About Dr. Alan Wood | Global Watchdog

Last updated September 30, 2026

Dr. Alan Wood in the Algarve, Portugal — 88 countries and counting.

Alan in a cave in the Algarve, Portugal — Exploring a cave in the Algarve, Portugal.

Alan holding Aspen the white chihuahua — Alan with Aspen, the white chihuahua.

Aspen and Lexi on the grass — Aspen and Lexi supervising the yard.

Lexi the Yorkshire terrier wearing a colorful lei — Lexi, the Yorkshire terrier, in her festive lei.

Miss Kitty the tabby cat — Miss Kitty, the 17-year-old boss of the house.

Alan at Osaka Castle, Japan — Osaka Castle, Japan — Alan taught at universities in Japan for 13 years.

Alan at the Eiffel Tower, Paris — The Eiffel Tower, Paris.

Alan at the Colosseum, Rome — The Colosseum, Rome.

Alan in Istanbul, Turkey — Istanbul, Turkey.

Alan at the beach in Cancun — Beach time in Cancun, Mexico.

Lexi the Yorkshire terrier — Lexi showing off her colorful lei.

Alan at the Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima — The Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima, Japan.

Alan at Miyajima, Japan — The floating torii gate at Miyajima, Japan.

Alan at Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto — Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion), Kyoto, Japan.

Alan at Fushimi Inari, Kyoto — Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto, Japan.

Alan at Notre-Dame, Paris — Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris.

Alan at the Louvre, Paris — The Venus de Milo at the Louvre, Paris.

Alan at the Arc de Triomphe, Paris — The Arc de Triomphe, Paris.

Alan at the Roman Forum — The Roman Forum, Rome.

Alan at St. Peter's Square, Vatican City — St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.

Alan at St. Peter's Square — St. Peter’s Square — the Argentina hat makes an appearance.

Alan inside St. Peter's Basilica — Inside St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.

Alan at the Trevi Fountain, Rome — The Trevi Fountain, Rome.

Alan at the Basilica Cistern, Istanbul — The Basilica Cistern, Istanbul, Turkey.

Alan at the Blue Mosque, Istanbul — The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey.

Alan at the Obelisco, Buenos Aires — The Obelisco, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Alan at Floralis Generica, Buenos Aires — Floralis Genérica, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Alan at Plaza Mayor, Madrid — Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain.

About Global Watchdog

I’m Dr. Alan Wood, founder and editor of Global Watchdog, an independent publication devoted to consumer advocacy, practical research, science and technology explainers, education, and commentary.

I started Global Watchdog in 2014 as a place to investigate questions that interested me, explain complicated subjects in plain English, and call attention to things I thought deserved a closer look. Over the years, it has grown into an eclectic collection of investigations, consumer guides, product comparisons, essays, educational resources, and reporting about Georgia and beyond.

The subjects vary, but the approach is fairly simple: dig into the evidence, question assumptions, explain what I find clearly, and try to leave the reader knowing more than when they arrived.

GWMAC stands for Global Watchdog Media And Commentary — the site's original and formal name.

Who I Am

My career has never followed a particularly straight line, and I wouldn't have wanted it to.

I’m an educator, writer, researcher, traveler, technology enthusiast, and lifelong student. Curiosity has taken me from classrooms in Japan and Georgia to web development, online marketing, graduate research, and nearly 90 countries around the world.

I began teaching English at universities in Japan in 2003 and spent 13 years there, teaching at institutions that included Chukyo University, Aichi Prefectural University, Kinjo Gakuin University, and the Nagoya Institute of Technology.

Eventually I returned home to Georgia, where I spent another 11 years teaching Spanish in public schools. After more than two decades in education in the United States and Japan, I retired from the classroom in 2026.

Teaching shaped much of the way I write today. A good teacher has to take something complicated, figure out what actually matters, and explain it so that someone encountering the subject for the first time can understand it. Whether I’m writing about science, technology, consumer products, language, education, or public policy, that remains the goal.

An Unconventional Career

Education has been the longest chapter of my professional life, but certainly not the only one.

At one point, I even spent a year in law school. I discovered something useful there: I did not particularly want to be a lawyer.

Technology was another matter.

Long before smart homes became commonplace, I worked in the rather unusual world of motorized television mounts. I operated Motorized Mounts, selling products such as CLO Systems' X-Arm and S-Arm remote-controlled mounts, and later worked with Lift My TV in the same industry. I still own an X-Arm today, which may say something about either product durability or my reluctance to throw things away.

Around the same period, I taught myself HTML and web development. What began as curiosity eventually turned into building roughly 150 websites for small businesses.

I also founded a guerrilla marketing business focused on helping small companies with small advertising budgets compete for attention online. The objective was to figure out how to generate the greatest possible return from limited resources.

In many ways, that same instinct still drives Global Watchdog: research carefully, look beyond the obvious answer, find the useful information buried underneath the noise, and help people make better-informed decisions.

Education and Research

I have spent enough of my life in universities that “professional student” is probably a fair description.

My academic journey has taken me through Mercer University, Oglethorpe University, Emory University, Heriot-Watt University, Aichi Gakuin University, and Inter American University of Puerto Rico.

In 2026, I completed my PhD in Second Language Acquisition Research. My doctoral research examined the accuracy and pedagogical effectiveness of artificial-intelligence-generated feedback in second-language learning — a subject that brought together several longstanding interests: languages, teaching, technology, research, and the rapidly changing role of artificial intelligence in education.

Education has never been something I regarded as finished when a diploma arrived. I enjoy learning for its own sake, and that curiosity probably explains the unusual range of subjects covered on this website.

Languages, Travel, and Curiosity

Living abroad changed the way I see the world.

I speak Spanish, French, and Japanese, and I have traveled to 88 countries and counting. Travel has given me an enduring interest in languages, cultures, transportation, technology, cities, politics, food, and the countless ways people in different parts of the world solve the same everyday problems differently.

It has also made me skeptical of the idea that there is only one sensible way of doing almost anything.

There are still many places I want to see, and I intend to keep going as long as I can.

Winston and the Real Fur Babies

If you've spent any time on this site, you've met Winston — the bulldog reporter who pops up in the corners, on the 404 page, and in the newsletter signup. A quick note for the record: Winston is fictional. But he's based on very real inspiration.

At home, my authority is considerably more limited. I'm currently owned by three fur babies: Aspen, a white chihuahua; Lexi, a Yorkie; and Miss Kitty, my 17-year-old cat. They supervise all writing on this site, usually from the most inconvenient spot available.

So while Winston himself is a cartoon, the attitude is 100% authentic — borrowed from a house full of four-legged editors who have never once been impressed by a deadline.

What You'll Find on Global Watchdog

Global Watchdog reflects the range of subjects I genuinely spend my time reading, researching, testing, and thinking about.

You'll find work here on:

consumer advocacy and watchdog issues;
Georgia government, education, and public affairs;
science and health explainers;
technology and consumer electronics;
product research and comparisons;
money-saving strategies;
language and linguistics;
education;
travel; and
essays and commentary.

Some articles grow out of personal experience. Others begin with a question I want answered. Many involve comparing technical specifications, scientific literature, government data, professional reviews, owner experiences, or other primary and secondary sources.

When I personally test a product or service, I say so. When an article is based instead on research and comparison of outside evidence, I try to make that clear as well.

The objective is not to manufacture certainty where none exists. It is to do the research, distinguish evidence from opinion, explain how I reached my conclusions, and give readers enough information to make their own decisions.

EduLingo by Dr. Wood

My years in the classroom also led to EduLingo by Dr. Wood, my educational publishing project.

EduLingo offers Spanish-language teaching materials developed from more than a decade of experience teaching Spanish in public schools, including presentations, assessments, classroom activities, substitute-teacher materials, instructional bundles, and larger curriculum resources.

You can explore those materials through the EduLingo section of Global Watchdog.

Independence and How This Site Makes Money

Global Watchdog is independently operated.

The site is supported primarily through reader contributions and affiliate relationships, including participation in the Amazon Associates program. If you follow certain product links and make a qualifying purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Affiliate relationships do not determine what I recommend or what I write. When commercial relationships are relevant to an article, they are disclosed.

I have deliberately chosen not to fill Global Watchdog with conventional display advertising and intrusive popups. I would rather have a smaller, cleaner publication that readers actually enjoy using.

Corrections, Questions, and Tips

Accuracy matters to me, but nobody gets everything right.

If you find a factual error, believe I have overlooked important evidence, have a question about something I've written, or simply disagree with one of my conclusions, you're welcome to contact me.

I am particularly interested in hearing from readers with consumer complaints, documented problems involving businesses or organizations, or tips concerning Georgia schools, government, and public institutions.

Good watchdog journalism often begins with someone saying, “You might want to take a look at this.”

I read the messages I receive.

For more information about sourcing, corrections, reviews, affiliate relationships, and how articles are produced, see the Editorial Standards page.

— Dr. Alan Wood
Founder & Editor, Global Watchdog