1

Volume 6, Issue 4

WINTER 2006

The Arkansas Adult

Learning Resource

Center provides equal

access to all programs

and activities.

Ready, Set, Go

By Dr. Sharon Ellis, Legislative Committee Chair of the Arkansas Association of

Continuing and Adult Education (AACAE)

The 86th General Legislative Session is almost upon us. The message we

are all trying to carry is that we desperately need additional state funding for

adult literacy. Increased appropriations for both adult education centers

and literacy councils are in the Department of Workforce Education's

budget.

The current appropriation of $17.9 milion has not been increased in 15

years. Expenses, such as mandated teacher salary increases, utilities,

equipment, and supplies have risen significantly since 1991. Because fund-

ing has not kept up with demand, there have been reductions of services.

For the 2007 session, the appropriation request has been raised to $22.3

million, a $4.4 million increase. However, Governor Huckabee is recom-

mending only $20,360,920. This is not enough to cover the mandated sal-

ary increases for teachers in the last two to three years alone.

The Grants and Aid to Councils (GAC) state funding to help support the op-

erations of Arkansas Literacy Councils and the local literacy councils was

cut from $750,000 to $675,000 in 2001. GAC funding was created in 1991

because the legislature recognized the value well-trained volunteers bring

to adult literacy through these nonprofit organizations. The DWE budget for

2007 calls for the original funding amount of $750,000 to be reinstated.

However, that amount has remained the same since 1999 (with the excep-

tion of the cut). An effort to raise the appropriation to $800,000 is possible.

The legislature's Joint Budget Committee referred Workforce Education's

budget to an education subcommittee earlier this fall. The subcommittee

met on December 12 but no issues were raised regarding adult education.

It is possible this committee will support the governor's recommendation.

The new members of the Joint Budget Committee have been appointed for

the coming session. The chairs will be Senators Shawn Womack of Moun-

tain Home and Irma Hunter Brown of Little Rock with Representatives Chris

Thyer of Jonesboro and Bruce Maloch of Magnolia. A list of all lawmakers

can be found at

www.arkleg.state.ar.us

.

There are 52 adult education centers and 53 literacy councils. We need

committments from our lawmakers. Have you personally contacted your

legislators to explain your program's services, share success stories, and

tell of your need for funding. Have you obtained a promise to support us.

If not, why. Numbers count!

What now. If you see your legislators, remind them of our needs. We will

rally our forces again the first of January - it will take ALL OF US contacting

our legislators and soliciting support for the increases.

Arkansas Adult Learning

Resource Center

3905 Cooperative Way,

Suite D

Little Rock, AR 72209

Phone: 800-832-6242

(501) 907-2490

FAX: (501) 907-2492

http://www.aalrc.org

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Adult Learning Network

AALRC Staff

Director

Marsha Taylor

___________________

Administrative

Assistant

Wanda Johnson

Professional

Development

Coordinator

Nancy Loftis

Media

Coordinator

Klaus Neu

Secretary

Toccara Pearson

Information

Technology

Specialist

Rob Pollan

Disabilities

Project

Manager

Patti White

Professional Development News

NOTICE:

If you are unable to attend a work-

shop you have registered for, please

contact the AALRC as soon as possi-

ble. Participants are often placed on

waiting lists because workshops fill

up. If you find that you cannot attend

a workshop and you call ahead, this

gives us time to notify wait-listed

participants that they can attend.

When a workshop has a waiting list,

participants may not send substitutes

from their center to attend in their

place. Registrations are held for par-

ticipants and not for centers.

ADD

P. 29a

Provider Jefferson County Literacy

Council

Mailing Address 402 East 5

th

Pine Bluff, AR 71601

Primary Contact Jennifer Hurst, Director

Email

literacy@cabelynx.com

Phone (870) 536-7323

Fax (870) 850-0984

http://www.escweb.net/ar_esc/

Please remember that the AALRC is now

using ESC Web for all workshop/training

registrations. Tips, tricks, and hints may be

found on the AALRC web site at:

http://www.aalrc.org/profdev/ESCWeb.doc

.

If you are still having trouble, you can al-

ways call the AALRC at 1-800-832-6242 or

1-501-907-2490.

THE DIRECTORY

The Directory is an important part of our work, and it needs to be accurate.

Please bear with us as we have worked very hard to get the information

compiled, completely and accurately, so that it can be provided to you. As

corrections or additions are needed, they will appear in the AALRC

newsletter.

DIRECTORY CORRECTIONS

P. 3 Nancy Sparks,

nancy.k.sparks@arkansas.gov

P. 12 (SEACBEC) Primary Contact: Jonalyn Reep

P. 11 North Arkansas College, Phone: (870) 391-3198

ADD

P. 40a

Provider Russellville Adult Education

Center

Mailing Address P.O. Box 928

Russellville, AR 72811

Primary Contact Pat Collins, Director

Email

pat.collins@rsdmail.k12.ar.us

Phone

(479) 968-5244

Fax (479) 968-6081

DIRECTORY ADDITIONS

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Adult Learning Network

IDEAS – Arkansas Internet Delivered Education for Arkansas Schools

Northeast Arkansas Regional Workshops

A regional Professional Development took place in Paragould on November 20-21, 2006 at the Paragould

Adult Education Center, which is associated with Arkansas Northeastern College. There were over 40

participants from several different programs in the Northeast Region. Priscilla Flowers, state program ad-

visor for that region, attended.

There were many pertinent sessions relating to adult education. The sessions: Computer Aided Instruc-

tion, Math Manipulatives, Transitioning to Post-Secondary, Parental Involvement, Understand and Chart-

ing EFL Advancements, and Accommodations for the Adult Learners and Common Challenges among

Adult Education Programs. The participants were able to obtain 10 hours of Professional Development

during these two days.

The Resource Center will fund regional training if the appropriate steps are taken. The form “Arkansas

Adult Learning Resource Center Request for Professional Development Activity” can be found on our

website

www.aalrc.org

. under Professional Development.

Calendar

All events are at the AALRC unless otherwise noted.

Professional Development Training

January 16 – Web Design – Session ID # 46200

January 17 – PowerPoint – Session ID # 46197

January 18-19 – Literacy Strategies

– Full with Waiting List - Day 1 & 2

January 25 – Inspiration Software

– Session ID # 41871

January 26 – Inspiration Software

– Repeat – Session ID # 41872

Meetings

January 11 – AALRC Advisory Committee

February 1 – Computer Security

February 2 – Computer Security

February 5 – Teaching Reading to ESL Students

– Session ID #37644

February 8-9 – Literacy Strategies – Day 3 & 4

February 20-21 – Teaching with Manipulatives

– Session ID #37641

February 28 – Learner Persistence

– Session ID #37642

March 1-2 – Literacy Strategies – Day 5 & 6

January 12 – AACAE Committee

According the Association of Public Television State (APTS), on September 6, 2006

Arkansas Educa-

tional Television Network (AETN)

premiered the Arkansas Internet Delivered Education for Arkansas

Schools (IDEAS) portal free to every school and teacher in Arkansas as a response to state laws and re-

quirements for additional training for teachers. AETN’s IDEAS web portal offers resources such as Teach-

erline, video streaming, Arkansas Technical Institute Online, the AETN Scholar Channel, and the means

to hold online communication with other educators. AETN's services will be available “anytime, anywhere”

to every teacher, administrator and student in 300 school districts.

"With the Internet Delivered Education for Arkansas Schools (IDEAS) portal, AETN leads the nation in

progressive training for teachers," stated Allen Weatherly, AETN Executive Director.

Working with the Arkansas Department of Education and other partners, AETN has expanded all areas of

its educational services and intends to continue its growth of educational professional development re-

sources. Arkansas IDEAS is provided by the Arkansas On-line Professional Development Initiative

through a committed partnership of the Arkansas Educational Television Network and the Arkansas De-

partment of Education.

The website is specifically for K-12 teachers, but can definitely be adapted to adult education. Check out

the website:

http://www.ideas.aetn.org/

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Adult Learning Network

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

Teaching with Manipulatives Workshop in February 2007

The AALRC will host a “Teaching with Manipula-

tives” workshop on February 20-21. Previously

named “Strategies & Accommodations,” this 1½-

day workshop is designed as a follow-up work-

shop for anyone who completed any of the LD

101 training (adult education or literacy) or the LD

Comp. (Payne-Jordan) workshop. Participants

should already know the basics of adults with

learning disabilities; e.g., definition, characteris-

tics, typical strategies and accommodations, etc.

The purpose of this workshop is to teach adult

education and literacy providers how to incorpo-

rate the use of manipulatives in their instruction,

no matter the content of the curriculum. Each

person (not each program) who completes this workshop will receive a kit that contains all of

the materials demonstrated and practiced during the 1½-day session.

This workshop series is conducted twice a year at the AALRC in Little Rock, and is limited to

twelve (12) participants. Participation will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, see the complete workshop description at

http://aalrc.org/resources/ld/ld_workshops.pdf

.

AALRC’s Assistive Technology In Demand

More and more programs are requesting assistive technology

items from the AALRC to help their students with disabilities

learn more effectively. The most-used resource by far are the

digital GED instructional materials with the cd-players avail-

able through the AALRC’s contract with the Recording for the

Blind and Dyslexic. Two students with cerebral palsy are cur-

rently using the CCTVs, and one program has used the

JAWS software with a blind student.

Literacy councils have requested the use of the alphabet and consonant blend cubes, and

both literacy councils and adult education programs are trying out the WhisperPhone for stu-

dents who benefit from subvocalization while reading. The Reading Pen and the talking cal-

culators have also been used effectively for some students.

Please contact Klaus Neu at

klaus@aalrc.org

or 800.832.6242 if you would like more informa-

tion about these or other assistive technology items, or if you would like to request the use of

an item for a student with a disability.

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Adult Learning Network

AALRC

Advisory

Committee

Dubs Byers,

Chair,

Pine Bluff

Emily Barrier,

Little Rock

Harriet Branch,

Monticello

Sharon Ellis,

Secretary,

Fort Smith

Jennifer Hurst,

Pine Bluff

Lloyd Huskey,

Little Rock

Steven Lilly,

Lonoke

Charlotte

Robertson,

Little Rock

Trece Shepherd

Williams,

Helena

Billy Upson,

Texarkana

Nancy

Whitmire,

Vice-Chair,

Batesville

Surviving with AD/HD

The Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) Newsbriefs published an article

by Barbara Priddy Guyer about teaching students with Attention-

Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or AD/HD (LDA Newsbriefs, March/April

2006, pp. 13-14). The article suggests the following strategies for teaching

students who have AD/HD:

•

Encourage the student to exercise 15-20 minutes several times a day;

•

Help the student learn to monitor their behavior and make appropriate

behavioral changes when needed;

•

Use movement as a reward for quiet, unobtrusive behavior;

•

Look for the cause(s) of an increase in the student’s level of hyperactiv-

ity;

•

Always present instruction in several different modalities;

•

Never criticize the student’s behavior in front of others;

•

Build as much structure into your classroom as possible;

•

Encourage the student to use earphones or headphones to reduce

noise distractions;

•

Let the student listen to 60-beat-a-minute music while working inde-

pendently to reduce theta brain waves and impulsivity, while increasing

focus;

•

Use a lot of positive reinforcement;

•

Allow students to work while standing, rocking, or sitting on the floor;

•

Provide strong visual input;

•

Use charts, graphs, maps, manipulatives, and demonstrations; and

•

Use color-coding to help with organization of ideas and materials.

As a side-note, several GED examiners have told me that it can be very

helpful for a student with AD/HD to sit next to a fan while taking the GED.

The white noise really cuts down on other noises that tend to distract the

student.

For more information about teaching adults with AD/HD, scheduling an

AD/HD workshop, or learning how to request accommodations on the GED

for students with AD/HD, contact Patti White at

prwhite@madisoncounty.net

or 800.569.3539.

Mental Health Survey Coming Soon

Be on the lookout for an email containing a link to a survey regarding the

April 2007 workshop with Dr. Jim Koller regarding students with mental

health disabilities. Dr. Koller has requested that the AALRC conduct a sur-

vey with local programs to narrow his topic selection for his workshop. The

1-day workshop (date to be later announced) will provide adult education

and literacy staff with an overview of various mental health disabilities and

information about GED accommodations for the disabilities. Your prompt

response to this survey will be much appreciated.

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

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Adult Learning Network

Adult Education

Advisory Council

Patricia Bates, Chair

El Dorado

Ben Aldama,

Vice-Chair, Rogers

Jim Allen,

Fayetteville

Diane Cary,

Magnolia

Steve Clayton,

Jonesboro

Pat Collins,

Russellville

Sharon Ellis,

Fort Smith

Denise Hester

Blytheville

Lloyd Huskey,

North Little Rock

Margaret Jarrett,

Monticello

Steven Lilly,

Lonoke

Paulette Martin,

Little Rock

Carolyn Moody,

Mountain Home

Bobbie Sanders,

Little RockDiane

Shores,

Helena

Flora Simon,

Dumas

Marsha Taylor,

Little Rock

The Arkansas state affiliate of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other

Languages (ARKTESOL) was the host for the Southeast Regional TESOL

Conference from November 29 to December 2, 2006. After six years of

waiting and more than two years of planning, ARKTESOL finally saw the

fruits of its labor and long-term goal come to completion when more than

five hundred teachers of ESOL from ten southern states met in Little Rock

for the four-day conference.

The Pre-Conference Workshop was conducted by Linda Franco, a dy-

namic and interactive presenter who is a favorite among teachers for her

straightforward and insightful workshop on differentiated instruction. The

keynote speakers at the conference were Ray Simon, Deputy Secretary of

the US Department of Education; Drs. David and Yvonne Freeman, ESOL

researchers and textbook authors; Dr. MaryEllen Vogt, developer of the

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol model; and Dr. Keith Folse

whose keynote speech was entitled “Ten Things I Wish I Had Known Be-

fore I Took Up TESOL,” an entertaining and informative look at teaching

ESOL.

There were more than 70 breakout sessions to choose from and over 30

exhibitors and vendors displaying the newest textbooks, materials, and

software for teaching ESOL. The conference reception was held on Thurs-

day night at the Clinton Presidential Library. Even the participants from

Kentucky, who will be hosting next year’s regional conference in Louisville

(November 29 – December 1, 2007), said it would be hard to top this

year’s conference in Little Rock. Congratulations to ARKTESOL for host-

ing such a successful regional conference!

Southeast Regional TESOL Conference

Held in Little Rock

We would like to get a feel from the field about future computer trainings.

Possibilities are:

•

Access – This would be for the more technologically advanced that are

interested in making and/or maintaining databases.

•

Publisher – Publisher has many uses but would most likely be used for

marketing materials. This would be an easier course than Access.

•

Outlook – Most people have used Outlook Express for retrieving

emails, but Outlook is much more robust. It has a very handy calendar

and event reminder function, plus good contact functions.

Please contact Rob Pollan

rob@aalrc.org

or Nancy Loftis

nancy@aalrc.org

with your thoughts and/or requests on technical training.

Software Training Requests

7

Adult Learning Network

Tech

Talk

Note: To link to any web address (URL) in this newsletter, go the AALRC's home page at

http://aalrc.org, look up this newsletter, and then just click on the appropriate link.

Microsoft Office 2007 - For Your Office

Great news for the office! The Resource Center is in the process of purchasing a copy of Mi-

crosoft Office 2007 Professional for each center in the state. The $499 retail package will be

free of cost to your center.

“Microsoft Office Professional 2007 is a complete suite of productivity and database software

that includes the 2007 versions of Publisher, Excel, Outlook, Outlook with Business Contact

Manager, PowerPoint, Access, and Word. Powerful contact management features help you

consolidate all customer and prospect information in one place, while improved menus present

the right tools exactly when you need them. Professional 2007 also lets you develop profes-

sional marketing materials for print, e-mail, and the Web, and produce effective marketing cam-

paigns in-house. In addition, you can create dynamic business documents, spreadsheets, and

presentations, and build databases with no prior experience or technical staff.” For more infor-

mation on Office 2007 Professional go to

http://tinyurl.com/y9r6z7

.

Not only does this Office Package include the Office staples like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint,

it also includes Access and Publisher. For those not familiar with these programs, Access is a

relational database program that can manage a large collection of information. Access helps

you enter data easily, find it quickly, use it to create labels or mailings, and summarize it in

printed and online reports. Publisher 2007 helps you create, personalize, and share a wide

range of publications and marketing materials in-house.

The system requirements for Office 2007 Professional are:

•

500 megahertz (MHz) processor or higher;

•

256 megabytes (MB) RAM or higher;

•

2 gigabyte (GB) of hard drive space;

•

CD-ROM or DVD Drive;

•

1024x768 or higher resolution monitor;

•

Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 2 or later

operating system;

•

1 gigahertz (GHz) processor or higher and 512 MB RAM or higher recommended for Busi-

ness Contact Manager (Outlook).

Yes, your computer will need to be running Windows XP or later to run Office 2007. I recom-

mend that any machine running Windows XP have at least 512 MB of RAM. If your computer

does not, it will run considerably slower.

http://tinyurl.com/yzd6o6

This link has more detailed information on system requirements. Be

sure to scroll down to Microsoft Office Professional 2007.

For Office 2007 product overviews, go to

http://tinyurl.com/yb8vhx

.

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Adult Learning Network

New Northwest Arkansas Citizenship Coalition

Receives Foundation Backing

Adult literacy providers in Washington and Benton Counties have been working for well over a

decade to provide ESL and Citizenship studies in an area that has one of the nation’s highest

rates of growing immigrant populations. This past summer, they joined with the Hispanic

Women’s Organization of Arkansas and Catholic Immigration Services to form a new coalition to

help those who want to become US Citizens negotiate the complex requirements. At the same

time, Arkansas Literacy Councils (ALC) was in the process of conducting research in this area

through a planning grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (WRF). A contractor met with

a number of adult literacy providers throughout Western Arkansas, providing her with invaluable

input on the citizenship process through the experiences of their students. The timing and the pur-

pose of the citizenship coalition fit an opportunity for ALC to write a demonstration grant to the

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to fund a part-time person to staff the coalition, materials for the

adult literacy providers, and significant advertising for the coalition services. ALC received word in

December that the grant was approved in the amount of just over $69,000. This grant also in-

cludes a statewide meeting in January 2008 for all adult literacy providers and others interested in

hearing more about the coalition’s work and ways it might be replicated across the state. More

information will be forthcoming as the coalition proceeds with its work.

From left to right: Dr. Bob Laubach,

Mrs. Ruth J. Colvin and Mr. Elroy Chinn

“Unlock Your Future” (and your mind)

at the 2007 South Central Literacy Action Conference

Our Adult Literacy Celebrity ...

87-year-old Elroy Chinn (right) of the Twin Lakes Lit-

eracy Council in Mountain Home proudly displays to

a standing ovation from the audience the 2006 Frank

C. Laubach and Ruth J. Colvin Award for Student

Excellence. The award was presented by Dr. Bob

Laubach and Ruth Colvin during the 2006 ProLiter-

acy Worldwide Conference October 6 in Atlanta,

Georgia. Elroy decided at age 84 he wanted to learn

to read. When he was asked to spell his name be-

fore a media interview at the conference, he said,

“Do you know it took me 84 years to learn to do

that.” Elroy is now reading at a forth grade level and

is determined to get his high school education!

Congratulations, Elroy!

Take advantage of some great professional development and training while enjoying the view

and solitude of the surroundings at the Mount Sequoyah Conference and Retreat Center atop

one of Fayetteville’s “seven hills.” The 2007 South Central Literacy Action (SCLA) biennial con-

ference will be June 10-14, and promises to provide many opportunities for learning and fellow-

ship to help us better serve those who want to improve their skills so they can unlock their fu-

tures. Renowned adult literacy author and educator Thomas Sticht has confirmed his atten-

dance to share his vast knowledge with us. SCLA has put out its “Call for Presenters” for the

conference. Find out more at

www.south-central-literacy-action

. SCLA is a nonprofit, volunteer

organization affiliated nationally with ProLiteracy America and provides training, support, and

leadership for those working in adult literacy throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri,

Texas, and Oklahoma. “See you on the mountain!”