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1. Description of Our Community
Lungtan has not only natural resources but also humane and technological sides. But it derives industrial and economical liveliness primarily from the Mother Dam, a state-class tourist spot located in the upstream of Tahan River. We introduced the community as a huge park, a place for getting along with Mother Nature. Mountains, streams, water reservoir, flowers and birds make one healthy.
2. Summary of Our Project
The Shihmen Dam has breathed new life to Lungtan and milked this area since the year of 1964. As a leading dam on the island, its capabilities include irrigation for agriculture, generating electricity for industries, water supply for households, and flood control. Farmers and industries benefit. Inhabitants enjoy more working opportunities and a higher living of standard. Plus, the dam area itself has transformed into a divine tourist zone. Vice President Chen was the initiator of the dam. When communists took over China, floods of mainlanders moved over. To relieve the impoverished island from economical crisis, Chen decided to build up the agricultural industry by securing sufficient water supply. That was an impossible mission. Money was squeezed out of a meager government budget. The staff worked overtime, and laborers sometimes stood unhealthy and dangerous environments. Their devotion paved way for a multi-function dam. The current management staff has tried to introduce the dam as a healthy resort for workers over lengthened weekends. They also promote the sense of environmental protection, so that the dam can keep up on a long-term basis. The members of the team all grew up on the dam¡¦s milk. We chose ¡§Mother Dam¡¨ as the subject for the contest. Through the Cyberspace, the world will see how the scenic, lively dam has breathed a new life to Lungtan and what the countryside does in return. Such an interaction cycle is virtually a miniature of what has happened on the lively island.
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:2-3
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
The computer classroom in our school has a local area network (LAN) with forty PCs and a server. The LAN connects through a 64Kbps ISDN link to the Taiwan Academic Network (TANet), the ¡§.edu¡¨ (educational) website. Most team members resort to their own facilities for Internet access at home. While the 56Kbps modem connection is the most popular channel with local families, some of us enjoy broadband services through ADSL or cable modem connections.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
None of the team members belong to the school¡¦s computer club. But we have diversified capabilities. Say, Judy, Diane and Nai-Kang writes good stories. Louis and John are cartoon drawers. Alex, Denny and Kuhi are born reporters. Tony and Jim learned about computer animation. Raick, Jessy and Eric are web page designers. Shu-Jeug collects useful information from the Net. The integration of these members was the first headache we encountered. Jim¡¦s mom helped with mission assignment and stood behind us all the way through. The second headache was maneuvering the computer and networking facilities. Our parents, the principal, Miss Lai and Mr. Chen rendered timely assistance here. Most of all, Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology offered us a bundle of software packages and taught us how to utilize them. We also learned a lot about hardware from them. The third problem was to obtain sufficient unbiased information. We owe thanks to Diane¡¦s mother who is serving the North Water Resources Bureau, Section Chief Hsieh of the Electricity Plant, and Ms. Hsieh of the Polluted Water Plant. Besides, the warm hands from all over the community are something unforgettable.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Nose through cyberspace,learning becomes fun. Human knowledge is fed directly to the eager mind as soon as being moused in from the fingertips. Cyberspace broadcasts one's experiences to the world at low cost.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
Our state curriculum guidelines for junior high school education have several goals. They want us to develop an initiative researching spirit, to learn to utilize science and information, to know more about the community, the state and the world. The Cyberfair project brought us beyond these goals. It gave us the chance of going through project-oriented learning, which we believe is the right approach for the e-generation. The majority of team members grew up in the dam area but are ignorant of its why¡¦s, what¡¦s, what it used to be and what it will be. The project led us into the history, documentation, on-line information and the community itself, so that we know more about the community and Taiwan as a whole. We also realized how Internet has transformed the earth into a Global Village. That will urge us to keep learning more about the world and the Cyberspace.
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
The basic hardware tools were PCs and Win98. Scanners, tape recorders, digital and traditional cameras helped with data collection and interviews. A projector functioned during software lessons and weekly discussions. Telephones, e-mail facilities, diskettes, Zip and MO drives were adopted when team members communicated with each other and compiled the results of individual effort. Most of all, image grabbing adapters downloaded data strings from digital cameras. The adapters also downloaded from a 35-year-old film a historic record of how the dam was built. As to software, we used Flash 5.0 to integrate audio, video and animation, and created a cartoon! It helped to build special effects for the pictures as well. We created virtual web pages and progress reports with PowerPoint 2000. Subjects were written in special Fireworks font types. Adobe PhotoShop 4.0 and PhotoImpact5.0 dealt with the pictures.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
The team was divided into four divisions: animation, writings, web pages and interviews. Each division had an ambassador, who contacted the interviewees through phone or e-mail. He finalized the interview after the division had talked about it. Usually, several ambassadors went on a joint interviewing journey and shared the workload in recording the interview with writing, videotape and cameras. The division spokesmen made reports during the following weekly meeting, so that all the team members could learn about the information collected during the interviews. We interviewed the dam authorities (the Water Resources Bureau, Electricity Plant, Polluted Water Plant), chief of Lungtan Countryside¡¦s Administration Office, village people, mountaineers and the boss of a live fish restaurant.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
First, the villagers came to understand and treasure the dam. We have taken the dam area as a backyard garden and sports ground. We scarcely thought about how difficult the erection of the dam might be, and how it benefits Lungtan. The interviews tell us people behind the scenes have been devoted to erecting and monitoring the dam, guarding the water resources and caring for the plants. The Internet experience has also broadened our view and taught us to put our noses deep into the community and the true world. The project showed our parents and neighbors what information education could bring. Secondly, the chief of North Water Resources Bureau likes our website. Quite a few visitors watch the tour introduction displayed in the Hillside Library before starting off to visit the community. Chief Lee intends to install our website into the tour introduction there. He also promised to open up dam office resources for our school¡¦s outdoor teaching. More than 1100 web surfers have visited the website over the past two months. Thirty-one of them left suggestions or encouragements. For one example, Master Janhuan commented, ¡¨I am pleased to see the website. It is indeed worth applause. Keep up the effort and create a clean piece of land on earth.¡¨ Hmsheen said he looked forward to exchanging with us the technological experience of establishing a website. Ms. Carol Wei, a senior computer industry reporter, thought about moving to Lungtan. She recommended to use more pictures and explanations for introducing the Eden of wild birds and plants.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
Our parents did a lot for us. Mr. Ta Men-Pong helped with arranging the interviews. Mr. Hong Kuan-Chen and Chin Chi-Liu taught us Flash, Photo Impact, Fireworks and other web page-making tools. They also guided us through the project and taught us how to collect information. Ms. Hsiang Zu-Wang and Ms. Shiu Ling-Huang offered places for us to meet. All the interviewees were cooperative. Macy Wu, executive secretary of E-Learning Assoc. Taiwan translated our talks and interviews into English, and asked Mr. Jason Johns to proofread the writing. Carol Wei rewrote the tour spots and Mother Dam pages into the English version, and matched the English conversation for the Cartoon.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
1.How to execute a research program. This is a program that involves more than ten members, clear goals and a timing schedule. We went through the whole cycle, during which ideas transformed into concepts and goals, overall plans, weekly plans and finally the finished product. We were to demo and report about the past week¡¦s work every week. That trained us to discuss and plan ahead, and then stick to the weekly assignment in a proper pace. We were also trained to vote when we had conflicting opinions. That turned out to be the best and fastest way to solve problems. 2.What we can get from the Internet. Everybody can act as a web page creator and broadcaster, and therefore a world citizen that looks around the world. We made friends with various other teams in the Cyberfair, and exchanged information with them. 3.About the people and institutes in the community. We visited neighbors in the community, various institutes and officers, and learned how the village and the dam were managed. They also knew more about our school and us. 4.About the dam. We looked into the dam, pollution control, the conservation of water resources and plants. We were told that it had a lifespan and could only milk the following generations if it was taken good care of. 5.New capabilities. Team members improved in writing, interviewing, discussion and job allocation. Individual talents were given full play. Plus, we groped in the teamwork mode. For one thing, meeting participants took turns to perform as chairman and notes taker. The entire process was enlightening and fun.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 1479)
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