CyberFair Project ID: 8371

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Interactive Playground Alliance-Savior of the Heartland
Category: 2. Community Groups and Special Populations
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2018/gsh8371/page_a1.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2018/gsh8371/page_f2.htm

School: Kang Chiao International school Qingshan Campus
    New Taipei City, N/A - Does Not Apply, Taiwan

10 students, ages 11-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 4, 2018. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2007, 2009-2017

Classes and Teachers: Stephen Hopkins, Jun-Hong Chen, Jie-Sz Tsai

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.kcbs.ntpc.edu.tw/

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

The New Taipei City is located in the Taipei Basin. The area surrounds Taipei City and Keelung City, forming a major metropolitan area. This place is Taiwan's largest municipality directly under the jurisdiction of the central government and is also a typical densely populated metropolitan city. Xindian District is under the jurisdiction of New Taipei City, located in the southern border of Taipei City. Since it is located in near Taipei City, so it is densely populated filled with small communities and parks.

2. Summary of Our Project

Interactive Playground Alliance is a very special organization. The mothers in the group try to let everyone know the important relationship between interactive playgrounds and children's physical and mental development. They do not care about any form of incentives as they try their best to do whatever they can to help the kids. We hope that by completing this special report, more parents and children will be able to understand the importance of parks and playgrounds. This report will explore in depth the origins and the organization and their mission through reading, films, on-site visits, interviews of the experts, and survey analysis.

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 in well equipped in information technology. The school hosts complete servers and have two computer lab. There is a computer in each classroom for the teachers. Most notably, almost the entire school has wireless Wi-Fi access. Due to the push of 'e-book in classes,” students in grades 5 and 6 participating in this competition are given their own Google Chrome Book for supporting the production of mind maps, data collection, audio recording, and cloud data exchange and cooperation.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1. Arranging visits: It is a challenge for us to collect the wide range of information for our needs in a very limited time while leaving a good impression for all respondents. We read through the information, sorted out the topics to be interviewed, simulated conditions that may be encountered during a visit in advance, and asked a teacher from the Academic Affairs Office to assist up in photography, recording and collecting first-hand information. So we can leave the interview with complete records for later use. 2. Issues with time and transportation: In order to minimize the impact on our homework, we arranged our visits as much as possible on the day of our club classes and holidays. We are grateful to the schools and the Academic Affairs Office for their assistance in organizing the interviews so that we can interview the mothers of Interactive Playground Alliance in the school face to face. 3. Teamwork: This CyberFair project requires the collective effort of everyone to complete and setup the website. However, when we actually started writing the project, we found out that it is very important to organize and categorize information. If we do not discuss and divide the work in advance, we would often write something similar and cannot really show our teamwork. The teachers help us to constantly modify the outline of our work, separating the content of our writing, and finally we were able to complete the tasks successfully.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

'Only when worked hard for our own convictions, will we be able to see our dreams and goals as we strive for the rights and interests of our children.'

As the famous Taiwanese filmmaker Po-lin Chi once said in his documentary, Beyond Beauty—Taiwan from Above, “Only after an effort for the homeland, then we can see happiness when we see Taiwan!” The Interactive Playground Alliance in their effort to promote interactive playgrounds of parks holds the same attitude as Mr. Chi in his fight for protecting the environment in Taiwan. Their passion and effort inspired us to look up to them; and by knowing a bit more about the Interactive Playground Alliance, we hope we can one day become a part of the change ourselves.

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

Language Area: we ask for interview, interview, write about the topic, and share our opinion. Math Area: we gathered and analyze the data from our survey and present them through our analysis and charts. Social Area: we plan how to study and research the topic, plan what to ask in our interview, create a survey and organize the interview. Integrated Activities Area: we collect information from all the sources like interview, survey, websites, and books to help us complete this project. Science and Technology Area: we learn how the playground equipment, slides, swings, etc., influence children's physical and mental development. Information Technology Education Area: we learn how to conduct online research, design webpages, and use Google Sheets and other Google products. Our school's 'Makers Class': we learn and implement the research process, including brainstorming, KWHL, survey design, interviewing skills, research and organization, etc.

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Project Elements

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

Telephone and email: we contact the interviewees, get the first, and new information. Internet: we use the Internet to get second-hand information and use the Internet to discuss with team members. Google Chrome Book: we use apps from Google to document the findings, organize information, analyze data, and make charts, as well as use other apps for photo editing and and creating our website. Pen recorder: we record all the interviews to help to write the interview transcripts. Camera: we use camera to film our work, visit, research, and interviews. Printer: we print out information, survey, interview report, etc. USB drives: we save your own research information and website. Computer softwares: we use PhotoImpact, PhotoShop, Google Drive, Google Doc, and Google Sheet.

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

In order to learn more about the work those parents working for the Interactive Playground Alliance in Taipei had done, we try to learn more about Interactive Playground Alliance. We conduct interviews with the mothers working for the Interactive Playground Alliance to understand what the goals of Interactive Playground Alliance are. We even interview our teachers to help us learn the kinds of playground equipment we have in school and the design behind them. All these, we hope, can make our website even better. the Interactive Playground Alliance and the work they have done. After our classmates learn more about the Interactive Playground Alliance, we hope our classmates can know more about the interactive playground design and the importance of keeping the innovation design alive for the children and the city image.

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

For school and me: 1.We have been working together for throughout the year, and we had built a good relationship. 2.We learned about the importance of the playground equipment because if the those equipment isn’t safe, it will cause safety problems. Also if it is very boring, the kids won’t have an enjoyable time in the park and in the school. For the community: 1. There are a lot of people who, like us, make websites with different topics to help the community. 2. This project will let more people know the Interactive Playground Alliance, and they may give the group more money to build the playgrounds. 3. We learned that the 'cookie-cutter playground' isn't safe, boring, and causing environmental issues. We hope the ides of 'interactive playground can be supported my more people. 4. We hope that our website can attract people to care more about the interactive playgrounds in Taiwan and find the problems of the playground in Taiwan. We hope this will inspire more people to stand up and speak up for the children and create great playgrounds for them. This way we can help children's childhood more fulfilled and meaningful.

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

There are several members from our community who helped us completing this project: 1. KCIS Linkou school’s Director Of Student Affairs: he accepted our interview and helped us understand the school’s playground design and the the thought process behind the design. 2. KCIS Qingshan school’s Section Chief of Physical Education: he accepted our interview and helped us understand what our school’s current playground designs are and why they were designed that way. 3. Mothers from the Interactive Playground Alliance: they accepted our interview and helped us learned the mission of the Alliance as well as how they tried to make and change and what steps that have taken to protect the rights of play for the children in Taiwan.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

To foreigners, Taiwan is always a country that filled with culture, warm hospitality, and soft power. After thoroughly studying and understanding the Interactive Playground Alliance, we once again witness the truly inspiring Taiwan impression. The warmth and the hospitality of the people in Taiwan encouraged those mothers working for the Interactive Playground Alliance to protect the playgrounds in Taiwan and children’s rights. The soft power of Taiwan, like innovation and creativity, is the driving force that pushes the Interactive Playground Alliance to keep upgrading the parks with more interactive equipment as well as to maintain the scenery and environment. We wish that with all the efforts of the Interactive Playground Alliance and those parents who put the emphasis on preserving the culture and children’s rights, then can we one day make Taiwan having interactive parks in Japan, Singapore, and other countries; the ones that are the true definition of “Savior of the Heartland.”

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