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September 30, 2009

 

 

 

Dear Edna and Jodi,

 

On behalf of the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers, I would like to thank you for inviting me to address your members.  It is with great regret that I am unable to attend in person due to professional conflicts that have since arisen.  In other words, as I'm sure you all know -- duty calls, and duty's name is Your Honor.

 

However, your president, Edna Zaid, graciously offered to read a brief statement for me instead.  We also have provided members in attendance with information on our upcoming convention, AAERT at Sea.  We hope that some of you will be able to join us for the first convention cruise we have ever had.  We are excited about the educational opportunities that will be offered, and lots of sun and networking on our way to beautiful Cozumel.  It surely will be a trip to remember!

 

Some of our board members have just returned from the Court Technology Conference held in Denver, Colorado.  They met with court personnel from all over the world.  Overwhelmingly, I've been told, the most frequent inquiry at the AAERT booth was in regards to education and training of digital reporters.  There is a hunger for education now more than ever before in our history.  In fact, two technical colleges are currently developing a digital court reporting certificate program to meet the demands of the market. 

 

The digital reporting industry, as you all know, continues to experience exponential growth nationwide.  We believe that AAERT certification of digital reporters is the single greatest benefit we offer, as AAERT certification is recognized in various states throughout the country where state certification may not exist. 

 

AAERT was formed in 1993 and has been certifying electronic reporters since 1996.  Since that time AAERT has maintained and upgraded its certification program.  We believe it is imperative that we educate and certify our members, and use the advances in technology to our benefit to deliver that education.  We believe our collective experience over the last several decades cannot be replicated by anyone.  And, we believe AAERT is the only national authority in electronic and digital court reporting, both in establishing best practices and offering certification, and we intend to keep it that way!

 

AAERT has some lofty goals and unique challenges in the days ahead, as other organizations attempt to replicate what we already have in place.  We will be aggressively pursuing various methods to deliver training and certification to new and existing members, and we would like you all to be beneficiaries of our efforts as well.

 

We encourage you to become familiar with the AAERT web site, use our online quizzes to challenge yourself, stay apprised of the latest technology and connect with our membership through our online forums.  All the materials provided to you today, for instance, are also available at www.aaert.org and there is so much more.

 

More recently, we have added General Technical support forums that are directly reviewed by the digital reporting vendors themselves.  It is a free and fast way to find information and connect directly with FTR, Veri-Core, Liberty Recording and JAVS systems for your questions.  Using the forums will connect you with other digital reporters and transcribers around the country.  We have a diverse network just waiting for you!  So please take advantage of the tools that are available to you, even as non-members.  We all need each other as times continue to change and grow.

 

Thanks especially to Edna and Jodi and the MECRA Board for all of your support and hard work for your state association.  We wish you a very successful and educational conference and hope to see you in Cozumel!! 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Janet B. Harris, CERT

Director AAERT, Inc.