International Collaboration

Dr. Parley Jacobs, Principal of West High School in Salt Lake City requested before we left Salt Lake to arrange a video conference between the AP Chinese classes at West High School and English Language Learners at SCUT.  I have worked on that project for several weeks; this week it became a reality. 

A few weeks ago the computer system in my classroom did not respond to anything, not even the SCUT tech support team.  This was the second round of technology failure and yet another room change.  Little did I know that the blessings would follow my patience.  On the third round, I was moved to a room that had a new computer system and a 60” touch screen mounted on the wall.  It was magic, I could write on the screen, show video clips on the screen, Power Point presentations and it had access to the internet.  I was the perfect spot for a video conference to actually take place.

I made my request for a video conference call for students at SCUT and students in Salt Lake City. The Department Chair was hesitant to say the least.  SKYPE was on firewall list at SCUT and had not been made available to students or professors.  Raised eyebrows were the mild reaction.  It was clear again that “those foreign teachers” need close supervision.  About a week later my Department Chair came to my class to tell me that the Dean of the University had given approval to allow a video conference if I had a personal account that could be used and all of the questions were submitted in advance and approved by the Dean. Both of the conditions I could work with.  I contacted WHS, they immediately sent a list of questions, and my students created questions they wanted to ask then I submitted to the Dean our questions.

Next hurdle, I was informed that the screen would be made available and the Internet would be cleared to SKYPE, however there would not be a camera available.  I would need to provide my own camera. I only had two options, use my computer with the camera or purchase a camera that would work with their system.  Neither were great options.  I took my iPad to meet with the tech team, explained that was the only camera I had access to and walaa, a snazzy little video camera appeared in my classroom before the end of the day. 

We tried a practice run with WHS; everything seemed to work well.  Internet connection was easy and clear, both audio and video were smooth.  The time difference was the next huddle.  WHS students agreed to return to school at six o’clock Wednesday night, SLC time so the SCUT students would be in my class at 8:00 AM Thursday morning. The WHS students wanted to practice their Chinese, my SCUT students wanted to practice their English so we agreed on a 15 minute format of Chinese question and answer time then rotate to 15 minute of English question and answer time. 

Questions submitted by West High School AP Chinese 3 Class for Students at SCUT.

1. 申请奖学金有什么要求?

What are the requirements when applying for scholarship?

2. 课余时间你们都做什么?

What activities do you do during your free time?

3. 毕业后你打算做什么? 准备找工作吗? 找什么样的工作, 怎么找?

What are you planning to do after graduation? Looking for a job? What kind of job, and how are you going to find the job?

4. 大学毕业要求学生们一共修几门课?

How many classes are you required to take for graduation?

5. 申请大学的最后日期是什么时候?

When is the deadline for applying college?

6.  在中国大学，从申请大学到选专业/选课的过程是怎么样的？

From applying for colleges to choosing major/classes, what does that process look like?

7.  中国大学生是怎么申请奖学金的？

How do Chinese students apply for scholarships?

8.  中国大学里有没有各种不同的俱乐部或者组织？比如？

Do Chinese universities have many different clubs or organizations？For Example?

9.   住校学生的生活是什么样子的？

What does the life of resident students look like?

10.  中国大学里的老师和学生的比例是多少？

What is the ratio of teachers and students in Chinese universities?

Questions submitted by Master’s Candidates at SCUT for AP Chinese3 Students at WHS.

1.   How many years have you studied Mandarin Chinese?

2.  How do you study a foreign language?  How many hours a day?

·      Oral language

·      Written language

·      Reading the language

3. Are there native Chinese speakers in your school? In you community?

4. What courses do you take to prepare for university study?

5. Do you choose the university you will attend?

6. Do you expect to get financial aid to attend a university?  What kind and how much?

7. What activities outside of your classes do you participate like to attend?

8. Do you play any sports at your school?

9. What is your favorite class to attend?

10. How many students are in your classes?

11. Do you plan to travel to China someday?

It was a great opportunity to provide a global experience for students in Utah and China to have a real time conversation in two languages.  Students in both locations responded and were excited to actually speak to native speakers.  There seemed to be a trust level between students that exhibited international understanding.  It was fun to watch their surprise at the differences in their lives and their future expectations. 

The Dean and the Department Chair were both in my classroom when we spent our international hour.  They were very gracious when they left; I hope we will be able to do this again before the end of the semester.