Sign-up for Signs' New Study Groups

From: Signs of Development - Apr 10, 2007

Hello all. Well I guess that we can safely say that Spring has arrived since I have packed my bags and hit the road.

I am still in Australia and having an amazing time meeting interpreters and seeing the countryside. Mostly I have come to realize, we are not so unlike each other! I will include a recap of my wonderful travels in the May newsletter. In the meantime, I enjoy our April information. Enjoy the newsletter and I hope we cross paths in the near future.

Where is Signs of Development?

We are going on the conference circuit. Deborah Leisey and I have many wonderful things planned for April and May.

During the latter part of April, Deborah will be in Burbank, California for the 2007 California Education Impact Conference (CAL-ED/IMPACT) on April 20-22. Visit their website at www.deafkids.org/conference if you are interested in attending. If you are not from that part of the country and are wondering what IMPACT is it’s a California statewide, all-volunteer, non-profit organization of parents, teachers, and professionals serving Deaf and hard of hearing children. We are so proud to be involved in such a wonderful conference.

If you are in the Burbank area, make sure you stop by the Signs of Development booth and say hello! Deborah would love to meet you.

Deborah and I will be at the Texas and Arkansas interpreting conferences. We are hoping to meet up with some of you during our trip so if you are in or on the route from Irving to Bentonville and would like for us to stop in and provide you with a live demonstration of our CD WWWorkshops, send Deborah an email and she can plan it: deborah@signs-of-development.org.

We are ecstatic to also be involved in the KS state educational interpreting conference called TIES in June. There will be a great line-up of presenters all focusing on prosody both in English and ASL – we have a lot of “structured play” planned to help learn while enjoying the process! For more information on joining us at TIES, contact Kim Krebs at kkrebs1@jccc.edu or Arnelle McNary at amcnary@ksd.state.ks.us.

Study Groups! Come one, Come all!

Spring is a time to look forward to a new year of interpreting. It is also a good time to plan various professional development activities. If certification is a professional development goal of yours, we are announcing another round of study groups starting on June 4th 2007. I f you were not able to get into the last round, this is your chance. We will continue to advertise this information, but if you are curious now, just go to
www.signs-of-development.org/website/StudyGrp.html. Simply click on “click here for group descriptions” to browse around. You can even register now to ensure an available spot.

EIPA Written and Performance Test Study Group

This month we will highlight our EIPA study group. This newly formed group should be of interest to people in the educational world. New groups will start in June, check out the above weblink for more in-depth information. The performance study group will focus on discrete aspects of the interpreting process with a special emphasis on Prosodic Features which is a commonly. The EIPA Performance Test Study Group includes Signs’ RA (readiness assessment) and 4 months of group discussion on the development and implementation of skill development activities. The Educational Objectives of this study group are for the participant to:

• Be able to articulate the meaning of Prosody and prosodic features in ASL and English
• Demonstrate the ability to convey messages that evidence knowledge of prosody
• Be able to self-assess to identify patterns in the work that represent skill gaps
• Construct a skill activity to address the prioritized pattern.

Again, please go to our website for a more detailed description of the study groups, pricing and testimonials from former participants.

Standardized Vocabulary Project... What’s all the Hype about?

To recap, Signs in conjunction with South Carolina Department of Education, has developed a series of approximately 18,000 signed video vocabulary items specifically for interpreters in education, but of value to interpreters for any technical assignment. This resource tool is for all those involved in the education of Deaf and hard of hearing students. These terms are two-dimensional video signed concepts used specifically in K-12 education. The primary goal of this project is to equalize the test taking process in the educational setting by using standardized signs for curriculum across the state, county or school system. There has been overwhelming interest generated as a result of advertising the South Carolina Standardized Vocabulary project. I am extremely excited about it! Very soon.

Deborah will be sending information about accessing this tool to everyone that has expressed an interest. If you are curious and would like more information, please contact Deborah Leisey at Deborah@signs-of-development.org. She will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the project.

CD WWWorkshop Presenter Highlight: David Bar-Tzur

At this time we would like to introduce you to David Bar-Tzur.

David Bar-Tzur received his BS in Physics from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He converted to Judaism and received his BS in Philosophy from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

David moved and attended a yeshiva (rabbinical college) in New York City (Far Rockaway) at Shaar Yashuv for two years. David married, moved to Portland, Oregon, and worked as an accountant and then as a baker, until he went to a Christmas concert after his divorce and saw an interpreter. He then decided to attend Portland Community College for two years and got an AAS degree in interpreting. Later, he moved to Rochester, NY and worked in the Science and Engineering core team and later the Liberal Arts core team of interpreters at RIT/NTID for 17 years.

Mr. Bar-Tzur moved to Seattle, Washington and worked as an interpreter (including Deaf-Blind interpreting) for two years and then returned to Rochester, where he has worked ever since (now 20+ years) as a contract interpreter.

David specializes in technical, religious, and Deaf-Blind interpreting and presents workshops about four times a year out of state. He maintains a comprehensive web site on interpreting at www.theinterpretersfriend.com.

David is featured in many of our WWWorkshops and the Technical Resource Signed Dictionary as well as the SC Standardized Vocabulary project as the technical expert on the project.

Preparing for Summer: a chance for CEUs

As interpreters and educators we are prime examples of multi-taskers. Consider summer as an opportunity to get in a little professional development. Did you know that our CD-Rom WWWorkshops can be used on a laptop in the car on long travels? What a great way to multi-task!

Are the kids going to camp for a week, going to see Grandma or Aunt Judy, off to a friend’s house for a few days? Many of our workshops can be done in one day or for an hour a week, our WWWorkshops can work around your schedule. Make sure to check and see how many hours each WWWorkshop requires before ordering. Check out our selection of products at
www.signsofdevelopment.us/store/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=2.

To wrap things up before I head out on another excursion, Spring is a time of renewal. I encourage you all to renew your efforts to obtain whatever your professional goals are as an interpreter. We are here to help you along your journey.

I hope to see you in my travels.

Cheers!
Lynne

Lynne Wiesman, Performance Consultant Ò¿Ò¬
Credentials: MBA, SC:L, CI/CT, Master Mentor
Signs of Development, LLC
www.signs-of-development.org
(866) ASL Sign - toll free
(928) 395-1878 - fax
LWiesman - skype
Professional Development to Develop Professionals!