Laura Dent, Writer

I am now certified MAD for Flare! MAD = MadCap Advanced Developer. I’ve been using Flare for over a decade now, so it’s about time I got certified!

Further adventures in academia:  I’ve just started teaching a class in Technical Communication at James Madison University.  I’m in the Computer Science department, and all my students are CS majors.  Lots of them seem to be Music Industry minors, or otherwise into music – DJs, drummers, etc., so I felt right at home.  We did a fun exercise involving lasers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Full circle:  I’m once again working in downtown Harrisonburg, as a contractor to Venture Interactive, a small startup that specializes in content strategy and instructional technology.  I’m having a blast working with languages and software.

This fall, I’ve been teaching a course in Technical Writing for Information Technology Professionals at the local campus of American National University.  I’ve found it fun to engage the students and share my experiences in my field of technical communication.  Most of the students are career changers, and I support their efforts to find a future in technology.

Here’s an article on my single-sourcing and localization work for Aker Wade, featured in the Lionbridge Customer Spotlight:

http://content.lionbridge.com/lionbridge-customer-spotlight-aker-wade/

We’ve moved back to Harrisonburg. Feels good to jump right back into our home community.

Update:  my cover picture is now my new home!  We’re relocating to the mountains near Roanoke, and this place I have loved for many years is where we’ll be living.

I’m designing single-source documentation for a cool company in Charlottesville, Aker Wade, that makes fast charger systems for batteries for electric vehicles.  As I said to the owner, it’s reassuring to see innovative industrial manufacturing happening in this country!

Here it is, folks! My debut on TV – and it’s not about me, it’s about our community of “Rosetta Stone Alumni.” Please share at will, in support of our efforts to create new ways of working in the community.

http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Laid-Off-Rosetta-Stone-Employees-Start-Online-Community–211503501.html

We’re creating a cooperative community of the Rosetta Stone Alumni, to create new ways of working together in the Shenandoah Valley.

Thanks to Kim Reedy and Ros O’Brien for setting up the website with our mini-profiles:

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