CyberFair Project ID: 4294

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: This is My Land
Category: 2. Community Groups and Special Populations
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2006/gsh4294/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2006/gsh4294/bibliography.htm

School: MingHu Junior High School
    Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

5 students, ages 12~13 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 17, 2006. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2005

Classes and Teachers: Yeh Chaur-Yuh, Din Zi-Wen, Hsu Ye-Kuei

E-Mail contact:

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

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

6 decades ago, as the Nationalist government failed in the civil war between Kuomintung and Chinese Communist Party, a massive wave of immigration occurred across the Taiwan Strait. Approximately one million of so-called “provincial families” or “external provincial persons” came to Taiwan with the government. Most of them were soldiers and their dependents dwelling in different places dispersively. In order to help them settle down, the government built many military dependents' villages named “Bamboo Fences” featured by “bamboo and tile as a roof, chopsticks and mud as a wall.” With time passing, these formed a very special family having its own culture of villages and lifestyle. There are military dependents’ villages everywhere in Taiwan. As living in Taipei and having a favorable geographic position, we take these villages in Taipei City as our research topic.

2. Summary of Our Project

Taking “Bamboo Fences” to describe dependents’ villages implies the meanings of “segregation” and “isolation”. Indeed, it’s the situation of dependents’ villages in early times. However, as time changed, “Bamboo Fences” surrounding dependents’ villages were torn down with urban renewal, reconstruction of dependents’ villages, outward moving of the residents for studying and marriage, etc. It’s a pity that we can sense a tendency of confrontation and discord among Taiwan’s races and families due to the previous elections in recent years, making people on this land worry. We made interviews with many veterans or honorary soldiers, their dependents, and the younger generation. By means of this project report research, we hope to enhance more comprehension and understanding between different races and families. Because no matter people came to Taiwan earlier or later, they all settled down and took root on this land. Furthermore, we hope to make people inside/outside the “Bamboo Fences” all realize that “We are families” through this project report.

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:1

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:not sure

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

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

Each team member has a computer at home connected to the ADSL broadband network. The assignments that the teacher distributed to us commonly would be dealt by the computers at home, and then reported and transmitted back to the teacher. Besides, we also utilized the network to receive/send E-mails, contact each other, look for data, transmit files and even chitchat. It is very convenient to use the network. If we needed to discuss the outlines of Web pages and art designing, the computer classroom in school afforded us a place for conferring and using network.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1. As each member has curricular courses and talent-and-skill cramming, and some team members even participate in a chorus, it is not so easy to get all members to show up. Make sure the date and time of working early and notify each member a week before the working day to let everyone to make arrangements and adjust the courses. Besides, we also had meetings during the noon-break or after school. 2. As we deal with the questionnaires on campus, some students refuse to be interviewed for lack of interest. Find the known classmates in the elementary schools and ask them to introduce their good friends. This kind of “rat clubs” or snow balls really worked. 3. As we can only have an interview on holidays, and if the interviewed are working people, it is much inconvenient to match each other on time. We took the leisure after the monthly exams to go to Taipei City Council to visit councilors and officers of Department of Urban Development. We also dropped by the boss of the breakfast bar before going to school. By this way, we could fit in with the time of the interviewed objects without affecting our school time. 4. We learned Flash, Dreamweaver, etc. a little bit before, but did not understand them deeply and almost forgot everything right now. Teachers sacrificed their noon-break and after-class-time to teach us how to apply to the web pages of this project report gradually from the beginning. 5. Some grandfathers and grandmothers interviewed speak with a heavy native accent so that we can not understand what they talk about. Ask fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, etc. for help to listen to the radio tape. If still unable to understand it, we could not but wield personal imagination and creativity (Fortunately, this kind of situation does not happen frequently). 6. As the interviewed objects live in different places, it takes a long time to go there and back. Andy's and Jim's fathers not only offered two “private taxies” but also served as drivers to take us to “anywhere we want to go”

5. Our Project Sound Bite

1. It was really fantastic to work alone and together to finish this project. 2. When seeing the work done, we realized the true meanings of “those who sow with tears must reap with cheers”. 3. No matter when people came to this land, 400 or 60 years ago, after settling down and taking root here, we became families and should not distinguish from each other.

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

The harvests from “International Schools CyberFair” are 1. On the Field of Mathematics: we applied logical thinking to questionnaire designing, used statistical charts to present the outcomes of investigation, made arrangements and analyses of data, and finally proposed our views and feelings. 2. On the Field of Social Studies: The objects we had made interviews included “Honorary Soldiers” and their dependents and next generation of different backgrounds. They differed from our classmates whom we used to get alone with ordinarily. It broadened our horizon, and enhanced our ability on research of social investigation. All of these were the experiences that could never be learned in class. 3. On the Field of Science and Technology: During the process of research, we wielded products of modern technological science, such as digital cameras, voice pens, personal computers, scanners, and broadband networks. We also learned and knew how to use the software of web pages designing, and finished our paper by coordinating interviews on the spot and questionnaires. Contacting and sending notices by E-mails and utilizing the network to transmit the arranged data are much better than the traditional ways. Besides, what is great is that our ability of web pages designing was strengthened insidiously that would be of great help to the lifelong study in the future. 4. On the Field of Arts and Humanities: During the process of turning research achievements into webpage presentations, the teachers and parents spent a lot of time teaching us many skills, such as art designing by computers, page layouts, color management, and image manipulation, that would be very helpful to us. 5. On the Field of Integrative Activities:In order to make interviews, the teachers directed us an and design. Especially, we would set up a database for various objects, in case there would be a blank in the process of interviews. Questionnaire designing was also the product of team members' brain storming, within that we deeply realized the reasons why “Two heads are better than one.” After making arrangement totally, the teachers distributed the assignment according to personal specialities and interests, and set a deadline. We typed and dealt the data after that.

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Project Elements

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

1. Interviews on the Spot: W e interviewed “Honorary Soldiers,” their dependents and next generation of different backgrounds personally. 2. Questionnaires: We designed two questionnaires, and the objects investigated were our classmates in school. 3. Digital cameras: We used digital cameras to take photos, photograph, and put the process of interviews on record. 4. Voice Pens: As going outside for interviews, we used the video pens to record conversations anytime, facilitating the arrangement and recognition of materials afterward. 5. Desktop computers and Notebook: We utilized computers for paper writing, webpage designing, communication and file transmitting. 6. Internet: We looked for related web pages on internet to replenish our project with more data. We communicated and discussed with net friends through discuss zone on internet. 7. Scanners: We used scanners to deal with the collected images for image manipulation. 8. Printers: We used printers to print data for passing round for perusal and interchanging ideas. 9. Telephones and e-mails: To contact with our interviewees and members of the web page design team via telephones and e-mails 10. Computer software: Flash Mx, Dreamweaver MX, PhotoImpact 10.0, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Visio and cuteFTP

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

In the street stalls, “Honorary Soldiers” has another name: “Old Taros.” Most common people's impression of “Honorary Soldiers” is: old-aged external provincials with a heavy accent and a special family in which people live distinctively and most of them are unmarried or married with women much younger than themselves. However, how many people do understand the poignancy they had for leaving home, the hardships they suffered for earning a living after just coming to Taiwan, and the nostalgia they bore for leaving home for over 50 years? How did they settled down and took root on this land? In order to solve these questions, we decided to take the forms of personal interviews to realize the real life of “Honorary Soldiers” instead of searching for data by internet or quoting coverage on newspapers and magazines. The objects that we interviewed included “Honorary Soldiers,” their dependents and the next generation. With our project, we would like to take the role of Ambassador to introduce this first-handed interview to everyone, hoping to let more people realize “Honorary Soldiers”, this special family, and make people living on this treasure island more harmoniously because of understanding.

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

In this project research, We had a lot of new experiences: listen to “Honorary Soldiers” grandfathers talking about different personal stories and experiences of joining the army, fighting in a battle, reuniting with the old wives after 50 years' separation, dwelling beside the tombs or the dead, earning a living by picking up junk, undergoing nostalgia for leaving home for almost 50 years. These various experiences made a great impact on us: War was cruel, bring humans nothing but pains. We did no hope to meet any war forever! To cultivate our self-independent ability, all teachers would not join the interviews, forcing us to initiate the interviews with flushing and stammering, but end up with ease and volubility. Our team members all felt ourselves growing up a lot suddenly during this period. That's so-called “Experience is the mother of wisdom.”

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

To be able to complete this study, we most want to thank the alderman Li Geng. Without her support and assistance, we cannot finish this task. Many people to thank for, including grandma Yang, Bau-Jen, grandma Lee, Yun-Shian, grandma Hsiao, Lu, aunt Wu, Huei-Li, aunt Chao, Ru-Fen,; grandpa Chang, Ping, grandpa Huang, Tzu-Ching, grandpa Chen, Ming-Shuen, grandpa, Lee, Chih-Shin, grandpa Lee, Hong-Ann, grandpa Chao, Li-Tong, uncle Ruei, Shiang-Peng, uncle Lu, Chih-De. Also thank Jan, Li-Lin, the director of alderman office, the division chief Luo, Shih-Yu and section chief Lin, Yu-Shiou at Department of Urban Development Taipei City Government, uncle Peng, Cheng-Shiung at Service Center of Honorary Soldiers, aunt Chen, Fu-Mei, father Lei, Jian-Yu of Ta-Chih Quaker Church, president Liu, Jin-Ping of Hsinchu Ching-Tien Self-Development Association, teacher Wu, Shu-Ting, teacher Ma, Lan, teacher Kuo, Li-Mei, and the seniors and classmates of Minghu Junior High School. Finally we want to thank teacher Yeh Chaur-Yuh, Din Zi-Wen, Hsu Ye-Kuei and parents’ encouragement and support, especially father Huang De, mother Tse His, Mr. and Mrs. Geng Jing for spending a great deal of time and effort with us, as our driver, bodyguard, technical instruction, photographer, proofreader, etc. All the members of “Time Discovery” would like to say herewith: “Although we usually say no need to thank for the big favor, we still want to express our appreciation to everyone who has helped us!”

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Findings : We supposed that we had learned a lot on computer lessons before, but after experiencing this Web pages designing, we found, “Well, there's still much to be improved.” Lessons: After listening to “Honorary Soldiers” grandfathers' experiences, it felt that war's cruelty instigated hatred among people, and it brought humans nothing but pains! The lessons we got was: Only Peace, No War. Surprises: Both profiles by interviews and questionnaires on campus made us grow up from shyness and unfamiliarity to natural and graceful manner. What a surprise this project brought to us: “We seemed to grow up unexpectedly!”

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 4294)

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