School: Tainan Ta-Kang elementary school
    Tainan, Taiwan, Taiwan

7 students, ages 11-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 9, 2003. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2003

Classes and Teachers: Ms.Yi Chen Wu, Ms.Wei Ru Chen

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.takes.tn.edu.tw/

1. Description of Our Community

This project define local community as "south Taiwan",especially encompass Tainan city. Tainan-Southern Taiwan is warm and suitable for the Milk Fish breeding.Therefore,the Milk Fish become one of the specialty of Southern Taiwan;moreover,according to legend the Milk Fish breeding was originated from Tainan.Even till now,Tainan area has preserved its traditional technique of teh Milk Fish breeding.Our research team is located in Tainan city.From the long breeding history,let us reveal the legend of the Milk Fish.

2. Summary of Our Project

The Milk Fish is the"Home fish"and has always been a specialty for southern Taiwan.The breeding began in Tainan city.The variety of Milk Fish Dishes are the finest of Tainan snacks.Our study begins from Tainan city,and will reveal the legendary story of the Milk Fish to every corner of the world.

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:1

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

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):

--2 computer lab with 82 computers.

--An additional computer in each classroom for teachers and students; another 15 for administration use.

--5 NT Server and 1 FreeBSD Server are responsible for school network, educational website, class webpage and e-mails.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

(Language problem)When interview with Mr.Wu, he had spoken in Taiwanese local language, and all the technical terms of the breeding technique had come up with only 50%-60% of understanding.

(--overcome)When listened to the tape we recorded from Mr.Wu, we asked for help from teachers, parents and the aged. In addition, we arrange another meeting with Mr.Wu.

(Lack of experience)The research activity is totally new for our team, therefore, we need improve on interview skills, manners and courages.

(--overcome)Consult with teachers and students who had similar experience. After each interview, we held a meeting to review and discuss for improvement.

(Problem of the Internet)Not everyone was connected to the Internet at home, so mailing the progress report was troublesome. Besides, some of them were not familiar with operating a computer. Even the punctuation marks were not properly used.

(--overcome)Students who had difficulty in mailing reports would ask teacher’s help. But there would be a little delay. Otherwise, students could use school computers during break time.

(Difficulties when visiting the open-market)It was crowded and noisy on the open-market. It wasn’t easy to hear a conversation clearly. Besides, there was always interruption during an interview.

(--overcome)We couldn’t really control the situation, but we would pay most concentration. We would find a quiet place, right after the interview, to discuss and share what we just heard, so we could make up the bits and pieces one might have left out.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Our life are surrounded by the ancestor’s wisdom, as long as we pay efforts, we gain more knowledge than we do from the books.

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

Our government has listed 7 major areas of learning for the children of our country, and we have tried extremely hard to abide by the guidelines and visions set forth by the government, as follows:

(1)Language Arts--Reading, analysis, and management of collected data; writing, editing, and interviewing all demonstrate the use and importance of linguistic abilities.

(2)Social Studies--We utilized the resources of our community, and tried to search for the history and roots of the place we live in.

(3)Mathematics--Interviews with people, and the statistical analysis afterwards, those all help students develop mathematical and spatial concepts.

(4)Science and Technology--The using of digital equipments, the design of our research web pages can also help students develop the ability to use digital equipments.

(5)Health and Physical Education--The time arrangement, activity schedule, and field trips all help this area.

(6)Arts and Humanities--Students learned by the stimulation of taking photos, and viewing and emulating other works.

(7)Integrative Activities--The team spirit, cooperation, communication, exploration, and on-site interviews help the students mature and become more responsible adults.

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

--telephones: We used this to consult each other about the journey to interview; more over, students and teachers use it to contact with each other and discuss things.

--video and digital still cameras: We used this to record our research process in editing and storing the photos, most of the photos on our research web pages were come from this way.

--tape recorders: We used this to help us taking down every information we heard in interviews.

--computer software: Frontpage, Dreamweaver, PhotoImpact, Flash, VideoStudio, GoldWave..., we used those software to build our web pages.

--libraries, books: We found so many written form information there.

--newspapers: These helped us to get the immediate information.

--oral interviews: Oral interviews are the most important way how we got information about the Milk Fish which is showed on our research web pages.

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

We principally contacted with everyone and everything locally related to the Milk Fish by telephone connecting ,spot visiting and through interviews. At the begining of interview, we would introduce ourself, and then we would describe the contents of CyberFair, make sure that the person we interviewed knew our purpose, so that we could go on our interview.

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

While we went out for interviews, we increase the interaction between our school and our community, stepping up the communication between our school and our community. And the whole research course make us understand more about our Homefish, the Milk Fish, and bring us deeper feelings with our community; at the same time, we also sign with emotion for times changing and the aquaculture of the Milk Fish is no longer well. What is more, we also designed question paper to survey to know the relation between six grade students and the Milk Fish. After a section of our information collecting,we made a briefing of our research to our classmates, assisting in popularizing the Milk Fish.

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

Tainan city is the fountainhead place of cultivating the Milk Fish in Taiwan; until now, there are still many people inheriting the wisdom of our ancestors, continuing strive for the future of the Milk Fish. Every schoolteacher and every parent we knew were all zealous to help us in contacting with the local, this is how we could get five opportunity of outdoor interviews. Every people we interviewed were all enthusiastic at narrating the story about their cultivating the Milk Fish, and some of they were even stop working to explain the information for us; for example, Mr.Wu and Mr.Chen exceptionally spared one day for driving us the trip of interview. Every restaurant we interviewed were also willing to supply us with information. Right here, we sincerely thank everyone for everything!

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

--The discoveries of digging the treasure of Tainan city: Not until going through this research that we would know such huge knowledge and technique the Milk Fish has, and there are so many people behind the scenes working hard for the future of the Milk Fish!

--The lessons of realizing that the capability of social intercourse: By interviewing on our own, we realized the importance and difficulties of social intercourse; what appropriate questions should we bring up with appropriate word at appropriate opportunity? From now on, we shall train up our EQ!

--The surprises of finding that the wisdom of our ancestors can be found everywhere: There are so much wisdom of our ancestors hiding behind the fish farm we passed everyday and the food cooked in the Milk Fish. If we were not went out by doing research, we would hardly learn so many thing, this is so-called "Doing is ratter than just reading".