Day 7 in Beijing, China

Today it snowed! Lots of white stuff we call snow, but slightly different than what we get in Iowa. Round very small pebbles of snow - made by the government? This is what is being said, I'll have to do some research into this possibility.

2nd day of the Flat Classroom Conference. We started the morning with the leaders presenting their ideas to the students and the students giving back constructive criticism.

Then the students went back to their work areas to finish up their storyboards and presentations. I again worked with groups 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15. It was very interesting to see the student bring their ideas to concrete explanations.

At noon each student group presented their ideas to the leaders and 9 other student groups.  Then another excellent lunch at BISS.  After lunch there was a conference photo in the snow! The winning student groups were announced: #1,  5,  9. 13,  15 & 19.

Those groups went with Frank and Bernajean to work on their movies and the other groups broke into two large teams to work on differnt projects.  one projects was to design the closing ceremonies of the Conference the other group went to work with Kim on Digital Kung Fu.

Day 6 in Beijing, China

The first day of Flat Classroom Conference.

Day 5 in Beijing, China

24th February 2011  Thursday

THE GREAT WALL

Yes, I did make it up the mountain to the Great Wall. I climbed (& crawled) up the Great Wall and sat on it! Those last steps were as high as my knees, so I felt like a baby on them. But I did it! By myself, I walked up to the closed cable car (just like Bill Clinton) and rode that up to the platform then up the graded trail to the steps on the right! For someone who is very afraid of heights this was a great achievement! Then I had to go back down those steps, so I did but backwards! My new friend Wati Wardani from Indonesia took this picture of me at the Great Wall.

On the way down I closed my eyes in the cable car and took a video of the trip down!

Day 4 in Beijing, China

 We visited the Western Academy of Beijing today. A wonderful refreshing school. See more about the school at:  Western Academy of Beijing

Day 3 in Beijing, China

22nd February 2011 Tuesday

Pick up at your hotel 9am

Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

Standard Chinese lunch

Lama Temple

Walk through Nanluoguxiang Alleys where you can also visit small shops.

Peking Duck Dinner

Peking Opera in Liyuan Theater downstairs ticket

Return to your hotel

We boarded the tour bus at 9am and headed for Tiananmen Square. It is amazing

Day 2 in Beijing, China

21st February 2011 Monday

TCG - Pick up at your hotel 8:00am

Ming Tombs and Sacred Way (history of China & cultural event)

Lunch on your way back to the city

Return to your hotel at noon.

Visit to Tsinghua High International School. 

(We have been invited to see both the International as 

well as the local high school) (2 schools in one!). 

The major difference between the schools is the size. 

At the International school there were 10-20 students 

in a room with two adults a teacher and a helper.

At the local school there was 1 teacher and sometimes 

as many as 50 students. 

Next was the type of teaching. At the local school they 

just teach for the test and at the International School

they teach for learning. 

The International School was newer and more inviting. 

But the students in both school were friendly and helpful. 

TCG - Pick up at your hotel around 6:30pm

Transfer to the Red Theater watch Kungfu Show yellow zone tickets x 19. (Traditional activity this show tells the story of how Kungfu became part of the Chinese Culture and is not just a fighting tool)

Return to your hotel

TCG - UNI Group (2 instructors & 8 students) -

Today we got up and did some housekeeping, still very jet lagged. Had breakfast down on the 2^nd floor of the hotel. Lots of good things to eat.  I ate all Chinese. Yummy!  Some of the girls had eggs plus some Chinese.

At 8apm we meet up with Vincent for the bus ride to the Sacred Way. It was interesting, but I had a lot of trouble with my back and asthma. The air was very bad today.  I did not go on the Walk to the Ming Tomb. But stayed with the bus driver. We went and got air in the tires and then drove to a spot to stop and he read his Chinese book. Then we tried talking and I learned the word for dog and there was one close by that was barking. After we got a call from Vincent we went and picked up the rest of the group and went to a great “standard Chinese lunch”, I think we had 7 or 8 different plates of food. Interestingly no rice, but some great noodles. Reminded me of our meal in Thailand with our Chinese friends.
We had a great at the Kung Fu show but still very jet lagged.

Week 7 & Day 1 in Beijing China

20th February 2011  Sunday 

Our first day in China.

4:25pm arrive Peking Airport (Beijing, China)

Check in at Hotel and pay hotel bill. (Beijing Zhejiang Hotel, Beisanhuan Middle Road Side Road, Chaoyang, Beijing, China, 100029 010-64453388

TCG - Pick up at your hotel

Acrobatic Show row 15 - 23 ticket x 19 (cultural event)

Return to your hotel

TCG - UNI Group (2 instructors & 8 students) –

We left Iowa on Sat. Feb 19 at 7:01 am and then spent 4 hours in Chicago for our next plane to take us to Beijing. It was a very long flight and there was little leg room even for me! We had a nice lunch, snack and dinner on the plane…Watched lots of movies and slept a bit. Then we finally arrived in Beijing on Sunday evening about 4:30 pm or as they say here 16:30.  It was a bit of a mess trying to sign into the hotel, not the least was the problem that our tour bus was waiting on us and I found I had lost my passport!   Good news the hotel would hold the rest of the rooms while the students from UNI meet the students from Georgia and they went to see the acrobatics show.  I took a taxis to the airport to see if they had found my passport!  Amazingly they had!  So I have my passport & water bottle back. Safe and sound. 

Week 6

Some rights reserved by Paul Lowry

We are packing and pulling together our last minute ideas for our trip to Beijing, China. We leave Saturday morning at 7:01am.  Those of us up in Cedar Falls plan to leave here at 3:30 am as we need to be at the airport by 5 am.  We do have a 4 hour layover in Chicago, whatever will we do there?

If you want to see what we are doing in Beijing check back here and/or go to one of our graduate students blogs. you can also get to them from here. 

See you in March!


Review These Blogs:

1. Jami Elliott, a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College, teaches third grade in an elementary school in West Burlington, Iowa for the last 8 years. Her blog, Ms. Elliott's Adventure to China, is dedicated to her trip.
2. Cathy Olson, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, is a high school English teacher in Boone, Iowa.
3. Carrie Jacobs, a graduate of Central College, is a social studies teacher and the technology specialist at Walnut Creek Campus, an alternative high school in West Des Moines, Iowa. She has a masters of education degree in Quality Schools from Graceland University.
4. Deb Bruxvoort, a graduate of William Penn University, is Director of Academic Computing at Central College in Pella, Iowa.
5. Farah Kashef, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, is a Dental Hygiene Instructor at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa.
6. Brandi Day, a graduate of Harding University, is a Program Associate with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps.
7. Jennie Kies, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, teaches engineering technology at Jefferson high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
8. Lisa Schaa, a graduate of the University of Iowa, has taught art and technology at an elementary school in Stratford, Iowa for the last 27 years. Mrs. Schaa's Adventures in China is a blog all about her travels
9. Leigh Zeitz, an associate professor at the University of Northern Iowa. 

Week 5

Gong Hei Fat Choi means Happy New Year!  恭贺新年 It is now Chinese New Year 2011!
For this week and next we need to:

• Finish the ADDIE Quest
• Write up ADDIE parts (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate)
• Put together the Prezi
• Research Presenters at the Conference
• Research Information about China 
• Schools - Chinese & International
• Famous People
• actors, leaders, ie. who meet recently with President Obama? musicians? what else?
• Blog or Journal 
• Check out 7 Steps to Flatten Your Classroom

Week 4 Gong Hei Fat Choi