School: Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
    Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

25 students, ages 14-16 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 20, 2005. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Classes and Teachers: Ms Foo Ling Ling, Mrs Tan Yioe Hua

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.rgs.edu.sg

1. Description of Our Community

To us, a local community consists of the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, background or nationality. The community represents the general public in Singapore whereby we should stand together in order to defend and serve our community. Everyone has their individual identity to serve the community and contribute to the society in their own abilities.

2. Summary of Our Project

Our project is all about how we should prepare ourselves in times of trouble and stand united together. We will be introducing different types of armies in Singapore defending Singapore which includes the Singapore Air Force, the Singapore Army, Singapore army and Singapore Civil Defence Force. In our project, we would be elaborating on the importance of having a defence force in Singapore and how we should prepare Singapore as a nation during an emergency. We will also elaborate on what national service is and why it is implemented. We will also introduce Total Defence which is about the different things that we can do everyday in every sector of our society to strengthen our resilience as a nation.

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:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

Firstly, we were facing problems in choosing a topic, as the theme of 'Prepare and Unite' was wide and allowed for a wide range of potential topics. At the beginning, we were planning to embark on the topic of education preparing the younger generation to lead the nation in the future. However, after realising that we had a lack of resources, we decided to change our topic to Singapore defence. This slowed down our progress, but fortunately we were able to complete the project on time.

Secondly, we faced the problem of lack of time. Because we were a large team of 25, it was difficult to find times when we could meet to discuss our project. As such, we found it necessary to divide ourselves into committees that would handle various aspects of the project, namely research, flash animation, and design. This increased the effectiveness of the group.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Participating in CyberFair has not only allowed us to learn from other participants in terms of skills, but also allowed us a look into their communities which may be very different from our own. We also gained insight on the role Singapore Armed Forces play in defending Singapore and its people, and showed us the value of preparing rather than solving a problem.

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

Our CyberFair project addresses the general public especially students from primary schools to junior colleges who are interested in knowing more about the role Singapore Armed Forces play in defending the nation. It is because defence is a key component of National Education, something that is taken very seriously in Singapore. We hope that with this project, people will be able to gain a deeper insight into Singapore's defence structure and have a stronger sense of awareness about the need to prepare.

We realise that time management is very important especially when setting out to complete a project such as this that involves so many people. As we all have different schedules, it was difficult for us to meet. As such, the only time we could discuss our ideas together was once a week during club time. Through this, we learnt the importance of managing time effectively.

It provides information about the various defense forces in Singapore, primarily the land, air force, navy and Singapore Civil Defense Force. This project is looking simply into the vulnerability of Singapore. From this project, we learnt a lot of information about the defense system in Singapore, which we may have been ignorant about in the past. We also realized that we cannot take peace in Singapore for granted, and that constant vigilance is necessary in order to prepare ourselves for an emergency.

We found that conducting research via the Internet was far more effective. With the Internet, we could easily access the information which we wanted and choose relevant parts from it. However, we found that books (a form of a traditional research method) may have a higher level of credibility than internet sources. Both forms do have their merits and we should use them to our advantage and purpose.

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

We used mainly PCs during the course of this project. Our website was created using programs such as Macromedia DreamWeaver, Macromedia Flash, and Adobe Photoshop. Our frequent usage of these programs not only helped us to complete our project, but also so hone our designing skills. Information was collated using Microsoft Word, while MSN Messenger and the email were the main forms of communication when we could not reach each other by telephone or during school. Internet Explorer 5 was used to preview our website.

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

Generally, we mainly used emails to request for permission to use the information located on their websites. This saved us a great deal of time.

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

The project allowed the community to delve deeper into the workings of the Singapore Army Forces, Navy and Air Force. Though Singaporeans know that Singapore’s army is efficient, they usually do not take the time to find out how this important aspect of Singapore’s defense functions. Therefore, this project aims to fill this void. Despite Singapore’s small population, we strive to obtain a complete and efficient army able to react to any situation. As for the international community, they can learn about the serious attitude Singapore takes towards guarding our small island. The fact that technology is constantly improving to invent new weapons also shows our intent to keep up with the progress of the international community. Singapore’s defense’s quick progress from our independence till now may also serve to inspire other developing countries wanting to strengthen their Army. This project also aims to increase the citizen’s feeling of ownership towards Singapore by spreading the attitude of the Army to the local community. The project has bonded the club members of this organization as all is required to contribute to this project and we worked closely together to make sure that this project would be a success.

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

Our teacher-in-charge Ms Foo Ling Ling was a valuable source of advice during the course of this project. By looking through the information we had gathered, she advised us on what was relevant and what could be deleted for easy reading. She also gave helpful insight on what we could do to improve the design of our website. Her help and guidance was invaluable to us in helping us to complete our entry.