The view from the second floor study window is of large leafy trees, grass and some flowers amongst the townhouses and villas. The sky is still gray this morning although we have had some blue sky show through during this first week. Yes, here I am in Beijing now living on a 'compound' (for want of a better word) called Capital Paradise, along with 100s of other expats, including many teachers from school in Beijing. The scenery is a distinct contrast to the view from my window in Doha, Qatar which was often of dusty/sandy skies, heat and little vegetation.The past six weeks have been a whirlwind of travel and change. Leaving Doha I went straight to NECC09 in Washington DC, I blogged my initial schedule previously. So busy at NECC I didn't blog anything!! However, as usual it was an amazing time and I had eluminating conversations with many people.From DC I traveled down to Camilla, Georgia to stay with friend Vicki Davis, my wonderful and amazing flat classroom partner. With us was Sue Waters from Edublogs. Vicki and I worked on flat classroom development and business while also enjoying wonderful southern US hospitality, including a trip on the Flint River, lots of southern-style food and a July 4 family celebration and community fireworks.
Vicki and Julie in DC, July 2009 who organised this and was with us), seeing Stomp and Mary Poppins, and visiting Ellis Island and Liberty Island. We also
managed to
catch up with
Kim Cofino at the MET for an afternoon! I am a big city person at heart and love the buzz NYC provides.
Leaving NYC we flew across the states, dropped down in LA for a few hours and then flew across the Pacific via New Zealand home to Melbourne, Australia. Some time with family and friends and preparation for our move to China. During this time I did manage to visit Clare Rafferty, a flat classroom teacher, and E-Learning coordinator at Ringwood Secondary College to learn more about the 1:1 Apple program from Grade 9-12. I also had a fun night with the Melbourne bloggers at Southbank, including Jo McLeay, Sue Tapp, Jenny Luca and many more!One highlight of being back in Oz was taking the opportunity to visit Anne Mirtschin at her school in Hawkesdale, Victoria. About a 4-hour drive from Melbourne Hawkesdale is a farming area (dairy, sheep and cattle). Hawkesdale P12 College is a small school with a big heart. This face-to-face meeting with Anne's students, 3 of whom had traveled to Qatar in January for the Flat Classroom Conference, was another 'flat classroom' experience. We plan to continue classroom interactions this year with projects and Skype opportunities.
With students at Hawkesdale, Australia
Scenes of the Great Ocean Rd, traveling from Hawkesdale back to Melbourne
A typical street at Capital Paradise, our new home in Beijing
John and Violet on the Great Wall!So, just to let my readers know I am alive and thriving in Beijing. My new school Beijing BISS International School, where I am IT Coordinator, a whole school position focusing on e-Learning and 1:1, is wonderful and very welcoming. There is lots more to blog about.....so stay tuned! One last thing...I did manage to get around the Great Firewall by downloading VPN software, so now I am into all spaces I need to survive. I was starting to panic, given that China has blocked Twitter, Blogger, YouTube, and Ning comes and goes. More later!
