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1. Description of Our Community
Ningxia, located in the Gansu Corridor in China, used to be an important passage of transportation and trade between the eastern and western parts. As an area through which Yellow River flows, it also has ancient Yellow River Civilization. Ningxia mainly possesses two deserts – the one is Maowusu in the northeast, which borders on Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi; and the other is Tengger in the northwest, which is adjacent to Inner Mongolia and Gansu. The two is partitioned by Ningxia Plain. Tengger Desert has been effectively controlled in Shapoto in Zhongwei, Ningxia. Ningxia Shapotou, the world famous model of desert treatment projects, has opened a door to international cooperation in desert prevention.
2. Summary of Our Project
Shapotou Region used to be overwhelmed by wind and sand all the year round and the sand dunes there were even higher than people’s houses. But now desert has been effectively treated even in the northern part that was attacked the most seriously. Since Ningxia is surrounded by the two great deserts, the difficulties in preventing sand there is more than we can think. Now not only the desert in Ningxia has been held back by people, but Shapotou has been considered as one of beautiful desert landscapes in the world by American Geographic Channel, which are attributed to the efforts of local people and the support from all over the world. It has been found that desert prevention is a borderless task that must be based on cooperation. Only when all people in the world make joint effort, can we win the fighting against desert.
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:2-3
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1.Our school was under construction. Now we borrowed No.2 Primary School, our brother school, as the venue for lessons. The primary school didn’t have any computers, nor did Zhao Ru and I, so we had to go to computer room in our school to use computers. 2.We were unfamiliar with web design, so we had to operate step by step under Mr. Lee’s oral instruction. In addition, we encountered another difficulty in uploading texts and pictures and getting them well positioned, so we had to repeatedly ask our instructor for help. Sometimes, we had to try several times before getting it right. 3.Because this was the first time for us to participate in “Diplomatic Doors”, we had no good ideas about topics and overall outlook though we had thought over and over. However, with the encouragement and help of teacher Gu Meijun, we finally determined the topics and organized the thought after several times of modification. 4.We encountered great difficulties in collecting materials. After accepting the task form instructive teacher, we first went to electronic lesson preparation rooms to check information about sandstorm and sand prevention, and then we communicated with geography teacher, he advised us to interview relevant leaders. 5.I meant to interview the leader of Ningxia Forestry Bureau, but our wish was not reached finally because our village was much far away from there. In a Saturday afternoon, we went to interview the director of Pingluo Forestry Bureau. However, he wasn’t in when we arrived, and relevant staff didn’t understand our meaning after a long time of explanation. And then in a Tuesday morning, led by Mr. Lee, we still didn’t find the busy director, finally we tried to call him and made a brief telephone interview with him.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
After two months of experience and through a series of activities like determining theme, collecting material, making interviews and designing website, I have gained much exciting and moving experience that can never be got from lessons. When in the face of the facts that so many people of various countries have been in our country to deal with desert, that so many heroes of desert treatment like Wang Youde have crowded into our attention and that hundreds of millions of people have participated in trees planting, I feel that the strength of the people of the whole world is strong enough not only to hold back desert and make desert work for us, but to change the whole world.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The practical activity curriculum of our school consists of information technology education, research study, community service and social practice. Through practice, we are required to enhance consciousness of research and innovation, learn about the way of scientific research as well as develop ability to use knowledge comprehensively. After taking geography curriculum, we are required to find geographic problem through study and life, and then put forward thought on research, collect relevant information, use relevant knowledge and methods to offer our view and ideas to solve the problems and use proper ways and methods to express and communicate with others about our learning experience, idea and achievements. And the research activity aims to rely on social practical activities to enhance research and innovation consciousness, participate in research activities and experience the process of research communication. The specific research have been integrated with information technology, geography, history and other subjects, which are aimed to help us shape our own conclusion and ideas in the process of research and communication.
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