Report on My Interviews

            This blogpost is intended to breakdown my interviews into the information that I found about the professionals in my major. Specifically the genre types that they said they used.

Geralt."Hand Leave Marker Pen Glass" 10/6/2015 via Pixabay.
CC0 Public Domain License.

What are the most significant or interesting genres that you learned about from your interviewees? Please identify at least THREE specific genres from your discipline/field of study that your interview subjects discussed writing within. 

Jerel Slaughter:

• Email
• Powerpoint
• Research/Academic Articles

Allison Gabriel:

• Twitter
• Powerpoint
• Research Posters
• Research/Academic Articles

How do these genres differ from one another? Think about things like genre convention, content, purpose, audience, message, and context as you describe these differences.

           The genres that both Gabriel and Slaughter had in common were the use of Powerpoint and their Research/Academic Articles. They use them in pretty much the same way; Powerpoint to make presentations and convey information, and their articles to give examples of research work. The ones that were a little different were the use of Email (Slaughter), Twitter (Gabriel), and Research Posters (Gabriel). Slaughter noted that the use of email allowed him to update his colleagues and students in an efficient manner. He isn't really using it to present information to students, but more so to link them to important articles. Gabriel's use of Twitter allows students to engage in her classes through social media. She recognizes that social media is a very popular among our youth and wants to reach her students through those platforms. With the use of Research Posters, Gabriel is able to present the research that she is currently working on and is able to receive feedback from fellow colleagues and students.

Based on the information you gathered in your interviews, what is challenging and/or difficult about writing within these genres (from a professional's point of view)?

            The use of email as a writing genre in both an academic and professional setting allows Slaughter to keep his students and colleagues up-to-date, but at the same time it can create an impersonal relationship between him and his students. However, he tackles this issue by holding discussion-based classes. That is the reason why his writing genres are pretty limited, because he likes to keep it simple. He said he would rather have his students discuss the information that they have learned rather than trying to just teach them it during class. Gabriel's biggest challenging with using Twitter for her class is getting students to actually use this medium. As it is now, she suggests that her students follow her to stay up-to-date on her research or other information related to the class, however, it is not a requirement.

Based on the information you gathered in your interviews, what is exciting and/or rewarding about writing within these genres (from a professional's point of view)?

            Slaughter is extremely content with how his classes are handled, in the sense that he is not just lecturing his students. Sure he still teaches them and presents information in class, but by using email to keep his students posted, he is able to utilize classroom time to discuss topics they have read about and learn in a more interactive environment. Gabriel really appreciates the "Brown Bag series" portion of her department, where she is able to create a poster and present her research on the projects she's been working on. This time allows her to receive feedback from peers, colleagues, and other students. It gives her a fresh perspective before the final stages of production. Her use of Twitter (which she is becoming more accustomed to) allows her to connect better with her students which is a very important aspect when teaching students.

Where in mass media - popular, academic, and/or social - can examples of this genre be found? If genre examples cannot be found within mass media easily, where can genre examples be found/located?

            The genres that these professionals used are not anything out of the ordinary so they are pretty common in the academic and social realm. A lot of professors use email, powerpoint, and research posters/articles to present information. Slowly, but surely, social media platforms are becoming key components to teach worldwide and Gabriel is trying to hop on to that medium with the hopes of better communicating with her students and colleagues.