Time to blog again

I love blogging and have not had much time lately. Now, I have an
excuse to blog again so here it goes...

MY HAT, MY LAPTOP AND MY RED BAG.... And I am off again....

For me, teaching is filled with possibilities of learning so much. I learn by observing, by doing and I learn thru experiences. I love the magic of getting into an airplane in one part of the world and ending up on a huge learning adventure on the other. It is like being on the Miss Frizzle bus....

I am humbled and extremely excited to have been awarded by Marathon Oil Co. a coveted position in a feasibility study travel team that is researching in W. Africa for the next 2 weeks. We will be studying technology integration in their global educational centers and researching the feasibility of using technology to build more fiscally acceptable English Language centers on location.
This award is a tremendous yet humbling vindication of my current teaching philosophy and practices....however, I readily admit that I am still fumbling. Bringing 21st century teaching tools to remote areas of the African rain forest will give me immeasurable angles into how to best improve my implementation of GL district technology offerings in Rm 103.

I would like to take this chance to thank every one of you coming to class every day ready and willing to do your best. Thank you for giving me a fair chance to share with you and thank you for accepting me as your teacher. This was an AMAZING Tri for me and you had all to do with it. I learned so much from you that I know that next Tri will be even better because of you and because of you valuable input.

I also want to give a shout out to my administration for being brave enough to allow this little farm town teacher to reach for the sky to bring back the moon to her students. Opportunities like this simply do not happen to people like me and I promise to use this privilege to refill my teaching goody bag and share on my return. Please take a moment to thank my admin. so that they know that the community has their backs in innovative and bold decisions like this one.

So I am off to learn, so I can teach, so I can learn, so I can teach, so I can learn....and may learning never stop

IT BEGINS

It has been an amazing school year already and it is only week 4!!! I am teaching an extended schedule just like last year so it is difficult to make time to blog. However, I cannot possibly give up journaling about what goes on in Rm 103 so I will post when I can.

So far this year, I have introduced the newly restructured, all improved Blackboard aided Hybrid course to my students. I am very excited about sharing each online chapter with them, because there are goodies at every turn. Each year, the students seem to accept this learning option, more and more. I have 99% freshmen this year and I am really glad they are the first to see this new version of my World History Hybrid course.

Right now about 92% of my students are actively hitting the blackboard website almost every day. I have even seen a hike in numbers of students using Blackboard who do not have internet access at home. Student of different learning styles and academic levels are finding useful online resources on Bboard to help them learn.

This week, we used the new high school iPod lab to take online quizzes. The feedback from the students was surprisingly very positive. More and more students feel more comfortable with the idea of taking academic assessment on a gadget they normally used for entertainment. Like last year, the students will have the also be taking quizzes and test from home....They absolutely LOVED this idea....I absolutely LOVE them for LOVING this idea...LOL!

GOOD BYE HONG KONG

I was sad leaving Hong Kong because I had such an amazing experience. I also wished I could stay another couple of months to really get to know this place. I am still pinching myself every day to convince myself that I really had this experience...the phone call, the excitement, the rock star treatment, the people, sights...this stuff only happens in movies!
In this video footage, you can see the extent of Honk Kong proper.

Good bye Honk Kong...I will see you again!

Found Jackie!!

Many of you know that Jackie Chan is one of my all time favorite mega celebs. He is from Hong Kong...I didn't see him (sigh!) but this was close enough! Yeeey!

Victoria Bay

Woah!!!

Sorry, couldn't find any translationPlease support us by using Babylon search engine

BAMBOO SCAFFOLDING???

Man, Hong Kong's skyline is dominated by some of the world's tallest buildings. However, the city still uses bamboo scaffolding for much of its construction work – a traditional skill passed down over 5000 years.
As you know, bamboo is sustainable, lightweight and cheap and, as long as it remains fairly dry, a good construction material with significant mechanical properties. Researchers, engineers, environmentalists and bureaucrats have taken an increasing interest in the craft, such that regulations and practice continue to be improved and refined.

Hong Kong obviously does not have the safety and structural design codes that we do here in the US. However, the bamboo structures seem pretty sturdy and safe. Bamboo is a weed and it grows very quickly so there is tons of this recyclable resource everywhere here in China.....Brilliant!!

This stalls where squeezed in a small alley!

Gold Fish for sale by the hundreds!

Meat and Fish also sold here way into the nightlll

On of the most amazing things about Hong Kong is, of course, the flea markets. There are markets for everything: Bird Market, Gold Fish Market, Ladies Market, etc... Locals and tourist make shopping a favorite past time here in Hong Kong. In fact, Hong Kong is know as the world's best shopping destination. People from all over Asia, come to Hong Kong just to shop!

These markets stretch for blocks with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of cheap merchandise. There re also food stalls (many specializing in seafood), plus a few fortune tellers and palm readers that add to the exotic atmosphere of HK.

Unfortunately I did not have too much time to shop. I intended to shop for a couple of hours but I found myself walking and walking because I wanted to see it all and take hundreds of pictures. I will have to shop on my next visit to HK

T
It is simply amazing what happens when teachers are allowed to do what they do best which is create and teach. The presentations and projects I saw today were simply mind blowing. I want to be a student in so many of these teachers' classrooms!!! Teachers from all over the world are working to better the education for their students and I hope administrators and politicians begin supporting what we do

Microsoft Innovative Teacher Forum 2oo8

D-Day

With everything ready and on hand, we got on the bus today and headed to the Asia World Expo center to prepare our presentations. Everyone was really nervous because a lot of work has gone into many of these projects.
The Asia World Expo center is about 40 minutes away from HK proper and it is like the Lansing Civic Center (a convention center) times like...dunno...25? There is even a train station inside that to take people to and fro down town Hong Kong. I don't really think I have ever been in a building this big other than an airport.

In the video, you can see the hype and buzz and everyone setting up their booths for the judges. The coolest part of this day, for me was all the booth hoping I got to do. I really didn't have time to stop at everyone's booth because it was so easy to get absorbed into a conversation/discussion about any given presentation in any of the stations. There were so many questions to ask, business cards to exchange and amazing ideas to be amazed by that I think I only got to maybe 5 or 6 booths on this first day.

Hong Kong Street Scenes

The streets of Hong Kong are always crowded. People walk at a relatively fast pace here. They also plow their way through unsuspecting tourist. People are not really playing 'chicken' like I was...you literary have to get out of their way or they will plow into you!!

This must be a natural defense mode that people here have developed to manage the amazing over crowding.

Despite this energetic way of sharing the side walk, I saw no road rage by drivers or pedestrians. When people bumped into me, they simply excused themselves politely and went on their way.

Steep Streets
Most of the streets in Hong Kong are ridiculously steep. It reminds me of San Francisco except these streets are a lot more crowded. The building are also very close together and incredibly tall. People here live in harmony even though they are so packed in together.
Most of the apartment buildings are at least 30 floors tall.
Man, I would hate forget my books in my 48th floor apartment once I got to the bottom of the street!...what if the elevator breaks?? its no wonder everyone here has amazing gluts and calves...

Looking for Food Again

Sigh....why am i looking for food??? Check out the spread Microsoft had for us every single day!

Now, Time for the NEW


The World's Longest Escalator

After a tour through the old part of town. we were taken to the new part of town to see some of the modern improvement the Honk Kong government has built. At this point, our team still did not have any ideas of what our project was going to look like. We were too busy absorbing the sites.

We were taken to the world's longest escalator. I feel so happy right now I feel the need to be very generous. Email me a paragraph about the world's longest escalator in the world and earn 5 points toward your last test. You must be the first one in your hour to send me the information and I must publish it write here on this post in order to get the extra credit. I hope you are not sick and tired of the videos because there is so much more to come. I miss you.....
OMGdddd....is that a LAMBORGHINI?

The World's Longest Escalator
by Sandie Zhao, 5th hr World History

The world's longest escalator is the four section Ocean Park outdoor escalator system located at the Ocean Park amusement and entertainment center at Hong Kong. The escalator has a vertical rise of 377 feet and stretches out to 225 meters or 745 feet in length.

The longest escalator in the western hemisphere is located at the Wheaton station of the Washington Metro subway system. It has an overall length of 155 meters or 508 feet and takes over 3 minutes to ride.

Thank for posting Sandie...You have earned 5 Canton points to use on your Unit 4 Test!! Yeyyyyy!

The Man Mo Temple
This temple was built in the 27th year of Emperor Daoguang, Qing Dynasty in 1847 A.D.

Be the first in your hour to email me with a paragraph about this temple and earn 10 pts. toward your unit# 4 and final tri test....imagine that!

PS: Make sure you get an approval email from me before you assume you won the slot....K?

Come inside the Man Mo temple with me....

In Search of Clean Underwear!?!?!
My teammate Molly's suitcase did not make it to Hong Kong at the same time she did. So the night of our arrival, we decided to go out and buy the essentials. As you know, my hotel is located inside a mall that boasts 700+ stores. Well, in Michigan, that all sounded fantastic! In the real world, it is a virtual nightmare. A happy nightmare but a nightmare non the less.
I mean, I have been to some of the world's largest malls but this one takes the cake. I am guessing it probably takes up a couple-three city blocks and connects several large skyscrapers and office buildings together.
The mall is called Harbor City and it is subdivided into different departments. Every department (like childrens, sports, youth, etc) has a gazillion stores and it is about the size of a football field. it took us almost 30 minutes to even find the lady's department so we could buy underwear. We kept getting turned around, asking for directions and then getting turned around again and again. The hardest part was trying to stay focused on the pursuit of the underwear....there was merchandise calling me left and right...making it impossible to keep my eyes on the prize....what a nightmare!!!
It was almost a full hour+ before Molly actually purchased the underthings dang it!

The mall even had several harbor outlets so huge cruise ships like this one could dock right on the side of the mall and let tourists in....!?!?!

Watch the in search for undies videos 1 (left) and 2 (right)

Hong Kong Tid Bit
by Nick Mulder, World History 2nd hr.

Hong Kong is a city in China made up of 235 islands and a section of mainland called Kowloon. Settlement in Hong Kong began during the Paleolithic era. It was occupied by England in 1841. Durring the first half of the 20^th century Hong Kong was a free port. Hong Kong has similar government to us with three branches. Hong Kong is made up of territories and districts. About 95 % of Hong Kong’s population is of Chinese descent.

It takes up about 426 square miles of land. 4.6 % of the area is covered in water. The land is very mountainous. The average yearly temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees F. Summers in Hong Kong are similar to Michigan summers. The population in 2008 is about 6,985,200 people.

Nick has earned 10 Cantonese points toward his Unit #3 test. Thanx for playin', Nick!

Meet Molly B.

Molly is the most important half of the American delegation to the Innovative Teacher forum. She is definately the "structure" to my "fluff & hype". She is, like, super accomplished, has her own education consulting company and works as a course developer and virtual soc. teacher @ Michigan Virtual University.
We have been working together for the Microsoft CareerForward project for a couple of years now. Last year, after months of development, we took the show on the road and traveled all over the state of Michigan training trainers (mostly education Information Specialist and Technicians) how to teach this course to teachers. Now CareerForward has been released nationally and it is free to all students in the US that care to take it. Hopefully, after HK we will be working on the International launch of this very cool, very useful course.
We plan to work hard all year to create CareerForward 2 (Urban Edition) and enter the project in next year's National Microsoft Innovative Teacher Forum in Seatle to see if we get selected again to go to the next International Competition. Yeah...we are pretty addicted!!!

Ok, I promised myself I would not take any videos of the very spicy Honk Kong night life for obvious reasons but I heard the first 2 bars of this song....I ran as fast as I could into this basement club, pushed people out of the way so that I could record this cover band play this song....Small world isn't it?
This all Chinese band is a great example of the ethnic diversity in Honk Kong.

The Dried Foods Market part 3

There was so much to see in this market that there is obviously no way to show u everything.

I loved playing with all the dehydrated shtuff!!! mmmh I wonder what this one tastes like.

wow! I saw a ton of dehydrated animals. The poultry was the most amazing because ancient travelers could eat duck soup any time the decided to boil these dried up ducks in a pot. If you click on the picture, you can see a lot of detail....including the duck bill
In the picture below, you can see that they even dried up lizards and sea horses.

Congratulations USA!!!
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek".

- Barack Obama

What are you willing to do to change yourself, your home life, your school, your community? No more blaming others or making poor excuses for the state of our country. Get Involved....Here is how