Volume 22 Issue 4 | December 2022

Adult Learning Network

The Adult Learning Network is a quarterly publication of the

Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center (AALRC)

AACAE 2022 a Big Success!

On behalf of the AACAE executive board, we want to thank you for attending the AACAE Conference on October 26^th- 28^th at the DoubleTree and Robinson Center. We believe that our diverse and dynamic group of speakers and presenters provided in-depth insight along with actionable and practical tools you can implement in your center and classrooms.

Your presence helped to make this event a great success, and your enthusiasm and positive spirit helped make our time together both productive and fun. I hope that everyone left the conference with some type of new knowledge. One learning point I am personally taking away from the conference was from our keynote speaker, Karen Walker. I am consciously trying to be the marigold, not the walnut!

The AACAE executive board is currently working hard to reserve the venue for the conference next year. Once all contracts are signed, an announcement will be made informing every one of the details. We are diligently preparing to make next year’s conference better by adding additional networking activities.

The AACAE executive board looks forward to serving you in 2022-2023. May all that is beautiful, meaningful and brings you joy be yours this holiday season and throughout the coming year!

Burlington English Scholarships

We were all excited to have had the opportunity to partner with Burlington English during the 2022 AACAE conference. This partnership with Burlington English provided four scholarships in the amount of $125.00 each to four Arkansas ESL students. Winners were selected based on their hours and activity in the Burlington English program. The winners of the scholarships and their programs are listed below:

Ortencia Ascendico, Pulaski County Special School District Adult Education
Sarita Lopez, Northwest Technical Institute Adult Education
Lan Feng, University of AR Community College Adult Education
Najla Hendad, Phillips Community College of the University of AR Adult Education

Again, thank you Burlington English for this generous donation to our students, and for the continued support. It is greatly appreciated.

AALRC Professional Development

NEW Online Courses for Adult Educators

Learning Disability (LD): Applications

Adult educators interact with various adult learners, some of whom have struggled for years with learning disabilities. Ms. Wendy Bryant, the Disabilities and Online Learning Coordinator for the Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center, discusses disabilities that adult educators may encounter and the legal requirements that adult education centers are required to meet concerning adult learners with disabilities. Ms. Bryant also shares applications, websites, and other resources for adult educators to use when providing accommodations for their adult learners.

Providing WOW Customer Service in Adult Education

What does customer service have to do with adult education? According to Ms. LaTasha Dale-Warren, it has a lot to do with it. Providing the best opportunities for adult learners begins with making connections and treating all adult learners with respect and professionalism. Ms. Dale-Warren discusses approaches and things to consider when helping adult learners, from the smallest gestures to the big moves that could make all the difference.

To register on the AALRC PBS Portal site, please click on the button below!

AALRC PBS Portal Site

After logging into your PBS account, click on the ‘FIND LEARNING’ tab to enroll in this course.

If you do not have a PBS account, you will need to create one. Please click here to do so!

CREATION OF NEW PBS ACCOUNT

PD Calendar for Upcoming Months

Please click button below to access the AALRC Professional Development (PD) Calendar for 2022/2023!

PD Calendar

For further information on upcoming COABE Webinars in 2022/2023,

please click below!

COABE Webinars

DISABILITIES

Online Basic Graphic Organizer

Have you tried helping your students use a graphic organizer? Maybe you have tried using one yourself and didn’t know where to start? Graphic Organizer Maker is an easy-to-use online graphing organizer that allows you to easily organize your thoughts. This is a useful tool for creating Venn diagrams, Fact vs. Fiction, Pros vs. Cons, timeline planning and more. Gather ideas for using graphics organizers in the classroom by clicking below.

Graphic Organizers - Teaching Strategies

You can find samples how this tool can help your students organize their thoughts or help with forward thinking by clicking the link below.

Graphic Organizer Maker

Would you like to refresh or stay aware of the latest technical developments in accessibility? Join CAST’s Technical Assistance Specialist every first Thursday of the month for AEM Cafe. You may chat, listen to resources and learn the latest developments in accessibility. Register once and receive an invitation to all online meetings by clicking the button below!

Tech Talk

TABE / DRC Digital Release Form

We know that it's difficult for students to fill out the DRC release from home, since many do not have working printers, so we added a new digital signature form that is available on our website. To access it, please click here:

Digital Signature Form

We hope that this helps your students and everyone involved to make the testing process easier.

Moving the Start Menu Button in Windows 11

In Windows 11 the Start button and icons are now located in the center of the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. This can be confusing, especially when you work with a mix of Windows 10 and 11 computers. If you prefer to have the Start Menu at the far left of the taskbar, like it is in Windows 10, then right-click an empty area of the taskbar (the taskbar runs along the bottom of your screen) and select Taskbar Settings. Under Taskbar behaviors change the Taskbar Alignment to Left and the Start button will be on the left side just like it's always been.

Adult Learning Alliance (ALA) Update

Kickoff for the 20th Year of Arkansas Reads AmeriCorps Program

On December 8^th, Adult Learning Alliance welcomed most of our 2022-23 Program Year AmeriCorps members to the office for training. In addition to learning about the Arkansas Reads program, members heard sessions on Best Practices for Tutors and Lesson Planning.

In the spirit of the holidays, the following represents our 2022-2023 program year (sung to the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas).

On the 12^th Day of Christmas, ALA gave to our councils:

Twelve New AmeriCorps Members

Eleven Prohibitive Activities

Ten Items of Swag

Nine AmeriCorps sites

Eight Team Meetings

Seven Suggestions for recruitment and outreach

Six Hours of Training

Five National Days of Service

Four Playdough Christmas Villages

Three Presentations

Two Dedicated staff members

And another year for Arkansas Reads!