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1. Description of Our Community
Baling is located midway along the Northern Cross-Island Highway in Fuhsing Township, Taoyuan County. The “Upper Baling” part of t his region is located 1220 meters above sea level. Most of the residents are Atayal aborigines and also devout Christians. The “L `ra Mountain” is located squarely in Upper Baling, and in the Atayal language it means “Seen Afar, Most Beautiful Mountain”. From the top of the L `ra Mountain, it’s possible to see the beaches of Yilan, Taipei County’s Hsintien, Hsinchu County, the peak of the Dabajian Mountain, and breathtaking views all around. The region boats the “Largest Collection of Giant Cypress in Southeast Asia' in the ' L `ra Mountain Nature Reservation', so many visitors arrive to see the giant trees. Also known as “Northern Taiwan’s Most Oxygenated Area”, it is a favorite of tourists all year round.
2. Summary of Our Project
The renowned Upper Baling Church Choir is made up of devote Christians, who use their God given voices to sing out their love for God as their ancestors’ voices had sang out over the land. Through this project, we hope to record the Upper Baling residents’ other form of singing - Hymns, as a way of preserving our ancestor’s precious gift – the Voice. We will also show the residents sing their ancient Atayal songs to remember the past, and open up the avenue for new Atayal songs to be created and taught. We also hope that we can send this affection to the world by internet with this project. The years may pass and the world will change, but beautiful voices can only be described as 'Heavenly”.
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:more than 6
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):
At school we have a computer classroom that is open to the community. There are 18 student computers on a local network which are connected to Taiwan’s academic network TANet over a fiber-optic link. Every classroom also has one computer so we can practice using it during breaks and look up information on the Internet whenever we want. Our community is subject to power cuts, however, and the lines are often down after a typhoon. If our mobile phones show no signal, then that means our Internet is down as well. Only a few students have a computer at home, and fewer still have an Internet connection. The school computer classroom is therefore usually open to the public on weekends to students and residents. Some students want to learn about computers so they often stay back after school or walk to school on weekends and ask to learn about computers!
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
(1)The Upper Baling Church Choir is introduced in the Project. The Choir however has all adults and no children, so we were unable to travel with them to see them perform at competitions. Thanks to contributions from parents we are able to introduce to everyone a comprehensive portfolio. (2)Between September and early October the damage left by typhoons cut off power and roads. Though power was restored after emergency repairs, the fiber-optic link had to wait for the roads to be reopened. The link however was unstable in mid-October because falling rocks and road works kept disrupting the fiber optic cable. Since it often took 2 ~ 3 days to restore the link, this had made it difficult for us to collect information. When that happened we focused on project discussions and organizing tasks to be done. Web-related work was resumed whenever the Internet was available again. (3)For this Research Project we interviewed many people. These included Mother Language Instructor Mr. Chen Sung-ming (Taya), Upper Baling Presbyterian Church’s Minister Li, Choir Member Ms. Chen Hui-chen, School Choir Teacher Li Cho-ying and Trainee Teacher and Choir Member Ms. Chen Yu-chi. Their time was limited from their work commitments but they all did their best to make time available for interviews, sometimes in the morning and sometimes at night. We greatly appreciate their cooperation. Though we had planned to interview Mr. Li the Choir Master, he was simply too busy with farming and his work at Tahsi, so we had no choice but to abandon the interview. (4)Sometimes we were unable to all be present for the interview, but we used a camcorder so students who couldn't be present could watch and listen to the interview. Through this they were able to stay up to date and share in the learning experience with all of us. (5)For this Project, we would like to express our particular gratitude to the Hope Agent Development Association of the Republic of China, their sponsorship provided us with the equipment needed for on-site interviews. We would also like to thank Principal Wang, the community and Cyberfair organizers for their assistance in overcoming problems and difficulties that we encountered. We are very grateful for the help provided, and you have our most sincere thanks.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
(1)During the Project’s production process, we learnt a lot about operating computers and digital equipment. Even better was our improved understanding of our home and people - we learned that the nationally renowned Choir was also the result of hard work and a lot of practice. (2)“Strength through Unity”. All of us played an important role, and if someone didn’t do well, they could drag down the rest of the team. All of us therefore worked to learn and carry out their tasks. We also helped each other and worked as a team. This led to great companionship and strengthened our bonds. (3)Through the interviews, we came into contact with many elders in our community. We experienced the kindness and passion of the Atayal people. We found out that our home was amazing with not only great views and fresh air, but also wonderful singing voices and warm hearts. (4)The coming of the Information Age and advances in networking technologies has put us in touch with people from all around the world through the Internet. We are able to communicate and learn from them, and also bring the wondrous singing voices of the L `ra Mountain and Atayal people to all of our friends across the world.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
(1)During the Project, we combined language, society, art, culture, nature and life sciences together with excursions, life education, information technology education, environmental education. This Project's production process not only incorporated each school subject, but also allowed the school and community to interact closely. (2)Through actual interviews, we learnt more about our homeland and realized the importance of our environment and resources as well as precious knowledge and experiences. This learning experience was reciprocated to the school through the school network with other students and people from elsewhere. Through this format we also learnt about the experiences and knowledge of students from other places. (3)At school we had the Information Technology class, and through the Project we were able to use the school’s computers and network to apply what we had learnt and experience how convenient the Internet is. It allowed us to quickly find the information we need and also quickly contact other people. In many of the Project activities we assigned tasks depending on expertise and hobbies. For example: During the webpage production, we were divided into Content Collation, Photo and Graphics teams etc. This made us work more efficiently and as a team. We are all very proud of the results that we achieved.
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
(1)The Internet.Collect information and use related websites to contact other net users. (2)Digital Camera, Digital Video, Video Capture Card.Photos and Video recordings during interviews. Conversion of interview to VCD format. (3)Scanner, Printer.Used the scanner to process graphics, and the printer was to copy and distribute information. (4)Telephone, Fax.Contacted interview subjects over the phone and fax. (5)Portable Drives, CDRW.Store Project information to PC not connected to the network. (6)Graphics Tablet.Made drawing graphics easier. (7)Computer Software.Dreamweaver, PhotoImpact, Office.......
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
After many years of participation in the Cyberfair event, the Baling region is now becoming increasingly famous in Taiwan and even overseas. When we were discussing what project to produce for this year, someone suggested introducing the Church’s Choir because they sing really well and have even performed overseas. It was thought to be a good idea to introduce their singing to the rest of the world. In the beginning we contacted the closest Choir member, Teacher Ms. Chen Yu-chi. She was a local resident, and from the interview we discovered how truly extraordinary the Choir was as well as the beauty of their singing. Our respect for them grew from that interview, and Ms. Chen also told us what other people to visit. We had planned to visit the Church's Minister and current Choir Master , but despite many attempts a suitable time could not be arranged in that period since he was very busy. We therefore decided to interview the school's Mother Language Instructor Mr. Chen Sung-ming (mama) as well as Teacher Li Cho-ying of the School Choir. Both interviews focused on the passing down of Atayal singing, as well as what the status of singing at our school was. From this we learned what our teachers' hopes for us were. After the first interview, we discovered that our questions didn't have enough depth. Ms. Chen gave us a lot of advice and suggestions about the Church Choir. For the following interviews we did much better. The current Choir Master was to be our fourth interview, but since he couldn't spare the time from farming and his work commitments, he recommended Mrs. Chen Hui-chen, who is actually Ms. Chen's mother. She was a very senior Choir member with over thirty years of experience. She enjoyed sharing her knowledge, so we gained a very clear understanding of the Choir's history, activities, recruitment, training... etc. Finally we were able to interview the Church’s Minister Li. Since he was usually busy with the orchard and meetings, we could only visit him when had a little more spare time. When the time was set, we took our camera, camcorder and question sheet to the Church. There were a lot of us there that day, since apart from our team and teacher, our little brothers and sisters all tagged along because they were all interested in the interview as well.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
(1)After interviewing many tribal people, we learned that success requires constant practice and hard work. The Choir’s members don’t allow their success to go to their heads and continue practicing three times a week. Everyone considers the Choir’s success to be their most important goal, so they work together, demonstrating the principles of 'Strength Through Unity' and “Sense of Honor” our teacher had taught us. During the Project, we played the Choir’s singing to the teachers. Everyone agreed it was very good and professional, and we should definitely try to bring it to more people. (2)After the past two Cyberfairs, all the local residents knew the benefits of this activity. Not only did the parents want their children to participate, many kind people also helped out by providing us with important information and suggestions. Everyone pulled together to contribute to the tribe, and hoped that the future of L `ra Mountain will become even brighter. (3)Most importantly, thanks to this Project, we were not only able to bring Atayal singing to even more people, it also gave everyone on L `ra Mountain something to be proud of. The Internet is a learning tool where the cities and villages are all on equal footing. It is therefore something we treasure since it can bring us new opportunities and hopes as well as let people know more about all of us on L `ra Mountain. This is why we must work together toward a new future for L `ra Mountain. (4)The past three Cyberfairs have made a name for Baling, attracting many visitors. INTEL in the US sent people to interview us one day, as well as many successful people from the community living overseas who rang home to find out how they can help. Not only does this activity broaden our vision it also builds the community's self-confidence.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
First we must thank the support and encouragement from many tribal personages, as well as the information and suggestions they provided. They include: Student Parent Mr. Chen Chen-hui (Asin), Tribal Elder Mr. Chen Sung-ming (Taya), Church Minister Mr. Li Pao-chen, Senior Choir Member Mrs. Chen Hui-zhu and more. Their contributions enriched our research. We would also like to thank big brother Chen of the Hope Agent Development Association of the Republic of China, as well as student Chan Li-ang from Chung Yuan Christian University MIS Digital Services Team for his assistance with the Project production. Our thanks to all those who gave us their support, since without their support our Project website could not have been so complete. Thank you all.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
(1)During the Research Project, we not only learned teamwork and use of computer technology and interview skills, we also learned why we should love and protect our homeland, treasure everything around us and contribute to our L `ra Mountain. (2)or a long period of time children in the L `ra Mountain region have lacked self confidence. During the production process, the children grew more mature. A sense of duty and mission could be detected in their demeanor, because they know that these kinds of activities can help their homeland as well as improve their knowledge and skills. As a result they were hard-working and dedicated to their project, with their self-confidence growing as well. (3)Through activities like this, our Baling is more united with everyone wanting to contribute to the development of their homeland. They also became more aware of the convenience and importance of Internet technology. As a result the children enjoyed the computer lessons more, and the parents in the community also started learning as well. This will help the Baling region catch up to the Information Age.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 4262)
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