School: Taipei Wego Private High School
    Taipei, Taiepi, Taiwan

8 students, ages 16-18 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 8, 2024. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2023

Classes and Teachers: Nien-Chen, Wu; Passion Project

E-Mail contact:

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

1. Description of Our Community

Taiwan's local environment, intricately linked to the critical issue of animal extinction, is a mosaic of diverse ecosystems that underscores the island's unique ecological significance. Characterized by lush landscapes, mountainous terrain, and coastal expanses, this environment is home to a rich array of flora and fauna, many of which face the looming threat of extinction. The mountainous regions, adorned with dense forests, provide crucial habitats for a variety of endemic species, including the elusive Formosat loss driven by the urbanization of clouded leopards. These unique habitats are, however, increasingly vulnerable to habitat, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. As a result, endemic species find their niches shrinking, intensifying the risk of extinction. Taiwan's coastal areas, featuring sandy shores and rocky formations, contribute significantly to the island's biodiversity. Estuaries and wetlands, vital for various marine and bird species, face challenges from habitat degradation, pollution, and the impacts of climate change. These factors collectively contribute to the decline of aquatic and avian populations, exacerbating the threats faced by vulnerable species. Human activities and their associated environmental impacts pose a significant challenge to the local environment. Pollution, both air and waterborne, disrupts the delicate balance of ecosystems, affecting the health and reproductive capabilities of many species. Climate change adds an additional layer of complexity, with rising temperatures and altered weather patterns affecting the distribution and behavior of wildlife.

2. Summary of Our Project

Pause, Relive is the title of our website, symbolizing the gist of our project, which we wish to display the facts about animal extinction in Taiwan to the public in order to promote those animals to have new lives. We first contained the origin of animal extinction, including overfishing, invasion of introduced species, and habitat damage. In addition, we further extended to the negative influences that it brought to both humans and the overall ecosystem. Other than cause and effect, we did research on more specific aspects in terms of all habitats. For example, the details about the ecosystem, the explicit extinction reason of each habitat, and some real-world examples. Moreover, we linked our attention with the Sustainable Development Goals: 13, 14, and 15, which are the ones that are related to land and marine lives. We also demonstrate our own efforts, including hosting awareness events, creating an education proposal, brainstorming possible solutions, and leveraging elementary schools to advocate the imperative of locating endangered animals that may require artificial help from shelters to live safer lives.

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:dial-up modem

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

During the whole progress of our project, we faced several challenges. At first, we had a hard time categorizing things that we wanted to contain. Whether we should classify all the reasons and descriptions of each habitat as one subtitle, or we should organize them by their habitats. This was our first difficulty, which we then decided to finish all the context first. Later, as the student peer-reviewed their works, we re-discussed it and found out that under this circumstance, it would be better to separate all the reasons and descriptions. In addition, we confronted difficulties as we implemented our educational proposal. Initially, we did not start our proposal early enough to reach out to elementary schools during the summer; therefore, we extended it to winter vacation. We reached out to some schools, but it did not go smoothly at first, we got rejected by them. With the desire to spread the knowledge about animal extinction, we reached out to more schools out of Taipei, and we successfully collaborated with an elementary school in Chang-Hua. Lastly, since we only had one tech-people in our group, and the teacher wished we could build the website by ourselves, all the last-minute pressure was on that only student. In order to decrease the pressure, we decided to start our project earlier in the summer and finish all the context as soon as possible.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

In our perspective, we believe that participation in International Schools Cyberfair grants us a great opportunity to further spread the information and ideas that we genuinely do care about. Moreover, it was a moment for teachers and students to train leadership, teamwork, and also website-building abilities.

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

In the process of building the educational and informational website, we participated in activities and research that enhanced our knowledge of computing and societal involvement. With respect to the quality of our project, we guarantee to rival professionally made websites of the same purpose. Our teachers and school have been trying to instill in us values from the start of our academic journey, and this project is a great example. Further, to ensure that our interests are combined with the ability to positively impact society. Team cohesion was achieved by making assignments, providing positive feedback to other team members, and building leadership roles. Aside from that, we learned how to program our own website in order to meet the needs of our club in any situation. We were also tracked and assisted by our teachers in each of their class focuses because they were also interested in our endeavors. We were able to see the scope of our impact on our classmates and school through the combined efforts of our team and our homeroom and computer teachers. Internet usage is a difficult thing to grasp at first, but once mastery is achieved, it becomes the greatest source of information and influence ever.

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

We combined online surveys, social media, and office (word and excel) in our project. Surveys were created and distributed through various online platforms, such as Google Forms. We gather information from the community about their thoughts about animal extinction, their perceptions of the issue, and their ideas for potential solutions. Social media platforms, such as Instagram, were used to gather and share information about our point of view in the community. Members of the club can post updates, photos, and videos of the latest information they got, and use hashtags to connect with others who are interested in the issue. Once data had been collected, tools such as Excel were used to analyze the data and identify patterns or trends. All these online tools assisted us to better and more conveniently finish our projects and gain more public opinions.

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

The students in Cyberfair tried their best to speak up, to spread their acknowledgment of animal extinction. First, they prepared a fifteen minutes presentation in front of the school, to all the students and teachers. They demonstrated their focus: the causes and effects of animal extinction, in order to alleviate the ongoing situation. Secondly, about the educational proposal, the students actually prepared it for more than three months, since they wanted to ensure they contained all the significant information and would be able to convey that knowledge in the context that children could understand. As the educational proposal was implemented, they taught the kids in the elementary school about the habitats of endangered animals and how we as students and they as children can protect the environment, the ecosystems, and those lovely animals.

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

The project educates the community on the responsibility each person has as a global citizen and as a Taiwan citizen. We display the fact that the environment belongs to humans, but also, at first, belongs to the animals, plants, and the whole ecosystem. Moreover, the club can bring together members of the community who share a passion for animal welfare, and help to build relationships and create a sense of community around the issue of animal extinction. The overall environmental issue can be a safety concern, especially it has become more severe day by day. By caring for extinct and endangered animals, the club can help to create a more sustainable community for residents.

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

The club organizes outreach programs to raise awareness about the severity of animal extinction in the community. This can involve distributing flyers or organizing events to educate people about the importance of the current conditions of the environment and how the ecosystem connects all animals and plants together. Since we identified the community as Taiwan as a whole, we appreciated the collaboration with the Wunde Elementary School in Chang-Hua and appreciated their president’s decision to allow us to educate their kids about the knowledge of animal extinction. Till now, some of the kids still send messages to us via social media to ask for additional information and the latest updates about endangered animals.