Sino-US Education Guizhou Forum

Thursday, December 4^th, 2008

This morning I was the “loose noodle.” We’ve had a running joke provided by our group leader that we must function as a group. Functioning as a group is called “sticky rice.” We all stick together. The day we walked up the Great Wall, two of our delegates were “loose noodles.” They were LATE from the trek back down the wall, and our bus had to wait on them. Since that day, we’ve had a running joke about the loose noodles. This morning I had the pleasure of having a video conference with my two kiddos – Bobby and Gracie! It was the highlight of the day, and I feel grounded since I was able to talk to them and see their sweet faces. I taught them how to count to ten on one hand, and also a few terms in Chinese. BUT as a result, I was the “loose noodle,” and the bus almost left without me for the forum.

SINO-US EDUCATION GUIZHOU FORUM

What a welcome reception! The people of China literally “rolled out the red carpet” for our delegation! As we arrived at the Guizhou Normal University, we were greeted with a red carpet lined with Chinese performers dressed in full cultural costume. Approximately 100 performers lined the red carpet, as we walked by drummers, dancers, and singers. It was another “goose bump” moment. They made it clear that they were thankful to have us here. The opening ceremonies of the Sino-US Education Guizhou Forum was our equivalent of the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics.

 Rolling Out the Red Carpet

AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

The forum itself started with introductions of important education leaders in China. The sponsors of the forum are: The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs. The organizers of the program are: Guizhou Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Guizhou Normal University, Guizhou Provincial Education Society, China Star Professional Programs, All-China Youth Federation, and Guizhou.

The opening speakers thanked us for our American participation in the forum, and for traveling such a far distance to China and to Guiyang. They also thanked the sponsors and organizers of the forum. The goal for the forum is that it will serve as a platform for us to have broader exchangers between US and China. It is hoped that we will learn from each other and come up with solutions to common problems that we come across in teaching.

China has 13, 645 primary schools, and 4,550 teaching centers in Guizhou with 4,663,000 enrolled students and 192,000 full-time teachers.  There are approximately 2 million middle school students, and 485 high schools. China’s 9-year compulsory education program has been made universal, and by and large illiteracy among young and middle aged people has been basically eliminated. 94% of people can read and write.

China representatives outlined their plan and to improve education in China, as well as their achievements. The plan includes a strategy to improve literacy, provide strong higher education programs, and also strengthen vocational training.

Following presentations by Chinese leaders of the forum, we heard from several American experts in their respective fields. The goal was to provide an overview of education in America, to complement the overview provided by the Chinese.  

Forum presenters shared highlights of their Hope Project Schools. There are 1440 of these schools in China. They help students of financially challenged families, provide dormitories for teachers and students, and boast no less than 200 students in each school. Elementary schools have 200 students, middle schools have 600, and high schools have 2000 students in their facilities. This program has reached 165,000 students across the country, and the largest Hope Project School is in the Guizhou province.

TIME ON CAMPUS

Our delegation had the pleasure of dining at the campus canteen. It was a wonderful opportunity to experience first hand university life.  We grabbed our lunch trays and served ourselves cafeteria style. The tables were arranged in structured rows.

 After lunch we were able to take a short tour of the campus. I was surprised by how much I learned on the tour. Our group was led by a university student tour guide. Our guide, Layonda (her English name), did a wonderful job of allowing us to tour the campus library, including the historical documents facilities, computer labs, and the print book library.  The students were working in computer labs arranged in rows. There was no wireless connectivity, and students could only access library resources from the computer in the lab. Remote access to university resources was not available.

 Card Catalog

A LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY USE IN US SCHOOLS BY BOB MOORE, BLUE VALLEY SCHOOLS

Bob Moore offered a presentation on what is happening in the United States with respect to technology to a group of American and Chinese educator leaders in this field. Here are some highlights of Bob’s presentation.  In 2008 alone, approximately 15 billion will be spent on technology in schools. All but a very small amount is funded by states and local school districts. Some people are still not convinced of the value so funding is not guaranteed, and the current economic downturn threatens future spending.

Bob offered an overview of NCLB and its impact on American education, and the role of technology in the legislation. Technology is helping schools meet NCLB, enabling data driven decision-making, supporting online assessments, and technology-enabled interventions.

Technology skills are essential for a 21^st century education, and schools are embracing technology to prepare students for the future. Examples of this include: one laptop per child initiatives, intelligent classrooms, and web 2.0 tools for collaboration.

COMPUTER AND NETWORK IN EDUCATION, XU ZERONG, DEPUTY PROFESSOR, GNU

Xu Zerong provided a look at the use of technology to support learning. He addressed structured and unstructured learning, and the role of technology in supporting the two different types. He also discussed the fact that the use of technology makes information appear in a different form. I studied new literacies of the Internet during my doctoral coursework, and was able to connect to this important point. Technology in schools provides an opportunity to students to learn to access information differently. As teachers, we need to teach students how to tap into these new strategies. Xu Zerong used a variety of analogies as part of his presentation. One story pointed out the belief that technology is like the tool that fisherman use to trap fish.

INFORMAL DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS

Following the formal presentations by Bob Moore and Xu Zerong, the delegation had an information question and answer session with the assistance of an interpreter. Below are some highlights from that information discussion. Students in China at the University use the Internet to socialize and communicate. Chinese students use QQ, which is like our Yahoo to communicate between teachers and students and between students. For the eastern part of China, the Internet system is well organized, better than for the students in northwest China. Use of the Internet to socialize is very popular in China.

The most prominent consumer technology in the USA is the cell phone. It can be used to connect to the Internet, texting, email, camera, camcorder, etc. In US schools, in many cases, students are not allowed to use texting. Also, many schools purchase cameras and video cameras for students to use. What we are trying to understand in the US is how can we learn to use the technology that students already have in our schools. Additionally, some students can afford to purchase their own laptops, thus creating an interesting dilemma in some American districts.

I asked the Chinese delegates about the types of technology in their schools, since most of the conversations had only centered on computers and the Internet. I listed examples of American technologies, such as SmartBoards, sound amplification devices, iPods, projectors, etc. They responded that they had similar technologies, but also technologies of the past including the tape recorder and white board. They are currently researching SmartBoards.

What types of support are available for “Intelligent Classrooms?” Helen Hoch from Burlingame, Kansas responded that her district had site based technology support. 90% of her high schools have intelligent classrooms. Other delegates shared stories of support in their buildings and districts. Michael Ramirez from North Kansas City, Missouri shared that his district nurtures teacher experts with different tools. Teachers then jigsaw to teach one another how to use the tools.

What does distance learning look like in China? Distance learning has a long history in China starting in 1970’s. It is controlled by the government, and is delivered through the television and the Internet. In the 20^th century, the government granted rights to 68 Universities to offer distance learning. After evaluating distance learning, they found it was very hard to set a standard. As a result, no more universities can have these rights. Distance learning is only available for universities. 

Jon Bernstein addressed the issue of equal access to technology, and asked how prevalent computers and Internet access are in homes in China and how reliant students are on this home access. In China, most of the parents an afford technology in homes. But most parents don’t allow them to use technology at home because they believe this will influence their studies negatively. Most of the students in primary and middle school, who want to use technology, use it at school. 90% of students have access to technology.

One of the Chinese delegates asked about our use of web 2.0 tools. I answered, using ePals as an example. I shared that classrooms use our safe and protected social network for education to connect with other classrooms around the world. The example I shared was having a classroom in the United States connect with a classroom in China, and shared that China classrooms were already a part of our network. This enables students to develop cultural awareness and sensitivity. The Chinese delegate asked how students could connect. I answered that connections for students occur through their classroom teacher using formal web 2.0 tools such as our SchoolMail and SchoolBlog. Students also connect on our student forums, that are moderated by ePals team members who moderate them for appropriate content.

 For a peek at pictures from yesterday and today, go to share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNGjFw3cM2TtQ . I'm headed to an evening banquet, and will embed them in the blog posts later!