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July 20, 2006

July '06 News from Signs of Development

From: Signs of Development - Jul 20, 2006

We've moved - but you won't notice anything short of improvement! We are pleased to announce a new business linkage with A+.net providing us with a larger capacity server space that enables us to expand our already expansive array of online media to address all of your professional development needs! What you WILL notice are:

• More streaming WWWorkshops - for those last-minute CEUs available instantly
• Our Demo WWWorkshops containing descriptions and video snippets of most of our CD WWWorkshops
• CruisEUs information to take a look at information on our maiden voyage as well as future plans for a 2008 CruisEUs
• Access to our Study Groups' Bulletin Board directly from our website
• Future Projects including demos of selected projects on our production table
• Virtual WWWorkshops - host a quality workshop and eliminate the travel costs!!!

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The Spring study groups are winding down and we had some very productive sessions! This Spring saw the implementation of two new study groups of which we are very excited:

• NIC Interview Preparation Group
• CDI Written Test Study Group

Both groups were a direct result of customers requests and were wildly successful!!! We are excited with the high rate of success that group members who actively participate are having on their tests. We recognize and acknowledge that it is a lot of work, however, once people get their positive results, the hard work has paid off and makes it worth it! These are not classes but study groups where participants are provided with structure and benefit from the professional interaction and discussion on each unit's questions to initiate the discussion and study! Each study group has at least one faciliator assigned to ensure continued forward progress with the goal of ensuring that participants' OWN the information compared to that of traditional education where information is dispensed to be memorized. The theory behind this is that with ownership of the information, candidates for testing are better prepared to answer questions related to information about interpreting regardless of the format of the question. You will draw upon the discussions with colleagues and retrieve that information from your own stored body of knowledge compared with retrieving information that may be held in short-term memory through the practice of rote memorization.

All study groups come with CEUs! The NIC Interview Preparation Group is based on making sound and systematic ethical decisions. The CEUs can be applied toward the .8 hours required of CDI candidates to take their written test for the ethical training required as well.

The CDI Written Test Study Group has been an amazing process for the team of facilitators and myself! It has been great to see the group of candidates go through the questions posed in each of the units and come to deeper understandings of what interpreting is all about! This group also qualifies CDI candidates for their .8 hours of Deaf Interpreter training and .8 hours of Ethical training required to apply for the written test.

Also, we thrive and appreicate ALL feedback to help us make each session better. Accordingly, the written test study groups will return to their original 16 week format (2 weeks per unit.) The units were originally designed to be taken in two week chunks but with increased demand and many last-minute requests, we experimented with the shorter turnaround times. However, it has become apparent that in our need to try to meet customer needs, desires, and requests that this shorter format is just too grueling. Thanks for all who provided feedback and we will establish study groups to begin in September to test for December and late January to prepare for testing in June. Study groups are currently forming now for:

• NIC Interview Preparation
• CDI and NIC Written Test
• Performance Testing
• SC:L Written Test

Registration information as well as more detailed information about each study group is available at http://www.signs-of-development.org/website/StudyGrp.html and while you're there, Click here to see what people are saying!

Individual mentoring toward any of these tests or toward identifying and addressing skill gaps is also available! Information on Signs' PACE Mentoring Program can be found at http://www.signs-of-development.org/website/paceM.html.

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Finally, have you seen the most recent group to hit the stage and entertain you? Interpreter's Nightmare is a comedy trio of Peter Cook, Crom Saunders, and Keith Wann - find out more info at http://www.myspace.com/aslcomedytour and book them to entertain at your next event!!!


Come see us at our booth at Region III and IV! And again, thanks for your continued support of our programs and services!!
Lynne


Lynne Wiesman, MBA, CI/CT, SC:L Ò¿Ò¬
Master Mentor
Signs of Development, LLC
www.signs-of-development.org
(866) ASL Sign - toll free
(928) 395-1878 - fax