Category: Clif’s Notes

The 11th Annual Beyond Access Inclusion Conference in Memphis, TN

The Restructuring for School Inclusive Environments (RISE) Project will be hosting the Beyond Access Inclusion Conference on November 27, 2007 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, TN. “The 11th Annual BEYOND ACCESS Inclusion Conference is designed to provide educators, administrators, parents, and related service providers current information on the best and most promising practices in inclusive education. This year’s conference theme, “Inclusion: Mission Possible,” reestablishes the commitment of educators and schools to become innovative in meeting the educational needs of diverse learners through inclusive practices such as response to intervention, differentiated instructional approaches, co-teaching methodology, and positive behavior support activities. Participants will learn from other practitioners and experts in the field of education better ways of including not only students with disabilities, but all students, through effective educational practices” (from conference site). The conference has grown into a regional conference with approximately 500 people attending last year from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina, and California.

Presentation Proposals
Please consider submitting a presentation proposal related to students with special needs in general education classrooms. It is an especially good opportunity for graduate students to present in a very supportive atmosphere. Proposals are due by September 15, 2007.

Conference Registration
Registration information is available here.

Throwing Out the Welcome Mat

Welcome Mat

I’d like to welcome all the students in the instructional design and educational technology courses that are going to be making use of this blog this semester. I know we are likely to have students from Union University, Ithaca College, University of Georgia, Harding University, University of North Carolina – Charlotte, Freed-Hardeman University, University of Mississippi, and University of Memphis. I encourage each of you to jump in and become active participants in our blog community as you have a lot that you can share with us. I also hope that you find this to be a useful resource that you will continue to use beyond your class.

All the best,
Clif

Provocative Quote

“We would never consider teaching children to read without also teaching them to write. In the same manner we must teach our children not just to read electronic media but also to create digital media themselves.”

–from Ann Bell’s new book Creating Digital Video in Your School

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I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on Mrs. Bell’s claim. Please share your response by clicking on the Comments link below.

Clif

Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum is located in the former Lorraine motel in Memphis, TN where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. I’ve visited the museum several times in the past year and I’ve been trying to blog about my experiences. I’ve been working on this post for four days hoping to find the words that would fully describe the impact of these visits as they have been profound and moving. However, I feel like my efforts to describe my experiences in words only diminishes their impact. What I can say is that I strongly encourage you to visit the museum the next time you are in the Memphis area. I assure you it is worth the trip.


Photo by Clif


Photo by Clif


Image from History Cooperative

Eight Things You Didn’t Know About Me

I’ve been tagged by Neil Hokanson to participate in the Eight Things You Didn’t Know About Me meme that has been making its way around blogdome.

THE RULES

  1. Post these rules before you give your facts.
  2. List 8 random facts about yourself.
  3. At the end of your post, choose/tag 8 people and list their names, linking to them.
  4. Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged.

EIGHT RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

  1. I grew up on a farm.
  2. I greatly prefer fishing over hunting.
  3. I’ve been to both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open twice.
  4. The summer heat is miserable. I prefer the weather during spring and autumn.
  5. Church camp is always one of the highlights of the year.
  6. I cheer for the MSU Bulldogs, Atlanta Braves, and several tennis players.
  7. I would very much like to visit the Andre Agassi College Prepatory Academy.
  8. I hope we soon have a cure for cancer. (Please consider supporting these efforts: The Breast Cancer Site, American Cancer Society, Relay for Life, Live Strong, Susan G. Komen)

THOSE THAT I’VE TAGGED

What a Lucky Day!?!?

Did you realize that today’s date is 7/7/07? I saw in the news that today was an enormously popular wedding day and that many people were trying their luck at gambling today. There are some really cool ways to tie this into the curriculum, but I’m guessing that very few were in school today because it is a Saturday and it’s July. 🙂

Wimbledon Update

Wow! Today was packed full of incredible tennis matches at Wimbledon. Thank goodness, too, because the weather has dampened most of this year’s championships (pun intended). Nadal, Federer, and Venus Williams all played excellent tennis and easily won their matches just as I’d expected. However, the really interesting storylines came from the following matches.

Djokovic def. Baghdatis 7-5 in the fifth set
Baghdatis became one of my favorite tennis players with his 2006 breakout season. Djokovic has had an impressive 2007 breakout season and I’ve been pulling for him in recent tournaments. This was a tough call, but I was pulling for Baghdatis. They played high quality tennis for over 4.5 hours and showcased their tennis talents and sportsmanship. Their behavior today is an example to athletes everywhere.

Gasquet def. Roddick 8-6 in the fifth set
Woohoo! Go home Roddick!!! Gasquet demonstrated his undying belief in himself and exploited Roddick’s lack of self-confidence. Roddick looked to be only minutes from winning this match and then he once again demonstrated that he’s never going to live up to the hype.

Bartoli def. Henin 1-6, 7-5, 6-1
Everyone had expected to see Henin vs. Venus Williams in tomorrow’s Ladies Finals. Henin seemed to have this match won and then, with nothing to lose, Bartoli began letting her strokes fly…and they fell in.