With the correspondence unit behind us, we are ready to move from business communication to technical communication. The instructions unit puts a new twist on a very old genre, and it will help us develop our visual rhetoric skills at the same time. I’m always amazed at what my students do with this assignment, and I can’t wait to hear your ideas.
On Tuesday, we will explore the Instructables website and look at some of my former students’ projects on the site. Before you come to class, please read the tour page on the Instructables site and click through to read several of the Instructables linked on that page. You should also explore the site to see what kinds of Instructables catch your interest. Come to class ready to discuss your favorite Instructables and bring three ideas for your own Instructable. Finally, please read Chapter 10 in the textbook before you come to class.
On Thursday, we will practice our instruction-writing skills with an in-class activity. You don’t need to read anything to prepare, but if you have a digital camera, please bring it (and any necessary cables) to class. By the end of class, you’ll be ready to begin creating your own Instructable. Your proposal for the instructions unit is due no later than Thursday night; please email me with your proposal.
Finally, a quick reminder about Delicious and Instructables accounts. If you haven’t sent me your usernames for these two sites, please create accounts and email me with your usernames as soon as possible. I would like to get our Delicious network up and running by the end of Week 4.
So in order to make a delicious account, we have to make a yahoo account first?
Since Yahoo bought Delicious, the accounts have become one and the same. So yes, you need to create a Yahoo account (or use one that you already have). But you shouldn’t have to create two accounts; once you have a Yahoo account, you can login to Delicious with that username and password.