School: Long Ann Elementary School
    Taipei, NA, TAIWAN

9 students, ages 10-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 20, 2003. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): NONE

Classes and Teachers: Cheng, Feng-Chi; Huang, I-Long

E-Mail contact:

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

1. Description of Our Community

The city of Taipei is the most prosperous of Taiwan. Located in the northern region, it is surrounded by mountainous ranges. The Mt. Yang Ming National Park is the most popular site of recreation in the suburbs, and the Da Ann Forest Park (DAFP) in downtown provides the civilians with a place of relaxation and vegetation. Inside the DAFP, there's an open-air theatre that puts on regular performances of instrumental music, puppet shows, and crosstalk. Our school, the Long Ann Elementary School (LAES), is within walking distance of the DAFP, and our annual school mini-marathon takes place in the park. The LAES was founded in 1929 during the Japanese colonial period. At present, it is economized from K-1 to K-6 and accommodates a student body of more than 2,000. The school is recognized for its liberalism , inter-disciplinary curricula, and varied extra-curricular programs. It is also known for its vitality in parental participation, which has made schooling more dynamic and innovative. The school takes pride in its committed faculty and wide range of classes, including special education, after-school programs, and gifted classes. The Long Ann community is studded with star colleges and cafés. Our neighbors include local leaders of higher education, such as the National Taiwan University (NTU) and the National Taiwan Normal University, as well as "trend-setters" like McDonald’s and Starbucks. The area is also crowded with bookstores, boutiques, and bistros. The Eslite Bookstore, the Barns and Nobel of Taiwan, has its NTU branch couple blocks away from Long Ann. To sum up, the Long Ann community is cozy and confident. In a sense, it could be likened to the town of Cambridge in Massachusetts. While Cantabrigians take pride in Harvard and MIT, Long-Anners strive for the element of excellence. We work and play and believe that both are keys to the happiness of life.

2. Summary of Our Project

Crosstalk is a verbal art form that has a long tradition in China. It makes criticisms on worldly matters through close observations and vocal histrionics. While it makes the audience laugh, it also provokes them to think critically. Our project studied the history of crosstalk by visiting professional troupes and doing interviews with celebrated crosstalkers. It is our wish to trace the history of crosstalking in Taiwan. Besides, we took lessons to learn the art of crosstalk. By doing so, we wish to introduce crosstalk to grade schoolers and to make it more accessible and become part of the cultural inheritance of our generation.

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

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

In addition to facilities at home, our project made use of computer equipment at school. At home, project participant families were connected to the internet through Cable Modem and ADSL. At school, the computer rooms were connected to the Taiwan Academic Internet (TANET) through ADSL 1.5 MB. Therefore, our internet access was secure and speedy.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

(1)Time Management: Since this was our first time to take part in the CyberFair, we realized that we were too idealistic. We learned the ropes as we groped. It took time to learn crosstalk and to make sense of the art form. It was also a big project to schedule the interviews, which involved massive-level coordination and interpersonal networking. Consequently, we were behind the schedule. We constantly held meetings to target the problems and to re-marshal the tasks. Time management was indeed our number one problem. (2)Interview Coordination: We encountered many problems in coordinating the interviews. Even although our team members were trained in interviewing techniques, we spent a lot of time to just try to schedule the interviews. Scheduling was difficult because many of the crosstalk artists were booked for performances, and the process of coordination was tiring and time-consuming. We were lucky, however, to have the support of participant parents, who were willing to help with both scheduling and conducting of the interviews. (3)Web-page Know-how: We also encountered many problems in web-page technology. We were grateful for the assistance of the computer teachers. We were also indebted to the guidance and advice of our participant parents. During the process, several home computers were inflicted with virus, and we learned how to solve the problems and appreciate the expertise of others. (4)Team Work: Disagreements seemed to be inevitable in team work and we learned how to put ourselves in others' shoes and to tackle the issues from alternative perspectives. One big thing was that we learned how to respect the differences in gender, and it applied to both boys and girls. We also learned how to respect the minority and to maintain the integrity of the team. Therefore we learned the importance of sharing and tolerance in team work.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

“Genesis out of blue” would best summarize our experiences. We didn’t know anything about crosstalk, and we never made a page. During the process, we fell in love with crosstalk and learned to appreciate the beauty of the old language art. We not only learned the knowledge, but also gave live performances. We changed from greenhands to “ambassadors.” We are now crosstalk artists. It was indeed a “genesis out of blue.”

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

Our project joined forces with the curricula of performing arts in the humanities division of the K-9 system. The art of crosstalk was thus integrated with the use of language in everyday life. We learned how to use the research equipment, including tape-recorders, questionnaires, e-mails, and digital cameras. We also learned the basics of webpage-making and animation. Besides, we learned the art of interviewing, like how to summarize the questions and answers, transcribe the interviews, and conduct ourselves during the process of interviewing. Our team practiced the concept of "differentiated coordination," which meant that the team was coordinated among different taskforces. Our team was divided into three sub-groups: arts, know-how, and copywriting. These groups were adopted by participant families who were experienced in these different divisions. We helped each other in brainstorming, locating resources, and sharing experiences. Consequently, we were at once unified and differentiated. Take the “Progress Report” for example. The writing of the general report was the duty of the team leader while the updates and revisions were done by executives of the specific tasks. We began to develop a better conception of the project through reading, extensive discussions, and interviews with the selected crosstalkers. Our team is mainly made of students of the 5th-grade gifted class. The verbal art of crosstalk was part of the curricula in the first semester and there was a field trip to the traditional opera school in Taipei. So our project was a good match with the school curricula. It not only enriched our appreciation of this traditional art form, but also enhanced our expressions in language arts. During the process, we were able to access a lot of information through the Internet and share it through the e-mails. The collaboration of the team work really made the project stronger and better.

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

Internets: To research and update on activities TV: To watch Talk-Sing Duo Show Digital Recording Pen and Recorder: To record interviews & performances Digital Cameras: To make a project documentary Video: To make the project documentary Telecommunications (e-mails): Communications and contacts Oral Interviews: To understand the history Digitizers and Scanners: To process images Printers: To print documents and notices Computer Software: Dreamweaver MX, NAMO Webeditor 5.0, PhotoImpact 7.0, FrontPage 2000, WS_FTP, etc. Multi-media PC: To process and review Crosstalk CD's and VCD's Libraries: To do research ****************************************************** 1. These tools helped us to access more information, to speed up the process, and to enhance the quality of the page. 2. These tools were made available through the help and/or donations of parents, teachers, and some volunteers from the community. 3. Our most valuable "tools" were the crosstalk artists. It is due to their sharing of the experiences that we became more acknowledgeable about the history of crosstalking in Taiwan. We also learned some valuable lessons about life. We really benefited a lot from them. 4. It was the Internet. It was helpful in many ways, such as the instant access to information, the "quick track" of communications, and the sharing of resources. It also helped us with the exchange of ideas and communications with others. It was a great friendship facilitator.

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

1. It was through the Internet that we were able to do research on line and to get in touch with concerned groups and/or individuals. 2. Our students were able to act as project "ambassadors" through the setting-up of interviews. In order to do the research, we got in touch with Mr. Ma Jing-xieng, one of the historical crosstalk artists, who however had made a career move to journalism. We tracked him down and did an interview with him in his office. Mr. Ma was very surprised and pleased to see that we placed him in the history of crosstalking in Taiwan, although he was no longer doing performances. 3. We took lessons with Mrs. Chou Da-wei, totaling a 16-hour coursework to acquire the skills and techniques of crosstalking. 4. We were invited to give a live performance at the Central Library in Taipei. 5. We went to numerous crosstalking performances in the National Memorial Hall. 6. We made strenuous efforts to set up interviews with representative crosstalk artists, who took part in the development of crosstalking in Taiwan over a span of sixty years. Our project is the first attempt to make a crosstalk web-history on line. Therefore, our students are ambassadors of this collective will.

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

The aim of our project is threefold. First, we want to introduce the artistry of crosstalk to the community at Long Ann. Second, we want to make a connection between our project and the K-9 curricula at school. Third, we wish that Long-Anners will be willing to learn the art of crosstalk and therefore continue and enliven the tradition. 1. Ours is the first that makes the history of crosstalk available on line. It gives a detailed introduction to the history of crosstalking in Taiwan and will act as a great channel to other regional arts in Taiwan. 2. The feedback we have received are from the students who took part in the project. They went through a transformation from passive order-takers to active initiators. They not only acquired the skills, but also realized the dynamics between learning and doing. They are indeed the ambassadors to introduce crosstalk to more people and to enliven the art form. 3. They were given invitations to make performances at school and in the community. They were identified at school as crosstalk artists, who took on the responsibility to promote the art of crosstalk. They are indeed the crosstalk "ambassadors." 4. Our team will continue to take lessons in crosstalk and to integrate it with the humanities curricula at school. It is our wish that the team will give more live performances at school and in the community.

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

1. An National Taiwan University (NTU) professor provided us with classroom space for the crosstalking lessons. 2. Mrs. Chou and her group arranged the performance at the Central Library. 3. Han-ling Crosstalk Troupe opened their library and made the collections accessible to us. 4. NTU students were arranged to teach us how to use Dreamweaver. 5. Big sisters from Chung-shang Girls High were arranged to help us with the making of the Web-page.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Our project started in October, 2002, and we learned in no time that if we didn't cooperate, we would die. It is Hou-ning's mother, who took charge of the monitoring of the progress, keeping of the log, and supervising the quality of the work. It is Chi-yu's mum, who helped to arrange the lessons with Teacher Chou, to enhance our appreciation, and to make us agree that it was fun to learn crosstalk. We also have to say thanks to Chung-hung's dad, who was so generous to loan the classroom to us at no charge. We spent altogether five months in making the page and we've found it's all worth it. We took lessons, did research, made interviews, and even gave a performance. We were so thrilled when Teacher Chou introduced us as crosstalk artists from the LAES to the audience at the Central Library. When we finished the interview with the crosstalk guru, Mr. Wu Chou-nen, he even agreed to give ink-and-brush autographs to our project members. We also harvested the prize of patience. During our “massive” scheduling process with Mr. Fong Yi-gang, the busiest crosstalk artist in town, we changed the schedule so many times that we were close to give up. Out of blue, one of his rehearsals was canceled and we were given instant permission to interview him. It’s now or never. It’s he who hooked us up with the guru. And it went like that. It was a collective project, and it is our wish that our page will be made world famous and worth the name. As people say, the world was made out of blue. And that is the best summary of our project.