Monday, January 27, 2020

Scope Of Technical Writing In India

Scope Of Technical Writing In India The outsourcing explosion started with software and expanded to call centers and is now spreading to other fields and technical writing is one of them. The Indian education system has produced many a talented software professionals, technical writers and many other experts. It would be very difficult to find a country like India with higher level of English writing and editing skills. The outcome is large number of qualified professionals willing to provide quality content to a variety of global audience. The outlook of Indian professionals especially technical writers in India has been very global. With the current outsourcing rush the Indian technical writers can easily create and write from the customers viewpoint. The internet also gives Indians an insight to the global trends and makes their output worthwhile. Scope of technical writing in India Technical writing in India is new but upcoming profession. There are over 14000 jobs for Technical Writing on a job portal in India which is not very far behind other esteemed jobs like engineering and management. Technical writing in India is a lesser known profession which is fast gaining recognition. Looking at the technical writing job vacancies in India, majority of them are with the software companies and web development companies. Software companies require technical documentation to be done for their products and technical processes like user manuals, guides, online help etc. Web development companies expect their technical writers to write and edit content for their websites. Technical writers are also responsible for high website ranking in the various search engines for applicable key words. This sphere of technical writing is called SEO (Search Engine Optimization). There are other sectors also which hire technical writers like telecom, banking, energy, insurance etc. So broadly speaking, job of a technical writer is to develop broachers, user guides, reports and white papers for different types of products. These jobs are not new in, but their classification of these activities under technical writing in India is rather new. Impact of technical writing in India In the 1990s technical writing in India was practically unknown. But there were some IT giants who realized the need of technical documentation and started setting up teams for the same. It has literally become a key factor for an organizations growth and progress as technical writers have bridged the gap between a companys product and its users. Technical writing in India as well as in other countries has become a procedure to deliver information in the form of speech or document to a particular audience like programmers, technical support staff, end-users, potential customers and business partners. The process of getting or loosing a business deal depends on the efficiency of a technical writer as the technical documents and write-ups form the face of company. Consumers hardly buy a product (software or hardware) with high technology without proper documentation. They look at the documentation to understand the technology and configure, deploy, install and use these products. Hence, technical writing in India and other countries has a major role to play. Global Trends in technical writing With evolving technologies and new tools there should be some trends that should be kept in mind. Below mentioned are the trends in the field of technical writing that one can follow: Shared authoring Technical writing in India as well as in other countries is no longer done by a single writer from a single point of view. Projects need inputs from various SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) who thrive in various locations and departments. A technical writer should know how to extract information from them and put together in one place. Social Networking Sites There are so many social media sites like facebook, linkedIn etc. where discussions are taking place on the products and services you document. So to become successful companies participate in social media, take feedback and strengthen ties with their customers. Fusion technical writer To be a successful technical writer it is not enough that you can write. One has to play various roles like web designer, motivational speaker or a QA tester etc. Multimedia Small video tutorials embedded on youtube or other video sharing sites are quite narrative for visual learners. Globalization A technical writer may have to work with peers distributed globally. And a product is also distributed globally often, which means you should write in plain and simple business English which everyone understands. It is important to be understood by people from various cultures across the globe. User-created content Instead of users just being passive consumers of your product or service, you can encourage them to post comments, become forum moderators and post articles and participate actively. Qualification and Skills required for technical writing in India Though companies decide roles and duties for technical writers in the job advertisements, but no specifications are given for the qualification requirements that a person must possess. Since technical writing involves both good communication skills, a flair for writing, a methodical way of presenting the information and technical bent of mind, therefore in India a person from technical background as well as humanities background can become a technical writer. As there are no formal training courses run by the Universities for technical writing in India unlike other countries like USA, there are no specific qualification parameters defined to become a technical writer. Though there are some privately run institutes who train students to be future technical writers in some metro cities in India like Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore etc. There are some common skill set required to be a technical writer: Technical skills A technical writer should be aware of the technology being used for a product or service for documentation purpose. When a technical writer interviews the SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) for details he should have the technology specific expertise so as to understand the information and later document it. Writing skills It is mandatory for a technical writer to have a flair for writing. A technical writer should be able to document software, products etc. in a very concise and error free approach. Tools skills A technical writer needs to know various software tools, since they have to develop documents in different types of formats. Particular tools, like Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp, MS Word, Captivate etc. or maybe some other tool the company depends for technical writing in India. Interpersonal skills The ability to extract information for documentation purpose is very important for a technical writer. Generally SMEs do not have enough time. This is where a technical writers interpersonal skills come handy to gather as much information as possible in a very short time. Analytical or Diagnostic skills A technical writer should possess logical ability to interpret the given information for documenting it. Drawing or Design skills Technical writers should understand the usage of visuals to convey their thoughts in a document. Also formatting is very important and audience would understand the things better by the way of visuals. Testing skills A technical writer may be asked to test the technical procedures etc. Even if they dont do it, they understand that verification of the documentation should be done for authentication purpose. The above mentioned skills like analytical, interpersonal are natural skills, others are acquired skills like technical skills and tool skills. For the various tool skills you can get trained from various institutes in India which run technical writing courses. Training for technical writing in India If you want to be a full-time technical writer or a freelancer, you will have to write instructions to assist people use a product or service. Following are listed some the projects that a technical writer has to do: Documenting User Manuals from computer software to automobiles to electronic gadgets to kitchen appliances. Documenting Assembly Instructions for furniture, computers or other gadgets. Documenting training manuals. Writing online help documents. When audiences need help they can click on the Help link like in your internet browser. Documenting procedure manuals for businesses. Documenting for the internet. Technical writing involves writing a web page for a website describing how to use the website and what it does. The sector of technical writing in India is relatively new. Therefore, there is no formal training for technical writing in India. Candidates who want to be technical writers can go for some online courses or there are some privately run institutes in metro cities like Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore etc. where one can be trained to become a technical writer. This will definitely increase career prospects for the technical writers. There are so many basic and advanced courses run by a typical institute like: Certificate course in technical writing which has duration is one month. Diploma course in technical writing which has duration of three months. Advanced or PG diploma course in technical writing which has duration of six months. These courses prepare you for a technical writing career in India. Not only they provide you with tips for getting hired as a technical writer but also they give you assistance for the same by organizations they have tie ups with. A typical course of technical writing in India has to offer things like: How to develop skills you need as technical writer like writing skills and tools skills where you will be trained on tools like Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Snagit, Captivate, MS Word etc. How to build your self-confidence in your technical writing capability. How to complete several tasks that you may be assigned as technical writer like Help systems, Screen shots and Flowcharts. How understanding the audience is beneficial in technical writing. Training on various style guides and sample technical writing manuals. Pros and cons of freelancing, contract and permanent jobs. Dos and donts for writing your CV or resume. Practice assignments to help learn technical writing. Technical writing evolving as an industry in India Looking at the global picture the technical writing industry is 15% of the total software industry. Though, in India the trend is operational by the rising aerospace and defense divisions, also with the rise of the digital market and the increasing focus on other engineering sectors. Also, with the growth of technical writing in India, innovation and entrepreneurship is required to be upbeat to make the most of the prospects available in India. The technical writing sector has seen a rush of the outsourcing projects in India, which has risen after the US economic recession. The number of organizations doing vast number of technical writing projects has also risen in India. This is accompanied by the increase in the availability of the trained and experienced workforce available. This assurance in this budding industry is also reinforced by a huge number of local companies spending a considerable proportion of their funds on technical writing and documentation requirements. The huge number of career prospects available, supported by global standard of education and training services have changed technical writing into a growing and striking career option for many. The clientele for technical writing in India as well as abroad are divisions like IT products, manufacturing, banking, financial, insurance, defense, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, education and business consulting. Market Survey and Pay scale for a technical writers in India Salary Chart Median Salary by Skill/Specialty Job: Technical Writer Country: India | Currency: INR | Updated: 18 Jun 2010 | Individuals Reporting: 591 A survey conducted by one of the community for technical writing in India shows the rise in salary of technical writers. The survey shows that salaries of technical writers have grown more than 200% in the last couple of years. The median yearly salary for a technical writing professional has grown from Rs. 2.75 lakhs in 2002 to nearly Rs. 6 lakhs in 2008. The survey also shows that current average salary of a fresher in this field is Rs. 2.50 lakhs approximately and that of a senior level technical writer with say 10 years of experience is around Rs. 13 lakhs yearly. Technical Background In India if technical writers set according to their technical and non technical background the following chart shows the division: Here technical writers with technical background not necessarily have a technical degree or a diploma; some might have just worked in that profession in technical capacity. English Literature, Advertising and Marketing, Journalism Background A considerable number of Indian technical writers are English Literature graduates, have a background in Journalism or Advertising Marketing: Here, all technical writers who are from these categories may not necessarily have a writing background. Writing Background Around one-third of technical writers were involved in some kind of writing before switching over to technical writing in India. While most of them were into journalism, there were a few involved in copy writing, freelance writing and research oriented writing. Fresher or Experienced Technical Writers Though there are no formal courses of technical writing in India, and knowledge of technical writing is also less, but quite a number of technical writers have started into a career of technical writing as there first ever job. How technical writers got into this field Majority of technical writers came to know about the technical writing profession through the organization they were working in, also through friends and family members who were already into this field, advertisements etc. Experience range of technical writers in India About half of technical writers in India are in the work experience range of 2 to 4 years. There are some in the profession with more than 8 years of work experience. The above technical writing survey in India, done by www.tc-forum.org and www.payscale.com shows us the salary range, the growth of technical writing and the kind of people coming into the profession. Benefits of Outsourcing technical writing to India There are many benefits of outsourcing technical writing services to India. Most important being saving money and time, followed by improved productivity and updated processing. When someone is thinking of technical writing in India, one can add proficiency and modified approach to the list. The IT has seen a complete boom in the sector, creating professionals who are skilled and expert in technical writing. India has a very large population that knows fluent English. With the IT revolution in India the young technical writers have been shown the needs of global market so they very well understand demands of the international audience, which enable them to write technical documents in global viewpoint. India has produced many young talented professionals who have specialized in various fields like IT and medicine etc. and are willing to take up technical writing as a full time career. Therefore, one can think of outsourcing specialized projects for technical writing in India without worrying about content accuracy and innovative solutions. With the outsourcing being a big income generator for the Indian economy, the government is taking proper measures that international customers derive maximum benefits from Indian professionals. This makes better the chances of budding professions like technical writing in India. Future of technical writing in India Indians must keep reminding themselves that technical writing jobs were not created here. To keep up with these good times we must be able to foretell the future trends of technical writing in India and try to transform accordingly. In various companies in India where technical writers are employed, writing is taken to be a deliberate business function. One has to work hard to make his presence felt by making the technical writing profession center of the business function. It is our duty to instruct stakeholders about the importance of this profession and why they should hire a technical writer. Right now we are not at a point where a technical writer can put documentation in their final business project schemes. Companies are constantly concerned about the budgets which are attached with the resources. These days companies are harping upon making profits with reduced manpower. This thing directly impacts the profession of a technical writer. A technical writer must continuously remind the management about the values he presents the company with. For this we need people with leadership skills who can create effective opportunities for technical writers. The next thing is to understand where we are heading as a profession. For this, there is a need to get involved into technical expertise, innovation and doing business. The first and foremost thing is to be recognized as division of development team. This requires you to be well versed with the technology being used. The second step is to make your existence felt on a managerial level, which needs innovation. You have to have business skills to show your contribution in generating a firms revenue. Attend meetings with the development teams and try and influence their decisions. You have to move out of your work place and understand the functioning of the business. Also, instead of wasting time on how a tool works, our focus should be on rational or intellectual skills and how we can make the most of it. For those just beginning to enter this career, the foundation has already been laid. Now we carefully need to watch the path we take from here. Technical writing in India is not simply about gaining knowledge and writing about new technologies, products, services and processes. Its about setting new business directions and motivating others and delivering results. Conclusion A technical writers job is to write technical jargons into easily understandable language for a common person. With the technology evolving and laypersons accessing scientific and technical products and services also on a rise, the necessity for technical writing is only going to go up. Because of the US economic recession and outsourcing to countries like India for cost cutting and time saving purposes, technical writers will be in great demand. So due to the demand for instruction manuals increasing, it is making technical writing a profitable career course for writers of India.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Brief Summary of Daniel Willingham †Why Don’t Student Like School Essay

The answer to the question ‘why don’t students like school’ was explained very clearly on the first chapter. It was made clear that our brains are slow and unrealiable. Our brains tend to avoid thinking, which makes it unlikely for us to like thinking. But apparently our brains release some amount of dopamine when there are cases of ‘successful thinking’. So the trick is to give students problems that are challenging but also solvable. There are 3 types of memory stated in the book; the ‘environment’ memory, working memory and also long-term memory. For us to remember things better, we can trick our working memory with techniques such as ‘chunking’ since things can only get to the long-term memory through working memory. Emotion and interest also play a part in the remembering process. Things that grab our interest would trigger our mind to think, and memory is believed as the residue of thought while emotional events will be better remembered–unrelated to repetition–such as weddings, 9/11 tragedy or birthday parties. Sometimes we go on ‘auto-pilot’ on stuff that we regularly do, this is caused by repetition or practice, it can help us focus on other important things while still doing our regular activities such as chewing food, driving, reading and etc. The working memory has a very limited capacity, our brain can’t take too much information, if we do, it could lose track of what we’re doing and thinking fails. As an example, that’s what actually happened to me when I was reading the book, the first chapters really crowded my brain and it was actually hurting. Putting the material in a story form can also help students remember because stories are easy to comprehend, interesting and somehow easy to remember. Background knowledge is crucial during learning process as it helps new information to stay in our memory as it was stated that ‘Understanding new ideas is mostly a matter of getting the right old ideas into working memory and then rearranging them–making comparisons we hadn’t made before’ (Willingham, 2009). As I get to the 4th chapter, reading the book was much more easier to understand as I already have the background knowledge. The author explained how important it is to practi ce or drilling. The bad image of how practice is tiring and hard has made students often avoid practicing. However, it is not necessary to learn for a few hours in a row, in fact, doing so with ‘space’ will make  learning more effective, I believe this method wouldn’t feel so tiring and hard. In the 6th chapter, Willingham explained how experts have extensive organized experience, which makes them think in deep structure. Experts work on their subject for several hours a day, to get students to think like experts, learning should be done for several hours. There is a perception that experts would solve puzzles faster, however experts often take more time to think as they dig into more depth than novices. I personally agree with all the content in the book. I think the book basically covered all the aspects that could help students learn cognitive subjects efficiently. Proving Willingham’s theory on background knowledge and remembering, I read the book while relating to y our teachings and found that the content of the book was much easier to understand since some of them were also taught in your lessons. I guess you’re the living proof that the book is effective. I can see clearly how the writer actually performs his theory on chapter on through the book such as how he chose a question instead of a statement for the book’s title to grab attention. Often repetitions of definitions come up in different chapters of the book, which I believe is to help readers remember things. Some theories that are in the book are actually from our daily life that I haven’t noticed before. Stories have been used to help me learn, unconsciously, by teachers before but I did not really acknowledge how using stories for effective learning is actually a thing. The same with the emotional and interest theory on forgetting. What I did not expect was how we actually get satisfaction from learning, my perception towards learning has always been about something that is tiring and that it is important but wouldn’t give you any pleasure. Although I would add some things that might have been left behind by Willingham from his point of view. I would deli berate over a few things from a student’s perspective. It’s the ‘whom’ that I think he might’ve left out. Teachers aren’t all the same and each has their different styles of teaching. One teacher might have been basing his teaching on your book but the other doesn’t. I think this might affect how the students study at home. The materials–such as books or presentation slides–might just be insufficient or students might have got used to the ‘Willingham style’, students might not be able to keep up with the other subjects. If Willingham would add another chapter on changing student’s learning style permanently or something. That would be perfect. He  actually did mention how to treat the students in chapter 8 but I don’t think showing that the teacher has confidence in the student would change how the student thinks permanently. Another thing is just a method that I often use in memorizing process. I try to ‘act’ the theory in order for me to remember the matter. This is just an additional method that I think could have a space in the book. After reading the book, I realized that having read the book had somehow changed my perspective about some few things such as practice can be done in a more effective–less tiring–way, how to grab atte ntion–in case I have to teach–and few other things. Well, I guess that is all. I really think this is an outstanding book by how I actually enjoyed reading it. I really hope that teachers would use this book as their basis. But afterall a student’s performance does not only depend on the teachers but also the student. I think the book itself is applicable for students with some change of perspective and behavior.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Geography and history of canada

Relationship between the Geography of Canada and Its History Veronica Guerrero FarJat CDNS 101 Royal Roads University Ms. Michelle Hardy November 20, 2013 What is the relationship between Canada's geography and its history? According to M. Hardy, (personal communication, March 27, 2012) my course material (2013) establishes that Canada is a North American country with 10 provinces and 3 territories; worldwide appointed as the 2nd largest country in the world Canada, is well known by its diverse but fascinating history! Canada fought over by the French and the British, the British won and end colonizing this one.This essay analyses the diversity of Canada's early history of settlement related to its geography. In order to see the connection we comprehend how the aboriginal people first came to Canada by following the wildlife; then the Europeans came to Canada because the vast of natural resources; and finally allowing the French people to settle in Quebec province. This paper argues that historical settlement of Canada was transformed by its geography. Canada used to be named â€Å"Kanata†: Huron- Iroquois word for village or settlement. In order to survive, as human beings we do many things such as feed, socialize, we procreate, we follow†¦ t mostly we stay together and we fight to survive. On this paragraph I will explain in detail how Aboriginal people first settle in Canada by following the wild life: Firstly, the earth warmed up, the ice masses melted and receded; which it means: open migrations routes (corridors). Following this fact, animals were capable to cross land bridges of the Alaska-Bering. Secondly,Aboriginal people appear in Canada's history by spreading out into the in abi n table areas ot north-western America, everything for huge reason: FOOD! They had to acquire certain skills such as hunting, fishing, etc. n order to survive. But animals; were their ain reason of settlement so then they stay and spread across the land. To conclu de I would like to point that as the climate and land conditions changed the land start to became rich and productive; natives were able to stay and that is one of the most important reasons how those first peoples are crucial for Canada's history; they represent thousand years of culture and wherever people nowadays agree or not they are Canada's first peoples. When two worlds meet, amazing things happen.According to my course material (2013) 1500-1791 was the time when Aboriginal people and Europeans were in contact. When Europeans first came to Canada, they ere amazed on this area because of the vast of natural resources; for example, wood/lumber that they could use in Europe so it can help with the development of their country. Firstly, Henry the VII financed an exploration to North America headed for the Italian explorer John Cabot in 1497. But it wasn't until 1610 when the English settlement begun. As tension set between France and England in Europe, competition leaded in the Americas.Subsequently, Henry IV of France assigned Samuel de Champlain to explore the new lands in the Americas; Champlain is an important figure in Canada's history because he opened up the St Lawrence River nd stretched French influence through the great lakes basin. As well, Champlain was involved with a group who were interested in the fur trade; the French and Aboriginal people collaborated in the vast fur trade economy. The fur trade was a trade between the French and first nation people for the exchange on items such as tool (beaver) and weapons. The short hairs of the beaver were used for making fashion hats and those were sended to Europe.In conclusion, the Fur trade had formed an important part of the early economies of both the English and French colonies and is very significant for Canada's early history because it's Canada's first conomy developed because of the beaver; which is a natural resource, this one and the wood/lumber are the two greatest examples why Europeans were so interested in this land so they are part of Canada's early history and we see the connection based on their decision after all happened deciding to settle here and so they end colonizing this country.On the early years of Jacques Cartier's France had been building up a colony along the ST Lawrence River. Conflict between France and England had been building up since then; European confrontations spilt over into the new world and in 1629 Kirke of England ended the French colony of Port Royal. This set the stage for opposition between the English and The French not only in the America's but also across the world. As I point in the beginning, Canada's is the 2nd largest country in the world.So now knowing that Canada is such a big country people is required for its development so after all the British conquered the former French colonies, absorbing them into their North American territories. Nevertheless, the French settled primarily in what is today known as Quebec and Nova S cotia. Britain allowed the French to stay because they needed them to settle this country; s well, Britain supported Canada with immigrants and money. Finally, once Canada had become a country, the goal was to unify, define, and built a state.This does not mean that the French Canadian renounce their mindset as Canadian or that they torgot their traditions and heritage. French was made the 2nd official language ot government in order to maintain French political support. I would like to emphasize that having all those facts and Canada being such a big country is essentially linked to its history bringing immigrants and the Europeans settling in this country. A omparison of Canada's history and geography; Mexico is diverse and it has 3 thousand years of history.According to world history project (2007) The Republic of Mexico is huge, comprising nearly two million square miles of coastline, desert, rain forest, mountains, and fertile plains. As Canada, Mexico is named as the 4th large st country in the western hemisphere and is rich in natural resources such as oil and natural gas. From the American borderlands of the extensive, agriculturally rich north, the country narrows gently as it sweeps south and east. As well as Canada, is bordered by the United States.In Canada's history we understand in some point the need of people while in Mexico there is a City (Mexico City) that is considered one of the most populous cities in the world. The population in Mexico is around 120. 8 million peoples. Although Mexico and Canada are very different countries, they have somehow things in common such as history of colonization. Canada was colonized by the British in the other hand, Mexico was colonized by Spain. Both, British and Spain were amazed by Canada's and Mexico's landscape, their beauty and its natural resources.Finally, Canada and Mexico are two greatest countries and somehow their istory and wealth on natural resources motivated other countries such as Britain and Spain to gain interest on them and that's how their history is similar. In conclusion, Canada is a land of diversity, creativity and liberal attitudes. The Canadian people are a mosaic of ethnicities; it means that as well it's formed by other nationalities which together they form a great home.We understand the connection by first, historical settlement of aboriginal people in Canada by following wildlife. Secondly, Europeans came and settle because of Canada's vast of natural resources nvolving the fur trade as a firs economy developed and finally, settlement of French people over Quebec province because of Canada's size and need of people. To conclude I would like to quote something that Lorraine Monk an editor of â€Å"Canada the Things We Hold Dear†: An Album of Photographic Memories (1999) said: â€Å"The search for Canada is a personal Journey.The search for a national identity is a Journey without an end. It began a long, long time ago. It will continue into the far distant future.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Functional Skills for Special Education Students

Functional skills are those skills a student needs to live independently. An important goal of special education is for our students to gain as much independence and autonomy as possible, whether their disability is emotional, intellectual, physical, or a combination of two or more (multiple) disabilities. Skills are defined as functional as long as the outcome supports the students independence. For some students, those skills may be learning to feed themselves. For other students, it may be learning to use a bus and read a bus schedule. We can separate the functional skills as: Life SkillsFunctional Academic SkillsCommunity-Based Learning SkillsSocial Skills Life Skills The most basic of functional skills are those skills that we usually acquire in the first few years of life: walking, self-feeding, self-toileting, and making simple requests. Students with developmental disabilities, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, and significant cognitive or multiple disabilities often need to have these skills taught through modeling, breaking them down, and the use of Applied Behavior Analysis. The teaching of life skills also requires that the teacher/practitioner complete appropriate task analyses in order to teach the specific skills. Functional Academic Skills Living independently requires some skills which are considered academic, even if they do not lead to higher education or the completion of a diploma. Those skills include: Math Skills  - The functional math skills include telling time, counting and using money, balancing a checkbook, measurement, and understanding volume. For higher functioning students, math skills will expand to include vocationally oriented skills, such as making change or following a schedule.Language Arts -  Reading begins as recognizing symbols, progressing to reading signs (stop, push), and moves on to reading directions. For many students with disabilities, they may need to have reading texts supported with audio recordings or adults reading. By learning to read a bus schedule, a sign in a bathroom, or directions, a student with disabilities gains independence. Community-Based Learning Skills The skills a student needs to succeed independently in the community often have to be taught in the community. These skills include using public transportation, shopping, making choices in restaurants, and crossing streets at crosswalks. Too often parents, with the desire to protect their disabled children, over-function for their children and unknowingly stand in the way of allowing their children to acquire the skills they need. Social Skills Social skills are usually modeled, but for many students with disabilities, they need to be carefully and consistently taught. In order to function in the community, students need to understand how to interact appropriately with different members of the community, not only family, peers, and teachers.