1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
Doors to Diplomacy Project involves working with a very big variety of materials. From a simple computer to a digital camera were used. We made use of computers, we used Internet and a lot of Design Programs such as Adobe Photoshop 10, Macromedia Flash 5.0, Macromedia Fireworks, Microsoft Front Page, Macromedia Dreamweaver and other software. To work with images we used scanners and digital cameras, this helped us to digitalize every moment we wanted whenever we wanted. Both, cameras and scanners were provided by the school that despite the situation of our country we are lucky to have. As you can see in our page we went to a lot of different places to search for primary data. We went to the National Library and used historical books and newspapers of the time. For this we had to search the archive of old newspapers that existed in the period studied. The group also received the donation of the book “Crisis” by his author: Santiago Luis Sanz. We carried out an interview that we recorded with a Panasonic Video Camera. We recorded in S-VHS and after selecting the scene we liked the most we digitalized it using the correspondent software and we also used a Minidisk Recorder to record the interview so as to make a more accurate report. There is no doubt that the technology that was most useful was the one of the computers, but we do not have to give less value to the other tools that we have used to develop our site, since all of them form the whole project.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
(Comments by coach) Our students acted as ambassadors by contacting many people within and outside the community as part of their development of the project. They conducted interviews in person and through email with people in the country and abroad, went to archives and official institutions, etc. They were ambassadors in the true sense of the word. Regardless of the final outcome of the project, all the adults that have interacted with them have high praise for the work they have done. They have tried to generate interest by conducting a survey in the school, and now they plan to extend its reach by means of an online survey, discussion forum, chat, etc.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
(comments by coach) Our goal is to be able to enthuse other students amnd the school community at large by implementing this type of project. Our goal as educators is to try to pass on to students our love of learning and a desire to rech out for the truth. The incentive provided by this contest and the fact that the whole school community is aware of the effort being made by the students will help us achieve this goal.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
This kind of project helps people to understand the real value of group work. Hard work, arguments, discussions, anger, happiness, all unite to give what we can call a complete project, not only because of its content, but also because of the combination of different views that it contains. Nowadays, individual work is not enough to surpass the limits imposed by collective work. This was the message that our group understood, and could implement measures in order to obtain the best of each of its members. But that was not all, we also made use of the experience and knowledge of experts in this area, Felix Luna, Raul Vinuesa, Antonio Sapienza, just being examples. We offered them our most grateful thanks. Their opinions helped us to obtain a clearer view of the Chaco War, to see between the lines, to understand and comprehend what was not there. With that in mind, we were able to generate our personal opinion. Our college, Cardenal Newman College, was also a useful help. The headmaster, Gabriel Rshaid, was always there when we needed him. Moreover, he was the one went over what we wrote, and was a constant source of new and intelligent ideas. We also received help from our History teacher, Javier Rincon, who was the engine that helped the group to move onwards. We could organize our ideas thanks to him. Last but not least, we counted with the help of Mauricio Bertoldo, who helped us to design our web page, offering very attractive and complex ideas. We want to use this space, to give our special thanks to everyone that participated in the development of this project. Nothing could have been done if it was not for them, because each individual has unique abilities, which are in constant need of being discovered and used by others.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
Throughout the creation of our web page, we had many surprises. We had to visit some historical places that we had never visited, so we learnt some new things. First, to every museum or library you go you need identification as your document. The first we went to the General Archive, we forgot our identifications and we could not enter the place. So, from that moment, we learnt that to every place we had to carry our document or any valuable identification. Another discovery was when he needed some old photographs from the General Archive. So, when we found the old photographs, and we were about to pay them, we had a surprise. In the General Archive, they told us that we had to buy them some batteries, instead of paying them with money. Another surprise was when we had to interview an ambassador. We went to his office, but the big surprise was that he did not want to be recorded. So, the ambassador did not let us to film the interview, because he considered that it was not necessary. To conclude, I want to emphasize that with this project, we learnt all the steps of a research work. We visited many historical places, as museums, libraries or archives. I think the project was very useful because we had to look for our own information, so we worked as historians. Furthermore, we learnt about diplomacy and its elements.
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