References

References

Roleff, Tamara. (2002) What Encourages Gang Behavior? San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press

Kinnear, Karen. (1996) Gangs: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc.

Elder, Larry. (2001) Gangs-Society Fault? Sept 6, 2001

Recommendation proposal

To: Members of the Harlingen Police Juvenile and Gang Task Force
From: Jared Young, TSTC Student
Date: July 27, 2008
Subject: Recommendation Report Concerning Recent Gang Activity

Enclosed is a formal report based on the recent surge of gang activity in or around the Harlingen area. The report also presents recommendations and options in addressing the illegal and violent activities of area gangs.

It is of great concern to the community that some form of action be taken to combat this recent growing problem. It is my hope that the recommendations made in this report will be implemented and used to deter future gang related activity. Please feel free to contact me about any aspect of this report. I can be reached by phone at (956)454-5314 or by e-mail at onegroove72@yahoo.com.

Proposal for Recommendation Report

To: George Mcshan

From: Jared Young

Date: July 20, 2008

Re: Recommendations on how to control the recent rise in gang activity


I am writing to you to ask your permission on doing a formal report on various ways to decrease recent gang activity that has been plaguing the Harlingen area lately. This report would be based on research done by me using recent articles in local newspapers, the Internet, and magazines.

The Harlingen area has seen a major surge as of late concerning gang activity. My report will be researching the best practices for addressing juvenile crime and gang violence.



The following is a list of recommendations that will be detailed and discussed on how to deal with this growing problem.

1. Improving local law enforcement
2. Including the local community in more decisions on what proper tactics to use
3. Having more youth oriented programs aimed at under-privileged teens, which are the main targets of gang recruitment
4. Educating youth of the dangers of gang activity at a earlier age
5. Implement harsher penalties for repeat offenders and offer programs to deter repeat offenders while incarcerated

Thank you so much for your time and consideration concerning this issue. These are only a few of the many options that can help in decreasing the ongoing problem related to gang activity. With this report, I hope to highlight several different options to help fight this growing problem.

This project-report will be completed at no cost to you. This project-report should also be completed by July 27, 2008. I will be doing the research for this report with a desktop computer and resources provided by the local library.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at (956) 454-5314 or by e-mail at onegroove72@yahoo.com.

Sincerely,

Jared Young

Reflect on Instructions and Usability

1.What did you find was easiest about doing the usability test? I believe that the actual preperation of the enchiladas was the easiest thing in the test.

2.What did you find was missing in your test? I found nothing missing.

3.What did you learn about your instructions form the test? I learned how to prepare a dish that I had no idea how to prepare at the start of the instructions. I also learned that every step should be explained thoroughly. You have to look at it from the someone point of view that has no idea what they are doing.

4.Did you find the test valuable? Why or why not? I don't think the test was that valuable because the instructions were so clear and precise to follow that the test seemed redundant.

5.What changes did you make to your instructions after user testing them? Did the results of usability testing surprise you? No changes were made after the test. No

6.Comment on working collaboratively? How was this similar, different, easier, more difficult than other projects you have completed on your own? I really enjoyed working with Cynthia, she seems to be a very intelligent young lady and was eager to help me with any problem that occurred. I would say that this was a little more difficult than other projects because hers and my schedule conflicted so that it was hard to get together a lot of the times.

Main sections in Recommendation Report

1. Introduction- states what the report is about and gives a brief overview

2. Technical background- explains the technical aspects of items that will be discussed in report

3. Background on the situation- Discusses the problems,needs or the opportunity brought about by this report

4. Requirements and criteria- Discusses the requirements you will use to reach the final decision or conclusion.

5.Discussion of the options-Explain how you narrowed the choices down to the one you reported on

6.Category by Category comparisons-very important, this is where you compare the options of what you are reporting on.

7.Conclusion- where you restate what the outcome of your comparison section.

8.Recommendation- States your recommendation

Usability Test -Questionnaire for subjects

1. Why did you decide to take this test?

To learn how to prepare a new item to prepare for dinner.



2. Were the instructions precise and detailed in order to accomplish the task?

Everything was explained so that someone who had no experience cooking would have no problem with the instructions.



3. Were all the supplies needed stated in the instructions?
Yes, everything that was needed was told in the instructions

4. Was the terminology used in the instructions easy to understandable? Yes they were easy to understand.

5. Did the test provide the user with any warnings that could be helpful? Yes but it was common knowledge.

6.Was the test completed by the time stated in the instructions? Yes, the time was precise.

7. What was the reaction of the subject towards the questionnaire? The reaction was fine, the subject was expecting to fill out a questionnaire.

8. How long did it take the subject to fill out the questionnaire? Ten minutes maximum.

9. Did the questionnaire pose any problems being filled out. No one seem to have any problem.

Project goals

1.What are the goals of your instructions? The goal of the instructions was to teach the reader the proper procedure on making enchiladas.

2.How are they useful or beneficial to the user? What do users want or need to do? They would be useful in making a dinner for yourself and family. The user would need to want to learn how to prepare enchiladas.

3.What is the general background of the users? The users background could be a wide array of options. Chefs, mothers, students, or anyone who desires to learn how to prepare a new dish.

4.What is the context in which the user is working? The users will be working in a kitchen and will be using basic kitchen utensils.

5.What has to be left to the machine? What to the user? The stove will be the only appliance that will be used. It will be used for cooking the food the proper way. All other aspects will be done by the user by hand.

Reflection on Instructions

With my set of instructions, I believe that anyone with a passion for music or the desire to learn to play a new instrument would be my target audience. I chose to include visuals of the equipment that will be needed in order to complete the instructions. This way the reader would know exactly what supplies and equipment will be needed in order to learn how to mix.
I believe the most important design element in my instructions would probably be the warnings. The equipment used is so valuable and can be damaged very easily. I have seen equipment ruined in every possible way imagined. At least with the warnings that I stated, the readers will be forewarned.
I believe my instructions would be used more on the web than any other medium. There are not many books that I know of that discuss the art of mixing. The web is the only way that the readers would be able to access this kind of information. The user of this test would hopefully take what they learned and use it to play in front of crowds to entertain or just use it to quench their musical thirst.
I think I would change my set of instructions very little if I had to physically present them to a user. The one thing I would do is to go over all the features of the equipment and how they properly work. This would make the set of instructions a little more easier to learn once they have that knowledge.

Test Plan

What do we want out of this test, how will we conduct the test, and what will we ask users during the test?

From this test we want to know how efficient our instructions were. We want to know if the instructions are easy to comprehend or difficult to follow. How the reader felt after reading the instructions. Did they feel that they need more experience with cooking certain dishes that are similar to enchiladas? We will be conducting this test by asking our participants to read our instructions on how to make enchiladas, ask them question about how they felt after reading them, if they are clear and straight forward or difficult to understand. We will ask them to fill out a questionnaire. We will ask them about how difficult they thought the instructions were, the clarity of the instructions, if they would attempt to follow our instructions, how often do they cook a week, and we will ask them their overall impression of following the instructions.

Test Plan

Project goals

The goals of our instructions were to provide an easier way for people to cook enchiladas. To help bring families together at dinner time by helping others learn to cook a new dish. To teach people that it is easy to learn how to cook a new dish. These instructions could be beneficial to the readers by teaching them something new and to help bring their family together. The user just needs to want to learn to cook something new. The reader just needs a basic background of how to cook. They do not need to be a professional cook to follow our instructions they just need to know how to use their stove and oven. The context that the user will be using is basic knowledge of how to cook. Basically the user will be doing most of the work. The oven and stove will heat the food or cook the food, but the user will complete all other steps.

Testing Goals

We will be focusing on learn ability. We want our readers to not only use our instructions but to learn them as well. We think that we would learn something new and how to be able to bring my family closer together. We would hope that the reader will learn to maybe appreciate the effort and work that goes into creating something new. As well, we want the reader to appreciate all the excitement that they can experience in completing the instructions. I hope that providing all this information to the reader will help them in carrying out our instructions.

User Profile

We believe that our users are probably going to be adults who are interested in cooking. People who are open to trying new recipes and new dishes of food are probably the readers that will be attracted. They will learn how to make enchiladas differently and probably try to incorporate their own likings into the recipe. The users probably want to learn to cook and do not really need to know much about cooking. They really just really need to know the basics of knowing their way around their kitchen. The general background of the user is probably adults who are open to trying new things. They could be someone who is trying to perfect their recipe so they might incorporate some things from our recipe. I do believe that the user can work at their own pace to accomplish the usage of our instructions. If the user makes mistakes it’s ok. Nobody is perfect and they will not damage the whole recipe if they make a mistake. They just got to clean up the mess and continue making the reset of the batch.

Scenarios and Tasks

Think about if one day you get home and you walk into your kitchen. See all these ingredients on our counter top with a recipe sitting to the side of them. You look at the instructions and think, “you know what I can do this”, so you give it a try. You set everything up and go at accomplishing your goal of creating your very first attempt at enchiladas. You follow the instructions step by step. You first set up all your equipment and put your ingredients in order. You then start on step two of heating up your stove, while you are opening up our cans of chili and beans, tomato sauce, and shred your cheese. Third you start warming up the sauce in the pan, and then you dip your tortilla in the sauce, put it on your tortilla on the plate or glass tray, add your fillings, roll up your tortilla, add extra sauce, once your tray is full of enchiladas add more cheese on top. Lastly cover your tray with foil paper and then put them in the oven at about 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. I will be asking the reader to go home and try to accomplish using the instructions.

Testing materials

We will be using a questionnaire and verbal questioning. So we will be using regular word documents or maybe excel. We will be taking short hand notes while interviewing people. During the test after we have interviewed the user we will give them a paper copy of the questionnaire. We do not think we will need any other material.

Testing Protocol

We will be conducting the test on May 11 and we will be testing at least 10 people. We will break the interview into two parts 20 minutes in the verbal interview and the other 10 minutes so that the user can fill out the questionnaire. We allow the user a few minutes if they get stuck at any point during the testing but we will try to guide them to finishing the interview or questionnaire. We allow them to ask us questions but we will try to guide them to finishing the testing. We will also try to answering their question with a question to help get the thinking so they can answer all out questions. We will be asking several questions during the test but I do not think we will ask anything after the test. We will be giving a test report after the test to show our results but other than that we do not think we will be needing to provide anything else.

Elements in usability test

1.Project goals in which you describe what the goals for your original project are; in this case, your original project/product is your instructions.
2. Testing goals in which you explain what you want to learn from the test, what you hope to achieve.
3. Scenarios and Tasks in which you detail the hypothetical situation and tasks which you will give your test participant to perform.
4. User Profile in which you explain the type of user which you expect will be using your product.
5. Testing Materials in which you detail what you will need to have to conduct your test.
6. Testing Protocol in which you provide step-by-step specifics as to how you will conduct the actual test.

Website address for "Instructions"

http://onegroove72.googlepages.com/instructions

This is the address for my instructional manual. Enjoy

Introduction for instructions

A beginners guide to mixing vinyl

Ever wonder what it is like to control a room full of people all by what record you play?Being the disc jockey(dj), you control the entire atmosphere of where ever you may be playing at. The art of mixing(blending one record into another so that both records are playing as one) is a talent just like any other musical instrument. It takes time, patience, and a great ear for music to learn this craft. This will be a step by step guide so that anyone with the desire to learn how to mix may do so after this reading. I will explain the proper technique and the proper equipment needed in order to learn to mix. Because the equipment used can be rather expensive, I will be providing tips and warnings to care for your equipment.
To understand and use this guide, you will need some basic understanding of how a turntable operates. You will also need some minor knowledge of basic electronics like receivers and speakers.

Conclusion for instructions

Congratulation, you have now synced the two records so that they play as one beat. Give yourself a hand for accomplishing your task. Once you have gotten the timing for these records down, introduce another record and so on. Try putting the records in an order as if you were trying to tell the listener a story. Use your imagination! Remember to practice until you feel comfortable enough to play in public. Above all, just enjoy yourself and the music!

Instructions Body

Instructions on how to mix vinyl

This will be a guide on how to mix records together where the records seem to blend into one another smoothly. Most observers think that this is a simple task that takes no effort. That can not be further from the truth as you must posses a good ear, great timing, and the most important;a passion for music! This instruction manual will be a step by step guide so that anyone can read this and be able to start mixing.

Equipment and supplies needed

1. Turntables - The first and most important piece of equipment you will need will be your turntables [record player]. You need a belt driven player in order to mix properly. These will help you to stop or speed up a record quickly with no delay. Technique 1200's are the industry standard as they are used by most professionals. Do not forget that you need two turntables in order to properly mix.

2. Mixer - A DJ mixer is a type of audio mixing console used by disc jockeys. The key features that differentiate a DJ mixer from other types of audio mixers are the ability to redirect (cue) a non-playing source to headphones and the presence of a crossfader, which allows for an easier transition between two sources. They come in all different forms and prices. A normal mixer will have 2 channels which allows you to mix 2 of a total of 4 inputs: 2line ins and 2 phono ins. Some mixers are "one input, one channel" but most modern mixers have 2 inputs for one channel. A button or flip-switch allows you to select the input that is put through to the channel, phono in for the turntables and line in for the rest of the equipment. There are hundreds of mixer on the market now days. My personal preference is the Gemini mixer. I have previously owned 3 Gemini mixers and have thoroughly enjoyed each one with no problems.

3.Headphones- A pair of headphones has to meet a few requirements: Good bass reproduction, good fit and tough design. As far as the demand for good bass reproduction goes, you have to favor the closed-back designs. This will also better keep out the ambient sounds, which is, given the situation, very much desirable. Better, more accurate sound reproduction will help you hear the slightest of differences during transitions. A poor quality set of headphone will make this a lot more difficult.
Good fit speaks for itself, you are likely to want a headphone that has a comfortable fit if you want to survive several hours of mixing. And for design: it is not so much you need a tough headphone, but you need to avoid using a fragile one, which of course comes down to the same thing. You have to be able to twist and bend the headphone repeatedly without wear / causing damage and it has to be able to survive a drop to the floor. (The twisting and bending happens when you listen with only one ear pad on one of your ears, the other pad behind the other ear, or even in your neck.) I have found that Pioneer's headphones have been the been the most durable brand that I have used.

4.Speakers- A quality pair of speakers will be needed in order for you to mix records. Speakers from your home-stereo system will not work due to the fact that they will probably be short circuited by the amount of power that they receives. A professional pair from Bose is a perfect pair for mixing.

5.Vinyl- Very vital, you can not mix without vinyl. Be sure to have at least 10 to 15 records when you first begin to learn. Also make sure that they are of similar genre when purchasing. Having the same beat as other records makes mixing a lot easier when you are matching beats together.

6.Receivers- Receivers are what power the mixer and turntables. Alpine is a brand that is trusted by most professionals because of their dependability. Never power a receiver on with either the mixer or the turntables on. This can do serious damage to all components and may even ruin them.

6. Cords and speaker wire- You will need the proper cords in order to set up your mixer correctly. You will also need speaker wire to connect your speakers.

Step by step instructions on how to mix

We assume that record 1 is playing, and we want to mix in record 2 which has an extended ‘intro’ period with no beats and mainly escalating mid-range sounds.

1.
Set equalization on record 2, by keeping in mind that this is a difficult mix-in and you will be spending most of your time attaining and maintaining sync between the two tracks rather than adjusting knobs. Generally, adjust the treble to -2dB, the mid-range to 0dB and the bass to -4dB. Try not to worry too much about these knobs till the end of the mix-in.

2.
Assuming that you know that record 1 has about 1:30 minutes (say) of ‘outro’ and it’s running at 130 bpm (beats per minute), then we have: 130 X 1.5 min = 195 beats / 32 (beats/period) = 6 periods. (Always work in periods and not minutes. Use the minutes to approximate the closest number of periods. Songs rarely have half periods and almost never smaller fractions than that.)

3.
Go to record 2, listen how many minutes the intro rolls for. Assume here that record 2 has about 2 minutes of ‘intro’. (If you don’t have time, estimate the approximate ‘intro’ time by skip-listening with your needle.) Make sure you determine which is longer, the ‘intro’ of record 2 or the ‘outro’ of record 1. Assume the ‘intro’ of record 2 is longer for this example.

4.
Once the beats start to sound on record 2, use them to quickly acquire a sync with record 1. Now, make sure that your sync is close enough, so that track 2 can stay in sync at least about a minute.

5.
Now here’s the real hard part. Bring the needle on record 2 right at the beginning of the record. Find the point at the very beginning of the track. Usually there will be some form of distinctive beat-like sound, like a clash or a single beat.

6.
Put your headphones on, set head-phone cue for record 2. Hold the vinyl in place with one hand and start deck 2. The plate is now spinning and the record is not.
Remove one ear phone and start jerking record 2 forwards and back across that starting point in line with the beat of record 1 (which is playing on the live speakers). Jerk for 4 or 8 beats and then release.

7.
Let the tracks play and listen to see if there are any asynchronous sounds. Clearly it is hard to tell whether the tracks are in sync with the lack of a beat on record 2, but it is usual for producers to include some kind of a periodic sound during the ‘intro’, for the very purpose of extracting a beat.

8.
If you’re not sure whether sync exists or not, then nudge record 2 a bit forward and listen. Is it better or worse? If worse, break record 2 till you feel that the sound of record 2 rolls with the beat of record 1.

9.
So, you have convinced yourself that you can synchronize the two tracks, so now return the needle to the beginning of record 2. Leave it there.

10.
Half a period (16 beats) before the start of the last 6 periods on record 1, start the plate on record 2, hold the vinyl in place and remove one ear-phone just like before. 8 beats before the start of the mix-in, start jerking record 2 and feel the beat of record 1 sound with that initial sound on record 2.

11.
Release record 2 at the right time. Take your time and listen for a good 1 - 2 periods whether the sync has been attained, make minor adjustments and keep listening.

12.
Sync has now been attained and you’ve spent 2 periods in doing this (approx 30 seconds). Start crossing gently towards the middle position over the next 2 periods. 2 more periods to go.
Start lifting the treble on record 2 to full volume over the next period, while crossing the fader to ¾ mark (towards record 2).

13.
Finally in the last period, you can use the bass knob on record 1 to keep cutting bass to dry out the sound, while lifting the bass on record 2. (Record 2 does not yet have a beat, but lifting the bass will give the sound more authority and will drown out the sound of record 1.)

14.
Now, there are 2 more periods till the beats on record 2 sound. Use this time to lift up the equalization of all frequencies to the +0dB mark, if you haven’t already done it.
Sit back and relax. Don’t forget to also cross the fader all the way or mute the corresponding channel fader of record 1, or you may have a nasty surprise when you start sampling the next record.

15.

Practice,practice,practice. No one ever gets right the 1st time but by following these guidelines and practicing should have you mixing in no time.

Memo for instruction manual

2502 North Country Dr
Harlingen TX, 78550

Janie Santoy
TSTC
1902 North Loop 499
Harlingen TX, 78550

Dear Ms.Santoy,

I am writing you this letter to express my interest on doing my next project on writing instructions. I was hoping to do my project based on the art of mixing. This has been a hobby and fascination of mine for sometime and thought that this would be a great instructions manual.
There are many people who love music and love to mix it. The problem is is that many aspiring dj's do not know the proper technique to seamlessly blend one record into another. One must have a great ear for a music and impeccable timing.
The information I will be providing will come from research on the web and the years of experience that I have accumulated in playing music. I have been playing records for 15 years throughout the South East. Most of my experience has been at playing at clubs and at a handful of festivals. I have even played at a few festivals in Europe. Music has always been a great influence on me and so learning to mix was second nature to me.
I believe there is a significant audience for the material I will research on. Turntables now outsell guitars in many areas of the world. This means there are many new aspiring artist that have the desire to learn the proper way of mixing records. It may not be that prevalent in South Texas but mixing can be a very lucrative career for many young artist. They even conduct paid seminars on how to learn this beautiful art form.
My schedule to complete this task should be accomplished by July 6, 2008. I will be using a laptop and my knowledge of this subject for research. My laptop will be used to define any technical terms that will be used in the instruction manual.
I would like to thank you in advance for your time in this matter. If you have any questions concerning this matter, I may be reached at (956)-454-5312 or by e-mail at onegroove72@yahoo.com.

Sincerely,



Jared Young

Project 3 - elements in instructions

1.Introductory- Letting the reader exactly what it is you are giving instuctions on and the equipment needed to follow the instructions completely.

2. Audience analysis- Explain who it is that you are wanting to reach or who you want to explain the instructions to.

3.Equipment and supplies- Explain the tools and supplies needed in order to complete the task you are explaining.

4. Graphics- More than any other form of writing, graphics are very important part in writing instructions. This gives the readers the ability to visualize what they are doing.

5.Headings- Use headings to draw attention to important sections of the instructions.

6.List- Gives step by step instructions following the heading.

7.Special notices- In instructions, you must alert readers to possibilities in which they may damage their equipment, waste supplies, cause the entire procedure to fail, injure themselves or others.

Activity 3 - Plan Design

Plans on how I am applying the design elements in my brochure for the English Lab.

1. Headings- Headings are the titles and subtitles you see within the actual text of much professional scientific, technical, and business writing. Heading are what grab the readers attention to tell what the brochure is all about. The second level heading gives examples of the first level headings in detail. I will be using headings to give the reader information on the vital information on the lab.

2. Lists- You use lists to highlight or emphasize text or to enumerate or make for easier reference. I will use the lists to give specific information following a heading such as: hours of operations, computer programs that are used, location, and tutoring information.

3. Graphics- Graphics can be tables, graphs, photos, diagrams, and illustrations. Graphics will be the first thing that catches the readers eye. A brochure with only text will be found to tedious to the readers. Without some sort of visual stimulation, you stand a good chance of the brochure not even being read. I plan on using pictures of the lab and of students using the lab so that the lab seems to be accessible to students seeking information on the lab.

4.Highlighting-Highlighting is used to place emphasis on certain keywords or phrases. It can be a very helpful tool but can also be used to much, resulting in overkill. I will be highlighting information that I find the most vital including; phone number, hours of operation, and location of the lab.

5.Text areas- This area will provide the text that informs the reader all about the labs functions. This area of the brochure will answer all questions that the reader might have concerning the lab.

Activity 2: Analyze proposal Audience

My intended audience will be Alma Garcia who is the director of the English lab at TSTC. Mrs. Garcia oversees all day to day operations in the lab. Providing a brochure with information detailing all aspects and attributes of the lab would greatly benefit Mrs. Garcia by helping to provide information to the student body. This brochure could be used as a handout to all students seeking details of the English labs functions. I really see know technical limitation concerning this project considering that this is her field of expertise.

List of elements in a proposal

1. Introductory- Give a brief overview on what is being proposed.

2. Background on the problem, opportunity, or situation- This section tells what brought the idea of the proposal and the need. It also explains what opportunity there is to improve the subject.

3. Benefits and feasibility of the proposed project-This section gives them reasons to approve the project you are proposing.

4. Description of the proposed work - Describe what you are going to do and how.

5. Method, procedure, theory - Show that you have a sound, well thought approach about the subject.

6. Schedule- To show not only completion date, but also key milestones.

7. Qualifications- To show your audience that you are qualified for the project.

8.Cost/resources required- List all cost and equipment needed to accomplish project.

9. Conclusion- The final paragraph or section of the proposal should bring readers back to a focus on the positive aspects of the project .

Activity 1 - Helpful websites

1. Everest Innovation - http://www.everesti.com.sg/



This site explores all dynamics of teamwork and different management styles. It is a web sites that can be used by companies to help their employees and management team come up with new solutions in order to maximize companies profits and production.



2. Research Papers - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/8565/Writing/research.html

Good place for information on doing research.

3. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Best place on the Internet to find information on anything. Will be helpful with your vocabulary and explaining different writing styles.

4. Grammar Slammer - http://englishplus.com/grammar/

Great site to make sure you don't make grammatical errors in your writings.

Activity 2: List Parts of Letter and Analyze Audience

1. The different elements which need to be included in a letter are as follows

a. The heading - the writer's address and the date of the letter.

b. Inside address - name and address of the recipient.

c. Salutations - address the recipient of the letter followed by a colon.

d. Subject or reference line - main business of the letter.

e. Body of the letter - actual message

f. Complimentary close - "Sincerely yours"

g. Signature

h. End notations - abbreviations or phrases that have important functions.

To me, the three most important elements in a letter are the subject line, inside address, and the body of the letter.

1. Subject line - You need to summarize what the letter is about so the reader knows exactly what is being asked of them.

2.Inside address - You need to be sure that the correct person receives your letter.

3.Body of letter - Here you can go into detail of what the subject line is asking of the reader.

Project 1

Hello to everyone and hope all is well with everyone. My name is Jared Young and I will be attending this Technical Writing online course this summer. This is my first time ever blogging so please bear with me.

To begin with, my educational plans are to attend classes at TSTC for the next few years so that I may acquire my associates degree in Graphic Design. I really would like to be in a career where I can use my creative side and I hope this class will help nurture that side.

I can not really say how my previous composition classes have prepared me for my goals or for this class, as a matter of fact. My last composition class that I attended was well over for 5 years ago, so a lot of time has passed since then. I really hope that to much time has not passed so that I do not struggle in this course.

In today's high-tech world, communication is a big part of the business community. Without proper communication, most companies would have major trouble succeeding in today's cut throat market. Good communication is vital in any type career that students may choose. Being a bartender for the last 10 years, I could definitely say that good communication is important. Not only to communicate with customers, but also comprehend what is being said while continuously doing other task. After years of doing this, I can definitely say that multi-tasking is second nature to me.

I signed up for this course to help me with my writing skills and to expand my vocabulary. Writing has never been my strong point in school, making me a little hesitant about this course. I hope to excel with hard work, good teaching, and great classmates.

Now for a little information about myself. I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. I have spent the last year or so in Hawaii working on a cruise ship circling the 5 islands. I love any activity that pertains to water. I took up skydiving a few years ago and still try and go as much as possible. I would have to say my 2 main passions are music and traveling. I have been a disc jockey for the last 10 years, so record collecting is a big hobby of mine. I have traveled pretty extensively over the last 15 years. I have been to London, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, France, and most recently Hawaii. My next destination will hopefully be to Thailand in the next few years.

I am excited to be a part of this class and looking forward to further my education. I hope that this course elevates my writing skills, knowing that it will be needed in any career.