Brandon's Online Magazine

Keep Writing Everyone!

This is the former homepage of an online magazine written by students at Brandon Middle School. I plan to leave the online magazine up indefinitely, out of respect to all the students who put so much time and effort into their pages.

The students involved in this magazine have done some great writing. This weblog magazine is a positive example of using new social networking tools in an educational way.

Mr. Mayo

Hello.

The newest edition of our online magazine is out. The drawing shown here is by Kelvin. He has four new drawings on his page, Kelvin's Characters. Check out his online Art Gallery.

The other picture shown here is from Jiezl, from the Artist's Corner page. She promised a few months back to share some of her digital artwork. I hope she can get around to that by the end of the year.

Roni and Jasmine continue their ongoing battle of characters. This week, Roni continues with Part IV of her story, Ninja's of the Night. It's amazing how much writing those two are doing. Their characters have some major attitudes. It's always fun to read their new posts.

Brian decribes the Busch Gardens roller coaster, The Loch Ness Monster, this week on his page, The Drop Zone. He calls it a "giant beast."  Please check out all the pages in the online magazine. Thanks for checking in.

Check this out!

Breaking News!

                                                                              
 
                 The newest edition of our Online Magazine is out! As usual, it does not disappoint. Roni, from Roni's Page, and Jasmine, from Manga Maniac, continue their war of words over whose fictional characters are better. Personally, I think it's a draw, but you should decide that for yourself. Either way, they are both writing some very interesting and well-written stories. This week, Roni continues her story with a new installment entitled, Ninjas of the Night, Part 3. Jasmine introduces two new characters, Mika and Mia. The picture above is by Roni. Check out her Online Art Gallery to see more of her art work. 

Tamara is back at it this week on her page, True Life Stories. She continues her ongoing story about the fictional lives of a group of friends in middle school. Tamara's story has the complexity of a modern-day soap opera.

Andrew reviews the next generation of games this week on his blog, New Games for You.  He also explains how you can log onto Legostarwars.com from school to gain access to free online game sites. Uh-oh. Is that allowed?

Christian continues with his Movies Page. This week, he reviews 16 Blocks. The amount of work Christian has put into his blog over the last year and a half is very impressive. Numerous people have told me they have sought out movies after reading one of his reviews. Also, Thia continues her thought-provoking and controversial blog, Politics and Current Events. 

Be sure to check out all the pages, and please spread the word. The Online Magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers!

bye

 

Have You Heard?

In case you haven't heard, the new edition of Brandon's Online Magazine is out. Check out this video stream of an old school wooden roller coaster Brian posted on his page, The Drop Zone. I was trying to convince Brian that he should search the web for free video streams of roller coasters and collect them on his site. The streams he has found so far are very cool.

Jasmine, from Manga Maniac, and Roni, from Roni's Page, seem to be in a battle of sorts. They have a running argument about whose fictional characters are better. This week, Jasmine writes a hilarious story on her blog, titled My First Story Thingy!!!!!! I highly recommend you give it a read. Alexis apologizes for deleting her entire post from last week. But not to worry, she gets it all together in this edition. This week, she writes about diamonds. And of course, Politics & Current Events continues to deliver high quality writing about controversial subjects. Be sure to check out all the pages from this edition. And please spread the word. The Online Magazine need readers, and wwe are ALWAYS looking for new writers.

If you like the picture above, READ THIS!

bye

Hi

The newest edition of Brandon's Online Magazine. Check out this video stream featured on The Drop Zone. Kayleigh does a post this week about her new braces. She compares her braces to "metal cages," where your teeth "are the prisoners." That's an interesting analogy. Kelvin continues his Sonic Rush Boss story. Here's a snippet: "Once the robot has 5 life points when you climb it's arm it will spit out little enemy probes to try to hit you."

Evelyn, from the new Sights & Sounds page, does a new post about Panic! At the Disco. Jiezl's blog, the Artist's Corner, is a slick-looking blog. She has a knack for graphic design. I hope she brings some digital art to share soon. I can't wait to see what that will look like.

Thanks for checking in, and please spread the word. The Online Magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers.
bye

Check One.

The newest edition of Brandon's Online Magazine is out. There's lots of good stuff in this edition. Jiezl, from the Artist's Corner, drops a bomb. She is thinking about exploring the digital art format. That would be interesting. In Mariah's Masterpieces, Mariah describes drawing the following way:
"It all starts with a simple line and then goes into the great unknown."
Roni, from Roni's Page, begins her story about her fictitious characters Akira and Kikoro. Here's a description about how the two met:
"Okay how they first met, Kikoro was having a average day and school was over. Then something caught her eye, Akira falling from the sky, she was just standing there wondering what was falling. Then Akira fell right on top of Kikoro. Akira just stood up and started to walk away, that's when Kikoro got mad. She stood up and threw a huge rock at him."

Like I said, there's lots of good stuff in this edition, so check it out. Be sure to check out all the pages from the online magazine. And please spread the word. The online magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers.

Hey There

Have you seen the new edition of Brandon's Online Magazine? The Drop Zone continues with reviews of extreme roller coasters. Politics and Current Events is controversial as usual. In this issue, Cindy writes about the influence of pop music on politics. Who says middle schoolers aren't deep thinkers? Christian continues with his first-rate movie reviews on his page, The Movies. Somebody, get this kid an invite to the Emmys! Be on the lookout for a new page called Mariah's Masterpieces. The colorful flower drawing is a sneak preview.

Thanks for checking in. Please take a moment a read our Class Book Wiki. We have around ten novels reviewed on the Wiki so far, including two by Ms. Almer, our school librarian. She's reviewed So B. It, and Deliver Us From Normal.

bye

Konnichi wa ^_^

Good news and bad news. First the good news. The newest edition of Brandon's Online Magazine is out. We've updated the table of contents for the site, dividing the pages by subject area. Ms. Relis has also added her new page to the magazine. Ms. Relis is going to post various pieces from her students via her Conduits and Connundrums Page. This week she posted a piece by Riana about Hurricane Isabel. It's a very nice piece of writing.

Some of the highlights from this edition are the drawings shown here by Kelvin. He's been drawing these crazy action figures. I hope he keeps doing these, they're very interesting. Jiezl, from The Artist's Corner, and Roni, from Roni's Page, continue in this edition with more original art work. Their stories behind their drawings are just as interesting as their drawings. We've put all the art pages into a category called Art, Anime, and Manga. You can find this in the new Table of Contents listed in th eright sidebar of every page in the magazine.

Now the bad news. Rebecca, from the Book Corner, is moving. She will be attending another school in the district, so we are going to see if she can continue posting to her blog from afar. She's one of the original writers for the online magazine and she will be missed by us all!

We started to record this year's first podcast. However, we still have some work to do to get the first show ready to be uploaded. Hopefully that will happen by the next meeting. Thanks for checking out Brandon's Online Magazine, and please spread the word. Also, be sure to take a look at our new Book Wiki. We have our first two book reviews posted for the world to see. Our school librarian, Ms. Almer, is going to review a book this week on our wiki. She's going to write a review for a book called Deliver Us From Normal. And ofcourse, take a look at our Class Weblogs, they are really coming along!

I'm going to end this post with a quote from Kayleigh, writer for the Brandon Online Magazine.
"Don't let people push you around because if you let them treat you like dirt they'll think that can just walk all over you, when they can't!!!! Like I said, "Don't let people push you around!!!!" This is a word to the wise be your own person and do what you do best!"
Ja ne! (See ya!)

News Alert!

The anticipation has been growing. The world has been waiting. Finally, after a long summer hiatus, the newest edition of Brandon's Online Magazine is now out in the digital world. We have many new and exciting pages this year, as well as some veteran bloggers from last year. The Drop Zone is going to be a killer page about rollar coasters. I'm surprised no one else has thought of this. It's a great idea. We have another artist page called the Art Attack, with some original drawings coming soon. The Advice Corner is going to accept anonymous letters from students and offer advice. New Games For You is another game page, devoted to all things gaming. I could go on and on, you'll just have to check out all the pages yourself.

We will attempt to do our first PODCAST of the year at the next meeting in two weeks. We are already generating ideas for the first show. You can bet on Christian and Anthony having more lengthy discussions about the Loch Ness Monster and various breeds of Dragons.

So thanks for checking out our Online magazine, and be sure to spread the word. The Brandon Online Magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers. Also, be sure to check out our Class Weblogs. I'm going to end this post with a quote from the new page Why? Kayleigh started this page to discusss why things happen. What a great idea.

"Today I got hit in the face with one of those big playground balls and I fell over hulahoops and one of those big playground balls hit me on the top of my head! All of these things make me wonder why? "
quote from Kayleigh, writer from Brandon's Online Magazine.

Name Change

The first Online Magazine meeting is next Thursday, September 29th. Mrs. Iris, the sixth grade science teacher, is going to help us this year. The name has changed from the M&M Online Magazine, to Brandon's Online Magazine. This year, students from all grade levels are invited to participate. Listen to the morning announcements for details. If you want to join the online magazine come by room 904 to pick up a form.

Keepin' it Real

"Towards the moon and into the light...there lies your greatest desires.."

The drawing and quote above are by Jiezl from the Artist's Corner Page. According to her latest post tonight, she is planning on writing her first novel this summer. She already has a title: "Departed: History of the Black Rose." Check out her blog for a more indepth description. WOW!

I noticed months ago that many of the M&M Online Magazine weblogs had many common interests. For example, I'm pretty sure Jiezl would appreciate the cool anime sites listed this week by Lindsey on Entertainment News. Lindsey covers many topics in her very hip blog. Check out the site she links to in her post today, PummelDex, a Dutch anime site. Lindsey would probably be interested in some of the links Jiezl has posted, like Animenation.

Roni R. is also doing some great drawings with her own anime flavor. (Like the Fan Girl drawing shown here. ) By the way, be sure to check out Roni's Online Art Gallery. And while you're at it, take a look at Kelvin's Online Art Gallery.

Back to Entertainment News. Lindsey mentions some movies she likes and they are ALL ones that have been reviewed by Christian Z. on the Movies Page: Napolean Dynamite, Robot: The Movie, Star Wars III. Next year, we need to create a better M&M Online Magazine Homepage that divides the pages into more specific groupings. All these writers with similar interests should be talking, sharing their ideas and knowledge.

Please check out all the pages in this new issue and spread the word. The M&M Online Magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers. I'm going to end this post with a quote from Brooke J. She has some very thoughtful comments on her blog about life and middle school.

"Do me, yourself, and the rest of the world a favor and don't judge anybody 'cause they could be really nice people and you don't know because you keep judging them. So stop right now and keep it real." - Quote from Brooke J., writer for the M&M Online Magazine.

Hi!

Greetings. Welcome to the M&M Online Magazine. Podcast #5 has been posted. This week's show brings back our original host, Christian Z., from the Movie Page. Christian talks with Anthony R. about Dragons. Tatiana fills in this week for Nicole D. for True Life 6th Grade Stories. Morgan E. and Jaymie L. discuss the topic of friendship.

Christian finishes up the show with a movie review of Robots.
I've added a new sidebar item listing all our Podcasts on the Podcast Page. Hope you enjoy the new show, and please check back next week for the newest edition of the M&M Online Magazine!

News Flash!

The new issue of the M&M Online Magazine is out. As usual, it does not disapoint. Of course, we have new pages in this issue. Be sure to check out the Artist's Corner and Entertainment News.
As we get closer to the end of the year, it's amazing to see how far some of the veteran M&M bloggers have come. The Movies Page has evolved into a fantastic blog.
Gamer 101 has also turned into a great blog. The magazine has gotten close to 4,000 hits since we started it. That's impressive, but I think the blogs within the magazine are destined for much more.
As the year winds down it's time that we start thinking about the next step for our magazine. Hopefully, this is just the beginning. I see a number of exciting possibilities.

Hi.

The new issue of the M&M Online Magazine is out, and once again these middle school bloggers do NOT disappoint.

Morgan E. writes about the upcoming Maroon5 concert on her page All About Music. She states tickets start at $80! Really? Is this the going rate nowadays for concerts. What a shame.

We have some excellent new pages added on this issue of the magazine. Be sure to check out these two: Digital Art and Entertainment News. These two pages have lots of very interesting links. Also, Gamer 101 is turning into a great blog. Todd G. has really turned into a blogging pro in a very short period of time.

Thanks for reading the M&M Online Magazine. Please spread the word. The magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers. Tune in next week for the new Podcast show. To hear our past shows go to the Podcast Page.

For a more thorough review of this new issue read my latest post at www.mrmayo.org.

Bye.

New Podcast

The new M&M Online Magazine Podcast is up. Please check out our Podcast Page HERE for the latest show. This week's show features an interview with two Brandon Middle School 8th graders. We also have Niclole, Tatiana, Dan, and Anthony, interviewing two online magazine bloggers, Kiara and Zay, about their pages. Just remember, the podcasts are a work in progress. We are all learning as we go, and that's what it's all about.

Breaking News

The new issue of the M&M Online Magazine is out. For anyone following the Alexis, Briana, and James storyline, you can get the next update on the True Life Stories Page. Just when you think you know what's going on Tamara W. throws in another twist to the plot. Poor James! We have many new pages in this issue so please read the New Pages section.

Many of the magazine writers have added some interesting links to their pages. Sierra H. writes about the Paper Doll Heaven website on her page What's On My Mind. However, she doesn't link to the site. Jaymie L. links to the site on her page Today's Hottest Fashions. This looks like a strange link.

Todd G. links to nick.com on his new page called Gamer 101. This site has some amazing graphics going on. I noticed that many of the other game writers were playing various games from this link. It sounds like you can get all sorts of information here on a variety of topics. Another interesting gamer link was added by Cody L. on his new page Game Savvy. Cody L. learned how to add a link to his post quickly. This is a step that has taken most of us a little longer to do. It's amazing how quickly all the writers learn how to maneuver the blogging software. I wonder if this type of writing, where you constantly send readers on trips to various links, is going to be the norm in the future. It makes sense.

Thanks for visiting the M&M Online Magazine,and please spread the word. The magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers. By the way, our next podcast will be out either late Friday evening or early Saturday. So definitely come back for that!

Mr. Mayo

New Podcast

Podcast #3 has been posted. This new show features a discussion among the podcast crew about future show possibilities. Nicole D. is back with her regular show True Life Sixth Grade Stories. Alexis from the One on One Advice Column page speaks with Nicole this week about a few more advice letters. Anthony from the Myths and Legends page talks about his next blog subject, Dracula. This is also the longest show thus far, clocking in at 15 minutes.

Against All Odds

Despite the snowstorm this afternoon, the newest issue of the M&M Online Magazine is out. It keeps getting better and better. Tamara W. from the True Life Stories Page, has added to her rather bizarre and complicated story she started on her last post. This is the kind of story that leaves you wanting more. This would be a great example of a cliffhanger. I have to know. How did James already have Alexis' and Briana's phone numbers?

The Cartoon Page is also back. A great aspect of the Online Magazine is having students write for an audience. I could talk until I'm blue in the face about the importance of writing to an audience. Online blogs actually make this point naturally. Avante' is clearly writing for an audience. Just check out his intro. On his new post, Avante' explains why he hasn't written in a while. He will have some cartoons up soon to get his page moving again.

We also have a few new pages as usual. Please check out the New Pages section of the magazine. It's great to see all the pages coming along. I haven't even had a chance to read them all yet! The Podcast will air late Friday afternoon. We finally have a core group of students that will be running the podcast shows. This week's podcast features a group discussion about future show possibilities. Please check back for that show tomorrow.

Mr. Mayo

Podcast #2

Well, the M&M Online Magazine is late, but the podcast is now up. Unfortunately I had to be the temporary host this week due to various difficulties. Hopefully that won't happen again. Click on the podcast button below, or visit the Podcast Page at the M&M Online Magazine to hear the show.
Thanks for tuning in, and please come back. The next online magazine and podcast will be out February 3.

International Acclaim

The Internet is an amazing thing. Our M & M Online Magazine and Podcast have gotten some international attention. If you can read German, please let me know what this person is saying about our magazine and podcast. Here's another mention of us in French. This is all thanks to Will at Weblogg-ed.com for writing about us on his blog. We've had 350 hits on the magazine today!

Magazine Update

Greetings. The new issue of the M & M Online Magazine is out. We've added a podcast to the magazine that you can hear at www.mrmayo.org. You can also hear the podcast HERE. We will have an individual page devoted to the podcast soon.
We are going to have a special meeting with all the writers from the magazine next week to address some editing issues. It's imperative that each writer understands the importance of editing and proof-reading their work BEFORE posting it on the internet.
Please take some time and check out all the pages in this issue. And please spread the word. The Online Magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers!

Mr. Mayo

They're Back

The sixth grade bloggers are at again. The newest edition of the M&M Online Magazine is out. As usual, there are some new bloggers. Please visit all the pages in the magazine, and please spread the word. The M & M Online Magazine needs readers, and we are always looking for new writers!

Mr. Mayo

New Issue

Hi. Thanks for checking out the M & M Online Magazine. Please take some time to visit ALL of the pages. The M & M Online Magazine covers a wide variety of subjects. The pages are coming along very well. With each new issue we have a new pages section. Definitely check this out as well!
We hope you enjoy and we hope you come back.
Please spread the word. We need readers, and we are always looking for new writers.

Mr. Mayo

Here We Go Again

Greetings. Thanks for visiting the M & M Online Magazine. We've had over a thousand visitors to our magazine so far! Our next issue is coming out this Thursday. However, some pages have been updated over the Thanksgiving break. Like the Movie Page. The Skateboarding page is also fairly recent. It appears that some of the student writers are blogging elsewhere than in the school computer lab.
Look for a few new pages in the upcoming issue.
Thanks for visiting, and please spread the word. The M & M Online Magazine needs readers!

Mr. Mayo

Hot Off The Press

Greetings. It seems that with each new issue there are many new developments. If you are looking for a certain page and cannot find it, don't be alarmed. Students must keep their pages current or I de-link them temporarily. There are also a few new pages with each new issue. All the pages are coming along very well. We still have not decided how to go about hyping the magazine. Maybe we need to have a special meeting where we just make posters that we can display around the school.
Spread the word...We need readers, and we are always looking for new writers!

Mr. Mayo
Editor
M&M Online Magazine

Recognition

Our magazine was written about on a popular education technology site called Weblogg-ed.com. See the comments here. This is good news. The number of people viewing our magazine has increased because of the publicity. We are averaging over 60 readers a day overall. The amazing thing is that these readers are from all over the country. I still think we can do better than this. One thing we really need to do is advertise our site around the school. We need to create business size card flyers that can be easily handed out. We also need to make some posters to hang outside the m&m classrooms. Something that will get people's attention. We have 3 more pages that we will be adding to the next issue. A fashion page, a skateboarding page, and a page on professional baseball.
Spread the word! The Online M&M Magazine needs readers.

Mr. Mayo

New Pages

Greetings. The next meeting is this Thursday in the computer lab. Five new pages have been added for the upcoming issue. This brings our page count to 15! I already have a few more students who say they are thinking about joining. Please check out the next edition this Thursday.

Mr. Mayo
Editor
M&M Online Magazine

2nd Edition

The second edition of the M&M Online Magazine is finally out. There are some editing problems that need to be fixed at the next meeting. The way it works is first we post. Then, we go back and edit. Part of this process is getting each writer to take editing more seriously. There are some obvious, and not so obvious, problems that will be edited.

Nevertheless, the students are really into their pages and it shows in their writing. Unfortunately, we hit some glitches trying to add links to our post. We'll figure it out at the next meeting. Another important step here is trying to figure out how to hype our site. We need to generate interest in the magazine. Any ideas? I'm thinking we need a simple, but elegant flyer that we can hand out at school. It needs to be small, like a business card. We also should start thinking about posters we can make and hang up outside the M&M classrooms. By the way, if anyone is interested in joining the magazine, please let me know. Lastly, the comic strip on the cartoon page will be up in the next few days.

Thanks for checking out the magazine. Spread the word...

Mr. Mayo
Editor
M&M Online Magazine

Update

Hello. We are having our second meeting for the online magazine this Thursday. This will be the actual first real post for all the pages. Each student is also going to learn how to add links to their post. It looks like a few students are dropping out. This is to be expected. After the meeting Thursday a few of the pages will be gone. However, the students that do stay with it will begin to develop their own identities for their specific pages. It's quality over quantity. It will be interesting to read the new posts this week. It will also be interesting to see how the magazine evolves throughout the year. Only time will tell.

Mr. Mayo

Off and Running!

Wow- The M&M Online Magazine is a reality. The students all posted introductions to their online pages/blogs today. In two weeks they will make their first real post. I still need to find a student to cover the Brandon Chess Club. I think at the next meeting I will ask the students to start posting on this page as well. They can better explain what this is all about than I can. They have a lot of ideas about what they want to write about. Check back soon for the next issue of the M&M Online Magazine.

Mr. Mayo

The M&M Online Magazine

Welcome to the preview of the M&M Online Magazine. This is an Online Magazine ran by 6th grade students at Brandon Middle School.
This is the temporary Homepage for the Magazine. The links and pages within this site are under construction. Please check back soon for the first edition of the Magazine.

First Meeting: After school this Thursday, October 7 in the computer lab across from the library.