School: Chien Tai Senior School
    Miaoli, Taiwan, Taiwan

9 students, ages 17 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 20, 2004. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): None

Classes and Teachers: Winston Tsai

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.ctsh.mlc.edu.tw

1. Description of Our Community

The object of study in our project is focused on all the historic sites all over Tainan county, which is in the south-western part of Taiwan, covering the first city that was cultivated by immigrants from Mainland China, Tainan City.

2. Summary of Our Project

We try to tell to the world the profound background stories about Tainan's historic sites that have witnessed the history of the cultivation of Taiwan: where the sites are located, how and why they were built, why they were erected the way they were, what visitors should know about, ...and most important of all, the interesting background stories of these remains. We even have a section introducing the amazing local delicacies of the old city. With our introduction, the project will certainly add more interst to a trip to Tainan long before a visitor really sets his feet to the city.

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):

We discussed whether our project page should be in an 800 X 600 or 1024 X 768 mode. Finally we decided to use the former mode so it will be easily viewed by most of the people using computers with lower-level monitors.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

Actually our team members seldom experience problems as to the design, techniques or layout of the project page. Some of them have had years of experience in making Chinese web sites already. The biggest obstacle we do encounter in the course is how to translate all the concerned information we have gathered into explicit, understandable, and natural English. This is a very tough challenge, because there are many language gaps between Chinese and the English language. Some special terms in traditional architecture are the hardest nuts to crack and we had to turn to historians, linguists or even archaeologists in university for help. Still there are some terms or expressions that seem impossible to solve, which we had to translate in our own way, not knowing whether browsers of our web page will ever understand what we mean to say at all!

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Unite all our potential powers with teamwork and achieve the goal of elevating our English language skills through building an international web page that presents Tainan to cyberspace.

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

Engilsh has recently become the most important second language in Taiwan. More and more schools or universities have made passing a certain level of TOFEL, GEPT, or TOEIC a requirement for students graduating from these schools. Also there has been a trend in schools and the government to promote domestic cultures as well as folk arts. The International Schools Cyberfair happens to be an activity that combines both the requirements in curriculum quidelines about English learning and the study of local folklores. With the help of the computers and the Internet, teaching and learning through International Schools Cyberfair has become the most effective way to achieve these goals. The reasons are clear: the method is high-tech and scientific and the involvement is a world of fun to the students!

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

Tools used: one digital video camera, two digital cameras, two tape recorders, a couple of laptop and desktop computers, e-mails, Collier's Encyclopedia, Liang's Chinese-English dictionary, some self-designed questionaires and personal interviews...etc. Software used: Macromedia Dreamweaver 4, Flash 4, Photoimpact 9.0, Microsoft Frontpage, Microsoft Office 2000,...and so on. Most useful tool: The digital camera enables us to take snapshots and convert the photos into the computer without any delay.

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

Our students have four times represented our school to visit Tainan for personal interviews with local people, shop owners, the Tainan City Hall and Prof. Ho at National Cheng Kung University. In this way we actually conducted several field-trip surveys, paid personal visits and sampled dozens of local snacks,...etc. to gather all the information or data needed in our project no matter how trivial the information or data may seem. Furthermore, questionaires were also used to expand our contact range to avoid prejudices or incorrect hearsay. All these activities make them 'ambassadors' who are genuinely worthy of the name!

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

We are not sure whether people in our community will be interested in our project, because it is an English version. However, at least all the team members benefit a lot and become more confident and more informed about the history of Tainan. It's a treasure that we can never have discovered from textbooks alone. Besides, more foreign visitors will likely be attracted to the old city for sightseeing only or for a more profound and knowledgeable trip. Even if they do not focus on Tainan, their visits will greatly help make Taiwan better known to the world.

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

Our students have four times represented our school to visit Tainan to for personal interviews with local people and Prof. Ho at National Cheng Kung University. During these field-trip surveys and personal visits, we have encountered numerous local people such as vendors, shop-owners, passers-by, and even some government officials who all kindly offered spontaneous help or advice as well as any information they know. Especially when they knew that we were sutdents from another city in the north, they all volunteered to do all they could, hoping that our project would be successful and that more foreigners would understand the ancient city better.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

In achieving our project, we discover that everything we see around us involves some history, which we often ignore. This discovery converts our attention to the history of all the old structures in our hometown Miaoli. This is extremely helpful to the students. Also, the students eventually realize through the process that to have the job well-done, English is definitely a most important tool and that they have a long way to go to have good command of the language. I, as their English teacher, think this is the best lesson they have learned.