School: Taipei Bo Ai Elementary School
    Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan

8 students, ages 11-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 30, 2003. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2003

Classes and Teachers: Chin-hua Yang / Su-Zhan Chen / Hai-Hwa Ding

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.baps.tp.edu.tw

1. Description of Our Community

Lieu Gong Ditch was the primary water source of irrigation. It helped bring Agricultural development of Taipei to the peak, and stimulated prosperity to Taipei. Today, Lieu Gong Ditch is being buried underground gradually, and faded away gradually from people’s memory. The Hsin Yi District in which our school locates was a farmland irrigated by Lieu Gong Ditch. The old generation still has blurred memory of the Ditch which ran along the Four Beasts mountain hills. Before Hsin Yi Rd. Sec. 6 was constructed, people could see from Sung-Shan High School of Commerce and Home Economics & Lin Ko St. the flowing water. This soon-to-be submerged ditch did bring immense vitality to Taipei basin once.

2. Summary of Our Project

To know the benefits that Liu Gong Ditch brought to Taipei and the anecdotes about the architect, Guo Xi-liu. Then, do further on-site research; verify the authenticity of oral history; and visit the only historic site of the Ditch so that we may bring back the life and historic meaning of the ditch, which nourished Taipei with vitality.　

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

Internet surfing, information retrieving and organizing, email communication a website building allowed us apply all the modem technology and saved us a lot of time in doing our research project. During the whole process of the research project, we obtained all the information we need through various channels. Our website building was associated with language (data organizing and rewriting.) Social studies (related history sites and their names' proving,) Artistry (website refining) and information technology (website building.) 　

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1. Setting the consensus among team members. We needed to establish a consensus first when recruiting interested participants by explaining each member's responsibility and obligation, and the efforts and time they have to commit. 2. Getting parents' support. Our instruction teachers held a Cyberfair presentation for participants' parents at the beginning to obtain the full support and assistance from them. 3. Getting parents' assistance. We invited Prof. Chen to teach oral history and on-site research classes to the students. 4. Arranging and inviting professionals to give speeches. We invited Prof. Gan to brief on "How to use Digital Camera(to help website build) and an introduction to the restoration project of Liu Gong Ditch. 5. Making appointments with the people to be interviewed. 6. Repositioning the significance of this research to derive passions toward "Liu Gong Ditch" from people to realize its important historical role, and arouse all to reconstruct and reposition the importance of the living water "Liu gong Ditch" which once helped promote Taipei to an inernational stage. 7. Learning the homepage skills. 8. Integrating website. We overcome the problems like incoordinated background color, various letter sizes and fonts, and unprofound contents.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

1. It is the most valuable training to benifit the students to their future study and work. 2. It gives the sudents a sense of great achievement. 3. The students gained a lot of knowledge. Knowledge is power. 4. The students learned a lot of computer skills and became computer experts.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

1. Our research complied with the spirit of nine-year joint courses which regards children's capability as the core of course design. 2. We put humanity-based learning, integrated capability training, democracy disposition uplifting, localized conscience awareness and life-long learning spirit into action.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

We applied oral history and on-site visit skills to collect information that was not written in the limited documents. We also used telephone, tape recorders, digital cameras and notebook as tools to ensure all the information collected to be well stored. We surfed internet, exchange information through e-mail to enrich the information.  We drew pictures, scanned them and processed them using photo shop and photo Impact and all the modern technology to perfect our website. 　

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

We retraced the gradually submerging Liu gong ditch, we used internet, interview and on-site survey to collect and verify the correctness of the information we obtained, and played the ambassador role in this research project. 　

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

During the Theme Research Project period, N.T.U. and the Literature and History Museum of XinDian showed great interests in our project and were eager to see how we would present our project on the website. The Irrigation Bureau of Taipei City Governor commented that their knowledge of Liu Gong Ditch was no comparison to ours. We expect that through our website, we can arouse the authorities' attention on Liu Gong Ditch, once a living water that helped promote Taipei development, and set up systematical maintenance and management to the open ditches. 　

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

1. Prof. Cheng Li-wen shared with us the concept of collecting and sorting information, respecting intellectual rights and the method of gathering oral history and doing on-site research. 2. Prof. Gan Jun-ren introduced the "Liu gong Ditch Glory Restoration Plan" to us. 3. Ms. Liu of N.T.U. showed us the documents and displays related to the open ditch ....etc. 4. Graduate students of City and County Department of N.T.U. They briefed on the restoration plan of the Liu Gong Ditch and the residents of the WenZhou community’s efforts of maintaining the open ditch. 5. Farmland Irrigation Association: Provided us the map and information relevant to the Liu Gong Ditch. 6. XingDian Literacy and History Museum gave us a pre-opening guided tour of the museum and showed us the documents and displays related to the open ditch…etc.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

We realized that with proper maintenance, stinky drains could become clear and clean streams. We hope that through our website, Taipei City Governor would take on the maintenance of Liu gong Ditch and proclaim the remaining ditches as a historical site for people to remember the srived endeavor of our ancestors and its historical significance.