Henan Province June 2011

Exam week is over, there is a holiday on the following Monday and then there are 4 days to take 39 Grade 9 student traveling in China. Where to go is the important question – and the answer is Henan Province. The bus with the 39 students, 4 teachers and tour director Jerry leaves the school at 6:00pm to the Western Train Station in time to catch the 8:00pm train. No problems clearing security, time for a snack and even some time for some card games and then it is time to find our hard sleeper. While it seems like a long journey we finally arrive at the car and get settled in. The train leaves on time and the 2011 Grade 9 China Link trip to Henan Province is off and running.

The night is uneventful on board. Lights out is at 10:30 and the car is quiet by 11:00 – everyone is asleep or resting peacefully by 11:30. There are stops and starts all night long as the train is not direct. Not a problem as everyone in the hard sleeper is going to Henan. The train is scheduled to arrive at 8:00am but when we awake in the morning we find out we will be about an hour late. The students mull about, eat, play games and some even remain under cover until they must get out.

Upon arrival at the station we meet our local guide Joe who takes us to the bus and it is off to a local hotel for a buffet breakfast. Quite nice too. The hotel is well ventilated and air-conditioned as it is VERY hot outside already. One thing about Henan Province in the second week of June is the temperature – it is always hot.

Our first tour is the Longmen Grotto, which is a series of caves in the walls of a riverbank that date back a few centuries. They are all still there along with most of the carvings and Buddhist religious icons. They are extremely neat to see and the walk along the river, while a bit long, is peaceful, quiet and scenic. Crossing the river to the other side and an equal walk back to the awaiting air-conditioned bus.

The afternoon is at a Taoist Temple where we have lunch and take some time to lounge around and look at the sights. Some of the students had their fortune told by the local temple seer. There are some interesting relics, statues and buildings to see here at the temple. We then board the bus and it is off to the hotel. Dinner is at a local Shaolin restaurant the food is plentiful and delicious.

The evening is filled with a show of local talent from the various Shaolin Kung-Fu schools. There is story line telling of the history of the area and some of the important events in the time line of the Shaolin Kung-Fu. The show is amazing, to say the least, with all the latest of electronic events tied in with some fabulous choreography. The actors are filled with energy and it spills over to the very enthusiastic crowd.

Day 3 sees us off to spend the morning with the Kung-Fu monks at one of the local schools. There are over 8000 students at this school and these monks who are pleasant and very well mannered greet us with great pomp and ceremony. They take us to a small auditorium where we watch performances of some of the training that they do as well as some of the more exciting moves they perform (one of the monks broke a steel rod over his head). We they have a photo session with the monks who are happy to allow this. After this we break into small groups of 4-5 and share some our energy with them in the form of games. There is a language barrier since none of the monks speak English. Lucky for our students, their Chinese is easily understood by the monks so gradually all the barriers are broken and there is lots of fun and friendship that transpires. To end the morning the monks invite us to have a regular lunch with them. The meal is healthy and varied and we are happy to share with them. Finally we have to say goodbye as we must move one and they must get back to their studies.

The afternoon is taken up with a visit to the Shaolin Temple where there is a hike up the mountain to a special monastery and a look around the temple. It is amazing to see the temple but the day is very hot and long and is taking a toll on some of the members of the team. Most of them are very glad to be back in the bus and there is a lot of sleeping happening as we move on to our last night’s hotel. The meal at another local restaurant is magnificent with an abundance of food and tasty treats. The students tonight are not up very late and there is no problem enforcing lights out tonight.

The last day starts with a bus ride to the local museum, which is truly a sight that should not be missed. Very well laid out, itemized and organized in specific categories, there is something here for everyone. It is also well air-conditioned. Two of the boys are really feeling under the weather and are taking it easy for the morning.

We are off to a local mall where there is plenty of food for lunch and each student is given RMB25 to spend for lunch anywhere they want. I feel like a milkshake so I settle in at the Dairy Queen for the break, joined by several other students and one other teacher.

Our last trip is off to the hovercraft for a ride up the yellow river to a sand bank where the students can ride horses if they want. The trip is comfortable and the scenery is great. There is a bridge being constructed across the river that must be at least 5km long. I am not sure when it will be completed but to see it under construction was breathtaking. While we are here we also take in the stone-mountain engraving of the two kings who united this part of China. It is quite amazing to see and some of the students even climbed up to the top to have a better look.

Finally we are transported to the airport, say our goodbyes to Joe (the local guide), who was great, and get our gear for the plane trip back to Beijing. Unfortunately the flight is delayed by 3 hours but the students handle this very well with card games, resting, conversation and, of course, food. Everyone arrives back in Beijing with a better understanding of Henan Province and the wonders that are there.

If you want to see all the pics I took click here.

How are you showing learning

Just finished watching a great presentation by Marco Torres who challenged us to look at what we do to show learning. He was not just talking about how we get studentsnto show learning but how we as teachers show learning. Being connected to the world gives us many opportunities to save reflections, ideas and thoughts so why are not showing off our learning. Marco was adamant about this being a part of our process for things such as selecting principals and teachers. Since students want to produce in a media rich world, why do teachers and administrators not do the same. Some really great information so far today. What is next?

Cambodia 2011

Cambodia January 28-February 5, 2011

Just spent a wonderful week in Cambodia during Chinese New Year 2011. There were a lot of people there because of this holiday but at no time did it feel crowded or over populated. The tourists were a wonderful group from all over the world and shared experiences at meals and special times.





Flew through Bangkok to Siem Reap, which is in the north west of Cambodia. Here is where all the wonderful temples from the Bayon era are located. I spent three days touring around the area with a guide to help me understand the history of this area. It really is the way to go. He was wonderful. One thing for sure, there are a lot of steep stairs to climb, the weather is hot and there is little shade so you have to be prepared for this in advance. So many of the temples have a special aire about them and at times it was easy to see why so many people visit these. Each on had its own special flavour and individual appeal. You can see from the pictures that it is quite a neat place to spend time in.

I did spend some time out at the floating city looking at the captured crocodiles, looking at samples of the fish, tasting the local cuisine and watching daily life go by. It was interesting to see the market building being towed along from area to area so people could purchase the things they need.

One morning I woke at 5:00am to go and see the sunrise over Ankor Wat. It was a neat experience but not really worth it. The sun does not actually rise over the temple but rather to the south of the main complex. There was a beautiful sunrise and some great early morning vistas, but overall I felt this is over rated.



One of the temples is the place where Tomb Raider was filmed with Angelina Jolie. I could actually visualize her coming racing out of the doorway where all the huge tropical trees had over grown the stones. It was a neat experience. It was also the place where I met a family I know from ISB. We only talked for a moment and I now wish I had asked then out to dinner that night. My mistake.

From here it was a 6-hour boat ride across a very large lake and down the rivers of Cambodia to Pnom Phen. This ride was very exciting and very worth while. I do guess it would depend on the weather. We were able to sit out on the roof of the cabin and watch the world go by or sit in the air-conditioned cabin area. It was great to see life in the floating city of the lake and also to watch the daily routines of the waterway. The people always waved and were very friendly.





Pnom Phen was a great disappointment. All it really seems to have is the normal capital city attractions of a King’s Palace and a National museum. Both are worth seeing while you are there but nothing outstanding. The two places representing the dark times of the Pol-Pot regime are represented with the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields. Both are sad places to visit and remember the dark times in the recent history of Cambodia. I did get to meet one of the seven survivors of S-21 which was an interesting occurrence. I am sure he has some really gruesome tales to tell. S-21 was the High School converted to prison where such atrocities were carried out. It makes your mind spin. These can all be done in one day so I did spend a lot of time just walking the streets and at the pool in the hotel.Cambodia is really worth seeing and 8-10 days is plenty of time. The end of January to beginning of February is a great time to go since it is the dry season and the weather, although hot, made the viewing and traveling pleasant.

You can see all my pics here.

Shanghai Expo 2010

A little late in getting this post up but I spent 3 days in Shanghai at the Expo and only saw about 60% of it. The site was huge to say the least. The map at the left shows all the sections of the site open to the public.

From the main entrance the most imposing site was the Chinese pavilion. Built as two parts, the national pavilion above the provinces pavilion, it was a sight that is hard to not remember. Built in the style of a Chinese gate with the traditional beams fitted together, it was fantastic landmark of the entire site.

There were a large number of people there but the site was well organized for large numbers. The lines to some of the pavilions were very long, others you walked right in.

The Chinese Pavilion.




Here are some more pics of pavilions.

You can see all my pics here.

Get ready to T,T and T!

The three things in life I love, travel, teaching and technology - all of them are a big part of my life and an integral part of why I do the things I do. Living and teaching in Beijing, China is starting to grow on me. After 7 years in Hong Kong, 3 years in Caracas, Venezuela, 6 years in Manila, Philippines and 2 years in Abijan, Cote d'Ivoire, I can officially say I love to be overseas and the life it offers.

In order to get to know me from the start, I have traveled to the following places (I do not consider landing in a plane to change planes traveling); Egypt, skiiing in Switzerland & Italy, traveled extensively in the Philippines, games camps in Botswana, South Africa, Vietnam, spent three summers in Bangkok, Thailand completing my graduate degree, Mongolia, Russia (twice - once on the Trans-Siberian), sailed down the west coast of British Colombia, took a train across Australia and also Alaska, beach holiday in Bali, traveled to Dakar, Senegal for 4 days, boated (sp???) across Europe from Bucharest, Romania to Amsterdam, spent 3 days in Prague, Czech Republic and a few other small weekend trips to places in China and Asia.

Technology, including gadgets is another passion. Teaching High School Technology is really a great way to expand students learning, help teachers add in some Learning in the 21st Century skills and watch as the whole world of technology transforms both learning and teaching. I am not into forcing this carte blanche, but hope that with exemplars and assistance, I can convert more and more teachers to look deep into this in their teaching and see how to expand learning -afterall, that is what it is all about.

You can always contact me at my email and I try hard to respond in a timely fashion. Comments are always welcome as are conversations. Hopefully all this will really make a difference to our students learning and future generations.

Signing off today,

Harold Daw