Reflection on English 410


       Over the semester, my writing skills and editing skills have developed a great deal.  Prior to English 410, I had no idea how complex writing, technically or otherwise, truly needed to be.  The class has taught me about the responsibilities I have to my audience, as well as how complex an audience can be.    In addition, I have come to appreciate and understand the need for collaboration and outside eyes on a document to ensure that its effectiveness has been achieved.   I’ve also come to appreciate the authority I can bring to my work through the vocabulary I use as well as information I include.

        The biggest change in my writing and reading is attention to detail.  I have always had weak grammar skills and the numerous exercises completed throughout the semester helped a lot.  I feel much more confident in my ability to write intelligibly as well as correctly.  The Reading as a Technical Writer steps finally taught me how to edit and revise a paper.  There are a lot of different areas a writer can make a mistake in and the six steps have helped me deal with each area separately; both as a reader and as a writer.

        The approach I take to my writing in other courses has also changed.  I think carefully about the order and type of information I include, ethos, and grammar.  By using the editing checklist created in class, I have obtained an eagle eye for mistakes I never would have noticed before.  In general, I have learned about the many intricacies involved in both technical and everyday writing that have made me into a well-rounded writer.

        Compiling the e-portfolio was one of the classes biggest challenges.  I have not dealt with any form of web writing in four years.  As a result, everything I did was new and educational for me.  I only knew about html writing prior to the class.  Learning how to use Netscape composer has opened a lot of doors for me.  My website had been sitting around collecting dust, and now has been revamped and looks a lot better.  I look forward to utilizing my new knowledge to create a more professional website in the future.