CyberFair Project ID: 8093

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: The Graceful North Classroom Building
Category: 6. Historical Landmarks
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2016/gsh8093/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2016/gsh8093/8_1.htm

School: Chung Shan Elementary School
    Changhua City, , Taiwan

6 students, ages 12-13 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 11, 2016. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2014,2015

Classes and Teachers: KUO TZU-JUNG

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.cses.chc.edu.tw

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Chung Shan Elementary School is an establishment with 118 years of history behind it. Its north classroom building, having been in use for 76 years since its completion in 1938, is one wherein literally all students of Chung Shan have at some point had at least a class or two, and is for this reason a relic of a common past for all Chun Shan students and alumni alike. Among all of its features, the most renowned is its incorporation of a unique consecutive arch structure that can be seen in its hallways. The aesthetic elegance of this historically relevant building to this day continues to attract not only visitors, but also newlyweds looking for scenic locations for their wedding photography.

2. Summary of Our Project

The north classroom building, bearing a somewhat dated structure and having been impacted to a greater or lesser extent by the 921 Earthquake, was initially considered by school officials to be no longer safe to conduct classes in and, as such, slated to be demolished. However, owing to the fact that this building, renowned for its modernist designs and its arch hallways, is a hallmark of the architectural style of its time, and that it stands a as monument of the shared memories of so many students of Chung Shan, many expressed dissent against the decision to tear this building down. After holding numerous public hearings, and thanks to the implementation of laws related to the maintenance of historical buildings at the time by the Council for Cultural Affairs, the school was able to successfully apply for the registration of this building as an official historical building of Changwha, and to receive funding thereby for the maintenance of this building.

We wish to learn more about the north classroom building via research into its history and architectural features, as well as conduct a comparison of these features with those of other classroom buildings built at around the same time to see if we can find any special connections between these buildings.

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:2-3

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):

Chung Shan Elementary School uses a 100MB fiber-optic scholastic network, which allows us to utilize the internet to search for data as well as to share it among members. In addition to the computer lab, the school also supplies laptop computers which we can borrow and, coupled with the wireless network in school, use to update information over the internet.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

(1)Language barrier: Mr. Jen-tsun Chou mostly spoke in Taiwanese, and we had trouble understanding some of his responses.

(2)Insufficient gathering times: Each of the six of us had different club activities, and at first we could not find any time to gather. With our instructor’s help, we were able to find a few time slots to get together—Monday mornings, Wednesday afternoons, and weekends.

(3)Difficulties in obtaining photos and records: Most of the old pictures of our school were put together by Mr. Jia-yung Hsu, but for some dates were not specified, and we had to further consult the retired Director Chau, Mr. Hsin and Mr. Jen-tsun Chou to organized the photos in chronological order.

(4)Lack of interviewing techniques: During our first interview with Principal Huang of Sienci Elementary School we were too nervous to ask the questions we had prepared, and spent more time keeping our heads low and eyes focused on our notes instead. With more practice after that, we were able to improve.

(5)Difficulty in collecting data: Most of the data we were after is difficult to obtain; information on the north classroom buildings in Chishan Elementary School and Gushan Elementary School, particularly with regard to the architectural features these two buildings exhibited, for example, was severely lacking, and we had to consult our parents as we as instructors to piece together what pieces of relevant material we could find.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

This project allowed us to appreciate the historical significance of the north classroom building, as well as the influence that it is sure to have on the many future students who are to spend their time in its classrooms.

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

We learned many new techniques during our research (1)Learning how to organize data and write reports: we had to organize the data collected, and to consult our instructor or the internet for disambiguation with some of the trickier terms. Reports had to be short, concise, and well-structured.

(2)Learning how to work as a team: Throughout the process of our research, we had to divide and distribute the tasks to be performed among all of us.

(3)Learning how to conduct interviews: We learned how important it is to be polite and to introduce ourselves as well as the purpose of our interview to our interviewees in advance, and how an e-mail sent to the interviewees in advance covering the major issues that will be brought up in the interview can help the interviewees formulate more thorough and complete responses.

(4)Learning about different architectural features: We compared the north classroom building to historic buildings found in Ching Shui Elementary School, Da Tung Elementary School, Chishan Elementary School, and our instructor further showed us how to organize our findings into charts so as to be more reader-friendly.

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Project Elements

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

The devices we used for our project 1.Computers: document organization, visual processing, data organization 2.Internet: online file sharing, file uploading 3.Scanner: transmitting hand drawn images into digital files 4.Portable USB drives: saving and sharing files 5.Digital Camera: picture taking and filming 6.Recording pen: recording our interviews

The softwares we used for our project 1.photocap: puzzle making, digital image editing 2.google docs: file sharing, inputting of personal thoughts, data organization 3.FileZilla FTP software: uploading of our completed product onto the WWW 4.Dreamweaver: webpage making 5.Word: to record and arrange documented information 6.mp3 direct cut: division of mp3 files recorded on recording pen and extracting partial segments of interview

Among the devices we had used, the digital camera allowed us to take many valuable pictures, while the recording pen saved us the trouble of transcribing everything by hand.

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

We conducted interviews, collected data, took pictures or searched for old ones, and used computers and the internet to organize everything we had found to utilize as material to make games and hold guided tours, all for the purpose of introducing more people to the rich history, timeless beauty, and unique features of the north classroom building.

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

Not long after we set up our Chinese website (http://web.cses.chc.edu.tw/all_result/cses2015/index.htm), an 80-year-old alumnus, who lives in Chai-I (about 100 kilometers from here), saw the information of North Classroom Building on our website and wanted to donate to the school some relics he has been kept since he studied here. One of them is a clock which was thrown away to a dump yard and he restored and kept it until now. We also interviewed him when he attended our school anniversary. He provided precious memories of the time he studied here.

In this February, because of having visited our website and seen our introduction of North Classroom Building , a high school teacher in Tainan (about 150 kilometers from here) came here to search for some memories of his past-away father’s studying in Chung-Shan. From some well-kept materials, such as academic records, photos, and teacher’s remarks on his father, he was able to find some foot prints of his father’s studying in here.

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

Our topic of study has to do with school history. Therefore we looked for former students who had been studying in North Classroom Building, and former teachers who had been teaching North Classroom Building. We also found the key person of the preservation of North Classroom Building, former principal Bo-hsein Liu, as well as the team members who carried out the renovations of North Classroom Building. We touched these people and interviewed them for answers to any questions concerning North Classroom Building. We are very thankful to an alumnus, Principal Yu-huan Huang, who provided us his memories of studying in North Classroom Building; to a retired teacher, Teacher Jen-tsun Chou, who provided his memories of teaching in North Classroom Building; and to the founder of our history library, Teacher Chia-yung Hsu, who collected and organized a lot of historic materials for us. He told us that although North Classroom Building has been preserved, it should not be stayed put like a stature. He thinks we should make this building useful, and give it a colorful life. One best way of this idea is to keep using it as classrooms.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 8093)

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