 |
|
 |
 |
|
1. Description of Our Community
Our Local Community is Hualien has always been a place where people look forward to going, and are reluctant to leaving. When you drive along the East Rift Valley, one side is the Coastal Mountain Range, the other side is the vast crystal blue ocean. The topography, the soil of the Coastal Mountain Range varies considerably, and as you go farther inside, you will discover a different world, towering canyons, clear streams, abundance in flora and fauna ecological resources, up stream on a higher spot, you can have an even much better view of the big ocean from afar. Of course, besides the tourism industry, Hualien has few nationally well-known enterprises, thus we will be exploring this place’ nationally famous pastry shop which is selling quite successful on the internet- Tiramisu Cake Shop. Using this exploration to fully show Hualien’s local culture and business style.
2. Summary of Our Project
Commercial behavior is the main lifeline of our society, and we want to use this study of a firm to learn some related knowledge. Very luckily, the nation’s famous Tiramisu Cake Shop is right within our school district, so visiting this company became our best choice of learning. Like how to draw customers? How the traditional stores get their good reputation and continue to keep it? How the present stores find a new market? We believe that for Tiramisu Cake Shop to still be famous nationwide, one reason is that it believes in its ideals that make it able to take its place in the market, whether in quality or quantity. While doing this project study plan, we discovered that paying attention, listening carefully are all knowledge and wisdom. The ones we interviewed had given us their thoughts, like doing something that one has interest in, finding a hobby that one can do until one’s old. This has become our motto throughout our study, Of course, not everything went smoothly! From contacting people and visiting them, we had encountered many difficulties, making us realize that the key point to many works lies in us personally, how to deal with people, how to negotiate, how to control, handle, advance and retreat. All these are knowledge. We are glad that under the guidance of our teachers, we had this chance to learn. In our surroundings, we believe there are even more surprises waiting for us to unearth.
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:more than 6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
Our school’s classrooms and offices all have computers at present, and we can all have access to the Internet. Also, we have two computer classrooms and one multi-media computer classroom. The school uses DongHwa Telecom’s 10 optical fibers to surf the net, which is quite fast whether you’re uploading or downloading. Aside from this, the students use ADSL at home as link to the Internet.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1. Because of the large number of team members, we needed to work a lot on contacting each other and to find time to get together for the interviews, we were always in situations where we couldn’t have a complete group. Because of delays, our research time was shortened and compressed considerably, but luckily, with the convenience of modern technology and the Internet, we shared our information using the msn and ftp. Under the hard work of the entire team members, our work has gone smoothly and we were still able to divide our work and each member could familiarize himself with the progress of our research. 2.Our subject of research – Tiramisu Cake Shop, is a very busy enterprise. We usually had to make appointments very early in order to pay them a visit. And then, the people we wanted to interview didn’t have much time to give us, and in addition, the students’ time was also unable to match theirs. We spent a lot of time trying to contact them and each other. But luckily, the volunteers and the parents helped us and our gains were bountiful. 3. Web page making skills are inadequate on the part of the students and teachers, which made us spend a considerable amount of time practicing.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Just like what Mr. Liu the boss told us time and again, the result behind concentration and trying to surpass oneself continually is sweet. With persistence and hard work, we will be able to reach our goal in the end.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
Our competing at Cyberfair, is just the best example of integrated curriculum. We also used this opportunity to write a teaching plan, hoping to use this opportunity to lead our students and let them experience the actual side of society’s economic actions. From actual observation, the students can feel the pulse and dynamics of business. The students of Zhong Zhen Primary School are extremely lucky to have this opportunity that others don’t have to be close to this nationally famous business enterprise. Living here in Hualien, we definitely won’t let the students miss this opportunity to get to know this local treasure. So, our teaching activity fully utilizes the on-hand teaching resources that we have in our locality. Generally speaking, from our study, we have learned the ability to write an essay, and to compile (language education); the control of the study plan procedure, the estimation of the budget (mathematics education); how to interview, to handle, to cooperate with other team members to form a capable team (humanities education); to handle web page images and editing (art and information education), and others, they are all the fruits of what we have learned. Actually, the process of web page study is precisely an example of cooperative learning. The teachers play the roles of leaders learning together with the students. This research activity made us realize, that under the mode of integrated curriculum, a student does not have to be bound inside the classroom, he can freely explore knowledge. The teacher, of course, has to have more educational resources. This is what we are trying to convey to our education administration authority. Also, the Internet uses actual teaching, its value is affirmed, although unfamiliarity and other games soft wares could cause a waste of time.
|
|
 |
 |
1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
During the making of the webpage research study, we used the telephone, msn to make contacts; we used mp3 record our interviews; the digital camera and digital video camera to get the pictures and images we need, and lastly, we used Photo-impact digital imaging software to make our pictures, word to write our data, Dream weaver web development soft ware to complete web-page study plan and our works. Of course, we also used the Internet to look for information we need, and we went to the library to look for old newspapers, this was how we got our information. Other tools include ftp, e-mail.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
At the beginning of our study plan, we used the phone and msn to contact the people we wanted to interview, confirming the date, place, and draft the questions to be asked during the interviews before hand. During the interview, we prepared mp3 recorder, to record the content of the interview. After going back to school, we had to re-arrange and put things in order. We also used a digital camera or a digital video camera to take photos. Several times of interviews and study, from the people we didn’t know, introducing our study plan, the process is already a kind of marketing, we are selling our school and the enthusiasm of the local enterprise. Even the ones we interviewed thought our research work could take its root from something small. That’s why after we have finished our work, lots of people were impressed and they gave us a lot of encouragement.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
The topic of our research, Tiramisu Cake Shop started first as wholesale store, and has developed into a famous enterprise today. The demands of the times have changed, and it is a company that is successful in its transformation. We learned from it a practical view of life: continue making breakthroughs and surpassing oneself. From this starting point, we are going to push its popularity to a height of visibility, hoping that it is a model or example that even more people in the community can learn from. Although it is already quite well-known, but through our study, we re-introduce with greater depth Tiramisu Cake Shop to let the local people know more about this company that is worth knowing and the struggles and hardships it had undergone that is worth admiring.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
At the start, because we were not familiar with the topic, we didn’t know where to begin. Luckily, some teachers in our school know Mr. Liu, the boss, and they gave us some directions as reference. And during the actual study process, a lot of people helped us, including: the residents in the community, all those who work in Tiramisu shop, our school principal, deans and teachers. They either gave their opinions on what they think about Tiramisu, or told us how we can use these resources best, shared with us the history of Tiramisu Cake Shop, its transformation and its distinct features, etc. Mostly, we are grateful to all those teachers and students who joined in. With everybody’s help, our finished work could be shown to the world. Thanks again to those who helped us.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
The pictures and content of our web project, were all done through the collaboration of us, teachers and students. We had collected lots of information from the library, information coming from books, and the internet, and messages from our interview. There’s division of work among us, joints discussions to check our data, and lastly, recording them on our website, and making the design of the web pages was completed by us.
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 5614)
|
