If you want to stay competitive in court reporting throughout the entire length of your career, you will need to stay current on technology. This has always been the case, but it is true now more than ever.  Technology cannot be ignored in our era and keeping up with the newest technology is a key part of developing your court reporting career.

Since the first American shorthand machine was invented by Miles Bartholomew in 1879, the field of court reporting has been steadily and continuously changing and evolving.  Court reporting and shorthand has always been moving forward and developing.  The changes in technology used by court reporters began to pick up speed as the information age was born.  Today, one of our most valuable assets is our ability to keep up on new technologies.

Thirty years ago, when a new court reporter began working in the field, many court reporters were still writing steno during the day, and reading back all notes into a dictation machine when it was time to transcribe. If that new court reporter had continued to work and never learn new technology as it came along, they would have been out of work years ago.  They would not be able offer the types of services clients now expect, such as e-transcripts, condensed transcripts or streaming video. Court reporters who  began their careers 30 years ago found it necessary to learn how to use a computer. Then they needed to change their theory of writing so that it was compatible with a computer. For many, their writing and use of technology continued to evolve until they could write with realtime translation during a deposition or court proceeding.

This trend in technology growth will continue long into the future. This means to continue to be a top-notch reporter, you will need to stay current on what is new and what is up and coming in the field of technology.  You will continually need to motivate yourself to learn new software and theories.  You will also need to continually purchase new equipment as hardware continues to evolve. 

Because the speed of technology has sped up to such a fast pace, it is difficult to keep up. You are spending your time working, producing transcripts. So much new technology comes out, that you don’t always hear about what’s new.  As part of your career development, you need to implement a plan for staying informed as new technology emerges.

When new technology is introduced, there will be reporters who jump in right away and try it out.  There are others who wait until everyone is using the technology before they will look at it.  If you want to stay competitive, you should push yourself to become an early adopter.  This will keep you in the mindset to watch for new developments. As an early adopter, you will be learning and using technology long before the late adopters.  This can give you a competitive edge. You will become known for your technological savvy by other court reporters, but most especially by your clients.

So how can you stay informed?  Here are a few ways you can stay on top of the newest technology. These strategies are easy to fit into your schedule a few minutes at a time.

Court Reporting Technology Articles

In this information age, there are good articles being written all the time about emerging court reporting technology.   The Journal of Court Reporting, published by the National Court Reporters Association, frequently offers articles on new technologies and how people are using them. Even if you are not a member of NCRA, you can access recent articles on the JCR website.

By searching Google, you will also find many websites and blogs that are continually producing new articles on new hardware and software. Find articles on new technology as it is introduced.  Keep track of new technologies you have heard about and read all you can online about how they are used and how successful they are for other court reporters. 

Online Training Materials

Many software and hardware companies offer free training materials on their websites demonstrating how to use their products.  By accessing this training, which is often free, this allows you to learn about products more quickly. You will more likely use all of the features the product has to offer if you have taken advantage of the online training materials.  These online training materials can be pdf documents, videos and website pages. 

Some examples of companies with online training materials are Stenograph, Cheetah International and Aristocat:

• Stenograph offers online training manuals, training in their software and training from certified training agents around the nation.  In partnership with Prince Institute, a court reporting school owned by Stenograph, more training is offered as professional development training accredited for CEUs through the NCRA. To view more upcoming live and recorded CEU training, go to CEU training for court reporters.
• Cheetah International offers online training on its products at http://www.caption.com/English/training/Online_Education.php
• Aristocat offers training webinars to its users. Some are pre-recorded and can be viewed at any time.  http://www.aristocat.com/Webinars.htm

YouTube

You can find all kinds of good information on YouTube that is fast and easy to consume.  Most vendors have videos that introduce their products.  This gives you the ability to quickly see what is out there and available.  Many vendors also offer video training tutorials that are free for anyone to view.  It is not uncommon to now see videos put out by various organizations that offer interviews of vendors from the latest conventions or trade shows.  These will often give you a quick glimpse of the latest offerings.  If you are not able to attend conventions and trade shows, these videos allow you to still see what is being offered that is new from vendors. 

A couple of examples of organizations using YouTube for information and training are RealLegal and NCRA:

RealLegal offers several litigation support softwares, including transcript management such as e-transcripts, batched and condensed printing.  The following video is of a sales representative who gives a brief explanation of some of those softwares:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRb2WoMGFxw

NCRA offers a series of training how-to videos highlighting several different hardware and software setups from different vendors. These are useful for those who already own these products as well as for those who are thinking of purchasing:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0500127980FB6C67

Newsletters

Look for court reporting technology websites and subscribe to their newsletter.  Find organizations that are devoted to bringing you news on a regular basis. By subscribing to their newsletter from their website, you will receive the latest information directly into your email inbox without having to go looking for it.

Some examples are the Society for the Technological Advancement of Reporting (STAR) and NCRA’s Tech Wire Blog.

STAR offers thoughtful articles and discussion on issues that are emerging with the latest technologies.  You can download any of the STAR newsletters on their website at http://www.staronline.org/.

The NCRA Tech Wire Blog offers articles that include tips on using various hardware and software, reviews and tutorials of specific softwares.  You will need to be a member of NCRA to sign up for this newsletter at http://www.ncra.org/applications/blog/The-Tech-Wire?navItemNumber=12840

Making a commitment to learning new technologies is an investment into your own career.  If you are unwilling to learn new technology, you will become extinct like the dinosaurs.  But if you’re willing to make the effort to stay informed and learn new things, you will have a long and successful career in court reporting for years to come.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in “Is it Time to Hire a Scopist?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane Jones is a court reporter, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Brown & Jones Reporting, Inc. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.

Tags: court reporters, court reporting technology

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