When I started planning my final portfolio, I considered how I would make use of my poster materials and incorporate the writing I already completed for my poster into my electronic portfolio. I decided to use the same three main topics that I used for my poster in my portfolio. I listed these main headings, Research, Layout Design, and Editing and Revision, in the menu bar at the top of the homepage. In addition to these three headings, I decided to also include my reflective essay and my résumé as subject headings. I felt that this type of layout would be easy to navigate through. If a potential employer were to view my electronic profile, he or she could easily see the skills that I have chosen to highlight and could also access my easily access my résumé.
I was initially unsure as to where in my portfolio I wanted to include my reflective essay. I viewed portfolios of previous students and found that some of them used their reflective essay as their introduction on their homepage. While this approach functioned well in some portfolios, I instead decided to include my reflective essay as the second to last item in my menu bar on my homepage, prior to my résumé. Since I used my reflective essay to summarize what I have learned about successful professional writing, I felt that it was best placed after I explained the specific skill areas I have worked in. My reflective essay builds off of my explanations and reflections in the Research, Layout Design, and Editing and Revision sections. Therefore, readers will better understand my reflective essay if they first read the previous sections.
Although I was not required to include my résumé in my final portfolio, I decided that this addition would help readers to learn more about me as an individual and my interests and experiences outside of professional writing and editing. Writers and editors work in an assortment of fields, and my various work and volunteer experiences could serve as a valuable background in many professional writing positions. Thus, if I were to distribute my portfolio to potential employers in the future, they could easily view this information on my résumé and even print out the PDF version.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Reflective Post #10: Planning for Final Poster Project
With the end of the semester quickly approaching, I have been very busy working on my Professional Writing and Editing poster as well as my final electronic portfolio. I first started gathering my work and organizing my thoughts in preparation for my poster. Since I cannot display specific documents on my PWE poster, I needed to develop a different method for highlighting my work. I knew that I would need to use my reflective writing skills to describe the types of tasks I have been working on and the skills I have developed through this work. However, I did not want my poster to be weighed down by text and to be less visually interesting to viewers. Therefore, I tried to vary the content of the poster and to include graphics and, when possible, examples in each section.
In addition to the title and the National White Collar Crime Center logo, I have divided my poster into five different sections. The first section is titled, “The National White Collar Crime Center: What Do We Do?” In this section, I explain what type of organization I worked for and what type of products and information the National White Collar Crime Center provides. I also include the vision and mission of the organization in this section. The next section of my poster is titled, “My Internship.” This section discusses my role as a curriculum development intern and my key responsibilities within the organization. I plan to display these two sections in the center of my poster. The right and left sides of my poster will feature explanations of my work. These explanations will be divided into three sections, page layout, research, and editing and revision. In each of these sections, I explain the details of the projects I worked with and how I contributed to their completion and/or improvement. Throughout the different sections, I include various graphics and examples of my work.
Though I have not yet constructed the poster in its final form, I feel that the format I have planned will be a successful method for displaying my work. Looking forward to the planning of my final electronic portfolio, I am curious as to how I will incorporate the information I am using on my poster in my portfolio. Although the design of the portfolio will be somewhat different from the design of the poster, I think that my work in planning and creating the poster will provide a helpful starting point for the final portfolio.
In addition to the title and the National White Collar Crime Center logo, I have divided my poster into five different sections. The first section is titled, “The National White Collar Crime Center: What Do We Do?” In this section, I explain what type of organization I worked for and what type of products and information the National White Collar Crime Center provides. I also include the vision and mission of the organization in this section. The next section of my poster is titled, “My Internship.” This section discusses my role as a curriculum development intern and my key responsibilities within the organization. I plan to display these two sections in the center of my poster. The right and left sides of my poster will feature explanations of my work. These explanations will be divided into three sections, page layout, research, and editing and revision. In each of these sections, I explain the details of the projects I worked with and how I contributed to their completion and/or improvement. Throughout the different sections, I include various graphics and examples of my work.
Though I have not yet constructed the poster in its final form, I feel that the format I have planned will be a successful method for displaying my work. Looking forward to the planning of my final electronic portfolio, I am curious as to how I will incorporate the information I am using on my poster in my portfolio. Although the design of the portfolio will be somewhat different from the design of the poster, I think that my work in planning and creating the poster will provide a helpful starting point for the final portfolio.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Reflective Post #9: My Professional Personality
After reading chapter 2 of Portfolios for Technical and Professional Communicators, I began to consider how I would like my final portfolio to represent my professional personality. The chapter, titled “Creating a Portfolio Identity,” encouraged me to consider my own strengths in the workplace as well as my preferences in work environments. The chapter suggests that students take an online personality and career test. Therefore, I decided to take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter assessment to discover more about my personality will be influential in my future career.
According to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, I am an idealist. Idealists are “passionately concerned with personal growth and development.” As stated by my Keirsey Temperament Sorter results, “idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self – always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination.” I feel that this assessment is a very accurate description of my professional personality and my motivation to pursue a career in technical communication. The results also say that “idealists are naturally drawn to working with people.” I think that this is very true about my own working habits. Although I am sometimes shy when working with individuals that I am not familiar with, I am eager to interact with others and I enjoy working within friendly, social environments.
The chapter also encouraged me to consider how I see myself as a professional. I view myself as a highly motivated and enthusiastic professional. I am eager to learn, and I seek out opportunities to study topics that are new to me. I also think that I strive for success and I enjoy the sense of accomplishment I feel after completing a task or an assignment. I have also recently realized that I prefer to work on assignments that allow room for creativity. During one of our earlier class meetings, we discussed the importance of bringing our own creativity to our work as interns if possible. Prior to the start of my internship, I was somewhat nervous as to how I would take a creative approach to my writing. However, I now feel that my portfolio will provide me with an opportunity to creatively present my work and to demonstrate my acquired skills. I feel that as I enter the professional world, I will strive to continue to take creative approaches to my work. In terms of work environment, I think that I would like to work in an organization where I would interact with other people but also work independently. However, I am very flexible and would be willing to work in a variety of environments.
Smith, Herb J., and Kim Haimes-Korn. Portfolios for Technical and Professional Communicators. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. Print.
According to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, I am an idealist. Idealists are “passionately concerned with personal growth and development.” As stated by my Keirsey Temperament Sorter results, “idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self – always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination.” I feel that this assessment is a very accurate description of my professional personality and my motivation to pursue a career in technical communication. The results also say that “idealists are naturally drawn to working with people.” I think that this is very true about my own working habits. Although I am sometimes shy when working with individuals that I am not familiar with, I am eager to interact with others and I enjoy working within friendly, social environments.
The chapter also encouraged me to consider how I see myself as a professional. I view myself as a highly motivated and enthusiastic professional. I am eager to learn, and I seek out opportunities to study topics that are new to me. I also think that I strive for success and I enjoy the sense of accomplishment I feel after completing a task or an assignment. I have also recently realized that I prefer to work on assignments that allow room for creativity. During one of our earlier class meetings, we discussed the importance of bringing our own creativity to our work as interns if possible. Prior to the start of my internship, I was somewhat nervous as to how I would take a creative approach to my writing. However, I now feel that my portfolio will provide me with an opportunity to creatively present my work and to demonstrate my acquired skills. I feel that as I enter the professional world, I will strive to continue to take creative approaches to my work. In terms of work environment, I think that I would like to work in an organization where I would interact with other people but also work independently. However, I am very flexible and would be willing to work in a variety of environments.
Smith, Herb J., and Kim Haimes-Korn. Portfolios for Technical and Professional Communicators. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. Print.
