School: Jie Shou Elementary School
    Taoyuan County, Taiwan, Taiwan

9 students, ages 12 years old worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 20, 2005. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2005

Classes and Teachers: Ms. Feng-lan Chiu, Ms. Mei-fang Jian, Ms. Hsiao-yun Lin

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.jses.tyc.edu.tw/index1.htm

1. Description of Our Community

Jiaobanshan is situated on Northern Transverse Road in Fuhsing Township, Taoyuan County. It is 640 m. above sea level and is upstream from the Dakekan River. The town, which rests on flat highlands in the mountains, is surrounded by Litungshan, Chatianshan, Chentoushan and has streams and valleys around it. A suspension bridge links it with the Sikou highlands. The earliest people residing in the area were the Atayal. Eventually, development of industry in the area brought other ethnic villagers like the Minan (Taiwanese), Hakka and others to Jiaobanshan where they all lived together and brought diversity to the region. The Youth Organization Fuhsing Activity Center, located inside the vast green Jiaobanshan Park, is where many youths of the area gather for recreation, walking along the paths that lead to the Dahan River. The suspension bridge spans the Dahan River to connect to Sikou. In the early years, the place was known as “one of the twelve most beautiful places in Taiwan”. Known as Taiwan’s Lushan, the scenic spots in the area numbered many. The Fuhsing Hotel is now history but the Sculpture Park is now the link between the contemporary and the traditional. There’s the walkway along Jiaobanshan that promotes good health and the Mystery Tunnel that takes you back into time - these are all part of the Fuhsing Township commerce center’s cultural and economic development of the region.

2. Summary of Our Project

Jiaobanshan, as told by mouth and handed down from generation to generation by the Atayal, was named in memory of a warrior, who was only to be respectfully referred to as Pyasan. Another version has it that the shape of the flat highlands was that of a triangle and so it was called Jiaobanshan and just its name alone gives one visions of what an attractive place it is. On weekends and holidays, visitors to the Jiaobanshan area come in a non-ending stream. People come and mill about without end and finally go home with sweet memories. So what gives the place its appeal? Outsiders and visitors see Jiaobanshan as a “friend” in one’s life, while we, the kids in all this, see Jiaobanshan as a tourist attraction sure to draw people to see the mystery of this place. Let’s go together and see what the future can bring for Jiaobanshan.

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:4-6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:not sure

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 Internet service provider is Chun Hwa Telecom ISDN, and guidance was provided by the Taoyuan County Education Bureau Computer Center.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

(1) Being greenhorns at conducting interviews No one knew how to start the interviews at the beginning, but with the help of the big brothers and sisters, we slowly learned how to prepare the questions we would be asking on interviews and how to use a digital camera and recording pens to get everything down on record. (2) Finding the time to gather data was hard In the daytime, we normally had to go to school so we didn’t have the time to gather data during weekdays. We had to utilize Saturdays and Sundays to hold discussions on what information we were to collect and also which bigwigs we would be talking to. We were always short on time but with everyone pitching in and helping out, we were able to do a fantastic job. (3) We could not always get everyone’s attention during discussion time At the start, it was difficult to get everyone’s undivided attention during our discussions. There were those who just chatted with each other or others who brought up completely irrelevant ideas so many important topics were never finalized. We then decided that our teacher should join in on our discussions and the teacher could also take control of the class or get us back to our main subject when we strayed too far away.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

We learned many things relating to information technology while working on this project – among them were how to use a digital camera, the proper way to conduct interviews, and how to collect data. But most important of all, while working on this project I learned about the community that I grew up in.

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

The Jiaobanshan Trail & the Young Explorers of Jiaobanshan: Through the help of our young Explorer Team, we have carefully put together the data for this project by having team members personally going there and canvassing every corner of the area to collect information on the industrial development of Jiaobanshan. We now are putting what we have learned onto our website for all to see and discuss.

Getting to better know and love Jiaobanshan: In the time we spent collecting data in Jiaobanshan, we have seen the vibrancy of the industry in the area. Mingling with the townsfolk was always a joyous occasion and this interaction led us to fall in love with Jiaobanshan.

I’m a little reporter: The work done before actually setting up a website includes doing interviews, taking pictures, taping and collecting information, and so this is where I learned how to use a digital camera, a recording pen and also how to use the Internet to look up information. The final step was constructing a website and putting it online – all in a day’s work for a reporter.

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

In completing this project, we used the Internet, e-mail tools, Front Page, Photo Impact, Flash, digital cameras, digital recorder pens and other similar information technology tools. The nice big brothers and sisters from Chung Yuan Christian University are the good people who taught us how to use these tools. Learning how to use Photo Impact was one of the more interesting times of the project. To get us interested in this software, they first used Photo Impact to make head snapshots of us. It was quite fun and we later used these skills in making snapshots to make alterations to Web photos. This was one of the more fun parts of the whole project.

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

We are the “ambassadors” of Jiaobanshan. We hope that through the Internet, we can take this opportunity to show everyone in the world the lovely place we call home – Fuhsing Township. Through the pictures we have taken, we want the visitors to have a good first impression of Fuhsing Township. Then, through the beautiful scenic areas and its unique delicacies, we want Fuhsing Township to be even more impressionable to the Fair visitors and to make them want to set foot in this beautiful town. Of course we also asked the big brothers and sisters of Chung Yuan University to always keep Fuhsing Township in mind and to be sure to tell their friends and relatives to visit this village if the opportunity presents itself. How we got started with the interviewing To get started the right way, we first had to learn more about the history of Fuhsing, now and then. We visited the director of the Civil Affairs office in the area and talked with him. We recorded our conversations with him using a recording pen and learned a lot about the community and its history by listening to the director. We also talked with several storefronts in the business area of Jiaobanshan and recorded our conversations with them, as well.

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

Almost all of the members of our team were born and raised in the beautiful mountainous area of Jiaobanshan where streams abound, so we were all extremely familiar with the area. We were also very lucky that we had this opportunity to do an in-depth study on the area and show Jiaobanshan to everyone out there what a beautiful place Jiaobanshan is. means to us, but we also have gained added responsibility. To get the right material for our website, In working on this project, we not only have gained further appreciation of what Jiaobanshan we had to do the actual interviewing and in the process, saw many areas for improvement in Jiaobanshan. We also are grateful to the big brothers and big sisters of Chung Yuan Christian University for their help in teaching us the skills needed to construct the webpage for the CyberFair Project. This allowed many people to make many new findings of areas that needed improvement which were then accomplished to make Jiaobanshan a more beautiful place for all.

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

We are very appericiate that eler sisters and brothers come form Christian Chun Yuan University MIS Department several times teaching us many skills to make a web site. For example,How to do a web page?How to use several kinds of Digit apparatus?And how to visit people? etc. In order to understand the place we lived and our culture we visit many people such as,Weaving Granny,she show us how to wave traditional Atayal tribe clothes.Fuhsing Township Hall,Section Chief - Mr. Jheng-hsiung Chou and Fuhsing Township Hall, Section Chief - Mr. Yan-rong Jiang when we come to Fuhsing Township Hall they told us about history and industries of Jiaobanshan.we slso thank for Youth Organization Fuhsing (Jiaobanshan) Activity Center,Hui Feng Mountain Produce Shop,Shoreline Coffee House, Fuhsing Township Historical and Cultural Hall because them provide us many informations about we Jiaobanshan.And our teachers ,they spent many times and patient accompany with us. At last , we also appericate Hope Agent Development Association and Taiwan Schools Cyberfair because their big supports and give us the chance to do the project let everybody know what we have done.Without them, we can't accomplish this project.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Doing this project,we suffer from many diffictulties.At first,we don't know how to make our own web site.Second,we can't recount our birthplace completely to other people. Third,we don't know how to use Digit apparatus well. In order to make our own web site,we have to search many datas. We visit shopkeepers several times because we didn't come to right time.Sometimes they are busy,someimes their door closed but at last we understand what they need and we also realize that we are the people who can help them life well.We also understood making web site not a easy task.But when we touch the Internet,we know if we make our own web site people in many places would know what we need immediately.When many people know the place we live the thing we need it also means there'll be more people know the place and come here happily. Doing this project,we learn more form how to communicate with each other and know eacher furthermore.And ... in the future ,we can use what we learn to help someone who need help like what them do for us !!!