Bud the Teacher

Greetings.

    I am Bud Hunt.  If you’ve found this blog, odds are that you’re either VERY bored or I asked you to stop by.  Hopefully, over time, I am wrong about that. 

    I am beginning this blog because I am a teacher and I am in need of an education.  I recently had the experience of winning an iPod in a raffle.  I then took two weeks off of school due to the birth of my first child.  During this time, I had some time, amidst diapers and sleep deprivation, to think about my teaching and these new technologies.  This introduced me to a whole new world of content and communication.  It’s an exciting place, the blogosphere, but I am particularly interested in the wide new world of podcasting.  I am learning and discovering that podcasting and blogging have incredible potential for teaching. 

  As a high school English teacher at an alternative high school in Colorado, I am constantly looking for ways to incorporate student choice into my classroom.  Further, I am interested in finding real audiences for the writing that I ask my students to do.  Podcasting and blogging have natural, built-in audiences — you, the people of the World Wide Web (do we still say that, or is it all just the Internet again?)

  Anyway, not to get too long winded, but I intend to use this blog as a space to learn more about what keeping a blog is like — how to develop the habit and so on.  I am curious to see if my students can keep up with such a task and find interesting things to write about.  More importantly, I hope to meet people who can help with my education on all things blog and podcasting.  I have some good teachers out there in the ethersphere — I’ve been subscribing to podcasts and blogs right and left.  Three days ago, I understood the concept of an aggregator, but I’d never used one — not so anymore.  But am I using the RIGHT aggregator?  Is there such a thing?  How do I help students learn to code webpages using XML?  Rss?  What’s the freaking difference?  Do I have to give up my social life to learn these new technologies?

  These are just a few of the many questions I will be asking and exploring in this space.  On top of those, I am a new father juggling the responsibilities of my family and my students.  I have to find a balance.

  Your tips, thoughts and ideas are definitely encouraged.  Send me e-mail.  Talk with me.  Let’s learn together.