Preparing to launch....

So I am pretty much all set to begin a new unit on cell structure with my Life Science/Biology students. I just finished creating an interactive poster for them and all of my students to explore.  My students come to school towing heavy emotional and academic histories behind them, (even more than your average teenage girls).  Most have come to my school due to truancy and other behavioral issues.  Most have difficulty relating appropriately to each other, let alone to any one in authority.  I run a tight but friendly classroom.  When students cross a line, I stand firm.  They soon learn to respect my authority and to trust that I have only their best interests in mind.  I am always looking to lift their spirits, self-esteem and motivational levels as soon as they enter my classroom.  Hence,my poster includes a link to a motivational video I found aimed at teenage girls.  I will try to change it once a month or so.  There is also a link to a video that briefly covers a lot of information about our home planet, Earth, and they can click on that to learn more.  I hope it can get them thinking about how amazing our planet really is.  Further down the poster are their class assignments.  I have one student, Tiffany, who is learning Environmental Science independently so she needs to click on the paperclip at the bottom for an attached document to get her assignment.  There are also two documents listing websites I have listed for all students to use for any research purposes, which can be accessed by clicking on the same paperclip. I included a video of my dogs playing in the poster as the girls love to see them.  I bring one of them in for the day every few weeks.  In fact, my students from last year helped me train Lucy as a puppy to sit and to fetch!  My classroom is known as a "No Drama Zone"  which is why that is written in the bottom left hand corner.  There is a seasonal scientific link on the puzzle piece, and a powerpoint introduction to cells that I attached to my biology class assignment.  I will actually be doing the powerpoint in class, but any one who is absent, or wants to view it again will be able to access it with my voice and comments included. I did this by uploading my powerpoint to edu.voicethread.
Oh, so here is the link to my glog., aka. interactive poster):
http://sheblindedme.edu.glogster.com/mrs-halls-science-class/

I also designed smartboard activities for them to use during the course of the unit and I would also like the girls to collaborate with one another to make their own wordles and interactive posters about cell structure.
I made this wordle this morning: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2515581/eukaryotic_cells
Now it is time to take my dogs for a walk.  Later, after I complete one million errands, I am going to finish setting up my online gradebook through engrade.com.  One of my teacher friends showed me how to get started yesterday.  He said it takes awhile but is well worth the effort.
Enjoy this lovely day.  Until we meet again in cyberspace, (or real life)!
Kristin