Technical Writing in the Digital Age: Difference between revisions

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=='''Pedagogical Approaches'''==
=='''Pedagogical Approaches'''==
==='''Writing Styles'''===
==='''Writing Styles'''===
Informal writing, such as some emailing, instant messaging, and texting, has crept into academic writing. In a study conducted by the Pew Internet & America Life Project, almost half of the respondents admitted to omitting proper punctuation and capitalization in their schoolwork. Others even used emoticons. Colleges and universities must now educate students on the different forms of written communication, and when best to employ them.{{sfn|Carroll|2010|p=20}}
Informal writing, such as some emailing, instant messaging, and texting, has crept into academic writing. In a study conducted by the Pew Internet & America Life Project, almost half of the respondents admitted to omitting proper punctuation and capitalization in their schoolwork. Others even used emoticons. Colleges and universities must now educate students on the different forms of written communication and when best to employ them.{{sfn|Carroll|2010|p=20}}


==='''Multimedia Writing'''===
==='''Multimedia Writing'''===
Best practices for tone, grammar, and style can vary depending on the form of media (auditory, visual, print, etc.), and many digital writings will combine two or more of these media formats. Students of technical writing may be taught specific techniques for different types of media in order to become proficient multimedia writers.{{sfn|Garrand|2006|p=23}} Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen in their book ''Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design'' introduce the concept of visual grammar, which relates to multimodality that helps with complex ideas in visual grammar. Kress and van Leeuwen suggest that visual elements should follow a set of grammatical rules to construct visual designs.{{sfn|Kress|van Leeuwen|2020}}
Best practices for tone, grammar, and style can vary depending on the form of media (auditory, visual, print, etc.), and many digital writings will combine two or more of these media formats. Students of technical writing may be taught specific techniques for different types of media to become proficient multimedia writers.{{sfn|Garrand|2006|p=23}} In their book ''Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design'', Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen introduce the concept of visual grammar, which relates to multimodality that helps with complex ideas in visual grammar. Kress and van Leeuwen suggest that visual elements should follow a set of grammatical rules to construct visual designs.{{sfn|Kress|van Leeuwen|2020}}


==='''Breaking and Building''' ===
==='''Breaking and Building''' ===
Breaking and building is a method of teaching effective writing that can be applied to technical and digital formats. It asks students to curate collections of digital media by comparing and contrasting ("building"), and also to critically analyze these collections and attempt to reason out the decisions behind them ("breaking").{{sfn|Coco|Torres|2014|p=175}} Each process has a set of targeted learning outcomes. Learning outcomes for "building" include making and reflecting on choices to find, group, present, and compile digital content. Learning outcomes for "breaking" include identifying and critiquing decisions in curating existing digital content, such as where the content originated, how it is grouped, and how it is presented.{{sfn|Coco|Torres|2014|pp=178-179}}
Breaking and building is a method of teaching effective writing that can be applied to technical and digital formats. It asks students to curate collections of digital media by comparing and contrasting ("building") and to critically analyze these collections and attempt to reason out the decisions behind them ("breaking").{{sfn|Coco|Torres|2014|p=175}} Each process has a set of targeted learning outcomes. Learning outcomes for "building" include making and reflecting on choices to find, group, present, and compile digital content. Learning outcomes for "breaking" include identifying and critiquing decisions in curating existing digital content, such as where the content originated, how it is grouped, and how it is presented.{{sfn|Coco|Torres|2014|pp=178-179}}


=='''Challenges and Ethical Considerations'''==
=='''Challenges and Ethical Considerations'''==
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