School: Ruei-Fang Junior High School
    New Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C)

9 students, ages 13 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 14, 2011. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2009 , 2010

Classes and Teachers: Teacher Chin-Shan Lee , Teacher Cheng-Shuan Su , Teacher Wen-Hsien Huang

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.rfjh.tpc.edu.tw/

1. Description of Our Community

Once upon a time , it had been lighted here. With the decline of mining, then a glorious gold mining years walked into history quietly . Countless steps connecting with the warmness of people in this mine. Winding paths connecting with the memory of Golden City. So in 2002, Taipei County Government, Taiwan Power Company and Taiwan Sugar Company worked together and established Gold Ecological Park. Let’s walk into the tunnel of history, explore the old gold mining culture and the vivid rich life in the mining village.

2. Summary of Our Project

Gold Ecological Park is a rich fusion of local human and natural resources, the aim being to combine community power and completely preserve the precious natural resources, mining relics, landscape, historical memories and cultural property of Jinguashi, attempting to give them a new life. In 2002, Taipei County Government, Taiwan Power Company and Taiwan Sugar Company worked together and established Gold Ecological Park. The aims are preserving and reproducing mining history and cultural features , making the park a natural venue for environmental education, promoting gold art and metal crafts, establishing creative industry and make it become a Community eco-museum.

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:dial-up modem

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

(1)Inconvenient traffic transportation: There is quite a distance between the target area and our school. It requires transportation, such as the local bus. So the teachers needed to help the students to get the destination (2)Insufficient tour guiding experiences: During the overview planning and tour guiding practical training, the outlines of it from different students would overlap. So it needed explanation and demonstrations from teachers. Because of the lack of experience of tour guiding, the students felt nervous , had stage fright and forgot the outline. (3)Unstable weather The weather in winter in Jinguashi is always rainy. It was very inconvenient when we did the tour guiding practical training.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

We have found our passion to this land and culture. Also we learned how to be a tour guide and have a better guiding skill. It is absolutely a wonderful chance to experience and to be more close to your community.

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

In Taiwan, the nine-year-consistency curriculum focuses on training students in life skills and respecting the individual development of students. This is done cultivate the students’ capabilities to adapt to society. This time, we had a chance to explore “Gold Ecological Park” , to train students with humanistic feelings, integration capability, native and international consciousness and life-long learning standards.

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

(1) Internet : Searching information (2) Digital cameras: Taking pictures of tour guiding and all the researching process. (3) Recording pens: Recording the tour guiding content (4) Printers: Print out the data. (5) Cameras: Shooting the tour guiding and the procedure of researching . (6) Computers: Making homepages and editing the data. (7) Scanners: Scanning pictures.

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

This project was definitely an unforgettable memory. Joining Cyberfair gave us a chance to know our community and culture better. We used our own language and guided Gold Ecological Park to the people in the community as a tour guide. This experience of being an “ambassador” in our community, we would never ever forget it.

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

Joining the Cyberfair, we had a chance to make a webpage. We thought it would be simple to make a website . However, the result took a lot time; we searched and collected lots of information conducted a tour guiding and even rolled up our sleeves and learned how to be a tour guide in Gold Ecological Park. It ended up being a lot of hard work, but we are happy with the result. We believe that our web site 'Golden City filled Rhodonite' can provide more people knowing about our culture and life.

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

During our research in Gold Ecological Park , the volunteers in the park helped us a lot and taught us how to be a “ little tour guide”. We realized how hard it was to introduce a historical building and venue to people. The people in our community were willing to listen to our guide even we had stage fright and talking with unskillful outline. They gave us the courage to carry on our guide.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Joining this program, we had learned the precious natural resources, mining relics, landscape, historical memories and cultural property in Gold Ecological Park better. And we also know better about mine, it’s destiny has been one of ups and downs. We even had a chance to experience “Gold Panning.”