MEMORANDUM

To: Dr. Lance Cummings

From: Arely Ramirez Diaz
Date: April 12, 2016
Re: Poland Applied Learning Project

During this semester, the professional writing course consisted of assignments meant to strengthen
our [the students] ability to write and communicate effectively with our audiences. The
assignments entailed for each of us to show what we have learned from our readings. For the
Poland applied learning project, we tested our potential by developing writing and communication
skills, strategies for analyzing audiences and flexible strategies for working collaboratively.

Develop writing and communication skills

Before writing the instructions for our groups audience our class had the luxury to be introduced
to our audience to get to know them. The introduction allowed our class to research and develop
specific writing and communication skills, competencies, and points of view needed by the
audience we were to write instructions for (Cummings, 2017). The Poland Handbook by Ronowicz
enabled me to obtain basic research on the audience that I was going to communicate with. Even
though the handbook was a few decades old, it allowed me to understand the Polish culture and
create a relationship with my audience. The yammer posts increased my awareness effective
communication skills with a different culture. In the yammer post I kept in mind that writing in
international English was going to be important because jargon, slang and sarcasm would not be
easily understood. If I was ever worried about a sentence being hard to understand I would use the
Hemmingway app to ensure that certain sentences would not be hard to read.

Develop strategies for analyzing audiences

The class journals and class discussions allowed me to develop strategies for analyzing context,
audience and understand the purpose of instructional writing. The reflection journals at the time
seemed repetitive, but now that I have done the whole project and look back to our course goals I
realize that it was necessary because I got the opportunity to explain how I was able to use what I
have been taught in this course. The journals and yammer posts allowed our class to explore our
curiosity which is the advice Pellegrino Riccardi gave to the audience during his Ted talk. Our
class could get our questions answered about the Polish culture which created a sense of
connection. I was able to see that the Catholic church still persists through one of the yammer
posts by Dominik Orlowski which stated, Easter is very important time in lives of [C]atholics
here in South Poland. And one of the most interesting things about Easter is composing your
own Easter basket(2017). I found it interesting that religion is so important to the Polish that
Dominik was not the only one to post about Easter baskets.
Develop flexible strategies for working collaboratively

The hardest part of this project was to work efficiently together. Due to our conflicting schedules
our group opted for online teamwork. The first day Erin, Paxton, and I met for our group
assignment we decided to use the functional model of teamwork. We came to this understanding
because each of us felt like we were better at a specific skill. Erin could use a traditional recipe she
knew and we felt was a traditional cuisine for our area. Paxton could help with the design. I was
to edit the instructions. Once we began working we encountered issues with the duties we set for
each other due to other courses. Both Erin and Paxton had commitments which prevented them
from making the design for the initial instructions, so I had to make the first instructions. I had
never worked with In-Design before this class, therefore it was hard to format images and designs
no matter how many how-to videos I watched. Thankfully, after the first draft we were able to
work with our initial plan. If I were to go back, I would create a calendar with schedules to have a
set time when each of us had our part due because it would make us aware of our individual
deadlines.

Link of the instructions

https://www.yammer.com/zespszkelektryczno-
mechanicznych/#/Threads/show?threadId=874104143
Citations

Cummings, L. (2017, January). Syllabus. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://uncw4-
my.sharepoint.com/personal/cummingsl_uncw_edu/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=%
7B8BBFF424-237A-4DF4-A3E0 C261F7EC701E%7D&file=Syllabus_ENG204_SPR17
.docx&action=default

Orlowski, D. (20, April 2). Yammer. Retrieved April 03, 2017, from
https://www.yammer.com/zesp%C3%B3%C5%82szk%C3%B3%C5%82elektryczno-
mechanicznych/#/Threads/show?threadId=868800718

Ramirez Diaz, A. (2017, April 3). Progress In-Class Journal: Yammer Discussion With Polish
Students. Retrived April 12, 2017, from http://ng.cengage.com/static/nb/ui/index.html?nbId=480
536&nbNodeId=169651986&eISBN=9781305671775#!&parentId=191272360