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Dear Portfolio Assessment Readers,

I am writing to inform you of the blog that I have created for English 320. This reflective letter
will tell which projects have been completed, which projects show my best work, what elements
need improvement, and the ways in which the projects demonstrate my meeting of the course
objectives.

Many papers and projects have been completed through English 320 which can be seen through
my blog. They consist of:

à ºover letter à |sability Test Report

à Designer Resume à Ñritten Instructions
à ˜cannable Resume à Project Proposal
à Transmittal Letter à Progress Report
à Recommendation Report à Ñebsite

ºreating a variety of genres for English helped me understand why we write in the format that
we do. For example, when writing to someone within your company or organization, most likely
it will be written in a memo format instead of a letter format. Memos are considered to be a
formal style of writing that is shorter in nature. They are typically used to solve problems by
introducing a new policy, inform of any new information, or present goals or expectations that
one may have. Letters, on the other hand are sometimes used to introduce a larger project such
as a recommendation report or a resume. However, everyone has their strengths and
weaknesses in writing.

Projects that show my best work include my resumes and my website. I tend to do these better
because of my creativity. I am better at putting things together in a certain layout than
expressing and writing my thoughts out on paper. In a designer resume, I can write out bulleted
lists and format them into the paper that is appealing to the eye. In the website that I created, I
was able to put together an online showroom of woodworking projects that I have worked on.
Because I am interested in woodworking, I was motivated to make the website to the best of my
ability.
Projects and elements that need most improvement was the recommendation report in unit 2. I
felt somewhat uncomfortable when writing this report. The part of it that most troubled me
was my inability to focus on one particular paper for such a long period of time. Also, doing
research on companies that I have no interest in played a role in this. I like to accomplish things
in a quick and efficient matter. Throughout unit 2, I continued to realize that my impatience
needs to develop into patience.

Throughout this semester, course objectives included learning to work alone and with others,
analyzing and writing documents that address specific audiences and specific purposes, and
using a variety of research tools. All three of these objectives were fulfilled. First, a majority of
our work was independent work consisting of letters, memos, emails, proposals, reports, etc.
However, we did get our fair share of group work. In unit 2, we were assigned to work in groups
of two. Each partner was to recommend a job through a recommendation report. Also, in unit
3, we worked in groups of four or five creating a set of instructions of any type. ˜econd, we
analyzed and wrote documents that addressed a variety of audiences for several purposes. In
unit 1, we wrote cover letters addressing an organization that introduced our resumes. In unit
2, we wrote transmittal letters to a classmate introducing a recommendation report. Many
emails and memos were written to both classmates and our teacher. This was a great way to
practice as someday we will be sending emails and writing memos to future colleagues and
employers. Lastly, a variety of research tools were used. In unit 1, we used websites such as
monster and jobshq to search for organizations that interested us. Ñe were also encouraged to
use many other research tools including the internet, books, personal interviews, and
questionnaires throughout the semester.

Ñe have examined which projects show my best work, what elements need improvement, and
the ways in which the projects demonstrate my meeting of the course objectives. If you have
any questions, feel free to contact me. Also, I highly encourage you to take a look at my blog.

˜incerely,

Marshall Viland