CyberFair Project ID: 7985

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Destiny? Fate? Believe it or not!
Category: 4. Local Specialties
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7985/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7985/narrative.htm

School: Taipei Municipal Yong-An Elementary School
    Taipei City, , Taiwan

10 students, ages 9-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 5, 2015. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): no

Classes and Teachers: Ya-ching Hsu, Huai-ping Huang, Chung-chin Li

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.yaes.tp.edu.tw/

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

We live in Taipei with convenient transportation, diversified culture and developed technology. There are abundant resources and many foreign visitors in Taipei. Some people come here just for the purpose of experiencing the particular culture of Taipei, such as experiencing night fair culture, visiting special temples and Taipei 101, medical cosmetology, fortune-telling etc. This time we will conduct study on the particular numerology and fortune-telling culture and street, in particular on places where transportation is convenient, such as Lungshan Temple (MRT Longshan Temple Station) and Hsing Tian Kong (MRT Xingtian Temple Station). Foreign visitors are particularly interested in these places.

2. Summary of Our Project

“Numerology” has been a subject that is discussed by people since ancient times. Distinct numerology cultures worldwide have been developed. In Taiwan, we often hear that many people seek fortune-telling on name of children, proper date of marriage etc. We can see the some advertisement boards for fortune-telling on the streets. Many merchants of numerology have gathered around Hsing Tian Kong and Lungshan Temple, and formed the streets of numerology, which attract many foreign visitors. Many people do poe divination, draw and interpret the lots in temples, why do they do this? Then what is fortune-telling? We will analyze the idea and behavior of people over numerology through questionnaire, in order to pry into the mystery of numerology. The Cyberfair project not only introduces the origin, type and popular method of fortune-telling, but also attempts to experience the drawing and interpreting of lots by interviewing the fortune-tellers in the temple, in order to have better understanding of the essence of fortune-telling culture. Finally, we find that people tend to be helpless due to our own weakness, and resort to the fortune-tellers for help or answers, just like those who see psychologists to get comfort through the oral advice of others.

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):

Today we have developed science and technology, and computer or internet has become a must. Plenty of free software is available for use. We used plenty of free software this time, which reduces our concerns in installation and use of software at home. We also used the free Google site, which enables us to complete at school or home, without any worry about the placing of files. This not only saves a lot of time, but also elevates the efficiency of use. It is rather easy for teachers to revise the articles, and quite obvious on the coordination platform that who has completed or revised the articles. Moreover, assistance is available in a timely manner, which is rather a good assistant to us that co-edit the articles.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1.How to keep our Cyberfair project out of the “Bizarre”:In general, when people see “fortune-telling” from perspective of science, most of them would believe it is nonsense. However, we expect to explore the special culture that has long existed in Taipei and even Taiwan in terms of study, and illustrate the development and specialty of such culture from the point of reporting, and further get to know the reason why such culture is so popular. 2.Relevant materials are insufficient: Although there are plenty of introduction over numerology and fortune-telling on the internet, relevant materials that profoundly introduce numerology streets. Therefore, we experienced difficulty in the search of materials. As a result, we paid more visits, in a bid to obtain more relevant information through the interview. 3.Information capacity: Although we had computer courses, the experience in webpage production is little. The new experience also suffers a lot of difficulty in the process. 4.Division of labor in the team: Our regular meeting time is the lunch break at school. However, the students have to pay more attention to homework; some even ask for leaves in times of supplement of homework or class activities. Therefore, some students still fail to complete reports of experience and the webpages they are in charge.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

The Cyberfair project gives us plenty of valuable experience. For instance, I wrote down the key points while we visited numerology streets in Hsing Tian Kong and Lungshan Temple, and learned the technique while we visited handed out questionnaires in Shih Chien University, Ming Shui Park, Miramar, and Xihu Market. After all courses are finished, we have learned many professional processes which are only used while producing webpages, had deeper understanding over fortune-telling from scratch, and trained my style of writing and patience in the process of webpage production and writing of study experience. I appreciate the industrious guidance of the teachers in the past few months.

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

The process of studying “numerology culture” teaches us how to find a study topic, formulate search plans, and complete the entire search process through study. In the process of studying this particular topic, we integrated the knowledge of all subjects, and our research activity was designed with the main framework of 7-field courses, in order to implement the spirit of courses of 9 years. Language: Mathematics: Social studies subject: Arts and humanities subject: Information: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7985/narrative.htm

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Project Elements

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

Keep the experience data that have been made, which can be co-edited and enable us to know the production progress of teammates at any time when they use the platform.

http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7985/narrative.htm

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

In order to explore the fortune-telling, and introduce it to the world, we interviewed the fortune-tellers to introduce the unique fortune-telling culture of Taiwan. The fortune-tellers were extremely busy, but many fortune-tellers were patient and willing to allow some time for the interview. They settled our questions over fortune-telling, which taught us a lot. Besides, in order to get to know how other people view fortune-telling, we got up the courage to interview the passers-by and the adjacent merchants, inviting them to assist in filling the questionnaires. Most of them were very friendly, and willing to fill out the questionnaires, which helped us complete the research. With such an experience, we are brave enough to attempt for anything we have not tried in the past. Finally, we introduced our webpage to our schoolmates to let them know more about numerology.

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

The Cyberfair project this time makes more people get to know the history and characteristics of fortune-telling, the features of fortune-telling methods and the work patterns of fortune-tellers. Besides, through the interview of neighboring merchants, passers-by and clients over fortune-telling by questionnaires, we find that various fortune-telling methods attract different clients. Particularly that many foreign visitors will surely try fortune-telling during their visit to Taiwan. We were astonished about this. We thought that only Taiwanese would go for fortune-telling from fortune-tellers. People of the world could view our website, which enable more people to get to know fortune-telling, be more willing to further get to know fortune-telling and those who visit the website to get in-depth knowledge about the fortune-telling culture of Taiwan in an objective manner.

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

fortune-tellers • Introduction of various fortune-telling methods • Sharing of fortune-telling techniques • Fortune-telling street and sharing of their stories • Provide shooting of fortune-telling process and tools

Volunteers in Hsing Tian Kong and Lungshan Temple • Historical origin of lot drawing • Introduction of lot drawing • Volunteer’s career and sharing of their stories • Provide shooting of lot drawing tools and lot prose • The general public, school faculties, employees and the

interviewed store operators • Fill out questionnaire data

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Discoveries: We used to pass by the numerology streets or fortune-telling booths, without paying any attention to what they were doing. However, the interview this time showed the professional and laborious sides of those fortune-tellers. We knew from the fortune-tellers the reason why the clients sought for fortune-telling, which enabled us to better understand the neglected field from the perspective of the clients and the fortune-tellers. Lessons: The interview with the fortune-tellers and the general public on the streets made us at a loss as we never met so many strangers for so much. Given opportunity in the future, we will be calmer to face, and let them really feel our sincerity. Surprises: Although fortune-telling is a technique with long history, many people turn to fortune-tellers for help in case of difficulties. While most fortune-tellers are not as mysterious as we thought on the contrary, they use their profession to guide the clients in the right directions. What the fortune-tellers impressed me most was that “fate, luck, geomancy, judging and reading”. Only a small part of fate of a person is predetermined by God, the rest leaves to be transformed through individual efforts. It overturned our past opinions that fortune-telling was superstitious, which is the greatest supervise of the Cyberfair project.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 7985)

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