Here I’ve tried to answer the most common questions that I receive concerning my e-Power Video Tutorials. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, just call during business hours at 713-523-6345.
 

• Can I order by mail? Can I pay by check?  Can I use Advantage Software Training Certificates?

     Yes.  Click here.
 

• What about Continuing Education Units?

     Each of the tutorials has been approved by the National Court Reporters Association as a source of Continuing Education Units.  You can earn a total of 3.0 CEU.

     How do you obtain continuing education credits? First, watch all the tutorial’s video presentations and take a test. Each tutorial contains one test in true/false format and another test in multiple-choice format.  Choose whichever test format you prefer.  You do not have to take more than one test. The tests are presented as PDF files that can be read and printed using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program, which can be installed from the tutorial disk. Next, submit your test to e-CourtReporter, LLC, the sponsors of e-Power Video Tutorials. If you answer at least 75% of the questions correctly, you’ll be sent a Certificate of Completion and a form to submit to NCRA to obtain CEU credits.

     Are NCRA-approved CE credits recognized by state certification boards? Not automatically. It varies by state.  In any case, certification boards are typically overworked and underfunded. If you need to ask a certification board to recognize the tutorials’ NCRA continuing education credits, please do not wait until the last minute.
     If you’re a reporter in Texas, you will need to submit a CE application to the Court Reporters’ Certification Board, just as you submit one to the NCRA.  Typically, the TCRCB charges $25 to process applications submitted before September 30th each year and $50 for applications submitted after September 30th. Naturally, they want to avoid getting overwhelmed with paperwork at the end of the year.

     Texas Court Reporters’ Certification Board - Tel.: (512)463-1630

             Click here to view a sample CE Application form.
 

• Can each of the members of a group share tutorial disks and obtain CEU credit?

     No, we will grade the test for only one person per CD.
 

• What’s the relationship between e-Power Tutorials, Eclipse, and Advantage Software?

     Keith Vincent is an Eclipse sales representative in Houston.  Advantage Software  has commissioned the Visualizer movies that are a part of Total Eclipse; and it highly recommends e-Power Video Tutorials as a source of in-depth training. However, the tutorials themselves were not produced with funding from Advantage Software.
 

• What’s the relationship between e-Power Workshops and Tutorials?

     The workshops motivated me to produce the tutorials.  The two go hand in hand.  Many people who attend the workshops like to purchase the video tutorials so that when they get home, they can go into greater detail at their own pace.  Others purchase the tutorials because they cannot attend a workshop. Later they may attend a workshop and are better prepared to ask questions and get more out of the weekend experience.
 

• What is meant by “video” tutorial? Is it VHS or DVD format?

     The tutorials are prepared using a special program that captures everything you would see on my computer screen, plus a sound track that lets me explain what I’m trying to show.  So these are not VHS videocassettes, nor do they require a DVD player.  They’re AVI files on CD-ROM disks that run on your computer.
 

• How are the CD-ROM disks used?

     Each tutorial consists of one CD-ROM disk.  With the exception of “Keyboard Magic,” all video presentations are run from the disk. Thus, the tutorials do not take up valuable disk space on your computer.
 

• Are all the tutorials just about Eclipse?

     No. The information in “Interactive Realtime Transcription” is not specific to any one CAT system, although Eclipse is used to demonstrate a few topics.  Also, other tutorials are in preparation that are not system-specific.
     “Interactive Realtime Transcription” is designed to combat two fears that keep many reporters from offering realtime transcription:  1) What if I can’t establish a connection to a client’s computer? 2) What if a client asks me how to perform basic functions on his/her software?
     Most of the troubleshooting skills apply to all CAT systems.  Of course, the information on realtime-viewing software (Bridge, LiveNote, Summation, CaseView) also applies to all reporters and their clients.
 

• Does Eclipse have to be installed to use the tutorials?

     Only “Keyboard Magic” requires that Eclipse be installed on your computer.  However, you will get more from the tutorials if Eclipse is on your computer. Then you’ll be able to watch a video presentation and switch to Eclipse to try out what you’ve seen.
 

• Can Eclipse and a tutorial run at the same time?

     Yes.  In fact, you can press Alt+Tab at any time to switch from the video player to Eclipse. You can also pause, rewind/advance, and restart a video presentation at any point. You do not have to watch any video from start to finish before you can switch to Eclipse to try out something you’ve seen.
 

• How long does each video presentation last?

     Each video is as short as possible, but you can pause, rewind, advance, and resume playback at any point. Some presentations are only about 1 minute long. The longest lasts about 6 minutes. The average is about 3 minutes.
 

• How is “Keyboard Magic” interactive?

     The “Keyboard Magic” tutorial actually installs about 50 short movies on your computer, and these are launched from within Eclipse.  Because these videos are not being run from the CD-ROM disk, they do take up about 200 mg of space on the hard disk of your computer.
     “Keyboard Magic” also creates a new Eclipse user (3-4v Realtime Kit). Why? So that you open a short explanatory document, view a “Show Me” presentation, and switch to Eclipse realtime translation to practice editing from the steno keyboard, without any risk of harming your real user settings, main dictionary, or work files.
     Because just about each “Show Me” presentation ends with a “Your Turn” invitation, the “Keyboard Magic” tutorial does require that Eclipse is already installed on your computer.