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1. Description of Our Community
Our school is located at Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City, where we live is full of wonderful things and people, and is worth visiting. Kaohsiung is the second biggest city in Taiwan, ROC. It is situated on the southwest coast of the island and comprises an area of 153.6-sq. km., divided into 11 districts. It has a population of 1.46 million. Kaohsiung is the chief center of the heavy industry and petrochemical industry. Lin-Hai industrial district, Jung-guo Steel Corporation, Jung-guo Shipbuilding Corporation all have greatly contributed to Taiwan's economics. It’s one of the reasons why the cargo volume that Kaohsiung harbor handles ranks four in the world. Plus, the city government has been focusing on transforming Kaohsiung into an international bay city. Many major projects have been taking into practice to reach this goal, such as the blue highway by the sea, the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit system, the Kaohsiung Multi-Functional Commerce & Trade Park and so on. Kaohsiung is a city rich in culture. There are seven colleges, Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center, Museum of Fine Arts, National Science & Technology Museum. All have arranged displays of both domestic and international high standard art articles for citizen. Container Festival is the special festival recently which allows artists coming from all over the world to paint on containers. Sanmin District is the pivot of Kaohsiung transportation system. It contains the most population in Kaohsiung, and is the center of the whole city. Kaohsiung Train Station, long distance coach station, and main bus station are all here. Besides, it is the commercial center too. There are many companies, several five-star hotels, famous traditional markets, two huge attractive wholesale markets. Especially, there are unique streets where the same goods are sold in a whole street, such as sundry goods, shoes, clothes, and computer products. From the angle of globalization, 'our community' also means the whole world. It especially indicates that the pollution problem is a global issue and people in the world need to handle it cooperatively.
2. Summary of Our Project
The planet Earth is our home. Protecting its environment is our task and responsibility. Nowadays, the garbage problem is a really serious matter. A lot of actions have been under practicing right now. In Taiwan, the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park is a great example of turning a stinky place into a terrific park. Although the appearance of the landfill has changed, but there are still many follow-up things need to be solved with care. This park is one of the city government's tasks to make Kaohsiung city a 'Flower City'. It really interests us, so we decided to take a closer look at it. The old, disused Hsi-Cheng-Pu landfill has been changed into Taiwan's first Metropolitan Park. With the whole plan organized by both the CPA (Construction and Planning Agency, the Ministry of Interior) and BEP (Bureau of Environmental Protection of Kaohsiung City), the foul mess and smelly atmosphere in the site has been replaced by clear sight and fresh air. Also, the dangerous marsh gas resulted from a large pile of wastes has been colleted to generate electric power. We have learned a lot from visiting this marvelous new paradise of Kaohsiung. After collecting part information, we visited the park to ask the officials, workers, volunteers for getting more information about the building procedure and its operation, and interviewed people, visitors and residents to ask their experience about this park, and took photos there. After that, we tried to find more information, including on the Internet, and ask foreign friends to offer more information. Then we set this web in a systematic and beautiful way to show most information that we had found, including the pictures of the old-style landfill, about the process of building a new park, the final result, marsh gas fuelling system and ecosystem in the park.
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: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):
Our campus network links to Internet, via the system belonging to Jung-hua communication Corp., through ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and has nearly three hundred computers connected points inside school. No matter where the information is sent, inside or outside the school, the quality of transmission is rather high, so it facilitates teaching, learning and academic work.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Since the beginning, we have been confronting a lot of troubles. We really knew very little about environment protection. So for one, to cope with the lack of knowing essential information, our team members have to collecting background information separately, share and discuss them and look for advice from experts and teachers, especially about generating electricity systems and specialized words using in environmental protection, so as to have a basic framework. It was quite a big challenge, because the related information was not got enough for one time, so we collected them, discussed and asked for advice, and then collected, discussed and asked for advice again and again for many times. It took us about three months. Secondly, we were not familiar with using computer software and the procedures for handling many things, such as, formatting movies and pictures, processing digital images, making Flash animations. So we arranged the right person to do what he was good at, taught each other, and then asked our teachers for help. Besides, we had to type a pile of introduction about the Park. The toughest thing for us is to translate Chinese into English. We all typed and translated part of it by ourselves and then ask our English teachers to correct it for us. Moreover, It was not quite easy to build the sense of responsibility for all our team-members. But we made it little by little by arranging a schedule cooperatively and by pushing some of them sometimes. To achieve this time-consuming and energy-consuming goal, we have made full use of our holidays and given up noontime naps for a long period. Fortunately, we finally finished all the jobs. As the old saying 'no pain no gain', we must be brave to face all challenges in order to succeed.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
This CyberFair has made us feel more confident. With regard to computer skills, we have mastered several kinds of software, like Flash, Excel, FrontPage, Photo Impact, and ACDsee. In addition, we also have absorbed wisdom of protecting the environment by looking closer at the example of the Metropolitan Park, and have realized how to behave ourselves and treasure the natural resources. As for teamwork, we have learned that coming together is very important. To our community, we believe that people will be happy with what we want to share with them that we have contributed to promote the quality of the environment and learn more about our beautiful neighbor, the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The project is going to share valuable information with people worldwide. This goal is what the International School CyberFair wants to reach. As to our school coursework and curriculum, it is meaningful task to meet its requirements. In Taiwan, we are carrying out an educational reform, in which environmental protecting and resources recycling issues are encouraged to put into every subject taught at school. This project fits into the main principles of educational reform and the national curriculum guidelines very well. We all learned new skills and show our group concepts. First, we know how to use advanced technology, the Internet and several kinds of software. Second, we learn how to work in a team and understand the process is more important than the result, so we were able to learn by doing. Third, we realize know-how is better than just know-what. Fourth, we find out that we are useful, because of us, many people, at least school students and teachers, can get valuable information about the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park easily. Finally, we understand the earth is a very precious treasure and is our home and that why protecting the environment is so important. Particularly, we enjoyed the fresh air and the green sights and will be willing to save it or even produce more for our next generation. Just as what the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park taught us those plants are the lungs of the city, and the green views are our souls' best medicine. It also surprised to find out that by using the Internet, people who we have met have given us a positive feedback, because we can show them some ideas by the active photos and the abound information including other countries' example immediately. So the Internet is really fabulous.
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
In order to make things go through well and effectively, we cannot but use information tools and technologies. For collecting all related information, we read books, newspapers in many libraries, or borrowed from friends, teachers, the workers in the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park, and even information from the 'Cleanaway' company and the Bureau of Environmental Protection of Kaohsiung City. First, we made appointments with people by telephone and the interviewed them. In order to take notes as soon and precise as possible, some of us wrote down on paper, some typed in notebook computer, and some made tape recorders. Also, we used tape recorders to recorders the songs and speech, and use video and digital cameras to take related photos. Next, we use Desk Top, we all have one at home, to key in written words through WORD, use scanners to scan photos and other manuscript copies, use video and digital cameras, 'Videowave' and cable to transmit films and images to PC’s hard disk storage, to save video and audio data. At the final stage, we need the help of computer software, such as Excel for statistical analysis and figures drawing; Flash for making animation; Photo-Impact and ACDsee for viewing photo, photo-processing; Videowave for decoding and image-processing, Media-Player for displaying media; and finally, FrontPage for combining all the data to make Web pages. To make sure all data having backup, we use CD burners to make some CDs. All tools have been contributed to our project, however, Computer, language, including oral language and written language, seem the most important tools. Of course, the information technology helped us the most.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
We have worked in a team, so we have learned to organize everything equally. Our captain Yu-ru LEE formed our group and was responsible for made appointments with people who we wanted to meet and interview — with help of our teacher Mr. Jia-xiong Liu, and acted as a spokesman of our team. He also has to ask visitors playing in the park and the residents living near the park to accept our interview. Plus, we needed one-afternoon off for many times, so Captain Lee had to report it to our teachers at school. Besides, captain Yu-ru needs to respond to any E-mail sent by those who are interested in our Web pages. For example, he has make friends with a person sending E-mail from Canada and another one from America. Tony HUANG, vice captain, was in charge of assembling team members almost in person at school, and reporting our schedule and progress to our teacher, Mr. Liu. Tony also had his father helped to check the contents for us. Another three members Yi-ying, HUANG, Zhong-jie, XU and had to represent us to find volunteer person or group to offer us required information they hold, such as books, newspapers, photos, recorders, or films. We have contacted and talked to people via E-mail, phone calls, and in person, with exception of letters.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
Our project has made a great difference. More and more people have realized the achievement and function that Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park through our project's introduction in a systematical and comprehensive way. Our school has become a new focus of attention and a new source of spreading information about environment education. In the past, people in Kaohsiung seemed to have more interests in earning money and have paid less attention to nature. After the economy has developed quickly, our governments have taken actions to promote the life quality through environmental restoration and protection. Our project has achieved one of our government's goals; therefore, we got an award from our city government because of this project. With our effort, it will be easier and more convenient for people in our community to be more and more familiar with the achievement of the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park, and want to visit it and feel like taking realistic action to protect environment protection like what they have done in the park. Since our web pages (Chinese version) put on the Internet in Feb, 2004, there have been over 1000 visitors, including some overseas visitors, and the number is still increasing. We suppose that as long as our English version issued, there will be more and more people visiting us. They will know more about the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park, our school, our community and Kaohsiung City, and even our country. In fact, our first version was not very good, so we modified it with the help of some comments from other people's e-mal. Besides, we have made a very good relationship with the officials, workers and volunteers working at the park, because they help us so much and they thank us for showing the valuable information on the web.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
For gathering useful and enough information, we visited the offices in the park to ask officials to give us more documents about why and how to build this park. Besides, we interviewed around 100 people, such as officials, workers working at the Park, and at the gas generating plant. Moreover, for knowing how people think of this park, we went there many times and interviewed in random people who teach and play there, such as teachers, pupils, and citizens. People live neighbors. They all gave us a lot of help. For mastering computer software, our computer teacher and director, Jia-xiong Liu, has been teaching us how to use computer software and get familiar with hardware. For contacting more people so as to get more information, the major help came from our teacher Liu and captain LEE. They have been helping us to arrange us to interview with the Section Chief Xu of the Bureau of Environmental Protection, and offered us a lot of information. Mrs. Liang, a retired teacher and is a volunteer in the park, guided us to write essay after interview, and answered our questions. Fortunately, their thoughtful acts were commendable and unforgettable, because they were all voluntary. In addition, we thank many people, although we were unable to list them all. All the help together offered us a great opportunity to introduce the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park more details, and by doing so we can share people all what the people have devoted themselves to environmental protection for our society. We also have some long-distance helpers. Because we try to make our introduction in English more fluently, we have tried to find some friends with better English, especially LEE’s American friend living in New York, Charlie Savenor, to find some English information for us.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
Through this project, we have discovered and learned from the bitter lesson. Teamwork is really not an easy thing. On our way to finish the Web pages, it was hard to stop a little bit arguing all the time. Eventually, we learned a lesson that we would suffer losses if not working together. After that, we stopped quarrelling, but communicated with each other, and learn from each other instead. Moreover, We have found Internet and information technology are so powerful. With our exhausting effort, we submit such a high-level result to our school and our community. It's so wonderful to have mastered more computer software. What an unexpected surprise. How important the earth really is! Most people only know how to get something form the earth and do not know how we harm the nature. Through this project, we have learned environmental protection and education are so important, by using recycling power we still can live very well and without harming environment so we want to make more efforts to save both our earth and ourselves in the future. Besides, we know there are some people, even not many, who have contributed themselves to save the earth, so we respect them very much.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 3301)
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