Did I miss summer?! 2011-2012 is off and running!

My school has been in session since September 1st, and sometimes it seems as though those lazy days of summer never happened. It's been a busy, somewhat stressful time, but the beginning of school usually is. One thing that was different this year was I upgraded my library circulation system to the Follett Destiny platform. I had some difficulty extracting and sending the data to Follett, mostly because I had no idea what I was doing. With the help of our tech guy, we managed to upload the information required, and it happened. After my technical training, of which I think I forgot most of what I saw, I was a fully functioning Destiny library. I have been checking books in and out, and figuring out how to add patrons, and while I've only been using the new system for four days, I like what I see, and don't think it's going to be a big deal to use it. I love the cataloging - importing MARC records is like a dream come true! Another piece of technology that I'm learning to use is Spelling City. This site seemed pretty easy to set up lists, and I have a vocabulary list for math set up. I liked the flash card game, because a couple of kids could take turns using it, or individuals can use it for practice. I'm not very good at reading directions, or looking at videos, which the site has, but I didn't have very much trouble figuring out how to use the site. Lists are easy to create, but the trick to adding my own definitions and sentences is length - too long, and it doesn't work! Being concise is a good thing. Although I haven't tested this with my math students yet, I think this will be something that will help them develop and improve their vocabulary. I would definitely check Spelling City out, and I will be using this with my Title I students. Lots of teacher resources in the form of lists from math to geography to phonics, student writing practices, spelling practices - I think I am going to really enjoy using Spelling City! My classes are good, and after some shuffling around with the Title I kids, I have a class that's working. Quite a few students qualified for extra support, but the majority of the students, at least in the 7th and 8th grades qualified in math. I'm doing reading, so we'll be working on oral fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies. We'll also be participating in the Global Read Aloud, using the book Tuck Everlasting. I'll do the reading, but the students will be responding to posts, questions, and responses from students all around the United States and the world. This should be pretty exciting, and I think it's going to be a great experience for my students. My high school class is, as always, a dream class. I have thirteen students, in a 1:1 program, learning about sociology, digital citizenship, and 21st century learning ideas. We use our school Moodle page as the platform, as well as Google products such as gmail and Google Docs. I have been having problems in a couple of areas, however. All of a sudden Firefox is not playing nicely at all. I keep getting certificate things dropping down, indicating my secure connection is gone. Normally, I would use Safari, but I can't do any editing in Moodle unless I'm in Firefox. I have to wait until Monday when our once-a-week tech support is on campus. I moved the Journal assignment over to a Google Doc and shared with the kids, so that small fire was put out. The other issue is my teacher Moodle page. I have the page set up so that each week is visible, but starting yesterday, all I can see is the current week. I can access other weeks, but I want to be able to see my quarter develop. The students aren't having that problem, so that's a good thing. The kids are using the iPads I purchased with my technology grant monies, and I've even had students from my last year's class come visit me. Ok, they were really visiting the iPads, but it was still nice to see them. So, business as usual, and off we go!