Elisabeth Chaput Technical Writing Portfolio
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.
Personal Summary
Though there may be times I could cross the finish line first, I’m strongest as a team player who brings people together. As a technical writer in training, former naval officer, and educator for eleven years, I am eager and excited to bring my diverse experiences to the workplace and make a positive impact.
When teaching/training I worked with various stakeholders (students, parents, administrators, state agencies) across multiple projects (courses) with definitive deadlines. Even with strict standards and timelines, I remained adaptable to meet the needs of the students. I presented difficult and challenging material in an accessible way so that the students would reach their potential.
Yearly planning of courses and tracking of student progress have built up my organization and administrative skills, while arranging the moving pieces of the 21.5, 43, and 50 mile Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) Wapack and Back Trail races that I co-direct have honed them.
Whether leading runners at a TARC Outreach run, being in front of a classroom, or assisting presentations before Congress as I did in the Navy, I am comfortable with high visibility and high stakes players.
As an educator and writer I have used and use the following: Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Apple’s iWork Suite, screen capture tools, recordings, online whiteboards, Google Classroom, and WordPress. In my Technical Writer Certificate program I have gained experience with Github, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe Illustrator, MadCap Flare, HTML, CSS, Markdown, and ReST.
I know I will be an asset to any organization because I can read a room, I enjoy a challenge, I am willing and able to learn new topics and processes quickly, and all with a smile on my face:-).
Work Samples and Experiences
Below are writing samples showing my use of instructional design and effective communication, as well as several examples of my work using various programs, software and coding. In some instances, names and titles may have been changed to protect the subjects referred to in the original work.
Quick links to each section:
Writing Samples
Neural Devices is a white paper on advances in neurotechnology, how far it has come, and where it could go. This document was created in Microsoft Word and saved as a PDF for viewing here.
Overview of How to Mark a Course for a Trail Race describes the purpose, the materials, and the placement of markers. This document was created in Microsoft Word and saved as a PDF for viewing here.
Planning a Road Trip is an instruction on how to prepare and plan for the perfect road trip. This document was created in Microsoft Word and saved as a PDF for viewing here.
A Letter to Candice is a personalized recommendation to a neighbor regarding their her family’s next vehicle purchase. This document was created in Microsoft Word and saved as a PDF for viewing here.
Food Quality: Is all the hard-to-say stuff on the side label bad for you? An analysis of the ingredients of a favorite snack…and no, it’s not all bad. This document was created in Microsoft Word and saved as a PDF for viewing here.
Program, Software, Application, and Structure Experience
Spring Cleaning is an assignment created in Adobe FrameMaker and saved as a PDF and serves as a manual for basic spring cleaning. For the FrameMaker files, please visit my GitHub account.
The Humble Potato is an assignment using prescribed template and acts as an informative guide to the popular tuber. This document was created in Microsoft Word and saved as a PDF for viewing here.
March: The month that will break your spirit was created using Lightweight Markup and is shown in my GitHub account.
Winter’s Last Stand was created using reStructuredText and is shown in my GitHub account.
MadCap Flare Project This link leads to files needed to view my MadCap Flare project. My trial license expired before I was able to download a shareable document. While I had the license, I worked on importing FrameMaker files and creating original pieces.
Muscle Tension Using DITA in Oxygen XML Author, I created a piece on Muscle Tension. This link leads to the files needed to view the content. My trial license expired before I was able to download a shareable document.
Instruction
Lesson on Parallel and Perpendicular Lines. This was created in Microsoft PowerPoint and is designed to have student interaction throughout. This file was saved as a PDF for viewing here.
Recording on finding the distance from a point to a line in a two dimensional plane. This recording was created in Explain Basics.
Script of a recording to be made on the Paint Formatting feature in Google Docs. This file was saved as a PDF for viewing here.
Tour of Google’s Jamboard application using the play feature in Microsoft PowerPoint. This file was saved as a PDF for viewing here.
Handout for teachers on strategies for teaching students how to read in a subject area. The handout content was compiled by me and another teacher. The design was created by me in Microsoft Publisher.
HTML and CSS
GitHub link to HTML coding with external CSS
Adobe Illustrator
Wapack Trail Completion Patch Given criteria by The Friends of the Wapack, and style suggestions from other contributors, the patch was completed in Adobe Illustrator before being sent to the manufacturer for production.
ProteSang Logo The ProteSang Logo was created to add realism to a fictional product about a company creating neural implants. It was intended to impart a feeling of something futuristic and all-seeing.
Anker Portable Charger The image callouts were created to highlight some of the major features of the Anker portable charger.
ProteSang Banner This banner was created for a website of the fictional company, ProteSang.
ProteSang Print Banner This banner was created for the fictional company, ProteSang, and was meant to be used in MadCap Flare’s print products.
Adobe Photoshop
Ghost Train Trail Races The trail in the picture is a part of a race series, Ghost Train. Using Adobe Photoshop, I added in the race name with minor perspective adjustments to the text.
Ghost Train Trail Races This is another scene on the Ghost Train course. Using perspective and color adjustment features, I created the text “GHOST TRAIN”.
Mushroom This picture of the American yellow fly agaric mushroom* was taken in the white mountains.
Mushroom Sharpened This is the same American yellow fly agaric mushroom*, but with parts of the image sharpened.
Enhanced Color The sharpened image of the mushroom* is used, but its colors are intensified while sections of the background are changed to purple.
Glowstick The formation of the chemicals in the glowstick were so outstanding, I had to take a picture.
Unique Background Using the glowstick image, I repeated and merged different sections of the picture to get the unusual and original background.
Mushroom Patch Using the glowstick background and the American yellow fly agaric mushroom, repeated and transformed so each is just slightly different, I created a mushroom patch with “MUSHROOMS” written vertically through the middle with off-center letters.
*Though beautiful, these mushrooms are toxic, not hallucinogenic.
Pictured Rocks It was an overcast day when we arrived at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan.
Sunny Day With Adobe Photoshop, I was able to adjust the color of the skies, trees and water of Lake Superior to make it look as if it had been a sunnier day.
Georgia Aquarium The viewing area of the large tank at the Georgia aquarium was somehow serene and peaceful despite being fairly busy.
All Alone Using Adobe Photoshop, I was able to take out the seam in the tank, a few bystanders and the bubbles above the school of fish.
Patient Puppy Aldo the Boston sits patiently as his owners take a picture.
Obedient Puppy? The leash and shoe were removed from the picture while Aldo’s coat color was intensified and the picture was sharpened.
Sleeping dog Aldo the Boston terrier basks in the sunshine.
Sleeps anywhere? Aldo’s body was cut from the original photo and added into the trail walker’s dark scene. The lighting on Aldo was adjusted to match the lighting of the picture.
Aquarium nap? Using the adjusted aquarium photo from above, I added Aldo and adjusted the light and color to match the picture.