This is the post for the week of Monday, January 23, 2017.

Notes for Today

• Reminder: If you are taking advantage of the grace period, complete the Syllabus Verification Quiz in Canvas by 11:59 PM tonight (Monday, January 23).

• Building Teams with Slack: We are using Slack heavily this week to begin the process of getting to know one another and work together. If you have trouble with the software, check out the information on the Help with Slack page. You can also ask for help in Slack itself—and if you see someone ask a question you can answer, please chime in.

• My Work Hours This Week: As usual, I will be around in the afternoon and later evening most days. I will be mostly unavailable during the day on Thursday (helping with Girl Scout cookie delivery), and I will be at a meeting on Saturday during the day.

Readings for This Week

These infographics present details about writing in the workplace. As you review what they say, think about whether you agree, how believable the research they share is, and any information you think could be added to improve them.

• Communicating in the Modern Workplace: How Millennials and their Managers Compare
• Surprise! People with Stronger Writing Skills Are Better at their Jobs, Get Paid More
• Watch Your Words in the Job Search
• Workplace Communication

Activities for This Week

1. Add a professional profile picture to your Slack account. To help us all get to know one another, please add a professional profile picture to your account. Photos will help us get to know one another and will personalize the discussion. Without photos, it’s just a list of names. If you need help, check the Slack documentation on editing your profile.

2. Add a professional profile picture to your Canvas account. To help us connect you from Slack to Canvas, please use the same profile picture in both places. Follow the Canvas documentation to add a profile picture in your user account.

3. Participate in my AMA discussion. Post any questions you have about me or my background in the #iamtraci channel on Slack. Read whatever has been posted. Add emoji, replies, or follow-up questions as desired. Please keep the conversation classroom-friendly.

4. Write a professional bio and post it in #intros on Slack to introduce yourself. In the workplace, it’s typical to write a short bio that would appear in a company newsletter or be shared with clients. You will frequently find these bios online on a “Meet the Team” type webpage. Here are some examples: 

   • Corps of Cadets Staff Biographies
   • Hokie Club Staff
   • Rackspace Leadership

   Write a similar, short bio that introduces yourself to the class. A photo is not required as there is already one showing for your profile. After you post your bio, read through your classmates’ bios and add a reply to at least three with a friendly comment or question. Try to build some connections.

5. Weigh in on the writing group discussion in #general on Slack. I’d like your input on organizing writing groups for the courses. As you will be focusing primarily on writing in your fields, arranging teams by major makes the most sense. The numbers for each major vary widely. For some there are plenty for a team (or even too many). For other majors, there is only one student (not really a team). So read the additional information in Slack, and offer your suggestions. Add emoji votes, replies, or new ideas.

6. Explore how the 4 infographics connect (or don’t) to your experience or knowledge of your field. Go to the Slack channel for the course you are taking (either #_business-writing or #_technical-writing). Choose the infographic you want to comment on (all four have been posted), and add your reply. Read the comments of your classmates and add some emoji reactions to their ideas. You can contribute additional replies as well.

7. Complete the Self-Assessment for the week. Download the 01/23 to 1/27 Template and follow the instructions to share details on your work this week. Upload your completed self-assessment to the 01/23 to 01/27 Self-Assessment in Canvas.

 

Total weekly activity points for 1/23 to 1/27: 10

 

 

[Image: Detail from Communicating in the Modern Workplace: How Millennials and their Managers Compare]

 

 

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