Tuesday, February 27, 2007

1.       Pick up your folder as usual, and remove the printouts from your folder.  Place them in a folder at home in the event you need to refer to them later.  Be sure you understand any markings on your papers.

2.        Review the Technique Evaluation form given to you last week by your instructor.  Starting at the top of the list, select the first two elements of good technique.  During your skill building lessons today, concentrate on improving on these two techniques as you do your practice exercises.

3.    Do Lesson 71 ABCDe in your textbook.

4.        Do Lesson 72 ABC and read def; the five-minute timed writing may be repeated three more times if you wish (for a total of four tries).  More than four attempts at one sitting is not recommended because repeated efforts lead to memorization of the copy which in turn usually leads to an increase (not a decrease) in errors. Be sure to keep your eyes on the copy and try not to backspace to correct errors.  Doing so disrupts your concentration and rhythm and causes additional errors.  When you make an error, simply tap the space bar, skip that word, and continue with the next word.

5.    Instructor demonstration/discussion of the Block Letter Style (p. R-3, Section A),  formatting of bulleted/numbered lists, formatting for multiple addresses, two-page letters, and alphabetic sorting in Lesson 72 in the Word Processing Manual.  Click here for keyboarding rules governing the spacing of bulleted and numbered lists.   

6.    Today's assignments:  IMPORTANT:  Beginning today, and for the remainder of the semester, do NOT do your production assignments (letters, memos, reports, and tables) in GDP.  Do the following:  (1) exit GDP to return to the Windows desktop; (2) launch Word from the desktop; and (3) create Letter 71-65 (don't  forget to number the top of page 2 if the letter is more than one page long).  As the typist of this letter, be sure to substitute your initials for "urs."  Name the file appropriately (use a descriptive name that you will recognize) and save it to your own data disk after proofreading and correcting all errors.  Print the letter and place it in your folder.  Note:  All word processing documents will be graded on the basis of "mailable" (an "A" grade) or "unmailable" (unacceptable and must be corrected to mailable quality in terms of content and formatting) from today forward. 

7.    Do Letter 72-68, following the directions in the left margin of the textbook.  This is a Block Style letter (review p. R-3 A, if necessary).   Include the "standard punctuation" (a colon in the salutation and a comma in the complimentary closing) as shown in the letter.  The bullet symbol to be used should look exactly like the one in the textbook and should be positioned at the left margin as shown in the textbook.  Don't forget to sort both bulleted lists alphabetically in ascending, A-Z,  order!  Only page 2 of a multipage letter should be numbered.  Proofread carefully, and then name/save and print. 

8.    Next do Letter 72-69, a Personal-Business Letter in Block Style.  Follow the textbook directions carefully.  Although book titles used to be underlined, the modern practice is to italicize names of publications (magazines, newspapers, etc.)  Again, appropriately name and save the file to your data disk after proofreading and correcting any errors.  Handwrite the name of the document (e.g., "Letter 72-69) in pencil in the upper right corner of each printout.  Double check all documents for correct formatting before placing printouts of all assignments in order (as listed on your assignment sheet) in your folder and submitting them to your instructor.  That's it for today; see you on Thursday!

Thursday, March 1, 2007

1.        Pick up your folder as usual, and remove and then review  the corrected printouts from your folder.  Be sure you understand any markings on your papers.  Place them in a folder at home in the event you need to refer to them later. Each document was personally proofread for content and formatting by your instructor and was graded according to the scale shown on the first page of your assignment sheet (in the section between your name and the heading row in the table).  Click here if you do not have your assignment sheet with you.  Take a minute to read the section entitled "Grading of Assignments."

2.        Grading of assignments:  If you received an “Unmailable” grade on any of your production assignments (which means that your document contains one or more serious errors that make it unuseable), you have the opportunity to correct all errors to bring your document up to mailable standards.  Edit your document correcting all errors outside of class as homework (open the file, make the necessary changes, and save the file).   Print the new document and staple it on top of the original unmailable printout.  This is referred to as a "redo" of an unmailable.  Then hand this redo to your instructor at the beginning of the next class session at 12:45.  Unmailables returned to you today should be edited as homework outside of class and handed to your instructor at the beginning of the next class period.  "Redo's" of unmailables will not be accepted after class has begun nor anytime thereafter.  The final grade for an unmailable document that is not edited and resubmitted at the beginning of the next class period becomes an "F."  An unmailable that is edited, resubmitted, and re-evaluated  as mailable earns a final grade of  "C" (original unmailable = F; redo of unmailable to mailable quality = A; "F" and "A" averaged = "C").  If you did not received a grade of unmailable on any of Tuesday's assignments, don't be disheartened; just resolve to try harder.  Just as with anything else, practice "makes perfect."

3.    In GDP, do Lesson 73 ABCDEF, read 73 hijkl, and do Lesson 74 ABCD.  Exit GDP.

4.    Instructor demonstration/discussion of letters and memos containing tables, centering tables horizontally, adding shading to a table cell, formatting a multipage memo, and using the Word "Find and Replace" feature.

5.    After exiting (closing) GDP, launch Word from your Windows desktop.  Create the following documents in Word, following the textbook directions:

a.   Letter 73-70

b.       Letter 73-71

c.    Memo 74-73.  Note:  Publication names--newspapers, magazines, journals, book titles, etc.--should always be typed in italics.  For example, Los Angeles Times. 

d.    Memo 74-74.  Note:  Use the "Find and Replace" feature to change all occurrences of "news" to "news programming."

6.    Go back to GDP, click on "Portfolio," and print a report for this week's skill building lessons, 71-74.  Staple this printout on top of your letters and memos for today.  Be sure the letters and memos are in correct order as listed on your assignment sheet.

7.    That's it for today.  Submit your folder and printouts to your instructor for grading. Remember to edit any unmailables returned to you today as homework over the weekend and be prepared to submit them as "redo's."  Check your Homework Review sheet this weekend so you will be prepared for next week's documents.

Have a great weekend!