Countdown! Wrightslaw Online Training
First Steps l Research & Demos l Wrightslaw WebEx
Learning the Ropes l Tests with Volunteers

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Schedule for next online program(s):       August 17-18 Bell Curve and Special Ed IEP Regs

Coming soon - webcast about the new regs!

Each program has reached capacity enrollment within hours after being posted. We are repeating the programs almost daily at different times. For the next program, please continue to check this page and the Wrightslaw WebEx page at http://wrightslaw.webex.com.

"When will the online training take place? How can I register? Please send details!"

"If you're looking for guinea pigs, I'd like to be one. I'm articulate, analytical, and have a background in training."

Because so many people are writing and calling with questions about the online training programs, we decided to build this Online Training Countdown! page to provide updates and progress reports.

We will continue post progress reports on the Online Training Countdown! page. Later, this page will include a schedule of upcoming online programs.

Test Programs with Volunteers: July 2006

Between late June to mid-July, Pete spent a great deal of time learning how to use the WebEx program on his own. He printed information about different topics and made his own WebEx Training Manual. The learning curve has been steeper than expected. Pete is very persistent so he's making good progress.

In early July, he scheduled demos with friends. He is nearly ready to schedule the first real demo for a small group of volunteers.

On July 12, Pete held the first demo of the Tests & Measurements program with three volunteers! These folks generously gave of their time, advised him of technical problems they encountered, and made suggestions about how to improve the presentation. He has held several more WebEx Bell Curve sessions and purposefully limited the enrollment to just a few. He is on a roll!

Training & Learning the Ropes (May & June 2006)

We have attended several WebEx training programs during the past month and a half. (The learning curve was a little steeper than we expected!)

We learned how to schedule events, invite people, and send reminders (so participants will remember to attend). We learned how to "conduct engaging events" (make things more interesting) by using polls, surveys, quizzes. We are designing a new PowerPoint template for the online training programs.

We began with a very small "beta group" of volunteers (random selection from the hundreds of emails) and have benefited from their help to improve the experience.

Using Tests & Measurements to Measure Your Child's Progress

After we complete the WebEx training, we will schedule the first online program. The subject will be "Using Tests and Measurements to Measure Your Child's Progress."

Participants will learn how to use the bell curve, standard scores, and percentile ranks to measure and monitor educational progress or lack of progress. This program will be approximately one hour long.

Advice from Beta Groups

We also decided that the first programs will be small, beginning with a few volunteers, then adding more participants as we develop more confidence and experience. We will ask participants for their feedback to help us improve the presentation.

Wrightslaw WebEx Training Center (April 2006)

In early April, we signed a contract with WebEx. The Wrightslaw WebEx Training Center went up in mid-April.

We are now going through training with WebEx. They advised us that it will take about six weeks to complete the training and prepare for a trial run of the first program.

Research & Demos (January-March 2006)

In mid-January, we did an informal survey of newsletter subscribers and asked for your ideas and suggestions. Hundreds of people responded - and you had some great ideas!

About 80 percent of survey participants expressed a preference for webinars where the audio and video is streamed over the Internet (you did not want to tie up your phone line). Most people said they were likely to complete the training at home. You wanted programs archived so you could participate when you had time. You wanted time for questions and answers.

We took this information back to the online training companies. We had more telephone calls and scheduled more demos in February and March.

First Steps (November & December 2005)

We have become increasingly frustrated by the fact that we cannot provide training to people who are eager for training but are unable to attend a live program. We decide to investigate online training programs. There are many questions that need to be answered before we can make an informed decision.

Who are the main providers? How are online training programs typically structured? What formats are used? What features are offered? What features do we need? How much will this cost?

During the preliminary research stage, we talked to sales reps and did demos with several companies.

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