Forum

Some of you might recall my last "Daily Diary" (located here: http://cwnp.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21&highlight=daily+diary)
from May 2004 when I discussed the CWAP 1.0 class. That thread held the highest read count of all the forum threads for a long time (and might still). It gave a day-by-day account of what we incurred during the first CWAP 1.0 course taught by Devin Akin.

In this thread, I plan to cover what we're experiencing during the new CWNA 3.0 Train-the-Trainer course happening this week (Apr 10-15, 2006) in Atlanta.

Day 1

If you're familiar with the CWNP courses, you know how huge the books can be. I've got several binders from previous CWNP classes and was pleasantly surprised when I received a single, 8.5x11 inch, bound, one-inch thick paperback book as the course material. This is much more convenient and lighter than previous 3-ring, 3-inch binder solutions. The only downside to this is that the instructor notes are not included; however, if you take good notes, this should not be an issue. It?¡é?€??s understandable why CWNP doesn?¡é?€??t include instructor notes in the student material since it would diminish the need for course attendance and allow unauthorized instructors to illegally duplicate the course.

The class attendees this week consist of 13 CWNT certified instructors and myself. I am instructor certified for Cisco Airespace solutions but currently not for the CWNP program (although that?¡é?€??s likely to change soon). During class we constantly engage in lively discussions ranging from IEEE standards and drafts to RF theory to product analysis. On Day One we covered Chapter 1 ?¡é?€?¡° Intro to 802.11 WLANs, Chapter 2 ?¡é?€?¡° RF Fundamentals, and Chapter 3 ?¡é?€?¡° Antennas.

Of major interest is the inclusion of excellent animations the instructor uses to explain complex topics. For example, it is difficult to try to explain antenna polarization when using a two dimensional surface. The in-class animations allow the instructor to show antenna polarization from a three dimensional perspective. The animations provide interaction, such as being able to show multiple views or rotate portions of the displayed object. These animations are an invaluable addition to the learning process and CWNP has done an awesome job of integrating them into the curriculum.

I?¡é?€??m looking forward to day two when we?¡é?€??ll get into RF math and WLAN operations.

Joel Barrett