CyberFair Project ID: 4483

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Water Genies - Digital Baby's Voyage
Category: 7. Environmental Awareness
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2006/gsh4483/index.htm
Bibliography: http://www.rfps.cyc.edu.tw/classes/class3/2006cyberfair_E/water/narrative.htm

School: Ruei-Fong elementary school
    Chia-Yi, Chia-Yi, Taiwan, R.O.C.

8 students, ages 11~12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on January 31, 2006. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): Never

Classes and Teachers: Teacher Guo, Jun-hong,Teacher Cai, Yue-ting, Teacher Weng, Chian-huei

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.rfps.cyc.edu.tw

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

The Rui-feng lies in the Mei-shan village, Chiayi country. The elevation above the sea level of it is dropping from 1309-450 meters. And it belongs to the mountain range of Alishan. The average annual temperature of it is 20 degrees centigrade, and the climate here is very pleasing. The main farm production of Rui-feng is high mountain tea. Because there is no running water system, our main source of people’s livelihood water and agricultural irrigating come from mountain springs. Because the terrain here belongs to the mountain section, many wild streams originate from Rui-feng village, which is the upper stream of the Qing-shui river, a series of Zhuo-shui river. In recent years, water resource reduces day by day, since there are more and more crop growing, the growth of tourist industry, and constantly occurrence of natural calamity.

2. Summary of Our Project

The “mountain springs” play a very imperative role in Rui-feng community. For it maintains the operation and improvement of the neighborhood. Besides we have dry season for over five months every year. During these harsh days, every household has no water to use; when the torrential rain or typhoon comes, water resource then become the fierce target which destroy the roads of agricultural lands. The functions of the water resource include: the ecological guiding and planning, irrigation of the community’s property, livelihood demand of people, and the great calamity and problem occurred after the water overflowing… etc. We set up several topics, including “gold,” “wood,” “water,” “the fire,” “the soil,” as our major five issues to separately talk about these topics about tea garden, forests, people’s livelihood water, ecology, and water and soil maintenance.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:less than 20

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):

Our school has a computer classroom at present, which provides our students 13 PC to learn and study through the special line, Kbps, to connect online. Further, our library has four computers, and each classroom has one computer which can get online. The computer room is used for our classmates at lunch break. And they can also utilize the computers in the computer room during the break time. However, we don’t supply students to go online after class.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1. Because the counselors are a stranger here in Rui-feng, who is unfamiliar with the regional water resource, and they can’t instantaneously conduct us to enter the main theme of the study. Therefore, these counselors hold numerous meetings irregularly once they have free time. Students will join their discussing and debating which mainly focus on our examine topics. 2. Since we don’t have many students, and our information we receive in the rural area is much lesser than that we got from the urban one, we are powerless to choose those really brilliant students to participate in the case study. Because of the limited number of the students we have, what we can do is ask for the volunteers to unreservedly join the case study with one team. 3. In our community, most family doesn’t have computer to go online. All of the works, which require the computer to operate or arrange, should be finished in our school. Students can employ either their lunch break, or recess at night to carry on the research theme of computer learning. 4. The locality of our school is very remote and isolated. And our funds are restricted. It’s quite harsh for lecturers to come here in such a long distance. Besides, it’s also very frustrating to say that we are incapable to hire other professional personages to help us. Consequently, we decide to adopt the methods of discussing, researching, and aiming at the local characteristics to educate our students how to do the research.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

It’s very intricate for us to acquire the water resource in the mountain area. We genuinely hope that through this study, we can encourage and inspire our children to treasure the natural environment.

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

a)We borrow the idea of “information incorporated lessons.” And we come together the five elements into the “courses of home town,” which include society, nature, art, and humanity, through designing 5 teaching plans to merge them all.

b) From the aspect of studying, we use design of the “teamwork.” Separating the study themes into each individual, and through the steps and methods of sharing, discussing… etc. It comes out with the functional knowledge.We grasp that there is lots of information on the internet. If we don’t select them properly, it will mislead the learning of our students. The using and learning of internet can not only interest the learning, but also avoid the limitation of time. It is a very good assisting learning device for students in the mountain area.

c)About the studying theme: “water” influences the whole progress of the mountain areas of Rui-feng. Especially there is no running water but only mountain springs here, water resource is the fountainhead of the whole community to continue to exist. However, our school often has the water shortage. Furthermore, the invading of the strong typhoons in resent years makes the “water” become the common topic in the community. Basing on the home town thought that “born on it, grow on it,” our students should understand the meaning and influence of the water resource. d) About the aspect of community's interaction: School is the only place with digital learning equipments and professional teachers to alter the local text books and hold many activities. Thus, school takes the crucial responsibility to discuss and communicate with communal people. On the other hand, the community itself takes the role to hold the outdoor visiting. So, school and the community are the so called partners to cooperate with each other.

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Project Elements

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

The digital technologies that we use are as follows: 1. Using Macromedia Dreamweaver and Frontpage 2003 to make the webpage. 2. Using Nikon COOLPIX 995, Canon DIGITAL IXUS 400 digit camera to obtain the pictures. 3. Using Photoshop and Ulead PhotoImapct 6.0 to edit and revise the pictures. 4. Using IE6.0 to browse the webpage. 5. Using the general mail, E-mail, telephone, and fax to connect the relevant developments. 6. Using CuteFtp4.0 to convey the webpage files to WWW server. 7. Using the digital recording pen and DVD digital camera to record the audio-visual interviewing materials. 8. Using the community resources (Rui-Tai tourists’ center, parents’ association, and the association of the convenient water) to search the materials. 9. Using the newspaper, magazines, relevant books, and linking website to search reports and materials. 10. Interview and investigation.

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

The school helps us play the “local communal ambassador,” the cooperation is as the following: First, making the “guiding community map” 1, Community guiding map 2, Fold the paper, and print 3,000 copies for the community and tourists who go to “Rui-Feng tourist center.” It points out the sceneries which created by water resource. Second, editing the “local text book of Chiayi county’s primary school,” and it includes the management and the irrigating of the tea garden. Also, they are provided to the primaries of the whole county. Third, holding the training movement, “little announcers of the community” to train our students. We engaged Alishan Scenic Area Administration, village head, president of the association, and so on to instruct us the history of the community and the capability of the industry. Furthermore, we use “experience” and “self-examination” as the main visiting activities to articulate the truth of the communal water resource. And we write processing reports to let people understand the continuously changing progress of the local environment and the efforts from communal parents.

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

First, impacts on us: We realize that adults are often worried about water issues and spending much money on it. We should treasure water resource. Besides, we have improved our computer ability, learnt how to use many digital types of equipment; the most important of all, knew how to collect useful information. Second, impacts on community: Parents in the community all paid attention on our participating in school’s activity and offered us many helps. The association of community development even wished school to enlarge this kind of activity and to edit the Hui-feng village records gradually. Third, impacts on school: teachers often got together to have meetings, to discuss, and Share their opinions to one another. On the other hand, school also offers the funds for us to buy more digital equipments. Fourth, influences on others: we have studied very hard, provided the relevant reports on webpage, and visited other websites. We had lots of encourage from other students. And we believe after establishing the website, we can not only elaborate our results, but also show the world our efforts on water resource in Rui-feng area.

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

Thanks for: a) Parents President Chen, Guo-ren Contact interviewers, Seek advises for the plan,Help the activity go on b) Community citizens: The village head, Jane Qing-hui Offer the materials c)To serve as the lecturer of the activity Main committee, Ye, Yuan-huang Mr. Huang Wen-zhong Mr. Wu Xin-zhong Miss. Jian Hui-ling Teacher Zhou, Ban-sheng

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

We find out that the “convenient water system” is the creation of the problem which, the community faces during the research. Parents all highly take care of it, and school will involve this issue in the future: that’s, the solution for the water shortage. However, the “tea industry,” “water and soil conservancy,” and “environmental maintaining” are the avoiding topics for community people. But we observe from the investing that parents are gradually pay attention on these issues. We can feel that parents will do their best efforts to uphold the development of community to solve the combating problem between livelihood wasting and natural protection. They want to preserve the best gift from nature - the water resource.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 4483)

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