The 2012 Summit will include preconference workshops and tutorials, as well as certificate sessions; all require separate registration and fees. The preconference schedule will take place on 19 and 20 May; dates and times will be posted to http://summit.stc.org.
The preconference workshops are $250 for members and $500 for nonmembers, while the certificate courses include conference registration and cost $1,495 for members and $1,995 for nonmembers. Registration for the certificate courses (not including conference registration) is $725 and $1,295, respectively. Visit http://summit.stc.org for further details and to register.
Preconference Certificate Sessions
All four certificate sessions are two-day sessions, scheduled for 19–20 May. Session instructors will also recommend regular conference sessions to complement the certificate sessions.
Karen McGrane and Jeff Eaton | Content Strategy and Content Management
Nobody expects the editor of a newspaper to also operate the printing press. But people responsible for developing content for the Internet are expected to deal with it all—from communication goals to publishing tools. This workshop provides an overview of both content strategy and content management for digital publishing. Content strategy looks at the human side of planning for, creating, and maintaining great content, while content management encompasses the range of publishing tools and technologies used to deliver content to Web, mobile, and social channels. In this two-day session, you’ll learn look at content from the perspective of people and on the terms of technology.
Phylise Banner | Data Visualization: Seeing Through the Numbers
This two-day program will explore data visualization and literacy, focusing on various techniques to conceptualize narratives and create visualizations. Along with gaining a more comprehensive understanding of data visualization, participants will be introduced to new ways of managing, analyzing, and visualizing data sets, as well as textually expressing underlying relational content. After taking this course, participants will be able to create effective data visualizations and content-based relational data narratives and will understand the theories, technologies, and effective practices associated with data visualization.
Leah Guren | TechComm 101
Technical communication is an exciting and challenging career that offers unlimited opportunity for professional development. But to succeed, it’s not enough to learn a desktop publishing or Help authoring tool—you need to master the analysis process. This is a thinking person’s dream career!
TechComm 101 is the fastest, most efficient way to jump-start your career in technical communication. It covers key theory that you can immediately apply to your work, as well as giving you the skills you need to continue to learn and grow. Each element of theory is presented with hands-on exercises, real-world examples, and plenty of discussion. The course is sure to leave you feeling enthusiastic and well-prepared to get started in the field.
Michelle Corbin and Linda Oestreich | Technical Editing Fundamentals
This is a course in technical editing designed for beginning through advanced technical editing practitioners. It is a solid introduction for beginning technical editors and a great refresher for advanced technical editors. The course presents material on several topics over the two days and concludes with discussions and materials on a career in technical editing. It is interactive and includes exercises during the class and homework between the two days.
Prerequisites include a working knowledge of English grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style. This course does not teach those skills, but it helps you learn how to apply your knowledge responsibly as an editor. In addition, you need the desire to improve your technical editing and learn about the many skills it requires.
Preconference Workshops
The below workshops are scheduled for Sunday, 20 May, and will take place from 1:00–5:00 PM.
Alyssa Fox and Paul Mueller | Building and Managing Successful Teams
This workshop explores key characteristics of successful teams and their members. Alyssa and Paul will discuss interviewing, leadership, and why people choose to stay. They will also explore decision types, personality types, and common dysfunctions of a team. Team, career, and project management topics allow them to also discuss project estimating, scoping, and team workflows. Interactive discussions will enable attendees to share experiences, learn from each other, and find solutions that work for their environments.
Joe Welinske | Developing User Assistance for Mobile Apps
Smartphones have sparked a huge, new software segment—the mobile app. Providing user assistance for mobile apps is becoming an area of exciting opportunity for technical communication professionals. This workshop provides instruction regarding design, writing, implementation strategies, and tools in support of mobile app development.
Jack Molisani | From Resume to Job Offer in Nothing Flat
Have you been submitting resumes but not getting interviews? Getting interviews but not getting offers? Chances are you are making a series of job-hunting mistakes—mistakes easy to fix once you spot where you’re missing the mark. In this half-day workshop by Jack Molisani, STC Fellow and president of ProSpring Technical Staffing, you will learn the top 10 mistakes tech writers make when looking for work, resume secrets that might surprise you, how to use a portfolio to ace an interview, and how to negotiate a compensation package.
Peter Lubbers | HTML5 Design & Development
Bring your laptop and get hands-on experience using HTML5 to deliver user assistance. During this workshop, Peter will introduce many of the HTML5 features that help you deliver information to your audience. These features include new HTML5 markup, forms, multimedia (audio/video), offline capabilities, and more. During the hands-on workshop you will become familiar with some of the best practices and helpful free tools that will ease and speed up development.
Keep your eye on http://summit.stc.org for additional scheduled sessions, full details on dates and times, and more.
