The above is a device for providing compact technical information using an illuminated display. It is a microfiche or flat sheet microform reader. Pages of text, diagrams, and images are photographed and reduced to microscopic size. This machine takes the flat sheet of these microscopic images and enlarges them on the screen so that the information that they contain may be read. In the past, microfiche and other kinds of microform provided a compact way to store lots of information that would otherwise require lots of physical space. This consideration of how to store, present, and access technical information is part of the larger equation you all might participate in solving in the workplace, but instead of the space being physical, the space might involve computer storage space and maximizing its savings, efficiency to read/write, etc. Some things to look at in class: microfiche and microfilm reader.
For this week’s class:
- Weekly Reading Report Exercise
- Perform Peer Review on last week’s deliverable
- Discuss last week’s and this week’s readings
- Introduce this week’s deliverable
- Review syllabus about next week’s readings and work
- Next week: LEGOs!
To: Professor Ellis
From: Tiana Beatty
Date. 11.03.2022
Subject: Weekly Readings
I have read, heard, and have seen user manuals and though I rarely use them because I’m able to apply common sense to whatever it is that I’m using (unless it’s building LEGOS or other building models; but mostly Harry Potter Lego sets). But when reading about user manuals, I had no idea that they were much more than just instruction guides but are actually filled with information that can be helpful to the consumer or user of that product. I also didn’t know that they can be as thin as folder and as thick as a dictionary which makes me wonder what other information could possibly go in there? Other questions that I have about user manuals are what other components or relevant information should be included besides the dangers and warranties depending on the kind of user manual that is being used? Do people actually still read user manuals especially with the knowledge of technology being so vast and easily accessible to everyone? Can user manuals be used in another way besides learning or upgrading on a skill and/or technique?
To: Prof Ellis
From: Bria Glenn
Date: November 3, 2022
Subject: Week 10 Discussion
The idea that technical communication and gender are two things that can be tied together was interesting to me. I believe where the technical communication comes in is the reasoning behind why the bicycle was not recommended for women’s use which turned into there being proper instructions on how to ride the bike and women being offered lessons to learn how to use this technological device. The manual of the bicycle was a factor of the technical communication offered in the text because without a set of instructions and a guide, there would be a bunch of people with devices they do not know how to operate. This is the importance of technological communication, any invention that is made would have to come with a detailed set of instructions created either by the creators themselves or technical writers who have tested out the product and can come up with logical instructions for the average customer.
This is what was interesting about our deliverable. Being a technical writer and communicator would involve you having to be able to explain a product two ways. One may be difficult because it is how you are used to talking, but the other will be difficult if you have to explain it to those who are not in the same field as you. Being good at your job means you can explain something in any way needed in order for people to understand an item.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Khaled Akam
DATE: November 3, 2022
SUBJECT: Week 10 Manuals
Everyone’s culture is different and has a perspective you should embrace in any field you write about. The way we influence, and guide readers should systematically be correct but reflect a general communication to the masses. Being able to transfer data using the right make-up with abundant information readily available to the user is our priority. But to do this we must first be able to communicate across a wide range of cultures and roles around us. Be mindful of future endeavors that you do not think is possible, so you narrow your field of communication. The development of something should not exclude any users and facilitate those who are. Communication to all is key in any aspect of a consumer’s life and simplicity is what holds it all together. With the evolution of culture being embedded into everyday things we must understand the changes. When targeting groups of audience, we lack communication for everyone else. Different interpretations focused on helping certain audiences is useful to know when trying to communicate but as technical communicators we provide a guide for everyone using the knowledge presented to us while investigating the culture around technology. We benefit immensely from understanding this because that is how we communicate to the masses. Recently I have been working on a project on video and the unintended consequences of this artifact. We tend to use technology, but we never learn the reasons behind it or how it could affect us.
To: Professor Ellis
From: Aaron Nieves
Date: November 3, 2022
Subject: Week 10
Junhua and Hua Wang’s article on culture intertwining with the marketplace had a lot of relevance to me personally. Culture is everywhere and has a drastic impact on how we live our lives far beyond the marketplace. The impact of culture can be found in our political systems all the way to the Hollywood movies we watch. “Meme” culture has dramatically alongside the internet. Meme’s are pieces of information, often times humorous pictures, that are spread online to spark a reaction. You can find specific groups for different styled memes. As someone who is on several social media platforms, I encounter a lot of memes throughout the years. It’s easy to see how companies are exploring Meme culture and bringing it into the marketplace. You can see companies like Wendy’s or Paramount getting involved with social media more and creating their own meme’s to fit into certain groups. Paramount is prominent throughout TikTok. What really got them with their views in the beginning were the short out of context clips from their Twilight movies. A lot of people saw nostalgia and the out of context humor as great. I was attracted to the posts they were putting out.
To: Professor Ellis
From: Sandy Fougeres
Date: 11/03/2022
Subject: Weekly Readings
This weeks readings discussed how bicycles in the 19th century were a symbol of emancipation for women. The article, ” User Agency, Technical Communication, and the 19th Century Woman Bicyclist,” by Sarah Hallenback, talked about the bicycle giving women the opportunity to do things outside of their duties in the home, and how they used it to travel giving them a sense of freedom. During that time there was backlash about women using bicycles because the bicycles were considered a machine for men to use leisurely, as for women they were to use the tricycle as it was considered beneficial to their health and physical ailments. However, women riders increased and therefore manufacturing companies took notice where they started to create advertisements for women bicyclist and started to add “feminine” features to the bicycles. Even the instructional manuals were designed in a way to attract women riders. The article then connected it to the concept of user agency and emphasized how the audience or consumer can influence the changes made to a product whether they were the original consumer or not.
In the second reading, ” From A Marketplace to a Cultural Space: Online Meme as an Operational Unit of Cultural Transmission,” by Junhua and Hua Wang, it talked about the history of meme creation and how it can be used to get a better understanding of cultural evolution. That the theory of memes is once the original idea is introduced it is then replicated, selected and reconstructed in different minds and in different contexts. I thought both articles were informative as I never knew that bicycles meant more to women than just being anther way to travel. Also, that the memes that I use today were a concept that existed years prior.
TO: Professor Ellis
FROM: Naila Butt
DATE: 3 November 2022
SUBJECT: Technical Communication and Culture
Dear Professor Ellis,
I hope you are doing well.
I particularly enjoyed the article on the history behind 19th-century Woman Bicyclists because the article talks about a deep-rooted history that has last had lasting impacts on the world of technical communication. It was appalling to read that men did not like the idea of women riding a bicycle because they gained “freedom” and feared they wouldn’t fulfill their womanly “duties.” On the other hand, The journal article that discusses cultural spaces with online memes was rather interesting, as I have never thought of memes as a “cultural space.” Both articles emphasize how culture impacts us as technical writers and give essential historical background to the different communities and cultures that revolve the society and the internet.
Aside from the reading, I was surprised to see the semester go by quickly. I’ve enjoyed the lessons and assignments for my Language and Technology Class with Professor Leston. Currently, I am working on a presentation about Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse and speculating on its rhetorical function in society. I am trying to find creative ways to present my topic to my peers. I was inspired by your comment about Zuckerberg trying to make a translator similar to the one in the Sci-Fi films Star Trek. That got me thinking about some rhetorical and unintended consequences of inventing a technology. How will language be impacted if everyone is lost in translation?
To: Professor Ellis
From: Timothy B
Subject: Cultural Technical Communication
Date: November 3, 2022
The main topics of study for this part of the discussion was knowing what a User guide is and what that means in the field of technical communication and how technical communication dated back and were used around the 19th Century through woman bicyclists and analyzing the intertwined connection between cultural and technology. One point that was apparent was To understand the notion of culture as a powerful process for radical intercultural partnerships and technological practices, it is necessary to approach or describe how a cultural element or component arises and develops along an evolutionary path. This is important because it is describing what the meme concept is as a cultural unit in technical communication.