This two-day course will familiarize individuals with the requirements for CPTC Foundation Certification, including the nine core skill areas of technical communication, topics included in the certification exam, the certification test format, and sample questions.
Students may take the CPTC Foundation Certification exam Sunday afternoon, at the conclusion of the course. The exam fee is included in the course registration cost. Students also have the option of attempting the exam online at a later date, up to 15 May 2017.
STC recommends that students purchase and study the certification body of knowledge textbook, Technical Communication Today, 5th edition, by Richard Johnson-Sheehan, before attending the course.
Schedule
Saturday, 14 May: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, 15 May: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Exam: 4:00 – 5:00
There will be an hour each day for lunch on your own.
Additional rates apply for this session.
8:00-8:30
Welcome from Leadership, Society officers, and the Community Affairs Committee
8:30-9:00
The Basics of Running a Community
What is a community and how on earth do you run one? In this session we will discuss how to run a successful community, and educate our leaders on the many resources that are available from the STC & CAC.
9:00-9:30
Fill Your Toolbox
In this sessions we will talk about free software tools that are available to help you run your community efficiently. Current leaders will share best practices and pitfalls to avoid when using tools such as Google Apps for Nonprofits, OneDrive, Dropbox, Hootsuite, EventBrite, to name a few.
9:45-10:15
Do Not Fear the Finances
The treasurer role in a community is often the hardest to fill; many people fear the responsibility of managing the community finances. We are going to break down the basic requirements of the financial responsibilities of communities and help you understand what needs to be done, and how to do it.
10:15-11:00
Internet Security
In the previous session we talked about many online tools to use, in this session we will talk about how to safely use collaborative, online tools to protect your own identity and community information.
11:00-12:00
Breakout Discussions
The breakout sessions are an opportunity to dive deeper into a specific topic and talk to an expert in that area. We will cover topics such as social media, recruitment, and the Community Achievement Awards.
12: 00-12:30
Awards Presentation of the Community Achievement Awards for Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze communities.
This two-day course will familiarize individuals with the requirements for CPTC Foundation Certification, including the nine core skill areas of technical communication, topics included in the certification exam, the certification test format, and sample questions.
Students may take the CPTC Foundation Certification exam Sunday afternoon, at the conclusion of the course. The exam fee is included in the course registration cost. Students also have the option of attempting the exam online at a later date, up to 15 May 2017.
STC recommends that students purchase and study the certification body of knowledge textbook, Technical Communication Today, 5th edition, by Richard Johnson-Sheehan, before attending the course.
Schedule
Saturday, 14 May: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, 15 May: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Exam: 4:00 – 5:00
There will be an hour each day for lunch on your own.
Editor-in-chief of Technical Communication, Dr. Sam Dragga, and the editor of Intercom magazine, Liz Pohland, will host a session with conference participants and STC’s contributing editors. They will explain the publication missions, editorial processes, recent submission trends, and other topics of interest for scholars and practitioners looking to publish their work. The aim of the session is to help prospective authors understand how to be published in STC venues and what content is needed. Participants will have an opportunity to comment and pose questions to the editorial teams.
This will be an interactive discussion where you'll be participating by going to www.sli.do on your phone and then entering the event code #stc2016 in the JOIN EVENT box. Alternatively you can just go to this permalink on any browser https://www.sli.do/xakx5bos
TO VIEW THE PRESENTATION CLICK HERE: https://prezi.com/embed/wgt7zosxflf4/
Are you interested in contributing your practitioner expertise to the body of knowledge used for certification? Come to this session to learn how the TC BOK is supporting CPTC Foundation certification as a supplemental resource and CPTC Practitioner certification as a primary resource. BOK editors are soliciting content for specific content areas and will cover the license that governs the content of the site. SIG volunteers and others interested in contributing content to the BOK are highly encouraged to attend.
OCSTC Chapter Hosts Event at the Garden Walk’s Bowlmor
The Dude abides … at Bowlmor on Tuesday night May 17th. Come to bowl or come to watch, but don’t miss the Big Lebowlski Tournament of Tech Writers, hosted by the Orange County STC chapter. Sign–ups are at the Summit 2016 welcome table. A limited number of slots are available, so make sure you register early. Have a player name in mind too, like Crouching Bowler, HIdden Typo.
Less alley and more lounge, Bowlmor is located at the Anaheim Garden Walk. Check out the cushy digs at http://www.bowlmor.com/anaheim/ . Enjoy dinner before the tournament at one of the many restaurants, including Roy’s (Hawaiian fusion), Bubba Gump (get your Cajun fix), Fire+Ice (Mongolian BBQ), Cheesecake Factory (naughty desserts), and McFadden’s (Irish pub grub). For an overview of dining choices and menus, go to http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com/dining/ .
This event is intended to be part friendly competition and mostly friendly conversation. Pre-gaming starts at 8:00 PM in Bowlmor’s lounge with the lane event starting at 9:00 PM. The tournament winner earns bragging rights and an interesting trophy.
So Summitteers, make this event your lucky strike!
Join our expert panel for a lively and fun Q&A session. The panel has over 125 years of combined experience, and their expertise areas include (but are not limited to): management, Agile, interviewing SMEs, soft skills, embedded help, minimalism, responsive design, Git/GitHub, wikis, Tech Comm Suite, Video, Mobile Content Delivery, Mobile Apps, Audio Recording, eLearning Development, content strategy, DITA, machine translation, and more. Come prepared with your questions!
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the development of a new learning platform. Trailhead, created by Salesforce, has become popular due to its innovative approach to learning. Its features include learning paths, modular content, interactive challenges, gamification, social rewards, and integration of content with learning objectives and assessment. Trailhead draws on fundamental principles of learning theory and user-centric design, to make learning easy and enjoyable. Attendees will learn concepts and best practices for enhancing the effectiveness of any instructional content, regardless of its audience and format.
Today’s consumers have gotten really good at two things: avoiding advertising and making better-informed purchase decisions. And because everyone is a publisher, media company, and content creator today, the smartest CMOs are now shifting their core strategy away from advertising as we know it—and towards content marketing. Increasingly, technical communicators are being asked to repurpose their information-rich content for the unified customer experience.
In this presentation, David will examine the changing media landscape, look at the intersection of technology and storytelling, and share insights on how the most effective brands and marketers use a combination of the two to reinvent the way they are engaging with their audiences through the next generation of content. David will also discuss his unique three Cs strategy focused on content, community, and commerce. You’ll hear how to develop a content strategy and creative, the value of working with influencers, examples of distribution strategies, how to get started, how to sell the ideas internally, and how to measure ROI.
Take me out to the ball game! The Orange County STC host chapter has reserved a block of game tickets for the matchup between Major League Baseball cross-town rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Since this game is close for fans of both teams, it usually draws a sellout crowd. You don’t need to be a fan of either team to enjoy the sights, sounds, and excitement of America’s favorite pastime.
Tickets are $39 each. The game is Wednesday, 18 May, the final day of Summit 2016, with a start time of 7:05 PM. Angel Stadium is only 2.4 miles from the Anaheim Marriot and is served by the ART transit system.
Reserve your game tickets when registering for the 2016 Summit. Then, get ready to hear the crack of a bat hitting a home run while feasting on hot dogs, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks. The stadium has excellent food choices, from BBQ to vegan. Tickets are limited, so don’t strike out by waiting too long!
