CyberFair Project ID: 8385

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Dining and Bonding With Grandparents.
Category: 2. Community Groups and Special Populations
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2018/gsh8385/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2018/gsh8385/biography.htm

School: Yu-Tsai Billingual Elementary School
    New Taipei City, , Taiwan

11 students, ages 10-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 19, 2018. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017

Classes and Teachers: Christina Chen, Sunny Peng, Tina Yang, David Chen

E-Mail contact:

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

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Our school is located in Yonghe district, New Taipei City. Yonghe is located in the southeast corner of Taipei Basin, and its boundary with Taipei City is marked by Xindien River. There are currently Zhongzheng Bridge, Fuhe Bridge, and Yongfu Bridge that connect the two cities, and they facilitate the prosperous growth of Yonghe district. There are many business districts and markets for residents of Yonghe to enjoy. Besides the Korean Street and Lehua Night Market, Yonghe residents can head to Yang San Lang Art Museum or Fuhe Holiday Flower Market for more artistic venues and immerse themselves in the city’s relaxed atmosphere. Our topic for Cyberfair this year is on the four group meal locations near our school. Group meal isn’t merely for seniors eating together. Besides eating, the seniors get a chance to make new friends, learn new skills, and socialize with others. We would like to invite everyone to join Yu-Tsai’s Fun with D. & B. and learn more about group meal and the intriguing stories behind it.

2. Summary of Our Project

New Taipei City has been promoting group meal for seniors since August 2012. There are now 29 districts offering group meal to its residents, and as of February 1st, 2018, there are 57 registered locations in Yonghe district that serve group meal. The essence of group meal is to form a community companion network. Group meal starts from the community so seniors are able to get out of their homes and enjoy a delicious meal with other seniors living in the same community. Group meal also aims to bring people and the community closer together so seniors may also improve their mental health. In our research, Yu-Tsai’s Fun with D. & B. worked together cohesively as a team. Through interviewing, visiting, researching, participating, and sharing, we gained valuable insights into group meal. We observed how group meal is organized at different locations, and then we were able to think more comprehensively about ‘companionship,’ which is the essence of group meal. With over six months of studying, learning, and experiencing group meal, each one of us had become an ambassador that helps promote the essence of group meal to different parts of the world.

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):

[School Internet Facilities] We relied on school’s academic network to access the Internet. There are fifty computers in the computer lab for regular classes and the Cyberfair project. There are one to four computers in each administrative office, and there is one computer in each classroom. Each computer has access to the Internet, and this allows us to discuss, research, and print materials for the project. Our Internet runs on the fiber optic network that is connected to the education network of New Taipei city. We also have wireless connection for teachers. [Internet Access at Home for the Team] ADSL, fiber optic, wireless network [How we handle information] We use school’s Internet facilities for the project mostly. If there is something for us to take home, we use memory sticks, Google Drive, or e-mails to store our work. We would then upload our work onto school’s network the next day.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

[Time management] The workload for Cyberfair is very heavy, and we also have our regular school work to attend to. Therefore, we usually make the best use of off-school hours to work on the project in the computer lab. Even so, there is still tons of work to be done. We learned to manage out time efficiently so we could get all the work done on schedule. [Interviews and surveys] In order to obtain deeper insights, we invited volunteers and village leaders to share their stories about group meal. We also surveyed participating seniors to get their thoughts on group meal. Many of the seniors speak Taiwanese only, so we had to overcome this language barrier when conducting interviews and surveys. On top of that, we also had to overcome our fear and nervousness. That’s why before each visit, we practiced extensively to make sure we are able to obtain firsthand information from the seniors. [Interview Transcription] We interviewed many people participating in group meal for this project. In order to increase the accuracy of our research, we recorded and transcribed each interview we had. The interview may be a few minutes long, but it takes a long time for us to finish the transcription with background noise and the interviewee’s accents. In addition, some transcribers were a bit slow in typing, so it took even longer to get the job done. We encouraged each other and worked together to get the transcription done.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

In the six months that we spent on the project, we learned about the unique features of the four group meal locations near our school through participating, learning, and experiencing different activities. We realized that group meal is not merely seniors eating together. It encompassed a variety of activities and classes for seniors to enjoy. During summer vacation, we visited each group meal location numerous times and saw it was the seniors helping out other seniors in most locations. When we were there, we would help out to make group meal go smoothly. The seniors welcomed us warmly, and they even invited us to join them for group meal and chat with them. Cyberfair gave a chance to conduct in-depth research on a topic. We not only got to know group meal better, but also realized the elderly just need our companionship. We will remember what we have learned in our research and spend more time eating and chatting with our own grandparents.

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

[Language] We collected data and organized them into meaningful contents for the project. Our writing proficiency got better through completing interview questions, surveys, and progress reports on our own. When we conducted interviews and surveys, our ability to listen and communicate has also improved. The project has helped us improve our linguistic proficiencies in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. [Math] We conducted surveys at group meal locations. After the survey, we used spreadsheet software to tabulate and analyze the results before presenting them in graphic forms. [Social Studies] We studied group meals extensively. From the interviews, we learned the founding essence, the challenges, and the visions of people organizing group meal. We presented our findings at school so more people would know about group meal, and this would in turn encourage people to spend more time with their grandparents. [Arts] We used our artistic talents to produce posters, drawings, presentations, and videos for group meal locations. We used our editing skills to modify photos before using them on the project website. [Science] We collected data using the Internet. We used devices to record interviews and activities and cloud technology to store data. Finally, we used video editing and website building software to put the project site together. [Integrative Activities] We learned to express our opinions while respecting those of the others. The project helped us see the importance of teamwork and being responsible.

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Project Elements

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

?Software?*Windows 10:Operating system *Internet Explorer, Google Chrome:Collecting information on the Internet *Microsoft Power Point 2016:Recruitment reports, Instructions for in-school group meal board games *Microsoft Word 2016:Designing survey, compiling reports and thoughts about the project. *Microsoft Excel 2016:Tabulating survey results, analyzing spreadsheet, and making graphs *PhotoImpact X3:Editing and designing of photos, videos, team badges, posters, website *X-mind:Drawing mind map *Adobe Dreamweaver CS6:Building the project website *Microsoft SharePointDesigner 2007:Building the project website. *GoogleForm:Designing online surveys. *Google Drive: Saving and retrieving files. *Scratch 2:Making animation to introduce group meal locations in Yonghe district *FileZilla:Uploading project website ?Hardware?*Digital camera:Recording activities and research progress *Digital video recorder:Recording group meal and performances at school and community centers *Microphone:Sound capturing when filming group meal at school and community centers *Projector and computer:Playing videos for presentation during in-school group meal *Tablet PC:Recording interviews, taking photos of activities *Scanner:Scanning related data and hand-drawn pictures *Laser Printer:Printing event- and project-related information *Smartphone with voice recroding:Recording interviews

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

[Taking part in group meal and interacting with the elderly] During summer vacation, we took part in many group meals and saw how group meal was organized at each location. We chatted with the seniors, learned about their feelings, and understood how group meal has made an impact on them. [Interact with the Community] After taking part in group meal, we promoted it to elderly in the community and invited them to join group meal and other activities and make new friends. We also surveyed residents of the community to help them reassess how much care and companionship they have been giving to the elderly at home. [In-school group meal] We adopted group meal from the community and organized one at school to share our findings. Our in-school group meal included the grandparents of our students. The activity allowed the grandchildren to learn how to keep their grandparents companied. The activity was meaningful and fun.

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

Before the project, most of us have never heard of group meal, and we did not know there are organizations hosting such a meaningful event. After more than six months of studying and different activities, we got to know group meal better, and we are now able to chat with the elderly comfortably. We also learned that each location organizes group meal in its own way to keep the elderly coming. After learning about the essence of group meal, we started to rethink how we treat our grandparents, what can we do more of, and how can we spread that spirit to outside the community. Students at Yu-Tsai can also learn what group meal is about and ways to spend time with their grandparents. More importantly, they will learn the essence of group meal, which is to keep the elderly companied. Furthermore, we wish to extend our reach and help more people learn about group meal through our website. Those who are over 65 years old may have learned a new way to enrich their retirement. Those who are not over 65 may learn the importance of keeping the elderly companied to make our society more harmonious.

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

[Social Services Division, Yonghe District Office] We would like to thank Ms. Huang Shumei for giving us so much assistance throughout our research. She pointed out the unique features of different group meal location, and she also introduced us to the organizers of each location. With her help, we were able to gather information on and gain insights into group meal in Yonghe efficiently and quickly. [Organizers of group meal] We would like to thank the four organizers for accepting our invitation for the project. They gave us their full support and helped us with the interviews and surveys so our research may proceed smoothly. We got to experience group meal with the elderly, and this first-hand experience allowed us to capture the essence of group meal so we can present our findings more comprehensively. [Volunteers and the seniors] We would like to thank every volunteer and vendor at Yongan Market who joined the Surplus-Food program. Their unselfishness helped us realize how great it is to share with and make a contribution to the community. It doesn’t matter how old we are, we can always help people out as long as we have the hearts to do so. We would also like to thank every grandpa and grandma who participated in group meal. They always welcomed us with a warm smile, and they are happy to share everything about themselves with us. With their unconditional support, we were able to obtain valuable insights and stories about group meal.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

?Discoveries?1.Power of Teamwork: Cyberfair is never meant for a single person to complete, just like it takes a group of people working together to make group meal successful. During our research, we learned about group meal, kept the seniors companied, and introduced the essence of group meal to our school and people in the community as a team before finishing the project website. 2. Amazing statistics: There is lots of information about group meals in different regions or countries on the Internet. After participating in a few group meals in Yonghe, we saw how interesting retirement could be for seniors. 3. Not Just a Website: We organized everything we had learned and every activity we had participated in the six months period into meaningful content. We drew some pictures for the website by hand and some on the computer. Pictures and videos are edited and enhanced to make them more presentable. When putting the website together, we paid special attention to make sure the viewers get maximum viewing comfort while learning something meaningful from our website. ?Lessons?: After the project, we realized the importance of time management. While the project is on-going, we must weigh in on our abilities and the time available for the project before we make other commitments. We are committed to the project, so we must manage our time wisely and do our best to finish each assignment. ?Surprises?: We found that even though each group meal location has its unique features, what they all have in common is that all participating seniors seemed very happy! Beside group meal, the organizers have also planned other activities for the elderly to learn and experience. Their life after retirement is filled with excitements.

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