Electronic Assignments

Assignment 1 + Assignment 2

Because professional communicators in the twenty-first century will need to be familiar with ways to find and retrieve information electronically, WRIT 465 requires all students to become more familiar with communications technology. These two assignments will provide you with experience in locating, using, and presenting information electronically that may prove a valuable and salable job skill in today's employment market.
Assignment 1 --2.5% of final grade, graded S/U

This assignment requires you to practice basic data retrieval, synthesizing, and abstracting skills. You are required to log onto the Internet (through the Winthrop labs, CETlink, rjsonline, AOL, or whatever service you use) and to find listings for three jobs which you could apply for (or which you'll be qualified to apply for when you graduate). At least one must be located at least 100 miles from Rock Hill. Use more than one source of job listings (i.e. don't take all three from monster.com). I expect a polished memorandum for this assignment!
What you need to turn in For each of the three jobs, make a note of the complete URL (Internet address) where you found it listed and some of the requirements for the job. Once you have compiled this information, send me an e-mail memo at kosterj@winthrop.edu telling me what you have found. DO NOT COPY THE WHOLE AD AND SEND IT TO ME; ABSTRACT, ORGANIZE, AND PRESENT THE INFORMATION. Have you looked at the Career Resources on our class web page?
Assignment 2 --2.5% of final grade, graded S/U

 

 This assignment requires you to refine your search and  presentation skills. Pick your fantasy city: the one where you'd like to live, work, and settle down. Your choice of fantasy city is not limited to the U.S., or even to this planet; I've seen a great presentation for Deep Space Nine. You may have more luck if you search not only by city name but by synonyms and related terms; for instance, not just "Los Angeles", but "City of Los Angeles," "California--Cities", "Film Industry," "Los Angeles Lakers," etc. Using other descriptors like "cost of living comparison" or "crime statistics" may also lead you to more information.
What you need to turn in You will need to report your findings to me in a web page that you publish to the Web; all you actually have to send me is the URL of the web page in an e-mail.  Your classmates will teach you to make web pages in Oral Presentation #2 and there are tutorials for FrontPage on the Resource Page links. Your web page must include at least one piece of visual information (a map, a picture, a graphic, etc.) and at least three hyperlinks to other pages on the Web. The content text should be at least 500 words long; you can nest a set of pages together if you like. You will probably be showing us this web page during Oral Presentation #3, so make it look good!
Some tips for developing your site

Using various search engines you find for the Web, find out as much about that city as you can. For instance, can you afford to live there? Where might you work and live? Could you go to graduate school? Who are the major employers? What are the major attractions? Is the city safe from crime? Is the newspaper on line? Could you find a mate there? (or if already married, does the city have attractions for your mate as well as you? for your kids?) What would it cost to live there as compared to Rock Hill? How much would you need to earn to live the way you want to there? These are just suggested questions; you are not limited to these, and your grade will depend in part on how far beyond these you are able to go. Since more information is added to the Internet daily, don't try to do this in one shot, but keep looking over a period of several weeks. Try different search terms and search engines to see what you can find. This assignment takes some creativity but is well worth the effort; if you can complete it, you'll have the basics for finding anything on the Web, which is a valuable skill to sell an employer.