material based on research
  • produce a polished piece of writing
  • appreciate and find out how you can produce good writing in a condensed time span

Mon, March 16 & Wed., March 18: NYC Tech Companies — Small Group Research

Instructions

Today and Wednesday, we will split up into small groups (of 3 or 4) to research and deliver brief presentations & one page reports on NYC-based tech and media companies.

Led by a group leader (I will choose this person randomly), each group must choose one company to focus on.  The group leader’s responsibility is to ensure all work is done by the end of day Thursday, and that all group members share this work equally.

GROUPS (names in bold face are group leaders)

A — Sam, Shrehyar, Michael, Juan Lu

B — Amelia, Yishi, Vivian

C — Francisco, Marlon, Harold, Cynthia

D — Nestor, Chris M., Pratik, Juan

E — Catherine, Meredith, Carla, Luis

FINDING A COMPANY TO RESEARCH

If your group already has a company in mind, great! But, to further research NYC-based tech firms, visit these sites & articles:

 

FORMAT

Your reports must be posted as a blog by the end of class on Wednesday.

CONTENT

Your reports should include the following information about the company:

Founder/Co-Founders: Who founded the company? Are they still involved in day to day operations?

Office/Headquarters: Where is the company located? Do they have a single headquarters, or do they have locations throughout the country/world?

Investors: Who invested in the company when it was in its start up phase?

Products/Services:  What does the company offer its users/subscribers? Services, products, consumer goods?

Method of Making Money:  How does your company make money? Through advertising, subscribers, royalties, affiliate purchases, lead generation, selling data, or freemium payment models? Describe in detail.

Revenue: How much revenue did company earn in 2014? (Find the most recently available data. This might be difficult.)

Target Customers:  Who are the target customers for this company?

How many current users/customers, etc: How many customers do they currently have?

How does the company advertise its product/services?

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: What companies offer services/products that compete with your chosen company? What sets your chosen company apart from its competitors?

Works Cited: You must document all the websites and articles you use to find the above information. Simply include a list of websites at the end of the blog post.


 

Wednesday 3/18

Schedule & Instructions

6:00 – 6:40:  Group Work

6:40:  Team members submit work to group leaders

7:15:  Group leaders submit blog post, categorized as “Group Reports on NYC Tech Companies”

Monday, March 9: Cover Letter Peer Review

Instructions

Today, we will review one another’s Cover Letters in class.

We will have two rounds of review—in other words, each of your letters will be reviewed at least twice in class today.

Round 1 (6:00 – 6:25) — Find your first peer review partner & their cover letter blog post.

Round 2 (6:25 – 6:50) — Find another peer review partner & their cover letter blog post.

End of Class: Discussion

 

For each round, follow these steps:

1. Find your partner, and locate their post on the Open Lab.

2. You’ll be writing your review comments as a reply to their post. Being “nice” is important in this process, but being critical is important too. So without being heartless and cruel, make your comments as honest and as detailed as you can so that your comments are useful for revision.

3. Respond to these questions about the cover letter you are reviewing.

  • Reverse Engineer the Letter: Without looking at the job ad/listing, read the letter. Then write down what you think the job ad says—you are reverse engineering the letter/ad by doing this—trying to see if you can figure out the job ad just from the letter.
  • Read the job ad. Were you close in your reverse engineering attempt? If you were, then the letter probably meets with some of the employer’s needs. If you weren’t, has the author missed understanding the employer’s needs? Or have they just emphasized certain things and overlooked others?
  • Does the letter make the person applying seem like a good applicant; an unappealing applicant; or an outstanding applicant?
  • Explain why and how you made the judgment in #3. If the applicant was not an outstanding candidate, explain what you think the author needs to do to get into a higher pile.
  • Is the letter free of spelling, mechanical, and grammar errors? Let the author know about the errors you see.

HW for Wednesday: Read: Project Management and Organizing Teams (from the Professional and Technical Writing WikiBook)

NOTE: I’ll have your resumes & cover letter comments to you on Wednesday. Your final drafts of cover letters and resumes will now be due next Monday, 3/16, via our Assignment Uploader.

Wednesday, March 4

 

Instructions

Today is the day for our mock interviews.

 

1. Reading & Discussion: Please take a moment to read through the following document:

Reading Focus: Which items on the checklist seem most important to you?

Note: This reading is included in today’s printed handouts; link to digital version for your reference/convenience.

2. Interview Models: We will watch two example interviews in class (on the projector). As you watch the interviews, please pay attention to the Interview Evaluation Checklist and keep track of the candidate’s performance. Is he hitting all the checkboxes on our list?
Video 1  (4:45)
Video 2 (7:32)

3.  Mock Interviews with Classmates
Note: For those making a recording of their interview, remember to fire up your voice memo apps (etc)!
    • Students are assigned as either “A” or “B”

Interview Schedule:
6:25 to 6:40—B’s interview A’s (B’s: First take a moment to review the job listing as well as your partner’s resume)
6:40—B’s provide A’s with feedback based on checklist

6:45 to 7:00—A’s interview B’s (A’s: First take a moment to review the job listing as well as your partner’s resume)
7:00—A’s provide B’s with feedback based on checklist


 

4.  Wrap Up: What were your strengths and weaknesses in this interview process? How can you improve? Are there items on the Evaluation Checklist and Job Interview Tips that you could focus on?

HW for next Monday, 3/9

Reflection on Mock Interview

Due before class Mon., March 9

Instructions:  In a blog post categorized as “Interview Reflections,” please address three questions about your interview.

Note:  Please cut and paste these questions into a new blog post, and write your answers beneath each question.

    1. Name one strength that you demonstrated in your mock interview.
    2. Name one thing you could improve about your interview, and how would you go about improving?
    3. What are the three reasons that you are the perfect candidate to help the Company meet its objectives/goals for this particular position?