1

Volume 7, Issue 1

SPRING 2007

The Arkansas Adult

Learning Resource

Center provides equal

access to all programs

and activities.

Transition at the Arkansas Department

of Workforce Education

Source: WE-Weekly from March 19, 2007, an e-mail headline news service provided by

the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education

Sen. William L. “Bill” Walker, Jr.,

officially became the 10

th

director of

the Department of Workforce Edu-

cation (DWE) Friday morning when

he took the oath of office. Flanked

by the U.S. and Arkansas flags, Cir-

cuit Judge Willard Proctor adminis-

tered the oath with Walker’s wife,

Sharon, holding a Bible, and his

daughter, Alyson, looking on.

Among those observing the ceremony were Walker’s mother, Lorraine

Walker, niece Mia Williams, and Renee Bullock, Director of Minority Affairs

for the governor’s office.

“Over the years, as an entrepreneur and business manager, Bill Walker has

worked to give Arkansans employment opportunities,” Gov. Mike Beebe

said in confirming Walker to the position. “He will continue striving to pro-

vide meaningful opportunities for our citizens so they may find the kinds of

employment that will benefit them, as well as our state’s workforce.”

With an extensive record of public service, Walker has hit the ground run-

ning in this new position. “I appreciate the governor’s confidence in me and

welcome this opportunity to serve the citizens of Arkansas and to contribute

to the economic well-being of the state,” Walker says. “I look forward to

working with the staff at DWE to ensure that we have a workforce fully

trained and qualified to meet the demands of the 21

st

century.”

Commendation

On his final day as director of DWE, John C. Wyvill was

honored by the State Board of Workforce Education and

Career Opportunities, which passed a resolution at its

March meeting Thursday commending him on his distin-

guished service to the department and the state.

“Mr. Wyvill has demonstrated his commitment to the

people of Arkansas through eleven years of public service,” the resolution

says. It specifically mentions his six years as commissioner of Arkansas

Rehabilitation Services “where he was known for his compassion and vi-

sion” and his service as DWE director “where he has proven himself an ef-

fective and capable leader.”

Sen. Bill Walker presented Wyvill with a plaque on behalf of the board and

an Arkansas flag that had flown over the Capitol last week, courtesy of Sen.

Sharon Trusty. Walker thanked Wyvill, on behalf of himself and the gover-

nor, for his efforts to ensure a smooth transition.

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

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.

Workshops

April 9 – Online Professional Development

Courses through AEPro

April 12-13 – Literacy Strategies – Session 4

April 26-27 – Administrators’ Meeting – Mt.

Magazine State Lodge

May 18 – Online Professional Development

Courses through AEPro

Calendar

All events are at the AALRC unless otherwise noted.

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.

Want to get the inside scoop on how the festival operates. Here’s your chance to

get involved. There’s always room for more hands on deck. Call 501-663-4321 for

more information.

WAYS TO VOLUNTEER

1.

Volunteer On-Site.

Help out with book sales, logistics, and more on the weekend of the

festival. Download our on-site volunteer application at

http://www.arkansasliteraryfestival.org/pages/volunteer.html

.

2.

Help Spread the Word.

Join our street team and help hang posters and flyers. Or join

our grassroots/outreach team and h e lp ma k e phone calls to publicize the festival.

3.

Transport Supplies.

Got a pick-up truck. Help us transport our gear the the festival site

on Friday, April 20. Or, tough guys and gals, get in a good workout as a “book-mover”!

Meetings

April 7 – AACAE – 10:00a.m.

April 11 – Professional Development Team

– 10:00a.m.

May 4 – WAGE Meeting – 10:00a.m.

May 9 – GED Annual Workshop Planning Meeting

– 9:30a.m.

May 10 – AALRC Advisory Committee Meeting

– 10:00a.m.

Volunteers Needed for Arkansas Literacy Festival

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Adult Learning Network

Verizon Thinkfinity

www.thinkfinity.org

Last fall, sixty-two schools in Pulaski County’s three districts were chosen to participate in the Art

Across Arkansas educational program, created and sponsored by the THEA Foundation – named

for Thea Kay Leopoulos (1983-2001) – in association with the William J. Clinton Foundation. The

mission of the program is to interest, inspire, and involve young people by placing fine art in the

schools for a school year. Every participating school receives a new exhibit each school

year. Through the experience of living with fine art on a daily basis, the students have an opportu-

nity to gain insights about themselves and their world that might not be possible otherwise. Each

piece of art includes a biography of the artist and a statement of the medium utilized to create the

work. The collection of art comes from recognized and respected artists as well as award-winning

Arkansas student artists.

The Little Rock Adult Education Center is honored to

have one such exhibit in its facility, a photograph by

Andrew Kilgore of a young girl in the Tomberlin Pre-

school in Little Rock. Not only students benefit from

this program at the Little Rock Adult Education Center.

Building staff, Head Start and CARE U.S.A. parents,

various Little Rock School District workshop partici-

pants, and other community patrons are inspired by

the exhibit.

The work of art is displayed without cost in a free-

standing showcase that has been designed to highlight

and enhance the featured exhibit.

For additional information about the THEA Foundation including Art Across Arkansas, visit

www.theafoundation.org

.

Art Across Arkansas

– Drawing Inspiration for Life through Art

Little Rock Adult Education Center

Verizon Thinkfinity is an online source for high-caliber content and professional development re-

sources to improve student achievement. It is available anytime, anywhere, at no cost. Thinkfinity

is Verizon Foundation’s signature program for education and literacy. It is a powerful digital learn-

ing platform built upon the merger of MarcoPolo and the Verizon Literacy Network. It is a single

source for thousands of partner-created and approved educational resources, including best prac-

tices, online courses, instructional materials, ESL resources and volunteer strategies.

Thinkfinity provides:

•

Online courses for literacy instructors, community-based organizations, students and volunteers.

•

Exclusive best practices like The Life Span Literacy Matrix, which identifies relevant literacy out-

comes, appropriate measurement tools, and research-based practices.

•

How-to instruction on everything from program development to volunteer recruiting.

•

Studies highlighting the importance of literacy development across the life span.

•

Activities and instruction for English Language learners and ESL instructors.

Content partners for this endeavor include the National Center for Family Literacy and ProLiteracy

Worldwide.

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Adult Learning Network

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

John Tenny, Purple People, and Memory

John Tenny, Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Willamette University, Sa-

lem, Oregon, has published a very interesting – and entertaining – article about learning

strategies to enhance retention for people with learning disabilities. For a good read and lots

of great ideas, please visit

http://www2.edc.org/ncip/library/ot/tenny.htm

.

Tenny is best known for his work with visual memory, and I was introduced to his work at the

Technology, Reading, and Learning Disabilities conference in 2006. The following is a sum-

mary of David Davis’s presentation about Tenny’s research (Engineering the Classroom for

Memory), which I found intriguing enough to pass along.

Tenny’s theory is that memory consists of “engrams,” or neurological networks that fire simul-

taneously – a theory that disputes the more traditional theories of long- and short-term mem-

ory. According to Tenny, engrams can develop anywhere in the brain and yet many are tied

together by memories. For example, if you think “cinnamon,” you have different memories of

cinnamon tied to different areas of your brain, and all of those engrams will activate at the

same time.

Tenny uses the term “Long-Term Potentiation” to refer to the beginning of an engram. He

uses “Long-Term Depression” to refer to the area of a long-term potentiation that is not used

continuously, which causes the previously activated areas to become depressed and atrophy.

Long-Term Potentiation Long-Term Depression

If parts of engrams are depressed, the memories associ-

ated with those areas can no longer be accessed. So,

for example, new faces you meet may replace your

memories of other faces that you haven’t seen for awhile.

Part of the Tenny study included his attempt to memorize

information by using flashcards. He did make it to 100%

proficiency; however, within three hours, he forgot most

of it. He then studied the same material using the Inspi-

ration software that includes graphics and sound cues.

After 24 hours, he still remembered most of the learned

material.

John Tenny Study

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

15 min 45 min 1 hr 45 2 hr 45 23 hrs

http://www2.edc.org/NCIP/library/ot/tenny.htm

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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

His conclusion was that he was able to create a richer engram with the

graphic organizer method, thus deferring the depression/atrophy process

(Davis, D., TRLD 2006, Engineering the Classroom for Memory).

The bottom line is that many students may increase their memory by using

the following types of instructional strategies:

Note-taking, sketching, speaking, etc.;

Graphic organizers, mind maps; and

Learning supports, analysis, and revision (Davis, D., TRLD 2006, Engineer-

ing the Classroom for Memory).

The research certainly provides good support for the recent Inspiration

workshop conducted at the AALRC, and we are looking forward to hearing

from those participants regarding their students’ use of the software.

Online Visual Thesaurus

Students who are working on their essay writing and need help finding

synonyms may benefit from the “interactive dictionary and thesaurus with

an innovative display that encourages exploration and learning” found at

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/index.jsp

. You can try the software online

for free before buying. Students who are visual learners will be amazed at

how easily they can make their essays more interesting and precise by ex-

panding their vocabulary with the click of a mouse. Just type in a word and

click “look it up.” The software creates a visual diagram of synonyms.

Click on one of the synonyms and a new pattern of synonyms appears.

Click on the speaker symbol next to the word and the program says the

word out loud. Dictionary entries are listed in a separate panel that is color-

coded by parts-of-speech.

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

“Experiential” Learning from the

Arkansas Department of Workforce Services

We know how important it is for students with learning disabilities to have

access to learning that is concrete, realistic, and relevant to their lives.

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services recently launched Real-

Life Arkansas, an interactive web site for students and job seekers.

The site includes a lifestyle budget calculator that helps students discover

how education impacts earnings. The site’s objective is to inspire students,

through a “real world” exercise, to take education seriously and pursue

higher education/training after high school.

Students and job seekers can access Real-Life Arkansas by going to

www.real-life.arkansas.gov

. A link is also available on the Discover Arkan-

sas Web site, a labor market information portal located at

www.discover.arkansas.gov

. Those needing assistance with the site

should contact the Department of Workforce Services’ Labor Market Infor-

mation Section at (501) 683-0035. Customers can also e-mail the Labor

Market Information Section at

discoverarkansas@arkansas.gov

.

Math Teaching Tools – Free!

There are a number of free tools for teaching math at all levels available on

the internet, and many of these are especially suitable for students with

learning disabilities who need graphics, animation, and/or audio cues to

help them remember the specific math concept or operation.

For example,

http://www.harcourtschool.com/glossary/math2/index6.html

has an animated math dictionary for grades K-6 (geometry and algebra in-

cluded in the Grade 6 site). Math terms are defined, illustrated, and in-

clude examples, and many examples have moving parts and/or sound for

more comprehensive illustrations of the concept.

Here’s one example from the Grade 6 glossary:

congruent polygons

Polygons

that have all sides and all

angles

congruent

Example:

The pentagons are congruent.

Another good website for math supports is

http://webmath.com

, which

demonstrates how to solve math problems at all levels. Just type in the

problem and it shows you how to solve it. Categories include math for eve-

ryone, general math, K-8 math, algebra, plots and geometry, and trigo-

nometry and calculus.

On the website, the two pentagons

are first displayed layered, as one

diagram. Then the top one moves

to the side and back again to show

that they are the exact same shape.

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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.

Using Microsoft Office 2007

The AALRC sent out notifications for each center to receive one free copy of Office 2007. If you

did not receive a notification, please contact Toccara Pearson at

toccara@aalrc.org

.

The AALRC is planning on having workshops covering Word 2007 and Outlook 2007 from Micro-

soft Office 2007. You are probably already familiar with Word and we will go over it in detail.

Many people have not used Outlook (not to be confused with Outlook Express) and we will go

over its many functions including how to set up Outlook to retrieve your email and how to use the

calendar and set reminders. The calendar and reminder functions are a great part of Outlook.

The dates for the workshops are not yet set, but you can go to

http://aalrc.org

and click on Work-

shops on the left-hand side of the page for upcoming dates.

After you install Office 2007, you may be looking for some commands that seem to be lost. Be-

low are some changes that you need to be aware of:

Where’s the FILE menu.

Need to print, save, or open a file but you can’t find the file menu. They changed it to the new

“Microsoft Office Button” . It is located where the file menu used to be, top-left of your

screen.

What about compatibility for older versions of Office.

Office 2007 uses a new format (.docx) that is not compati-

ble with older versions of office (.doc). Don’t worry

though, the documents can be saved as Office 97-2003

compatible. In Office, click on the Office button and

hover over SAVE AS. Then select 97-2003 document.

You can even save the documents as a PDF or a web

page. If you are going to email an attachment to some-

one that may not have Office 2007, make sure that you

save it as a 97-2003 document or a PDF.

Where is the formatting tab.

Suppose you are in Microsoft Word and click on another

tab to change your view, but now you can’t change the

formatting. Just click on the Home tab (top-left) and you

will find all of your familiar formatting buttons.

Purchasing Microsoft Software

We can purchase other Microsoft software at greatly reduced prices including:

Windows XP; Windows Vista; Windows Server;

Office 2007 Enterprise; Other Microsoft products.

The prices are under $25 per copy for any of the above items except for Windows Server

($38.99). If you want to purchase additional copies of Office or another Microsoft product for

your center, please contact Rob Pollan at

rob@aalrc.org

.

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Adult Learning Network

Success Through Assistive Technology

By Sheri Rogers, Director of Adult Education - Arkadelphia Public Schools

Steven is listening to the directions on the use of the

Reader.

Arkadelphia Adult Education received a Kurzweil-National Federation for the Blind Reader in a special ap-

plication process in the fall of 2006. This reader is a hand-held device consisting of a digital camera and a

personal digital assistant (PDA) with special software. The camera captures the image and the software

interprets and reads the text aloud or through headphones. For one year, students will be able to explore

their possibilities with this device. “The actual purchase price of $3,495.00 would be too expensive for our

program at this time, so we are grateful for its use,” notes Sheri Rogers, Director of Arkadelphia Adult Edu-

cation.

Having the NFBD Reader has allowed one student to see possibilities that he doubted before. “I didn’t think

I could go to college. I didn’t know they could help me with all my problems. I know not every book and

reading material that I need in college will be on CD or can be read to me. Having a personal reader like

this would let me be independent. It would let me actually spell the words I need- I can hear them and then

copy them from the books.” Steven said, “I do remember and understand what I hear.”

Steven Hastings has been out of school for over ten

years. After moving around and living in Connecticut,

South Carolina, Missouri, Maine and Arkansas, he has

finally settled on Arkadelphia. Steven’s learning prob-

lems have been existent since he began school in

1981. With a combination of disabilities, both emotional

and learning, he had a difficult time in school. “One se-

mester when I was ten, I went to six schools - my dad

had a habit of not paying the rent, so we had to move

often.” Steven liked math - until algebra, which was

impossible for him to learn. “Spelling was frustrating,

but they still made me do it. I would know how to spell

the list of words one week, but then had to learn a new

list and I forgot the other words from last week.” Mem-

ory is still a problem today. “I can’t remember what I

did - even recently. I hope I am never accused of a

crime, because I won’t be able to tell the police where I

was at 10:53 pm last Thursday,” Steven quipped.

Steven realized last year that he needed to do more with his life than just “draw a check” (SSI), as he had

been doing for years. After an interview at Arkadelphia Adult Ed, it was determined that Steven would per-

form best when given his GED test on audiotape and with a scribe. He was sent for testing to Dr. Charles

Weiner at Henderson State University. When the testing documented his specific needs, his instruction in-

tensified and he caught on quickly- even to algebra.

One concern Steven has regards supporting his mother in the future. He knows that he has to have a

good-paying job. Steven said, “No one else in my family has the ambition or drive to go to college or better

themselves. If they don’t take care of Mom, it’s up to me. You’ll have to have some type of degree- maybe

not a 4-year degree, but something.” Steven’s goals include attending college and first getting an Industrial

Maintenance Certificate. He says, “I can fix just about anything.” Later, he noted that he may want to go

back and study some type of law, like one of his heroes, character Jimmy Berludi from “The Practice.”

Steven sees a lot of himself in the happy-go-lucky, bumbling personality portrayed in that character.

Steven is applying to attend National Park Community Colege Summer 2007 term. In February, Steven

passed four parts of his GED test with a 478 average, but made a 400 on the math. After re-testing the

math section, Steven has now successfully completed his GED goal and is ready to begin his college term.