Introduction+to+Technical+Writing+Wiki

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Welcome to the Technical Writing in Career and Technical Education (CTE) Wiki. I am Beth Kenny, Literacy Facilitator and Teacher Librarian at the Career Education Center Middle College of Denver High School (CEC). I have worked at CEC since 2000, in the role of English teacher for the first five years and in my current dual position for the last four. In my work, I am constsantly learning something new about the core curriculum or the 24 career programs taught inside CEC. How many DPS teachers can help culinary students find a good spring roll or orange chicken recipe and an hour later help a social studies class navigate the massive Library of Congress site?

This wiki is an example of how one can share and organize new learning in a social networking-centered, collaborative format. In our first session today, we will set up access privileges to the Wiki and learn how we can share our technical writing work via the wiki. For those new to this format, a wiki is web software designed for collaboration. While traditional websites offer pages that can only be read, a wiki is interactive and offers room for a variety of input through group editing.

Over the years I have come to understand some of thewriting activities in the CTE classes. There is a strong emphasis on using writing and research to express an understanding of concepts taught in class. There are also great assignments using authentic writing that might pop up in the typical work day. This can range from script writing or story boarding in the Digital Film program to preparing directions for a medical procedure in the Medical Professions class.

Finally, thanks for joining the group this semester. I want this cohort to be a professional learning community of teachers, sharing, growing and cheering each other on in our work to infuse technical writing in the classroom. I always try to remember educational psychologist Lev Vygotsky's idea that learning is a social act. Here's to a wonderful new social act!