Re: Incorporating Pagemaker in a Tech Writing Class?

["Steven J. Owens" <puff -at- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

I wrote:
> > works.  I'm not saying that college should focus more on "practical"
> > knowledge like this (college is *supposed* to focus on theory) but
> > budding techwriters and designers should make some extracurricular
> > time to learn about this; both professions historically have had to
> > shoulder the burden of educating their bosses about what they do :-(.
>
>   While I agree with most everything in your message, I have to disagree
> with this point. College should teach theory, but it most definitely
> should teach practical knowledge as well. Knowing that, in theory, a

     Note that I said they should _focus_ on theory, not that they
should teach theory solely (I don't think it's practical or perhaps
even possible to teach theory without using some practice in the in
the process).

     In any event, this is off-topic.  What might be a more useful
thread is to discuss ways that students can acquire the practical
knowledge they'll need while they're still in college - or vice versa,
how tech writers wqho entered the field without a degree (or without a
techwriting-oriented degree) can acquire the theory they'll need to
grow and develop as technical writers.
Steven J. Owens
puff -at- netcom -dot- com
puff -at- rt1 -dot- lnet
http://www.rt1.net/puff