Our Internet Code of Conduct

In 7th grade language arts, you are encouraged to use a Gmail account and to set up a blog on Blogger.com. Along with these privileges, come responsibilities. While the internet represents a great learning opportunity, it can also pose threats when used inappropriately. Before you may participate in this component of the class, please read and sign the below Code of Conduct, along with your parents. If you opt not to participate in the online part of this class, a paper and pencil alternative will be provided. Please keep a signed copy of this agreement at home. A copy of this agreement will be handed out at the beginning of the year, but may also be printed from this site for reference purposes or for those entering the class late.

1. Please, no last names, school names, phone numbers, personal photos or addresses.

2. Do not link to your personal blog (MySpace, etc.) from your school blog, or to any other personal web content; you might reveal information on there that you don't want to reveal on your school blog.

3. If you accidentally come across inappropriate or offensive content, turn around and leave the site immediately without interacting with it in any way.

4. Always make sure you check over your post for spelling errors, grammar errors, and your use of words.

5. Never disrespect someone else in your blog, whether it's a person, an organization, or just a general idea. You don't want someone making a stab at what you are passionate about; don't do it to someone else.

6. Don't write about other people without permission. Never share someone else’s last name.

7. Watch your language! Make all of your work as professional looking as possible, and always consider who your audience is.

8. Discuss your internet and blog activities with your parents; keep them involved and interested.

9. In Blogger settings, for ‘Who Can Comment?’, select, ‘Only members of this blog,’ and please don’t add any members.

10. Never engage in harassing or inappropriate behavior, or share ‘adult’ content. Report all such activity to your teacher and parents immediately. Remember, we are living in the time of ‘infinite data archiving.’ That is, everything you post will never go away. Questionable internet activity will come back to bite you!

Students: I will abide by the above code of conduct. Signed:_____________________________

Parents: I support my student in his/her use of the above described internet applications, and I will remain interested and involved in their on-line activities.
Signed:__________________________ Date:____________________________________

This code adapted from www.budtheteacher.com/wiki/index.php?title=Blogging_Rules

The Internet: An Opportunity for Alaskans - and 7th Grade Language Arts!

A hundred years ago, the refrain heard around the state of Alaska, and around the world, was, "There's gold in them hills!" Thousands flocked here to stake their claims and get rich. Well, there may not be gold in them hills in any longer, but there's certainly gold in them fiber optic cables, so it's important that we all learn how to use the necessary tools to become successful Internet "miners"!

I decided to have my students start emailing and blogging this year because, as a seasonal small-business owner in Alaska, I know that success or failure hinges on my ability to respond promptly and succinctly to email inquiries, and represent my business online. If you'd like to check out my business web page, go to www.wildsalmonfishing.com .

Often I've heard the complaint that there just aren't enough opportunities for young Alaskans who want to remain in-state after graduation. However, the opportunities for Alaskans to make a living, or at least contribute to their livelihood, through the Internet, are abundant.

Living in Alaska, we have the ability to provide services and web-content unavailable anywhere else in the world. Whether we're selling kayak tours or fishing trips, maintaining a blog about spawning salmon or unique volcanic fields, our individual Alaskan experiences are a natural (and renewable) resource just waiting to be tapped!

Blogs represent a money-making opportunity in their own right. Though you need to be 18 to be eligible for making money through your blog, or at least need to collaborate with an adult guardian to do so, preparing for that opportunity can start right now, with the blog you make for class. So consider what your special talents or interests are, and use your blog as a way of getting them out there, and creating an opportunity for yourself. Heck, lots of people make money for doing nothing but writing book reviews on their blogs! Don't believe me? Check out this article about how bloggers make money, http://www.slate.com/id/2201325/ .

There's still gold in them hills, but these days, instead of using picks and shovels, we use the Internet! Get digging!

Image from www.geomerchant.com

How to complete your lit. novel assignment!

Folks, this cool little video makes understanding how to complete your literature novel assignments crystal clear! Don't bother trying to watch this when you first press play; it takes a while to buffer. I recommend pressing play, going and doing something else for five minutes and then returning to start it over. It should have completely buffered at that point, so it'll play smoothly. Enjoy!

One of My Favorite Things: Royal Enfield Bullet

Folks, this is the bike I got just last summer. They build these things in India, but the company that originally produced them came from Great Britain. This one is in classic black, with lots of chrome and polished metal. It's a pretty small bike really, weighing in at just under 400 pounds, but you've got to remember that it's made for wrangling your way through the Himalayas on winding dirt roads. And, it sounds almost as good as it looks. It's a single cylinder, 500cc, THUMPER!

Up until 1947, Great Britain owned India. After India won its independence, lots of cool British stuff got left behind - like the Royal Enfield motor cycle factory. After the Brits left, and the Royal Enfield Company in England went bankrupt, Indian businessmen took the factory over and just kept on making the exact same bikes - to this day. At first, they built the bikes for the Indian Army, and you can still buy all-green military versions of the Bullet.

So while my bike is brand new, it's important to realize that it's a actually a 'brand new' 1950 motorcycle! After it's finished being broken in (in about another 250 miles), the top speed will be 75 mph, and it'll get around 72 miles per gallon. You can find out more about these time machines at http://www.royalenfield.com .

I'd always wanted one of these beauties, because when I was a kid I lived in southeast Asia. My dad was a civil engineer, and we got to travel extensively throughout the region. On a trip when I was 14, we visited Bangalore, in India, and a friend of ours who lived there and owned a Bullet, took me for rides around the city.

Oh, until my bike's broken in, look for me cruising along at around 36mph. Don't worry, I'll be pulling over to let you past!

Book Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie's book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, made me laugh and cry (well I don't really cry, not since my black lab, Mo, died anyway). A poignant personal narrative, loosely based on the author's own life, the story focuses on the life of Junior, a Spokane Indian growing up on the reservation, or rez.

Junior is typical of kids on the rez in that he has to deal with a lot of violence and alcoholism. He was born with a brain defect that left him with a chip on his shoulder, and a creative turn of mind; Junior wants to grow up to be a cartoonist, and the book is full creative and humorous drawings.

He quickly learns that for many, staying on the rez can be a death-sentence, so he decides to attend an off-rez public school, full of white farm kids. He encounters and overcomes racism and his own insecurities to become a star basketball player, and one of the most popular kids at the school.

This book appealed to me for a number of reasons. I love stories about real people surviving and thriving in the real world - which is messy! Many of the personal trials and challenges described in the book are the same as those going on behind closed doors in our own neighborhoods, or even in our own homes. Also, the story takes place in eastern Washington, where I went to college at Washington State University, so it was easy for me to visualize.

I loved the book and fully recommend it, but that recommendation comes with a warning; the book contains lots of sexual references and violence. Alexie didn't pull any punches when it came to describing just how brutal real life on the reservation can be, so make sure to check with your parents before reading this book.

Cover art from http://www.fallsapart.com/truediary.htm

Proud to be Guiding American Sport Anglers!

Fishing. Charter fishing to be exact. Today, the guys came from San Francisco. Dad and his son, and his nephew all came to Sitka for a fishing odyssey with me. Fishing with families is the best! The excitement a kid feels when he lands a fish keeps me going all day.

I picked them up at the hotel dock at five. I was up at 3:30. Not a typo. I get up at 3:30 when I fish with people staying in town.

Well it took five or six hook-ups before we finally got a king in the boat. Then we got one, missed a couple more. Got another, missed some more. Finally we had all three. It took us all day, and one of the fish that got up to the boat only to throw the hook at the last minute must have been the biggest king I've seen all season. The guys were so pumped about their fish at the end of the day that all of the frustrations were soon forgotten.

Now I'm smoking and canning fish. I'll be out on the water again tomorrow, and for the next three days straight. In fact, I've only got a couple non-fishing days between now and when we leave for south. I'll be going to a graduation in B.C., seeing my folks in Vancouver and D.C., and then I get to be the best man at my buddy's weeding in Manhattan. Then I'll be back to fish some more.

My new motorcycle should be here by then!

Here it is; the first post to my blog. This is my first experiment in blogging. Keep in mind - this is pretty rough. Hey! I'm a beginner!

I've got to figure this thing out 'cause I want to get my language arts classes to start publishing their writing assignments on the web.

Publishing - that's the last step in "the writing process", and getting there in a meaningful way is always a challenge in a school setting.

So here we go. I'll be posting examples of the kinds of writing assignments I expect my students to complete, and the topics I'll cover will be based on my interests. I hope my students will use topics or subjects they're interested in as the raw material for their writing as well.

We'll practice writing some standard paragraphs, persuasive five paragraph essays, compare and contrast essays, book reviews, and personal narratives driven by dialog.

So, my interests: my family, teaching language arts and chess, deer hunting, fishing, vintage British motorcycles, music, life in Alaska, literature, politics - well, this list could go on an on. So it will, as the inspiration strikes. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Mr. Allison