School: Kaohsiung Senior High School
    Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C

8 students, ages 16 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 20, 2003. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2003

Classes and Teachers: class 17 of the 10th grade

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.kshs.kh.edu.tw

1. Description of Our Community

Meinung , a rural village in Kaohsiung County situated in south part of Taiwan, boasts thousands of tourists per year. Tourism has prospered since early times, yet, there is much more to talk about this small village. Meinung not only featured a special group of people named the Hakka, but inherited a priceless history which is originated from Taiwan island itself.

2. Summary of Our Project

In this project, we'd explore specialities in Meinung. Such as paper umbrellas, potery, ciggars snd some Hakka's traditional foods. Besides, we are not going to miss the unique habits shared by local residents, the Hakkas; also the most renowned resorts and historical sites.

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:not sure

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:1

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

Creating a Web site was new for us and for our teacher. We didn't know much about HTML, so the contest was a big challenge! We read some books relevant. We each became specialists in different areas and helped each other.

Another problem was languages. Reading and writing English was hard because none of us speak English as a first language. We had to cite paragraphs from last year's teams and edit them into right and accurate descriptions of ourselves' research.

Our biggest challenge was deciding what information to share about Meinung. We want to share what it is like living here by telling about Meinung's treasures, but many informations have become a taboo to the Hakkas, for they wouldn't like to share certain secrets of their tradition.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Meinung is a very special place, yet it is unknown to many people. CyberFair has helped us share its many treasures.

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

Our CyberFair project supported our school's values, and it taught skills in many areas of our curriculum. It complimented our Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum especially well. Our project also provided many opportunities for enrichment.

Teamwork and respect are two of the values that our school encourages. Teamwork was seen throughout this project. We worked together with our classmates, families and community members. Respect is demonstrated as we share an appreciation for Meinung culture.

In Language Arts, we used writing strategies (prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading and publishing) and writing skills (grammar, mechanics and usage, and spelling and vocabulary). We also used study and research skills (choosing sources, comparing information across sources, formulating questions, interviewing, making a bibliography, making and using a timeline, and using a variety of resource materials).

In Social Studies we used reference skills (using the community as a resource, selecting and using appropriate resources and using a computer to run reference software) and map skills. We also used thinking skills (summarizing information and synthesizing information) and interpersonal skills (accepting and giving constructive feedback and developing respect for others). It is also part of our social studies curriculum to learn about Meinung.

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

Our school's computer lab has 40 Gateway PC's with internet access, 3 printers,1 digital camera and 1 scanner. In our 10th grade classroom we have a Gateway PC with internet access. The software used for our Web site was Microsoft Explorer, Adobe Photoshop, Ulead Photoimpct, Microsoft Word and Word Pad. We also used a Sony's digital camera and our personal 35mm cameras. Other tools we used were books and magazines from our school library and homes, and handbooks from local volunteer organizations. We'll be using a projector and laptop to share our Web site at an assembly.

The local people that we interviewed were the most valuable. They knew a lot! It was fun talking with them, and they let us take pictures of them and their things. They shared a lot of information about Hakka culture that we could not find other places.

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

When we first started our project, we wrote an article for our school newsletter telling about our project, asking our school community for their ideas about what makes Meinung special to them. Once we started our project, we had many oral interviews with people at our school, neighbors, and other community members. We told them about our project, they were excited.

We are making posters to hang in our school telling about our site so students in other grades will be able to see it and share it with their families and friends. We will write another article for our school newsletter after we finished the project, inviting the school community to visit our Web site and telling them about our presentation. We are sharing our project at a school assembly for studentss, parents, and people we interviewed. Many people have already looked at our site and are telling others about it.

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

The people we interviewed were proud to share their culture. Interviewing them and taking pictures of them and their things strengthened our friendships. This project has also strengthened our school community by working together. We hope that by sharing our CyberFair project at an assembly we will build pride for the Hakka culture in our school community.

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

We'd like to give a huge thanks to our families, school community, neighbors, and other community members who helped us. They helped us with ideas for our site, and they also provided support. We received technical support from Mr. Liu (computer education teacher) and Mrs. Ma (Art and Social education teacher).