Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Southwest Minnesota Writing Gallery is NOW Accepting Submissions

What is The Southwest Minnesota Writing Gallery?

In celebration of the October 20, 2010 Second Annual National Day on Writing, and with the help of NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English), high school and college students in Southwest Minnesota have a place to display a piece of writing of their choice.


Who can participate?

High school and college students in Southwest Minnesota with any kind of writing* may upload ONE piece of writing at http://galleryofwriting.org/galleries/55821. Any kind of writing will work —from word processing to power points, research posters, research papers, photography, audio recording to text messages—and all types of writing—from letters to lists, memoirs to memos, poems to nonfiction essays, journal entries to technical documents.


*All writing submitted should meet the content guidelines found at:http://www.galleryofwriting.org/guidelines.php


How do students participate?

Go to http://galleryofwriting.org/galleries/55821

Create a login

Click on contribute writing and follow the screen-by-screen instructions

If you are under 13 years of age, you will need a parent’s or guardian’s help and email address

You will receive an email from the gallery when your work is accepted


Who can tell me more?

Those with questions about the Southwest Minnesota gallery should contact Dr. Teresa Henning at:teresa.henning@smsu.edu


To contribute writing to the National Writing Gallery, please visit: http://www.galleryofwriting.org

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Congratulations to PWC majors who received honors for the 2010 Spring Semester.
Students with a 3.8-4.0 GPA were awarded with High Honors.
Students with a 3.5-3.75 GPA were awarded with Honors.


High Honors
Janna Dorman
Kylie Jacobsen
Amanda Paine
Jessica Welu
Aubrey Wood

Honors
Lorien Downing
Christine Streff
Jason Zahn

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

PWC Major to Intern with Bethany House

Congratulations to PWC major, Stephanie Bruns, who will be interning for Bethany Publishing House this summer 2010 through their editing intern program!

Congratulations to Who's Who Recipients

PWC majors Stephanie Bruns, Kylie Jacobsen, and Jessica Welu are recipients of the "Who's Who Among College Students" certificate. Congratulations to these majors!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Technical Writers

Overview of Technical Writers
Technical writers translate technical jargon into natural language that the broad public can easily understand (iseek.org). Technical writers create manuals that give instructions to customers, technical reports, newsletters, and variety of other documents. Technical writers normally work in information-technology fields, but may also work to solve business communications issues within many different industries (bls.gov). Information regarding working conditions, skills needed, wages, employment growth, employment opportunities, and further reading options can be found below.
Working Conditions
Interpersonal relations are needed for technical writers, as they will be communicating with scientists, engineers, and others who need their information written down. Technical writers must also write weekly memos or letters, as well as be in contact with editors daily (iseek.org).
Technical writers must be precise in their work as many people are relying on their documents for correct information. Technical writers use computers on a a daily basis and should be familiar with a variety of software. Technical writers must be able to make decisions alone and must meet strict deadlines (iseek.org).
Most technical writers work with a set schedule of 40 hours per week, but may work some overtime on certain projects. Overtime could include nights and weekends (iseek.org).
Skills Needed
Technical writers need a bachelor's degree in some related field such as English, journalism, or Professional Writing and Communication (bls.gov). A degree and experience in a specialized technical field may also be required for technical writers.
Technical writers need to have communication skills, problem-solving skills, personal and time management skills, and be able to work with others (iseek.org). Technical writers must also have knowledge of the English language, computers and electronics, and engineering and technology (iseek.org).
Wages
Wages are over the median at $31.00 an hour in Minnesota (iseek.org).
Wages range from $66,540 in a computer systems design and related services job to $71,590 as a software publisher (bls.gov).
Employment Growth
The employment growth for technical writers is 12.8% in Minnesota and 19.5% nationally from 2006-2016 (iseek.org).
Internship and Job Opportunities
Further Reading