School: Dabang Primary School
    Chiayi City, Chiayi , Taiwan

13 students, ages 10-11 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on December 18, 2003. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2004

Classes and Teachers: Zhuang Sujuan, Wan Yuanpei, Class Five A, Class Five B

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://http//www.dbps.cyc.edu.tw/

1. Description of Our Community

Dabang is located in the Alishan Township, Chiayi County. Although secluded in the depths of a mountainous region, Dabang is the administrative center of the Alishan Township as well as the center of Tsou culture. Dabang has to sub-communities known as Dabangu and Tfuya, representing the two major groups of the Tsou in the Alishan area. Given the current social trend of discovering ethnic roots, the community of Dabang is committed to preserving Tsou cultural heritage.

2. Summary of Our Project

The Tsou is an indigenous group living in a mountainous region of central Taiwan and dependant very much on he surrounding ecology. Wisdom is found in the Tsou’s traditional use of plants. This project aims to educate students on the group’s utility of plants and the ancestors’ philosophy of taking from the environment while maintaining harmonious co-existence with the nature. In recent years, threats to the ecological system in the area have become more and more imminent. The project also aims to provide information about the regional and environmental issues of the central mountains.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:less than 20

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:none

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem

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):

Our Web pages were designed and completed in the computer classroom of the Dabang Primary School. The Internet access is the ADSL link provided by Hinet and connected with Taiwan’s academic network. Our broadband access has a capacity of 1.5M, with acceptable downloading speeds and slightly slows for uploading.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

A.Student Participation: The project was implemented using extra-curricular time every Saturday and Sunday. However, most students need to go to church for religious service on weekends. Project activities were not always attended by every individual. Thus students were divided into teams to ensure the project was on schedule. B.Remote Location: Dabang Primary School is in the Dabang Village, Alishan Township of the Chiayi County, a 30-minute drive away from the Alishan highway, with very limited city supplies. If the transportation route was disrupted, Dabang would be physically isolated. If the village is not self-sufficient with local resources, then supplies are required from outside. Owing to their remote location, students are not exposed to the outside world. That is why the Internet is an important resource tool for gathering and exchanging information with the societies beyond Dabang.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

This project provided opportunities for the students to know more about the community. We invited a large number of community people to the school and interviewed those knowledgeable about plants and local ecology. Their input contributed a lot to the project and enhanced students’ understanding about the environmental system of the Tsou region. On occasion, students brought the issues home so that they could discuss them with their parents. Communications between parents and children were enriched as the students encouraged the participation of their parents. The aim was to involve students in the complete learning process.

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

Above the basic subject training and education, Dabang Primary School designs its curriculum based on the Tsou tradition and culture. For the project “Small Giants in the Digital Age,” we explored further into Tsou heritage and came up with the subject of “The Tsou’s Traditional Use of Plants.” The project incorporated information technology training, field survey, and inductive analysis to complete the Web site project. The purpose was to cultivate the students’ capability for independent research, Web site design and production, and collective learning throughout the process.

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

a. Hardware: Digital camera, scanner, digital recorder, printer, PC, educational materials on local culture. b. Software: PhotoImpact, MicroSoft Office Word, MicroSoft Paint, ADCSEE.

Note: 1) The resources, mostly property owned by the Dabang Primary School, with further assistance from The Hope Agent Development Association of the Republic of China as a sponsor and providing one digital camera, one personal computer, and one digital camcorder. 2) A digital recorder was an important asset for the project as students relied on it for the difficult task of interviewing and refining notes.

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

This project provided opportunities for the students to know more about the community. We invited a large number of community people to the school and interviewed those knowledgeable about plants and local ecology. Their input contributed a lot to the project and enhanced students’ understanding about the environmental system of the Tsou region. On occasion, students brought the issues home so that they could discuss them with their parents. Communications between parents and children were enriched as the students encouraged the participation of their parents. The aim was to involve students in the complete learning process.

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

Traditionally the Tsou utilized a broad variety of plants in life. Today as time has evolved, younger generation no longer has the equal level of knowledge of plants as in the past. Also environmental change has caused the disappearance of some traditional resources. Through this project, we came to know the features and uses of the existing plants that strengthens our knowledge and identity of the land.

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

We want to appreciate The Principal, Tsou Chiefs,Instructors,Parents, Community members,and Digital Light of Life. They give us immense support and encouragement in meeting our requirements.Also research material analysis,instruction and review on Web pages,convene meetings,solve problems encountered by students,and technical guidance in web-site production.We want give them a great big thanks.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Children in remote locations lack knowledge of the outside world. They don’t have the environment and exposure, even the parents cannot help them. The project reached a remotely-located school via the Internet and enabled students to learn swiftly from the world at large. These young students, pure and innocent, are the hope of our nation.