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Sean wrote:
"Tool use should be taught. Tools are not isolated from all other aspects of
the workplace, tools reflect how technical writers do part of their job day
in and day out and it matters little whether the tool itself caused a
particular workflow or was designed to meet it."
While I disagree with the direction that Sean goes in, let me also confuse
the entire thread by saying that I agree with it. "Tools" has a lot of
different meanings and, in this discussion, tools has been interpreted to
mean applications such as Frame, Word, laundry list, etc., ad nauseum. But,
this list ignores the most important tool we have available to us. It
completely ignores the tool that sits between our ears and prevents them
from slamming together all day long causing a ringing noise in our heads.
We need to teach the brain how to function in the tech writing environment.
If we achieve that, the rest should follow naturally.
Case in point: When the Navy taught me electronics many moons ago, they
taught me the basics of electronics that transfer from one piece of
equipment to another. Later, when I completed my formal training and went
to my particular unit, my unit sent me to a series of specialized training
to acquaint me with the particular pieces of equipment I with which I would
come into contact in that organization.
In essence, then, my formal electronics training taught me electronics and
the training my unit sent me to taught me how to use the tools I would need
to work on the electronics in that particular unit.
Trying to make the colleges into a "one-size-fits-all" organization benefits
no one. Everyone comes out feeling prepared to tackle any assignment using
any tool there is only to discover that their college was using tools that
were three years old and their new employer just replaced their previous
tools with a brand new one, the 2nd millennium version of WordMaster
Professional. The student who knows tools, doesn't know this one. The
student whose brain was trained with good technique, can learn the tool on
the job or in a training class. It isn't rocket science. Good writing
technique might very well be, however.
Colleges should discuss the different categories of tools in their curricula
and what they do/how they work, but, the reality is, none of them can afford
to teach them all.
Regards.
Pete Sanborn
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-81537 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-81537 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of Brierley,
Sean
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2001 9:05 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: Tech Writing Curriculum
Tool use should be taught. Tools are not isolated from all other aspects of
the workplace, tools reflect how technical writers do part of their job day
in and day out and it matters little whether the tool itself caused a
particular workflow or was designed to meet it.
To ignore technical writing tools that are representative of particular
workflows, as I argue Quark, FrameMaker, and Word are, is to teach
soldiering without teaching firearms or carpentry with out teaching how to
use a saw, hammer, and chisel.
Tools are not the only key to technical writing, they are only one part.
However, tools are a necessary part of technical writing. And, yes,
certainly teach the cut-and-paste methods, too.
Sean
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew Plato [SMTP:intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com]
> --- Glenn Maxey <glenn -dot- maxey -at- voyanttech -dot- com> wrote:
>
>
<snip a whole bunch of stuff about learning the theory of the
profession without using the tools>
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