Signing off here too

It is an off sensation to end my career (and after 8 years of undergraduate courses it certainly has seemed like a career) as an undergraduate. I find myself logging into ecampus habitually only to remember I've finished those courses. There is nothing left to check in on.

Frequently I run on auto-pilot. It's the only way I've stayed sane the last four years while I mixed family, work, and school. Now, I find myself without work and without classes. I'm 90% thrilled my focus gets to be completely on family until August, but also 10% scared I'm going to go nuts before August. I no longer know how to comprehend a "spare" minute. My life has been meticulously planned down to the minute for years now and suddenly I am approaching "free" time. I honestly don't know what I'll do with myself. So if someone happens to find me wandering around town muttering to myself about needing something to do, please direct me home :-)

For never intending to get a degree from WVU, and for never intending to major in English or to engage in Professional Writing, I sure have managed to become attached to all three things. I was once told that the hardest part about graduating was "the day after," and I understand why completely.

Of course I'm off to California to get my masters. So this is a break for me rather than an end. I hope to complete my MA in standard time, however, rather than the double amount of time it took me to get my B.A. I would like to earn a PhD before my kids are out of highschool, afterall!

I wish each you the best on whatever journey you take from here. Good Luck!

Making it official

I won't repost the link since it's posted just below this entry. But I went in today and realized I forgot to add my contact info on the pages as I had planned. So I fixed that and now I'm leaving it alone.

Leave it to me to realize something like that at 11:00 when it's due at 12:00. But I got it done!

Congrats everyone on finishing!

I think I'm done

http://community.wvu.edu/~lkj001/pweportfolio/intro.html

Everything is up on the web! I may spot a few additional changes I'd like to make tonight, but I'd like to say unoffically now: I'M DONE!

My last day of undergraduate class ever

I've been in university since 2000. Finally in 2008, after two college transfers, too many housing relocations to remember, two children, one husband, and several jobs later I can finally say I'm done. I finished my last undergraduate class at 1:30.

It's been such a unique journey. I have never and will never be a typical student. Not even in my last moments has the oddity ceased.

It goes without saying that after working for two years in the Dean's office at the College of Business and Economics, the last few weeks have been especially interesting for me. Granted, I left my position before this explosion of events, but few students, staff, or faculty have had the experience I have had working just outside the Dean's door for two years. It has made reflecting on my work for the college very interesting and even somewhat emotional. When I finish my portfolio I will not only complete my undergraduate coursework but I'll also take the final step in putting my job behind me. The PWE capstone has forced me (not uncomfortably for the most part) to keep my past job in my immediate present. The media has certainly also kept my position in my immediate present. Its been hard to escape thoughts of B&E in the last few weeks. At this moment it's hard to imagine how I will feel on Tuesday when all is said and done for me.

I will say, however, that I am proud of my work. I know the PWE instilled skills in me I did not possess (or at least nurture and use) previously. Those skills are reflected in my work and, I hope, speak for its quality.

Mostly Done!

I worked in the lab today and Dr. Wible helped me sort out my background issues, so that is finally fixed! I also worked on my "Correspondence" section. All I have left now is the WVBHOF (West Virginia Business Hall of Fame) section, my intro, and my reflective essay. I intend to work on and finish up the WVBHOF section tomorrow. Finishing the intro and or the reflective essay will be an added bonus, but my minimal goal is to complete the WVBHOF section. Provided I can do that, I'll finish the essay and intro over the weekend and be done by Monday!

Hope everyone else is doing well under the crunch!

one more thing

If Dr. Wible or anyone else knows why my background isn't working on my portfolio, I'd be thrilled to try possible solutions!

Small set back

I intended to work in the lab again this morning until I realize I have my son's kindergarten registration today! I'd put that mentally on the back burner because I know we are moving and thus registering him is less a step at getting him into a kindergarten class here in Morgantown as it is a necessary hassel so that this school can transfer his papers to Claremont, Ca. So, from 10:30 to who knows when I'll be with Kayleb doing Kindergarten registration. Mind you I'm excited and thrilled my son is reaching such a big milestone in his development! I don't want to sound callous. I'm thrilled for him. Just wishing this registration occured at more convenient time, like two weeks from now!! hehe

It's definitely high stress week though. I have two "W" courses and the capstone so the last two weeks of my life have been spent writing one document or another. I'm really trying to stick to scheduled and manage my time wisely. Of course issues always come up like Kindergarten registrations or baby sitters canceling on the last day of class (yes, that happened too).

Such is the life of the student/parent. I can almost taste graduation. I'll just have to make up for time I lost this morning tonight after my boys are asleep. Think a pot of coffee at 10PM. That'll be me.

a little annoyed

for some reason my background won't show? I've tried it as a .png file and as a .gif. Neither are working. I know the file is in the right folder uploaded to my ftp space so I don't know why it isn't working. maybe my brain is too fried to tackle this right now.

much better

alright, I am much more pleased with the layout scheme now. It's been awhile since I've used dreamweaver and there are a few issues with links not staying the size I want them. THey look right in dreamweaver but in IE they change. Its frustrating me, but I'm not trying to make it a huge deal until the actual text is finished. Dreamweaver is making me remember why I prefer to write my own code. But there are just too many pages for this project. Ultimately, I'd make as many errors outside of dreamweaver as I am within it.

I've completed several more pages this morning though and have the two largest areas left to tackle: The West Virginia Business Hall of Fame and the Correspondence sections. These two areas encompassed the fullest portion of my time in my job. I have more material to show in these sections than in any of the others. I tried to pick and choose certain letters to exhibit, I now I feel I still have too many and will need to further narrow them down.

I can't upload the changes until I get home this evening (I'm in the lab now). When I get everything up on the web, I'll probably ask for more input! Suffice to say, I think it looks much more appealing than it did over the weekend.

color scheme

I've decided I don't like the color scheme. I was trying to use a background we used at work on powerpoints, but the scan makes it look hazy and I want a seemless repeating background so I don't have to mess with resizing. I'm a huge hex/pantone fan so creating color schemes is fun for me anyway. If you've looked at my portfolio, please take a look again this evening. And if you haven't, I'd wait till this evening when I've recreated the look.

I'll also, of course, be adding a lot more content today as well :-)

Working on the online portfolio

I spent about three hours in the labs on Friday working on my online portfolio. It took me far more time to do the work on building the site than on writing the material I have put up thus far. I didn't have any of my material electronically so I spent a good deal of time scanning my material and then fixing it up in photoshop. When all that was finally done I started to work on the website layout. It was a relief when I finally got to start writing the content! I still have a good bit of work ahead of me but several of my pages are nearly complete!

if you'd like to take a look at the progress so far: http://community.wvu.edu/~lkj001/pweportfolio/intro.html

The pages I have worked on are the "Miscellaneous" page and the "events" page. I know some of the links/text are not parrallel to the style I want. I also know I need to go in and increase the size of my background quite a bit, as they cut off on some pages where I have more text. But, its a start, and a start means I'm that much closer to the end!

poster idea

I do have ideas for both my poster and my paper. For the paper I was thinking of the idea of "what a difference a year makes" and showing not only the differences in my writing from before and after the PWE but also the before and after results that occured within our branding effort.

As for the poster I was going to do something more along the lines of something cheeky like "how to convince someone to invest" and the idea that the communications that went through my department were fundemental in starting and maintaing relationships with alumni and donors who financially support the college. The poster would display the various kinds of communications we did and why each sample had importance in the overall scheme.

Determining your Program's Values

I found on the Professional Writing and Editing homepage for WVU the following attributes highlighted within WVU's PWE program:

• Understanding the varied roles of writing in a professional context
• Understanding and applying the conventions of different professional genres
• Understanding why and how writing is usable or accessible for different audiences
• Explaining and describing complex and specialized information for both technical and lay audiences
• Developing visual design skills, including the use of graphics and page design

I also found the following list of materials expected of graduate student application submissions:
As a general guideline, we suggest you submit three different types of writing. For instance, some applicants might want to include an 10-12 page literary analysis, a 1-2 page resume, and a brief book review; other applicants might submit a several brief press releases, some professional correspondence (formal letters and memos), and an 8-10 page researched business report. The goal is to use 15-20 pages to demonstrate your ability to write for different audiences and purposes while also showing us that you possess some basic research and argument skills.

For me the largest value spoken through these points is diversity. And I feel that the undergraduate course in the PWE program have certainly highlighted diversity as well. Two years ago I couldn't have begun to tell anyone the difference between Business writing, Professional Writing, Multimedia Writing, and Technical Writing nor could I have stressed how much of an impact editing has on the message delivered within those genres of writing. Now however I have been diversified by the courses to understand how to write within particular confines and to different audiences. Within the course we have also been taught how to diversify a message, such as when, in a proposal or letter to deliver bad news. In all the courses diversity and versatility as a writing have been of paramount importance and I, as the program seems to, esteem it quite highly in looking onward to graduate coursework as well.

trying to refocus

This semester seems to have run away with itself in so many ways. I quit my job which was, effectively, my "internship" for the PWE capstone as well. But, rather than suddenly having 40 more hours a week on my hands, the millions of little things I'd had to put off in my life of full time work/family/school tried to catch up with me. But, I'm reclaiming my schedule now and throwing my attention back where is needs to be, and where it always has tried to be: school work. I haven't been worried so much consider that in the last two years of having the job I have produced well over the required hours of capstone coursework. In fact I also have too much work to narrow down and several possible topics for a paper. But, in some ways, it has been hard even after two weeks to jump back into "work" mode and to rehash and reconsider the work I did in my job. Admittedly I'm ready to put the job behind me and this course is a way to delaying the opportunity to do so. I'm going to try and put a positive spin on it though. My creativity in work existed inside, rather than outside, the box. But now I can finally make of the work I did in my job what I want of it, and that, I hope, will be a very freeing way to close the book on my career in Alumni and Development.

So, now it's down to business. I've got all my writing in front of me and I need to finally figure out what thesis to present and how my work supports it clearly.

I was thinking this morning back to when I last met with Dr. Wible and talked to him about the conditions one must write in when closed in by a "brand". Our college aimed in all its internal and external communications to maintain a common theme, saying, feeling, and brand by which to unite and strengthen the college. And I started to realize how confiding a brand or logo or any such thing can be for a writer. Suddenly, instead of being able to think creatively outside the box, it is imperative in your job to think inside the box and to still do so creatively. That may be the general focus of my paper: the confines of a brand and how to think creatively inside a box. So many complications arise and I believe my work shows the attempt to remain creative, carry the brand, and play by the rules.

Blog URLs

Regina Marie Whitacre Dyke: http://reginadyke.easyjournal.com/


Erica Nicole Reib: http://ereibfit.blogspot.com/

Caitlin Elizabeth Quarles: http://www.cquarles.blogspot.com/

Marie Rafa: http://rafa491a.blogspot.com/

Meagan Birmingham: http://meaganbirmingham.blogspot.com/

Natalie Adkins: http://almostintherealworld.blogspot.com/

Emily Hurdzan: http://www.ehurdzancapstone.blogspot.com

Steven Shamberg: http://pweinternship.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Gavette: http://jgavette.blogspot.com/

Brittney Swisher: http://bswisherwvu.blogspot.com/

Reflective Learning Questions

At what time during the day do you write best or have the most concentration?
I am a Robin rather than an Owl. I do all my best work early in the morning. In regard to this course I am lucky in that regard. My full time job hours are 8:15 to 4:45. Each evening when I leave work I make a "to do" list for the following day which contains anything left unfinished from the previous day/days as well as new tasks that need to be completed. Because I am aware that my brain is most capable of producing creative or time consuming work in the morning I am able to prioritize my list accordingly. If I had any writing or editing assignments that needed to be complete they would be first on the list. I find it soothing to arrive at work, get a cup of coffee, sit down at my desk and start creating. I've found its also the time of day in which I'm least likely to be interrupted.

Where do you do your best work? Why is that place helpful of inspiring?
Ideally I like to work in total seclusion away from the world with just myself and either my laptop or pencil and paper. I'm an easily distracted person with a very busy mind and thus I find quiet and secluded places to be most condusive to getting work done. Realistically in my life as it exists now I have had to adpat considerably. At work, as I stated above, I can work most easily at my desk in the morning before everyone else arrives and starts getting busy. The more people in and out of the office the more distracted I become. When necessary I use whitenoise or wordless music to drown out office noise and help me focus. At home I have two toddlers and a husband to like to challenege me to find one moment of peace! When I need to write or focus i find it best to either retreat to my room with my laptop or to the dining room table. I reserve the bedroom for a more comfortable creative space and the kitchen for me serious "get down to business" type work.

What tools, objects, or things do you like to have around you when you write?

• paper and pencil for jotting down notes. This is helpful when I have an idea I may not want to use yet but don't want to forget. Its also useful for getting out those thoughts that are distracting me from my present task. If I write them down (like what I need to get at the grocery store later) I can stop thinking about it and move on.
• highlighter and reference texts - I rarely work without some form of reference material. It somehow aids my confidence level to have reference works around to confirm what I am doing...and i always need the useful reminder on when to or when not to use a comma :-)
• something to drink - If I have it, I wont make an excuse to get up and go get it.

What do these habits or preferences say about you as a writer?

Generally I think it displays that when I begin a task I aim to complete it and to stick to it. I am a slave to routine. I don't like to be distracted and I like to avoid having to "come back to things later". If I start a first draft I like to finish it in one sitting. This does not mean, by any means, that my first draft is my last. I may have many many drafts before I am happy, but in the first draft I like to get out all the thoughts I can and find some sense of rough completion or conclusion. Then I leave the work for the day and return to it later and make it better. A perfectionist at heart, I'm also ridiculous about needing to "finalize" everything and start what I finish all in one sitting.

Portfolio

I have started to organize a paper folio of work I have completed over the last year in my job. Right now I have several specialized areas in which I have had to write, edit, or review materials. Right now those are:

• Donor relation letters
• Thank you letters
• External Relation Team minutes
• West Virginia Business Hall of Fame planning/event ( 2 years worth)
• Donor Celebration planning/event (2 years worth)
• Business Week wraps
• Annual Reports (2 years worth)
• Move Mountains/Make Your Move promotions
• Board of Advisor relations
• Deb Copeland event
• Ray Friant event
• Alumni Relation Letters/materials
• Alumni Survey
• Endowed Scholarship profiles

Each of these required a different kind of PWE skill and I hope that my portfolio will also show a growth in my PWE abilities. Some of the materials represent works before I had taken any class. The works progressively get better with each passing PWE course I took. This capstone will be my last PWE - I have completed all the rest. I strive then to show versatility and progression throughout my portfolio.

Establishing Expectations

I am not sure how the PWE courses, for the most part, have been experienced in the classroom. I have taken all PWE courses online save for Multimedia writing. In all my web-based courses it was necessary to keep a writing portfolio throughout the semester. The portfolio was the bulk, if not the entirety of ones grade. Therefore, I am not a stranger to maintaining and keeping up with a writing portfolio. In fact, my portfolio for the capstone is already put together and organized. Most of my work in this course will be reflective, but the organization of my portfolio will allow for me to easily add in any new work (of which there will be some as my job entails constant writing) as I go.

I am confident in this course for the exact reason that I am already in a working in a position full time that requires me to write. I work in Alumni and Development for the College of Business and Economics. I write a great deal of correspondence, e-mails, minutes from meetings, invitations, thank yous, and so on. Additionally, the college has recently engaged in a new visioning concept. I am on the "External Engagement Team" that is responsible for all new visioning materials. We have created new college view books, annual reports, and other modes of advertising for the last year and a half. The PWE concentration has been immensely helpful in my position. I know the strengths of the program because I put them to use on a daily basis. I am also aware of how my writing has improved because of the PWE because I can look at my writing from 2 years ago and see a notable difference in my business writing.

And so it begins

Hello everyone! This will be my PWE capstone blog. Last semester I kept a blog for my multimedia writing class with Dr. Sandy Baldwin and found it to be a great idea. It was an easy way to tune into the other students experiences and thoughts on the class and to get ideas and input for projects. Here's to a great semester (My last!)