1

Volume 8, Issue 4

WINTER 2008

The Arkansas Adult

Learning Resource

Center provides equal

access to all programs

and activities.

The AALRC is pleased to announce an upcoming presentation by Dr.

Robert Brooks on April 2, 2009 at the AALRC in Little Rock. Dr. Brooks

will speak about the central concept of “mindsets" regarding the strate-

gies for teaching adults with learning disabilities how to change a nega-

tive mindset to a mindset that is more hopeful, responsible, and resilient.

His recent book, The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confi-

dence, and Personal Strength in Your Life

, is about resilient mindsets in

adults.

Dr. Robert Brooks has lectured nationally and interna-

tionally to audiences of parents, educators, mental

health professionals, and business people on topics

pertaining to motivation, resilience, self-esteem, fam-

ily relationships, the qualities of effective leaders and

executives, and balancing personal and professional

lives. He has also written extensively about these top-

ics. He is the author of a book titled The Self-Esteem

Teacher

and co-author with Dr. Sam Goldstein of the

following books: Raising Resilient Children

; Nurturing

Resilience in Our Children: Answers to the Most Im-

portant Parenting Questions

; Seven Steps to Help

Your Child Worry Less

(with Kristy Hagar); Angry Children, Worried Par-

ents: Seven Steps to Help Families Manage Anger

(with Sharon Weiss);

Seven Steps to Improve Your Child's Social Skills

(with Kristy Hagar);

Understanding and Managing Children’s Classroom Behavior: Creating

Sustainable, Resilient Classrooms

; The Power of Resilience: Achieving

Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life

; and Raising a

Self-Disciplined Child: Help Your Child Become More Responsible, Confi-

dent, and Resilient

. In addition, Dr. Brooks is co-author of a book with

Drs. Mel Levine and Jack Shonkoff titled A Pediatric Approach to Learn-

ing Disorders

and has written a sex education book for the young child

called So That's How I Was Born!

Drs. Brooks and Goldstein co-edited a

textbook titled Handbook of Resilience in Children

; they also prepared a

parenting video and curriculum about resilience and have produced a

documentary "Tough Times, Resilient Kids" that was a finalist in the 23rd

Telly Awards.

Dr. Brooks received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Clark Uni-

versity and did additional training at the University of Colorado Medical

School. He is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and has served

as Director of the Department of Psychology at McLean Hospital, a pri-

vate psychiatric hospital. His first position at McLean Hospital was as

principal of the school in the locked door unit of the child and adolescent

program. He has a part-time private practice in which he sees children,

adolescents, adults, and families and has

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

Continued on page 6

Don’ t Miss This One! Dr. Robert Brooks’ Presentation

a t the AALRC in April 2009

Dr. Robert Brooks

2

Adult Learning Network

Governor

Mike Beebe

State Board of

Workforce

Education

and Career

Opportunities

Director,

William L. “Bill"

Walker, Jr.

Division of

Rehabilitation

Services

Robert Trevino

Division of

Adult Education

Jim Smith

Division of Career

& Technical

Education

John Davidson

Communications

Reginald Jackson

Human Resources

& Development

Pam Harris

Finance

Charles Brown

NOTICE:

When a workshop has a waiting

list, participants may not send sub-

stitutes from their center to attend

in their place. Registrations are

held for participants and not for

centers.

If you are unable to attend a work-

shop for which you have regis-

tered, please go online to ESC

Web and cancel your registration.

Participants are often placed on

waiting lists because workshops fill

up quickly. After you cancel, ESC

Web will send an email to the first

person in line on the waiting list.

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 work-

shop/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

always call the AALRC at 1-800-832-

6242 or 1-501-907-2490.

Meetings/Events:

January

14 – AALRC Advisory Committee

15 – AACAE Transition

15 – Legislative Committee

16 – Arkansas Literacy Councils, Inc. Board

22-23 – Adult Education Advisory Council – Lonoke Adult Education Center

23 – Phi Beta Lambda Committee

27 – Communications Group – Strategic Planning

28 – Literacy Council Directors

February

6 – WAGE

March

10 – Correctional Education Conference

20 – Arkansas Literacy Council, Inc. Board

26-27 – Adult Ed. Advisory Council – Location TBA

Workshops:

January

22 – Benevon Workshop for Non-profits

March

10-11 – Teaching With Manipulatives

12-13 – Literacy Strategies – Session 1

Local programs

funded with state or

federal adult educa-

tion funds must ad-

here to Arkansas

Department of Fi-

nance and Admini-

stration guidelines

when requesting

travel reimburse-

ment.

TRAVEL

Reimburse-

ment

3

Adult Learning Network

NAAL County and State Literacy Levels - Just Released

Jaleh Behroozi Soroui

Today, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the National Assessment of

Adult Literacy: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Lit-

eracy Level for 1992 and 2003, which provides estimates on the percentage of adults - for all

states and counties in the U.S. - who lack basic prose literacy skills. The study provides data for

2003 and 1992. This new data is currently the only available snapshot of adult literacy rates for

individual states and counties.

To produce this study, NCES gathered data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy

(NAAL), a nationally representative sample of more than 19,000 Americans age 16 and older,

and the 2000 Census, which provided "predictor variables" such as education and income.

NAAL data were correlated with the predictor variables to see if there was a pattern among them.

From this information, a model was established. Using the model, estimates were predicted for

areas where there were not sufficient assessment data. The same approach was also applied to

the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), so changes from 1992 to 2003 can be exam-

ined.

The report is accompanied by an interactive web tool, which shows the percentage of adults lack-

ing Basic Prose Literacy Skills for all states and counties. In addition to allowing users to view

adult literacy percentages for any given state, the web tool also allows for comparisons to be

made between two states, two counties in the same state, two counties in different states, across

years for a state, and across years for a county.

The report can be found at:

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp.pubid=2009482

The Interactive Web Tool can be accessed at:

http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/index.aspx

REACH HIGHER, AMERICA

An economy that thrives in the new global environment! A workforce educated for jobs that pay a

family-sustaining wage! America flourishing as a secure democracy and world leader! Powerful

demographic evidence points to a clear connection between these ideals and the need for adult

education and workforce skills services in America - on a scale unprecedented in history. Follow-

ing two years of study, the National Commission on Adult Literacy calls for a program on the scale

of a “domestic Marshall plan" to achieve these goals.

The Commission’s report, Reach Higher, AMERICA: Overcoming Crisis in

the U.S. Workforce, calls for a dramatically revamped service system with the

capacity to effectively serve 20 million adults annually by the year 2020. It also calls for resetting

the educational mission of this new system to demonstrated readiness for postsecondary educa-

tion and job training. The report recommends specific actions to accomplish this with emphasis on

groups most in need of service and on system accountability and results. State and federal gov-

ernment, business and labor, philanthropic groups, nonprofit organizations, and the general public

all have a vital role in meeting the Commission’s vision for America’s 21st Century workforce.

Below are the links for the full report (A) or the executive summary (B):

A)

http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org/ReachHigherAmerica/ReachHigher.pdf

B)

http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org/ReachHigherAmerica/

ReachHigherExecutiveSummary.pdf

4

Adult Learning Network

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

FREE Online Spellchecker with Speech – Ghotit!

The new Ghotit Context Spellchecker Service at

www.ghotit.com

is an exciting new writing and

reading tool for people with reading and/or writing disabilities. It is a web-based, context-centered,

definitions included, spell-check system aimed at people with dyslexia and English-language-

learners. Not only can Ghotit read aloud the text that is being typed in the editing window; it also

reads the spelling suggestions that are displayed in the right click menus.

The word GHOTI

is a constructed example word used to illustrate irregularities in the English lan-

guage, since the official pronunciation of the word is counter-intuitive and is pronounced like the

word “fish." Ghotit’s additional “t" at the end results in its pronunciation of “fished."

Why should people with dyslexia use this spellchecker instead of

something else. According to Ira Socal at

http://

speedchange.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

, the most

commonly used spellcheckers are among the most widely used

of assistive technology devices today – the problem is, you have

to be very, very close to the correct spelling before most spell-

checkers will offer you choices that match the word you mean to

spell. Ghotit is different. It does offer the correct choices, and as

Mr. Socol describes it online, “The correct spellings are there.

Even better, they are there and supported by definitions so it is

easier to pick between "once" and "nose" when you click on

"onse."

Ghotit was founded by people with dyslexia. Ghotit’s mission is to

improve the overall quality of life of a person with dyslexia.

Ghotit is not a treatment for dyslexia. It's a set of services that

assists adults and children in overcoming their writing and read-

ing difficulties by helping to convert their poorly spelled written

work to mainstream English.

Can adult education and literacy students use the Ghotit software during TABE and GED testing.

No. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it in the classroom. Ghotit can be extremely helpful

for test preparation and writing remediation. How can you remediate your writing without practic-

ing improved writing skills to develop both accuracy and fluency. The Ghotit software will help

students practice writing more accurately with fewer prolonged interruptions to find the correct

spelling of a word, thus increasing speed and fluency of writing. Students may also be less reluc-

tant to practice writing skills with this effective tool at hand.

Programs or individuals can visit the Ghotit website to try the software before downloading. For

some students, this may become one more indispensable tool in their list of resources that help

them succeed with their educational and career goals. Please be sure to read “How to Use" at

http://ghotit.com/howtouse.shtml

before trying the software.

Ghotit offers unique writing

and reading online services

for people with dyslexia,

dysgraphia or people who

are not native-English.

5

Adult Learning Network

AALRC

Advisory

Committee

Dubs Byers,

Chair,

Pine Bluff

Emily Barrier,

Little Rock

Carrie Boden,

Little Rock

Janie Carter,

Crossett

Richard

Hampton,

Texarkana

Tara Harrison,

North Little

Rock

Becky Linsky,

Hot Springs

Billy Upson,

Texarkana

Nancy

Whitmire,

Vice-Chair,

Batesville

Ruth Ann

Williams,

Conway

Resource Guide for Serving Refugees with Disabilities

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), Assisting

Refugees with Disabilities Program has produced a "Resource Guide for

Serving Refugees with Disabilities" that is now available for download at

www.refugees.org/DisabilityGuide

. You may wish to open separate sec-

tions of the document rather than the entire document at once. The entire

file is huge and may slow other processes during the download.

The guide, written for refugee case managers and

those serving refugees with disabilities, includes

139 pages of information about resources for

serving adults and children with disabilities, hous-

ing for refugees with disabilities, assistive technol-

ogy, medical resources, citizenship and disability,

benefits for refugees with disabilities and more.

If you have any questions or technical assistance

needs, please contact Xuan Nguyen, Director of

USCRI Health and Human Services at

xnguyen@uscridc.org

or 202.347.3507,

Ext. 3056.

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

Accommodations and Compliance Series: Employees with

Learning Disabilities

LD Online, a website for parents, teachers,

and people with learning disabilities, has

published a series for employers at

http://

www.ldonline.org/article/12081

. This

publication was produced by the Job

Accommodation Network (JAN) and is designed to help employers deter-

mine effective accommodations and comply with Title I of the Americans

with Disabilities Act (ADA). Each publication in the series addresses a

specific medical condition and provides information about the condition,

ADA information, accommodation ideas, and resources for additional

information.

According to the article, the Accommodation and Compliance Series is a

starting point in the accommodation process and may not address every

situation. Accommodations should be made on a case by case basis,

considering each employee's individual limitations and accommodation

needs. Employers are encouraged to contact JAN to discuss specific

situations in more detail.

Continued on page 6

6

Adult Learning Network

AALRC Staff

Director

Marsha Taylor

___________________

Administrative

Assistant

Wanda Johnson

Professional

Development

Coordinator

Nancy Loftis

Media

Coordinator

Klaus Neu

Secretary

Toccara Baker

Information

Technology

Specialist

Rob Pollan

Disabilities

Project

Manager

Patti White

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

Don’t Miss This One! Dr. Robert Brooks’

Presentation at the AALRC in April 2009

appeared regularly on television shows in the Boston area as well as on

national cable television. He completed a videotape and educational guide

for PBS titled “Look What You’ve Done! Stories of Hope and Resilience"

that focuses on self-esteem and resilience in children with special needs

and participated in the production of two videotapes by Sunburst Commu-

nications, one about parenting children with learning and attention prob-

lems and the other about developing responsibility in children.

Dr. Brooks received a Gubernatorial Award for Distinguished Public Ser-

vice for his work with the Governor's Alliance Against Drugs; as part of his

contribution to the Alliance, he co-authored a pamphlet for parents about

talking with children and adolescents about drugs. Dr. Brooks also re-

ceived "Hall of Fame" awards from both CH.A.D.D. (Children and Adults

with Attention Deficit Disorders) and the Connecticut Association for Chil-

dren with Learning Disabilities for his work with special needs children and

adolescents, a Special Recognition and Media Award from the Massachu-

setts Psychological Association, the Friends of Family Award from the

Family Place, MA and the Mandy Overton Award from St. David's Child

Development and Family Services, Minnetonka, MN for his work on behalf

of children and families, The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pren-

tice School in Santa Ana, CA for his efforts on behalf of students with

learning differences, the Distinguished Leadership Award from Learning

Disabilities Worldwide in recognition of his contributions and commitment

to the field of learning disabilities, and the Outstanding Educator Award for

Mental Health Education from the New England Educational Institute, Pitts-

field, MA. In addition, Dr. Brooks has served as a consultant to Sesame

Street Parents Magazine.

Registrations for Dr. Brooks’ presentation begin at 12:00 am on Monday,

March 2, 2009. The session ID# is 82902. All registrations will be ac-

cepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are fifty (50) seats

available.

Continued from page 5

Accommodations and Compliance Series

This article includes information about the types and causes of learning

disabilities, learning disabilities and the ADA, and suggestions for accom-

modating employees with learning disabilities. The suggestions include

questions to consider when working with the employee to determine effec-

tive and appropriate accommodations and accommodation ideas for each

area of learning disabilities. The article also includes possible scenarios

and solutions, as well as suggestions for assistive technology.

For information on assistive technology and other accommodation ideas,

visit JAN's Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) at

http://

www.jan.wvu.edu/soar/

.

Continued from page 1

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.

When was the last time you opened up your computer and looked at the inside of the case.

Chances are you will find several dust bunnies hopping around the place and maybe even a spider

web or two. Keeping your computer clean on the inside will help keep it running smoothly and free

from hardware failure, saving you money and making your computers last longer.

One of the problems that arise from having a dirty computer is the buildup of heat. Dust covering

your motherboard and other components will trap in heat and make your computer run too hot.

Fans will also get covered in dust, which will cause them to lose efficiency and even fail, making

your computer so hot that it quits working altogether.

Another problem from the accumulation of dust in a computer is the buildup of static electricity.

This can actually make your computer components fail and cause your computer to end up in the

shop.

Static Electricity FYI #1: It is not a good idea to set your computer directly on top of carpet, or

especially don’t drag your computer across the carpet. This could cause static electricity that could

fry your computer. While working on the inside of your computer, it’s best to work on a solid floor,

not while standing on carpet.

Static Electricity FYI #2: If you use a vacuum cleaner hose to clean your computer, use it for the

outside parts and for sucking up dust that is dislodged by a compressed air can. Don’t touch the

inside of the computer while using the cleaner hose because it could have built up static electricity

that could damage your computer.

Continued on page 8

Keeping Your Computer Clean

Picture on left shows

the inside of a com-

puter that does not

appear to be that

dirty, but upon closer

inspection (see right)

you see that the fan

over the heat sink

that covers the proc-

essor is very dirty.

Depending on how much dust you have in your building (pets, smoking, nearby dirt roads etc.),

and how often your computer is running, you should clean your computers anywhere from every 3

months to 12 months.

8

Adult Learning Network

AALRC Library Item Review

(by Sheri Rogers, Clark County Adult Education)

The College Transition Toolkit on CD from the NCTN (National

College Transition Network) is designed to help adult education

practitioners and other agencies, like TRIO Programs, help adults

prepare for transition into postsecondary education and training.

I like the fact that the CD includes an HTML version, which uses

the internet to explore the CD and links AND

a PDF version that

runs from the CD with no internet required to explore and print

many of the documents. Many can be customized with your infor-

mation or can used in presentations, but all the hard work and re-

search is done for you! One good example is the “College Readi-

ness Jeopardy" game in the Program Models section.

By far, my most favorite feature of the CD is the web resources. There are too many to even begin

to list. One link I “re-discovered" was the

http://www.gcflearnfree.com

site and all it has offer.

The CD includes 9 sections:

Introduction How to use the Toolkit;

Program Models 5 different approaches to transition programs.

Can choose approach closest to their existing program or try something

new.

Partnerships

Lots of research and a checklist to use before you talk to partners

Recruitment Who is your audience and where do you find them.

Assessments

Excellent web resources for college prep and information about placement

tests and studying for different tests.

Counseling

“Asking the Right Questions" section on advocacy; students have to speak

up for themselves and be responsible for their post-secondary experience.

“Study Strategies by Learning Style" has a great list.

Curriculum & Instruction Links to every subject area and great learning styles questionnaires.

Planning a Program Lots of ideas to use at local professional development.

Using data Lots of research to back up transition success and also a

section on creating student portfolios.

I encourage any administrators to use this CD as a staff development resource or teachers/tutors

to use the CD’s web resources to open up many new opportunities for your students.

Keeping Your Computer Clean

Continued from page 7

Servers are particularly susceptible to dust because they generally run 24 hours a day. The fans

are constantly circulating air, which means they gather more dust. Be sure to clean your servers

more often.

If you have a computer lab and need assistance with cleaning your computers, contact Rob Pollan

at 479-649-5830, or

rob@aalrc.org

to schedule a lab cleaning. This can be time-consuming and it

is helpful to recruit students or teachers for assistance, as they will learn some valuable skills in

the process.

For instructions on how to clean your computer, see the website listed below.

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-the-Inside-of-a-Computer