StationBreak November 2015

Making strides

As the world becomes more digital, education in Arkansas has to evolve in order to prepare its students for a rapidly changing and evolving world. At ArkansasIDEAS we are making strides to offer educators more online professional development in the areas that they need to impact the students of Arkansas. One of those areas is technology. The technology we enjoy today was, only 50 years ago, a concept in Hollywood science fiction movies. Their future is now our reality. With that in mind, we have sought to keep up with the ever-growing demands of the times by bolstering our technology offerings on ArkansasIDEAS. We have now partnered with Lynda.com to offer a plethora of tech courses and tutorials on everything from web design and coding to Microsoft Office. Our mission is simple: We seek to impact student learning and achievement, by educating the educator. As we grow, you grow… and as you grow, they grow.

News from ArkansasIDEAS

Brenda Overturf Portrait Photo

During November, ArkansasIDEAS will be at the following conferences:

  • Nov. 5-6, Arkansas Curriculum Conference, Little Rock.
  • Nov. 5-6, Arkansas Education Association Conference, Little Rock.
  • Nov. 8-9, Schools Without Walls Conference, Hot Springs.
  • Nov. 19, ArkansasIDEAS will be live streaming from the Arkansas Reading Association Conference with guest speaker Brenda Overturf.

Meet Brenda Overturf − a teacher, writer, and speaker who is a staunch believer in the power of words. Increasing word knowledge is like a golden door to better reading comprehension and academic success, especially for students of linguistically diverse backgrounds. Overturf combines research and practice to implement strategic, intentional vocabulary instruction designed to increase student learning.

Overturf has also authored a number of teacher-centered resources for helping K-12 students meet the English language arts standards. When strategies meet standards, student comprehension is enhanced.

For more information about Overturf, visit bjoverturf.com.

New ArkansasIDEAS Courses

  • SSC15028 A Vision and Plan for Science Teaching and Learning
  • DLB15001 Disciplinary Literacy: Big Shifts in Science and Technical Subjects - Grades 4-8
  • SIB15040 Crosscutting Concepts
  • SIB15039 Scientific and Engineering Practices in the Classroom
  • SIB15038 A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the NGSS: A New Vision for Science Education
  • HWB15054 Something to Talk About: Suicide Awareness
  • ERC15037 Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Training for Arkansas Reporters

Lynda.com is now on ArkansasIDEAS

Lynda.com Logo

Lynda.com is a leading online learning company that helps anyone learn business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Educators registered with ArkansasIDEAS now have access to more than 3,700 courses in the Lynda.com video library of engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts.

At Lynda.com, you can discover and master classroom technologies and practices to help your students succeed. Explore the latest education tools, and learn how to use several of the most popular learning management systems in your classroom. To access the Lynda.com learning libraries, visit ArkansasIDEAS at ideas.aetn.org.

If you receive an error on the Lynda.com page, simply log out of the ArkansasIDEAS LMS. Clear your browser history. Log back into your ArkansasIDEAS account and click on the Lynda.com link again.

Video Tutorial of how to use the site.

In the community

Spring 2016 Poetry Contests For Students

The Poets Roundtable of Arkansas (PRA) announces upcoming poetry contests for students. Each year, PRA promotes a variety of poetry contests that offer cash prizes for middle and high school students. Visit poetsroundtableofarkansas.org for more information.

For educational resources at home and in the classroom, visit:

Download the AETN Educator Resource Guide, your guide to all AETN and PBS education resources.