[clay dube]

Here's my presentation on Taiwan's struggle to democratize.

[clay dube]

By the way, Lu Lu sent this note our way:

now I remember the old slogan from my middle school and added that into the ppt, which is, 求真 （find truth）勤思 （think hard) 惜时 (save time) 健美 （keep fit)...

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

Below is Lu Lu's presentation on going to school in Shanghai. Her school, by the way, sent students to be part of the Philadelphia Orchestra's visit to the Shanghai Expo.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,
Here is the Hong Kong overview presentation.

[clay dube]

Hi Mike,

You can pay a fee to AT&T to be able to use your iPhone there. The costs are high (a monthly surcharge of something like $6, plus per minute charges), but it is the most convenient option. I used an AT&T phone in China last fall without any problems (one advantage, you keep your number, one disadvantage -- you keep your number, which means that if someone in China calls you it is an international call for them). Skype might work, but you'd need to have an international or China data plan to cover the connection fee.

In early May Linda and I were in Shanghai. I tried to get that same phone unlocked (legal, since my service contract had long since expired and I was no longer even an AT&T customer). The phone wizards at a cell phone palace in Shanghai were unable to make it happen. If you do have an unlocked GSM phone, you can simply buy a SIM card which will have a local phone number (calls from the use will need to use 011-86 ahead of your cell number). The per minute charge is about 1 yuan for calls within China and 8 yuan for international calls.

How are we doing on our Chinese yuan, Taiwan NT$ and Hong Kong $ exchange rates? Are you ready to do that math in your head?

We will have two phones on the trip and will probably also have the guide's phone numbers as well. We will also give you the hotel phone/fax numbers once everything is confirmed. In most cases, this is plenty to share with family who might need to contact you in an emergency. IT IS NOT NECESSARY to bring your phone or to buy a phone in China.

PS - Unlocked means to be released from a single network.

[clay dube]

Hi Michael (I think that's who USC5000 is),

The Little Red Book is better known today among foreign visitors to China than among children. Three decades ago, though, kids would already have started memorizing some of the quotations included in the Little Red Book.

I think the little books will be a hit. I'm curious which characters you've had them latch on to for the five topics. Here are some possibilities.

family 家 jia
faith 信念 xinnian
friendship 友谊 youyi
peace 和平 heping
students 学生xuesheng

While we're having a mini-Chinese lesson, how is everyone doing with her/his numbers? Have you bought phrase books? Anyone listening to cds or tapes to get some basics down?

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

Venus has already alerted you to our planned school visits. These could change, but it's a good idea to start getting ready by preparing small gifts from students to students or from you to students.

-- the key chain will be a big hit and it's an idea others may wish to act upon as well

-- bookmarks made by your students for students in C and T will be a hit, be sure to have the students personalize them in some way, they could draw or glue photos to the bookmarks and you can laminate them, they're flat, unbreakable, and easy to carry

-- trifold "hello I am...." brochures introducing oneself

-- postcards, stickers, visors, pens and pencils

YOU NEED TO SCREEN ALL GIFTS for appropriateness. This is critical. Explain this ahead of having students work on their contributions and hopefully this will help you avoid having to leave materials behind.

Other items to consider preparing for the school visit:

-- You might bring a memory card for your camera with pictures of your students on it that you can show students you meet in China/Taiwan.

-- You could bring a small photo album that has your school, your students, your family, and favorite places or things included. This will open the door to many conversations.

-- You could bring a school yearbook which will fascinate students and teachers alike.

-- A school shirt, hat, visor, or other distinctive item to share with 1 person at two of the schools.

-- A book that could be part of a group gift to the school.

BE SURE that your school notes your participation in the school newspaper/newsletter and be sure that you let your school's PTSA and/or booster club know about your selection to go on this prestigious journey. Tell them about your curriculum development plans. At the very least, this will help you get the recognition you deserve for the time and effort required. In some cases, the booster club may give you a small grant to buy items to use with students in the future. $100 will buy hours of discussion starter items.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

Please put your web site reviews in the Asia in My Classroom forum, in the web resources thread.

http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/showpost.aspx?PostID=390

As noted there, please put the name of the resource in the subject line. This makes it much easier for those scanning the posts. When adding web links, please take a moment to make them clickable. To do this, simply click on the link symbol (an icon that looks like a chain link). That brings up a dialogue box. If you want to insert different text (e.g., Asian Art Museum) you can do so there. If not, if you just want to let readers see the link itself, click ok and then in the second dialogue box type or paste in the web address (what's called the "url"). Hit ok and now you've inserted a link that is "hot", that readers only need to click on to open a new web browser window featuring the desired web page.

Thanks --

BTW -- the Asian Art Museum was featured in a recent issue of our Teaching about Asia newsletter. One of the museum's strengths are a collection of lesson plans. You can purchase print versions, which often contain discs with images, etc., but most can also be downloaded in pdf format free of charge. Here's a link to the "education" section of the website:

http://www.asianart.org/education.htm
On the left side of the page are links to specific packets for different regions.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

The next California Council for Social Studies conference is in Sacramento March 4-6, 2011. Please consider proposing a panel on teaching about Asia. USC NCTA alumni are eligible for small grants to defray the cost of attending such conferences to present lessons/strategies/materials developed to teach about East Asia.

There are many possible panel topics. One that plays on an important anniversary is the 100th anniversary of China's 1911 revolution. Other possibilities might include presentations on the role of the Olympics and World Expos in shaping domestic and international perceptions of host cities and peoples.

The title of the conference is "Boom and Bust: Celebrating 50 Years of Social Studies."
Details about the conference and how to propose a panel are at:

http://www.ccss.org/2011_conf.htm

Please feel free to use the forum to kick around possible panel topics or to recruit fellow presenters.

[clay dube]

The 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War is a month away. Here in the US, it's Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember the sacrifices made by soldiers and others during wartime. More than 36,000 US soldiers died in the war (33,000 in battle). South Korean forces suffered 58,000 combat deaths. Also on the UN side, the UK, Turkey, Canada, Australia, France, the Philippines, and South Africa suffered combat deaths. North Korean combat deaths were estimated at 215,000, while Chinese deaths were put at 114,000 by the Chinese authorities and over 400,000 by the US. Total casualties (dead, wounded) were over 1.1 million. Civilian casualties may be twice that many.

An international investigation has concluded that a North Korean submarine used a torpedo to sink a South Korean naval vessel. Some 46 were killed when the ship went down. The six party talks over the North Korean nuclear program are at a standstill. The two Koreas are exchanging charges and suspending various ties.

Have you been talking with students about any of these developments? What questions have students raised? Please share your thoughts and experiences.

References/Resources:
NCTA partner Stanford Program on Intercultural Education unit, Uncovering North Korea, includes a dvd copy of the outstanding documentary State of Mind, focusing on preparations for the mass games. http://spice.stanford.edu/catalog/uncovering_north_korea/ (table of contents available for download, unit package is $70)

Congressional Research Service report on American wartime casualties:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf

Korea Society, Korean-US Relations as Seen Through Documents (lesson plan for high school)
http://www.koreasociety.org/download_document/397_bohs_10_korean-u.s._relations_through_documents.pdf.html

Asia Society Jan. 2010 discussion with Barbara Demick (LA Times reporter) on her book, Nothing to Envy about life in North Korea (video and a text summary):http://www.asiasociety.org/policy-politics/international-relations/us-asia/barbara-demick-nothing-envy

Columbia University list of Asia Society/Korea Society units on the Korean War for download:
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/tps/1950_ko.htm#war

[clay dube]

The Japan Society has many wonderful web resources available. Later this week, they offer a live webcast that teachers and students are invited to participate in. You can submit questions as well. Details are below and a beautiful flyer is attached.

A-Bomb Survivor Panel Discussion & Live Webcast: Share Your Voice with Panelists from Hiroshima
Friday, May 21, 2010, 1:30–3 pm EST

Live Webcast at http://www.japansociety.org/hibakusha

Co-organized by Japan Society Education Programs, Hibakusha Stories & United Nations Cyberschoolbus

Students have the rare opportunity to hear a select group of survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima, called hibakusha in Japanese, give first-hand accounts of their experiences. Select local school groups will attend the program in person, which will also be broadcast live on the web and available free of charge to schools nationwide. There will be an opportunity for students to e-mail questions for the hibakusha ahead of time and during the event via http://www.japansociety.org/hibakusha.

Only school groups may reserve seats at the Japan Society auditorium. Space is limited. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call (212) 715-1275.

Teachers interested in teaching about the atomic bomb will also find useful our webcast of Mr. Masahiro Sasaki, whose sister has been immortalized in the story of Sadako and 1000 cranes, and Mr. Tsugio Ito, who had the misfortune of losing his brother at Hiroshima and his son at 9/11. The subtitles webcasts is of them speaking to American high school and middle school teachers last July, and is also described on the attached PDF. It can be found here:
http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/from_hiroshima_to_new_york

Robert Fish, the Japan Society's education director, shared this info. I highly recommend checking out this opportunity and other Japan Society resources.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

I love the exchange going on here on films. Your contributions are terrific. For films and websites, though, we would like you to discuss those in the main Asia in My Curriculum forum. This is because others may find the ideas useful as well. Please hit reply.

Film Festival:
http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/showpost.aspx?PostID=389&PageIndex=33

Web Resources:
http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/showpost.aspx?PostID=390

smiling,
clay[Edit by="Clay Dube on May 28, 12:36:13 PM"]PLEASE post your film and website reviews in the Asia in My Classroom forum, not in the seminar forum. Thank you. [/Edit]

[clay dube]

Hi Folks - Venus has gotten things started, but now it's time for everyone to chime in. Please write a sentence or two to introduce yourself. We'll all meet this weekend, but here you can say a bit about what and where you teach, how long you've been teaching, and what you're looking forward to on the trip.

[clay dube]

Rocky -- This is a wonderful resource. Thanks for sharing it. Please remember to post workshop or seminar announcements in the workshop thread.

http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/showpost.aspx?PostID=12668

[clay dube]

This announcement comes from our National Consortium for Teaching about Asia partner, the University of Colorado.

The Middle Kingdom in Middle School

A STARTALK Program on Pedagogy and Practices for Building an Integrated Chinese Language- Culture Course of Study
The University of Colorado Program for Teaching East Asia invites applications for its 2010 STARTALK residential summer workshop for Chinese language teachers. The program is open to native Chinese language teachers in middle school settings throughout the United States. Applications will be accepted on a rolling-admission basis until Friday, May 14, 2010 or until the 20 available openings in the program are filled.

Program Overview

“Middle Kingdom in the Middle School” will focus on Chinese language acquisition pedagogy and related issues, including standards-based instruction, assessment, and curriculum development. A secondary focus of the workshop is on effective language instruction at the middle-school level, with attention to guided instruction in developing integrated, team-taught units in collaboration with other disciplines, and effective strategies for institutionalizing Chinese language within the middle school setting. Guest speakers will provide expertise on articulation issues, hands-on culture activities, and case studies of successful Chinese language-culture programs embedded in the middle school curriculum. Each participant in the workshop will be expected to complete three workshop products: (1) a draft plan for working with teachers of other disciplines in the teacher’s own school building, (2) a draft for a cross-disciplinary team-taught unit on Chinese language-culture to be implemented in the 2010-2011 school year, and (3) a brief review of curriculum materials.

Program Support to Participants

All major costs of workshop attendance are underwritten by the Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) through funding from STARTALK. Teachers selected for participation will receive a $350 stipend to defray costs of travel, weekend meals, and incidentals. The program also covers a double occupancy room in the University of Colorado dormitories and weekday meals. Participants are eligible for a $50 tuition stipend if they elect to take the course for credit through the CU School of Continuing Education. The cost of a two-credit course is $120.
For more information and an application, go to http://www.colorado.ued/cas/tea/startalk_program.html or contact Lauren Collins at 303-735-5120; [email protected].
This program is supported through a grant from STARTALK, a project of the National Foreign Language Center, a research institute of the University of Maryland.

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