Buckland Weekly #8 : Computers

Before I was a teacher I had a whole other career. I worked for over twenty years in I.T. I only mention this because I want to talk about computers in classrooms. It's something I used to rant about occasionally on my other blog. For example here or here or here.

Now my background makes me predisposed to like computers. I often do the quiz in my local bar where my quizzes always have animated powerpoints to accompany the questions. It's marvelous to be able to play music, show movies, have interactive games and do everything else you can do with computers in the classrooms

Almost every classroom here in China, in the big cities anyway, is fitted with a computer and a projector. Some, I am told, have actual smartboards. And I virtually never make any use of it at all.

Why?

Well, before I answer that, let me just pop in a quick disclaimer. More than any post I have made so far under this heading, this should all be treated as my personal opinion only – informed by my experience, but my own opinion nonetheless. You may have entirely different views. And if you do, I say, “Go to it!”

Right.

Why do I rarely use the computers that the schools have helpfully installed everywhere? It's quite simple. In the handful of times I have actually done computer or technology based lessons over the last four years there has never been a single instance where I completed more than two thirds of the classes without needing to go to my non-technology back up plan.

Ah, back up plans. Those of you who have already trained with me will remember that I mention them probably about twenty times a day. It's essential that you have a back up plan whenever you are intending to use any technology at all in class. Even working in England or America it's a mistake to assume that things will work.

Things won't work. That's the nature of technology. It breaks down. The more complicated the technology, the more likely it is to break down. Or to quote Mister Scott in one of the Star Trek movies, “The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.”

Progress is all very well but even small amounts of progress cause problems.

Hands up anyone who has ever found that writing with chalk on a blackboard suddenly didn't work.

No-one? I'm not surprised.

Now hands up anyone who has got halfway through a class with whiteboards and markers and had to send a student rushing off to another classroom to borrow more markers because all the ones you have are out of ink.

Everyone? Still, not surprised.

And that's a very minor bit of technology.

Computers are so much worse than that. For a start you can't borrow one from another classroom.

Let me tell you about my most recent attempt to use them. A month or so ago my students asked if I could do a music-based lesson with them. I have a music lesson. It's a good one – popular, fun, develops a lot of vocabulary, gets the students expressing opinions. I like it.

It requires me to be able to play short sections of about ten pieces of music in different genres – say about thirty seconds each. In the past when I've done it I have recorded things onto cassette tape and used a big cassette player to play it.*

However at the moment I don't have access to a cassette player to do that. What I have is a lot of MP3 files and a computer. I copied the files onto a flash drive and we were ready to go. You can certainly guess what happened next.

Of the twelve classes that I was intending to give the lesson, five didn't work.

In one we could get the computer working but wasted ten minutes trying to get the speakers to work before I went to plan B.

In another we couldn't get the computer to work at all. It had, the students informed me, been broken all year.

In the third we had a repeat of the non-functioning speakers.

And then there was the classroom where everything seemed to be working but the folder containing the files was invisible to the computer. I have no idea why.

In the last of the five everything was sort of working but the music sounded so horribly distorted that it was painful to listen to.**

My Plan B proved to be rather inadequate as it consisted of playing similar music through my minidisc*** player and a set of tiny speakers that I had taken in for the purpose but which proved to be much too quiet for the classrooms.

We had to stick with Plan B though. I hadn't gone as far as preparing a Plan C.

This is completely typical of my experience with computers in classrooms in China. It even happened often enough when I taught in England that I didn't like relying on them.

So, what can you do?

There are a few things.

If you need the computer to show pictures, have copies of the pictures also printed to hand out if necessary. 

If you need the computer to play music or any other audio, have an alternate source of music to hand.

If you need the computer for any kind of game or to show movies, plan an alternate activity that can be substituted.

If your whole lesson is a powerpoint, have a completely separate non-powerpoint version in you bag, ready to go

Of course all this raises an interesting question. If, when you prepare a computer based lesson, you also HAVE TO prepare a non computer version “just in case” then why not just prepare the non-computer version and halve your effort? Why not, as it were, go straight to the back-up plan.

And that's the answer to why I so rarely use computers. I am sure many of my lessons would be much better on computer but when I know that half the time I will be going to the back-up anyway I figure it's best to just save the time and effort and forget the computer altogether.

Of course, you may love computer lessons to the point where you will use them whatever the difficulties. Or you may feel confident that in your school the technology won't fail you. Great. As I said, go for it. But don't forget that back up anyway. Better safe than sorry.

(*Even the tape recorder version failed once when I got to school and was told the power was going to be off for three days.

** On one particularly memorable occasion, in my first year teaching in China, everything was working except that the student who looked after the key to the lockable computer desk was off sick. No student, no key, no computer.

***Yes, a minidisc. Made obsolete, I know, by the rise of MP3 players and their successors, but I like them!)

Buckland Weekly #7 : Packing for your trip

Probably the most commonly asked question from people planning to come and join the Buckland teaching programs is what they need to bring from home. Mostly you will be able to buy whatever you need in China but there may be a few things that you will find difficult.

Here are some suggestions about things you may want to bring with you. There actually isn't that much.

Medicines

You can buy almost any medicines that you need here but if you have specific branded items that you want, then bring them with you. Things like ibuprofen or paracetamol are easy to get in any pharmacy. Anti-histamines, sickness/diarrhea/constipation meds can be harder to get hold off and I'd suggest you bring some.

If you need regular prescription medications, check with your own pharmacist before coming.

Clothing

If you take larger sizes (and by that I don't mean really large, just things that would be XL in our stores) you may find shirts and things hard to get in your size. If your shoe size is large bring enough pairs to last. Shoes above the following sizes can be hard to find. They can be found but you will not have a lot of choice.

Men: US 9/UK 8/ Europe 43/China 43

Women US 7.5/UK 5/ Europe 38/ China 39

I am also told that getting bras that fit is very difficult.

Cosmetics etc

If you have particular brands you like, bring them with you. Be aware that many Chinese cosmetics contain skin whitening agents. Deodorant can be hard to get in some places. I've also seen women on the group FB page suggest that sanitary products can be hard to get. Ditto for hair dye, if you use it.

Teaching Materials

Bring any favourite materials with you. Don't bother with books. You probably won't have a chance to use them and they just use up your weight allowance on the plane. If you think you will need file cards bring them. I've never seen them here. Also hard to get are good glue sticks and blutack.

Computer Stuff

I would seriously advise you to get a VPN before you come. Many sites, including anything at all connected with Google are blocked by the firewall. I'd recommend Astrill or Express but any good VPN will do. I'd advise against using any of the free ones as they are unreliable here in China. Get it before you come because you may not be able to download the software once you are here. It used to be possible to download them here but the Chinese Government is becoming more aggressive in blocking things.

Things like flash drives and even 2 or 4 terabyte hard drives can be got easily and relatively cheaply here in most large cities but I'd advise getting them from a shop rather than taobao (a bit like a Chinese Amazon) as the principal is very much "let the buyer beware" on taobao. I once bought some flash drives that didn't work. When I tried to return them the supplier was no longer in business and when I contacted the manufacturer I was told they were fakes.

Food

Obviously you won't want to fill your luggage with food but packing some dried herbs and spices is a good idea as some of the ones we commonly use in the west are very hard to get over here.

Reading Books

You won't find a big selection (or indeed any selection in some parts) beyond dual language classics for Chinese students. An e-book reader is probably best, loaded with your favourite authors.

Kitchen equipment

Mostly easy to get but bring a potato masher. I haven't seen any here. I got mine brought over from England by a visiting friend.

Emergency money

You won't get paid until the end of your first month and that month is the most expensive as you will want to buy extra things for your apartment. I usually travel with about $500 or equivalent in another currency. It's easy to change at any bank.

And that's all I can think of right now. As always, if you have any specific questions you can post them to me via the Buckland FB group.

Bob Hale

Buckland Weekly #6 : Not In Kansas Any More

Teaching is over, or almost over, for the year for the current teachers spread around China and it's getting close to that time of year when the new teachers, all bright and shiny and full of optimism, arrive here for the training before taking up their posts in schools.

As always, questions, both general and specific, have started to trickle in from the people who are coming so I thought I'd take this opportunity to address some of the more common ones and to introduce everyone to life at a school in China.

Let's kick off with some general advice. I've repeated it often enough and you will hear me repeat it again in training. “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more.”

Everyone coming will, I assume, be intellectually aware that China is a different country with different customs, social attitudes and laws – and different ways of doing things. But if you are new to living abroad or new to China, a lot of it will catch you by surprise. Knowing about differences and living with them are very different things. Some of the teachers who come are already experienced teachers or well-travelled but some aren't and the culture shock can be severe.

Part of the problem is that at a superficial glance China, at least in the cities, can look very similar to home – wherever home may be – but it is, in fact, often very different. This isn't a value judgment. I'm not saying China is better or worse but it is different. And you certainly shouldn't judge by Yangshuo which is far more like home than anywhere else you are likely to be posted.

So, what's different?

A lot of this will be covered in detail in training so I'll just list a few things here, maybe with the odd cynical comment thrown in.

Schedules and timetables. In a school back home you will know the schedule for the whole year at the start of the first semester. Here you will be lucky if you find out about days off, exams or the end of term even a day before they happen. They aren't messing about, they genuinely don't know.

Health and Safety. Initially you will be horrified that there isn't any. Open manholes. Workmen balancing on fifth story window ledges, bare electrical cables. You will have to get used to it. It's just the way it is. Take a little extra care yourself. And remember how often you saw some new pernickity* regulation or over-zealous H&S officer back home and muttered “health and safety gone mad”.

Driving. Just take care when you cross the road. Or when you walk on the sidewalk. As a pedestrian you need to keep your wits about you. Pedestrian safety isn't a priority. 

Chinese hospitals. If you need to visit a hospital don't worry. Standards are good but practices can seem odd to us. For example they never give injections. Medicines are always administered on an IV drip.

Chinese medicine. I always insist on western medicine but your Chinese friends will try to persuade you to use traditional Chinese medicine or acupuncture or cupping or whatever. The choice is yours.

Food and drink. There are lots of foods you can't get – decent cheese for one – and lots of odd things that you have never eaten before – chicken feet spring to mind. Try the new stuff, you might like it. And try not to miss the stuff you can't get too much. Eat as much western food as you can while you are in Yangshuo. You might mot have a chance later. In bigger cities you may find shops with things you like. Or not.

Drinking culture. If you go out with Chinese friends just be careful of Baijiu. And you will find it very odd that beer is often drunk from shot glasses. It's easy not to realise how much you are drinking. If you don't drink at all people will respect your wishes but drinking just a little is not an easy option.

Hospitality. If a group of people go out for a meal it's normal for the person arranging it to pay. If you invite people out to dinner don't be surprised if your suggestion to split the bill doesn't go down well.

Crime. This is a definite plus. While I wouldn't want to encourage you to be reckless, I've wandered around China now for four years and never once felt unsafe. Crime rates here, especially against foreigners, are much lower than you are used to. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but I've never felt even slightly anxious about it. I feel less safe in my home town.

Home living. Apartments provided by schools vary. Some are better than others. Some things will be similar everywhere. Baths are almost never included. Showers are always of the wet room type. Kitchens are generally tiny. The fridge will probably be in the living room. They may be quite sparsely furnished. It's the same for everybody, Chinese or foreign.

Well, that's a few of the things you may find different. If I can give one piece of advice it's to come with an open mind. Leave your expectations in storage back home because the chances are that – good or bad – they won't be met. And if you do find that things here are causing you problems – whether it's the culture shock, your school or anything else – talk to someone. Talk to me. Often things arise because of miscommunication or mismatched expectations between the teacher and the school. Those things can be sorted out but it can take a little time and patience.

I'll post again soon with a list of things it's advisable to bring with you and any other differences that occur to me.

And remember, if there is anything specifically you want to know. I can be contacted on the Buckland Facebook group. Just send me a message.

Bob Hale.

(*Yes, I'm aware that Americans spell it persnickity, I'm British and we don't. :D )