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1. Description of Our Community
Hualien has always been a place where people look forward to going, and are reluctant to leaving. As you drive along the East Rift Valley, the Coastal Mountain Range is on one side, the vast crystal blue ocean on the other. 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, and abundance in flora and fauna ecological resources, up stream you can have an even much better view of the big ocean from up above. Of course, besides its natural resources, Hualien also has simple folkways. Simple means that people want to settle disputes and bring about peace to their lives. However, when one’s rights are greatly challenged, when the underprivileged are helpless, we are grateful that this group, the Legal Aid Foundation Hualien branch office, is there to bring their good deeds of helping people into action. Through this study, we hope to fully show the importance of this group of legal aid staff and the peace and good deeds they bring to Hualien.
2. Summary of Our Project
Our subject of study is the Legal Aid Foundation. With this thorough research, we believe that our project can completely show forth the meaning of ‘trust’ and the value of ‘unity’. The Legal Aid Foundation also believes in the value of humanity and human rights. That’s why it combines the lawyers and the people in the local area, and looks forward into creating a warm society that is legal, logical, and sensible. Conflicts occur unavoidably between people, if we can solve the conflicts so that both parties can agree to and accept the settlement calmly; this is also the foundation of our society’s peace and order. But if one party is met with an enormous loss or there is an obvious situation of unfairness happening to one party, one can usually seek help through the law. However, this is almost impossible for the disadvantaged group of people. Through this study of the LAF Hualien branch office, we want to get a better understanding of how help can be given to the unprivileged, what help can be given them, and if these channels of can truly help them. Fortunately, the people there are very willing to accept our interviews and share with us their joy of helping people, even though they are already laden with their everyday work. We hope to explore the procedures of how they help the disadvantaged, how help is accomplished. How do they support the aid recipients? How do they spread their expertise throughout all the places in Hualien? How to get the best results with the present manpower? We believe that among the reasons for the many years of hard work and dedication of the LAF members is the goal they stand up for, to benefit the local people in Hualien. Our study is to try to explore the LAF Hualien branch, for us to have some idea about the law. To understand the happiness of helping others is also the source of our motivation. And through our research, we can also understand the hard work behind the group of law angels.
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: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):
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 – The Legal Aid Foundation (LAF) is a very busy organization. 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 the lawyer Mr. Tsai 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?
At present, our school places great importance on the arrangement of integrated curriculum. 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.
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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, and 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, the Legal Aid Foundation Hualien branch is an institution that caters service to the disadvantaged. The ones they help are not classy businesses, nor are they rich people, but the underprivileged of our society’s lower class. During the process of assistance, they may have encountered some difficult situations. We have learned a simple and realistic view of life of the LAF: make a breakthrough and surpass one. Starting with this place, we hope that it is model for many people in the community to learn from. Even though its popularity in Taiwan is already visible, but through this study, we will re-introduce with depth the LAF Hualien branch to let the people in Hualien can get to know about this foundation better 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 the LAF Hualien branch office 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 at LAF, our school principal, deans and teachers. They either gave their opinions on what they think about the LAF or told us how we can use these resources best, shared with us the history of the foundation, 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)
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.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 6239)
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