To begin your thinking for the Instruction Manual Project, use this week’s Weekly Writing Assignment to brainstorm three possible topics relating to your studies and future career for your instruction manual.
For this assignment, create a memo addressed to Prof. Ellis with the subject line of Instruction Manual Options. In the body of the memo, briefly discuss the pros and cons of each of your three options for the instruction manual. The pros would be the things that would support your success on the project (e.g., knowing a lot about the topic, having access to what your instructions would be about, etc.) and the cons would be the things that would make the project difficult (e.g., having to learn more about the topic, not having access, etc.). After weighing the pros and cons for each of your three options, state in the last sentence which topic you have selected for your instruction manual.
Write your memo in your word processor of choice, and then copy-and-paste it into a comment added to this post.
For your additional homework this week, engage in peer review on the Expanded Definition Project after Prof. Ellis sends emails to each team, and create a Google Doc using the Instruction Project outline below and begin writing the directions portion of your document. The lecture next week will go over more details for the other sections. And, your own review of instruction manuals will help you think through what information you should include in these sections.
1.0 Introduction 1.1 Purpose 1.2 Intended Audience 1.3 Scope 1.4 Organization Description 1.5 Conventions (abbreviations, left/right) 1.6 Motivation (answers the “so what” question) 1.7 Safety and Disclaimers 2.0 Description of the Equipment 2.1 Illustration of the Equipment 2.2 Description of the Equipment’s Parts 3.0 List of Materials and Equipment Needed 3.1 Illustration of the Parts Needed to Carry Out the Instructions 3.2 Tools needed 3.3 Table of the parts with description of each 4.0 Directions 4.1 The Task These Directions Are Designed to Show 4.1.1 Step 1 (don’t write Step 1--write a brief statement on what the first step is) 4.1.2 Step 2 4.1.n …Step n being some number (write as many steps--briefly--as you can think of--you can fill this list out later) 5.0 Troubleshooting 6.0 Glossary 7.0 Reference List
To: Prof. Ellis
From: Matthew Rupchand
Date: 03/10/2021
Subject: Instruction Manual Pros & Cons
My three options for the instruction manual assignments are installing/setting up Windows 10 in office settings, installing new access points in your home or office, and lastly is how to implement securities for your home computers and network. A pro for creating an instruction manual for installing/setting up Windows 10 is that with my job, I have had first-hand experience and exposure to the exact steps and details that are necessary to successfully install the software throughout a college campus. However, a con to this is that while I do have great knowledge of the dos and don’ts, a problem could be how to explain how it would work for much bigger settings. The pro for installing new access points in your home or office is that I have a lot of experience in installing access points in my house and for other students in their dorms at my job but a con could be that my knowledge of access points still on the beginner side. Lastly, the pros for implement security for your home computers and the network is that my passion for internet security is high my knowledge of how to properly set up and configure firewalls and other security features doesn’t allow me to teach others about how to set these protocols up. Therefore, after weighing through each choice I have decided to do my instruction manual about installing/setting up Windows 10 in office/campus settings based on the experience I have had with doing this action.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: Richard Rivera
DATE: 03/17/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Options
I thought about 3 possible topics or ideas I could use to create an instruction manual for. My first idea was to create an instruction for developing a program in JavaScript using visual studio, but I realized there were not many pros with doing that. The only pro I found was that I have experience using JavaScript, but the con is that it takes too much time to develop a program. I would have to figure out what program I want to develop and how I would want the design to look like. The next idea I came up with was building a personal computer. That is an idea that I have a long experience with because I have built 2 computers and modified both computers including one pre-built one. I can also give a lot of information about it. The only downside about this idea is that if I wanted to be very detailed with my manual, I would have to include many images regarding where certain screws go and what tools you need to use for that specific screw. The final idea was I could create a manual for video/photo editing using either photoshop or Sony Vegas. I do have experience with both software’s, but the issue is that I also must know what exactly I would be editing. Even while knowing what to edit, I would mostly be explaining the basics therefore not that much to talk about. I decided to go for the easiest idea I had which had the most pros in it, is how to build a personal computer.
TO: Prof. Jason Ellis
FROM: Ralph Ayala
DATE: 3/17/21
SUBJECT: Instruction manual options
Here are the three options I am considering to use for my instruction manual. The first option is teaching others how to code using HTML 5 and guiding them on which software is the best tool to create their own code. The pro is I have the textbook and notes to discuss more in detail, but the con is it would be difficult to understand where to start once I begin talking about it. I would have to talk in detail to which software is the best tool to use. The second option is teaching people how to use a database to store and implement information. One pro is that I have notes regarding that subject, but one big con is that I do not have the textbook and it was not my best subject. While I did enjoy the lessons, I do not feel confident about talking about databases without more resources of information. The third option involves teaching others how to operate windows 10. It is the 2nd best option to me because I have experience of using windows 10 and I kept the textbook, and notes including it. A big pro is my laptop is a windows 10 and that gives me the best experience, however the con is understanding how to properly explain all the information regarding how to operate windows 10. From my standpoint I would love to talk about how to operate windows 10 because of the experience around it and I feel confident to talk about it, however I enjoy the coding aspect of HTML 5. If I had to choose one it would be discussing how to use windows 10.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: Angela Hernandez
DATE: 03/17/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Options
The 3 options I’ve brainstormed for the Instruction Manual are building a budget PC, installing a virtual box and creating a GitHub repository using Git to upload a project. The pros of each of these is that I have experience doing all three. I think some of the cons for a manual building a budget PC would be going through each of the manuals for the specific parts to add important information and warnings to the manual. The cons of installing a virtual box might be that the manual would be too short as it isn’t a long process and the cons of creating a GitHub repository using Git to upload a project would be that I don’t have a ton of experience in this and am fairly new to the process but it’s something I know I will need in the future for my career. As this is important to my future career, I’ve decided to make my instruction manual about creating a repository for GitHub through Git and uploading a project.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: Benson Huang
DATE: 03/17/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Options
2 ideas that I thought of were building a pc, programming in sourcepawn which is coding for source games like CSGO and TF2, and I do not really have a third idea. Both ideas can something I am really familiar with. A problem i found for building a pc is the illustration of equipment fas I do not have a spare pc to take apart. Other issues are that I am not entirely sure if these ideas are related to my studies. I know that sourcepawn is similar to java, c# and software has some to do with pc. If I could do either I would probably choose coding a program in sourcepawn as I had plenty of fun doing so.
TO: Prof. Jason Ellis.
FROM: Motahear Hossain.
DATE: 03/17/2021.
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Options.
For the writing instruction manual assignment, I selected three topics to write about. Those are:
1. How to build a desktop,
2. How to Setup a Router,
3. How to create an Oracle-based database.
How to build a desktop: This is an apparent topic to write about for this assignment. We have enough resources on the internet regarding building a desktop. I also had a minor course about computer hardware related. However, I never constructed one for myself. So, I do not have personal resources like parts pictures or physical parts of the computer. One possible thing I can do is build a desktop computer now for this assignment, yet that would be time-consuming and expensive.
How to Setup a Router: Another topic I select to write about is setup a router. This topic is relevant to my subject and much accessible to create. But to successfully set up a router, I need to have enough knowledge or study to prepare. What I assume I do not have now or time to do presently.
How to create an Oracle-based database: The last topic I select is to create a complete database for a business scenario. This topic is a much leisurely topic for me as a database student. But to create a database, you need to have a business idea to design. Also, you need to identify what data you need and how one entity related to another entity. So, you can make the perfect database design for your business.
For my writing instruction manual assignment, I have selected How to create an Oracle-based database.
To: Prof. Ellis
From: Pavel Hlinin
Date: March 17, 2021
Subject: Instruction Manual Options
My three ideas for instruction manual are:
– how to choose the right AC. The pro is that I have a great experience and my knowledge can be useful for others. The con is that I need to choose for what audience my manual would be: for people who are just looking for AC for cooling their homes, or people who need industrial multifunctional systems;
– how to troubleshoot the ACs. The pro is that I know a lot how to troubleshoot ACs, but the con is that I need to specify and choose some concrete topic from many others that can be covered in my manual. That is the con because I not sure which tropic is most interesting for the audience;
– how to protect your home from losing energy. The pro is that this topic is important and useful for any audience. The con is that I need research more in order to give a complete and efficient manual for my audience.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: Zeela Rafija
DATE: 03/17/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Options
The three possible topics or ideas I am considering as creating an instruction manual are: 1) Building a Workstation PC for Less Than $800 2) Building Tic tac toe game & 3) Creating Beginners Guide of Setting Up a Reef Aquarium.
Pros of building a PC: In my Last semester, I took a project management course, in which I had to build a PC. So, I have experience of building a PC. I can talk about the required components, tools and workflow.
Cons of building pc: The only con I have realized that the creation of manual could be long process, since I have to include many images and topics to cover.
Pros of creating manual for tic tac toe game: I have good experience of creating counter 4 game. I had to build it during last semester as a final project. so, I know how to code and successfully build this kind of game. I believe this would be educational. A lot of information can be learnt through this assignment.
Cons of creating manual for tic tac toe game: This kind of game requires a plenty of time. I will have to write many lines of code. Beside coding, designing, testing and bug fixing might take lot more efforts also. My biggest concern is to be able to finish it on time.
Pros of Creating Beginners Guide of Setting Up a Reef Aquarium: I have fish and I have experience of building up a reef aquarium. I have some knowledge of reef aquarium. This manual will offer instructions as a beginner’s guide for setting up a reef marine aquarium. The most important factors of a successful reef aquarium are circulation of water, lighting, and stability of water chemistry.
Cons of Creating Beginners Guide of Setting Up a Reef Aquarium: I am afraid many folks will not be interested in this manual. Also, sometimes this kind of Aquarium costs a lot.
After considering all the choices I have decided to do my Instruction Manual about Building a Workstation PC for Less Than $800. Since I have built it before and enjoyed working on it- I believe many of my classes mate would be interested to learn it too.
Instruction Manual Options
One of my options were installing computer applications such as device drivers and plugins. The pros of this topic are since my major is information technology, I already have experience working with device drives and plugins that allow programs to run more efficiently. The cons would be learning additional plugins for software programs I am currently not knowledgeable in that is beyond me area of expertise.
My second topic is working with Linux computer. Throughout my course, we had to be familiar with the Linux operation system which is a advantage I would have working deeper into this topic. The issue is since it is an open source and community developed operating system it can become problematic and unrelatable at best.
My third topic is video game design. The pros of this topic is the amount of support that exist online and the amount of creative that goes into game design. The drawback is their doesn’t exist a linear path into this field of study.
The topic I am choosing is game design.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: Tarin Sultana
DATE: 03/17/2021
SUBJECT: Deciding topic for Instruction Manual
I think of three possible topics for the instruction manual:
• Set up a router and modem to connect spectrum internet service at home.
• Install Linux ISO file using VirtualBox on Mac.
• Install Wireshark under macOS for troubleshooting a network.
Something good about all of these is I know about all of this topic, but not much. Last year I set up a router and modem on my own because I had to move to my home place. This spring semester, I am taking a CST 3605- Virtualization course, and I am using VirtualBox to do the labs for my class. And the third topic Wireshark, I used last year for my networking class labs. As a con for all of these, I think VirtualBox and Wireshark are a little bit challenging on mac because not all programs/ versions are available on mac. After all, you have to find out which work or which not. I’m not particularly eager to install anything on mac. I used to have windows at my home, and I find it easy to download, install, or use the windows system. As a brainstorming topic, I decided to do my instruction manual install Linux ISO file using VirtualBox and hope to do it quickly. Last time, it was difficult for me to do so since not all Linux versions work appropriately.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: MD Jahirul Hasan
DATE: 03/17/2021
SUBJECT: Instruction Manual Options
My three topics for this instruction manual that I am thinking about are:
• How build a gaming PC
• How create an Android app
• How to install Windows 10 on Mac using Boot Camp Assistant
How build a gaming PC: Building your own gaming PC could be fun. It is cheaper to build my own PC rather than buying a pre-build PC. I also will learn how to build it from scratch, and I also can choose what parts I want. For example, I want to build it on a budget, but I don’t want to sacrifice the performance then I might sacrifice on the storage side. In addition, if any part stop working then I will be able to identify the problem instead of taking it to the local PC shop. On the other hand, there are a lot of videos available on YouTube about PC building on every budget. People may not want to read an instruction manual for that. Instead, people may want to go for a ten-minute YouTube video. I personally think this instruction manual topic could be uninteresting to some people.
How to build an Android app: This topic related to my major and I took a class few semesters ago. I have a good experience creating Android app. Creating a good quality app requires a lot of time. If I can’t finish it on time, then I will just create a basic Hello World app.
How to install Windows 10 on Mac using Boot Camp Assistant: The pro is I have a latest MacBook. Once Windows is installed it works just like a regular PC and it is convenient to have two operating systems in one machine. The con is I have already installed Windows on my MacBook. If I choose this topic for my instruction manual project, then I will have to reset everything which will take me a lot of time because this is my only computer. Windows 10 also cost $139 plus tax to install.
For my writing instruction manual project, I am going to write about how to build an Android app.