School: Tzu Chang Primary School
    Hualien, Taiwan, Taiwan

5 students, ages from 10 to 11 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 10, 2001. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): has Participated in Taiwa

Classes and Teachers: Suen chen-wei. Tong Ru-Yu . Guan Mei-yuan. Chou wen-kuei

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.tcps.hlc.edu.tw

1. Description of Our Community

Community that we define refers to a place where multicultural tribes live together. Hualien county is one of the places with most tribes of aborigines. We hope that this cultural inquiry of the community enables us to realize the meaning of facial art of the Ata-yal tribe, and furthermore, to understand the values that are worthy of preservation and being handed down. Students¡¦ introduction and inquiry are meaningful for that make students integrate the community much easier.

2. Summary of Our Project

What kind of art that ever touched you? What kind of art that ever made you be enthralled? Though facial art is one of the traditional cultures of the Ata-yal tribe, its spirit and meaning still leave something valuable for us to take as a modal. We hope more people may realize its origin, materials and tools, the processes of handicraft, taboos, forms and meanings via our specific inquiry broadcasting on the network. And we deeply believe that the data we collect may help you uncover the secret veil of facial art of the Ata-yal tribe.

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):

Classrooms, offices and teachers¡¦ lounges each are offered computers, which can get onto the Internet. Besides, there are two computer classrooms for the students and one exclusive for the teachers who participate plan of edu-city . In our school, we use ADSL to get onto the Internet, and it is quick and convenient whether to send out or download information. On the other hand, students can get onto the Internet at home, but the speed is quite lower.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

(1) difficulties on technicality Most of us do not know how to use scanners and digital cameras; besides, we only know little about image processing and homepage. But luckily, Mr. Suen, the chief of information management in our school, sets in training programs to teach us more useful technicality. On the other hand, without our instructors¡¦ direction, we can hardly solve all the difficulties.

(2) difficulties on data-collecting As well as finding information on the Internet, the instructors also take us to the library of National Hualien Teacher¡¦s College on Wednesdays. However, we do not think it is enough, therefore we have to get more information via the cooperation between libraries. By doing so, we must pay 5 NT for one copy, and eventually we get the information we need.

(3) time pressure In order not to affect our regular learning, we have to utilize every moment, for example, a break for ten minutes, in every Wednesday afternoon and holidays to type our report, to read and to discuss the information we have collected. This makes us to feel the time pressure as if we are racing with time, especially when some our members have to take time participating the pipe contest. Though we do not have enough time gathering together do our research, each of us still use our time well to complete what the instructors ask us to do.

(4) nightmares of using computers ¡§The Internets are hoe lines again!¡¨ ¡§Computers do not work again!¡¨ ¡§We again to save our data!¡¨ ¡§We are on the wrong processing loop! ¡¨ While making our homepage these are the problems that we often make. So if we do not finish our work at school, we almost have to finish it at home. Meanwhile, we also try to catch up with our schedule through e-mail or on the phone.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

a.After this long journey of painstaking effort we finally complete this learning. And in the process of cooperation, we learn to undertake our own responsibilities, to overcome difficulties together, to help each other and to respect other¡¦s point of view. We are also grateful to our instructors for their company, because they put aside their business for a while in order to accompany us. Their devotion earns our respect, and they set up models for us to follow. b.We find that learning from textbooks is not enough. With careful observation and inquiry, we will know that anything surrounding us or what is mentioned on the textbooks still leave much room for further study. And in the series of interviewing and exploring, we get to know that knowledge is infinite, that the further we study, the more we progress. c.We need the help and direction of scholars and specialists. With their enthusiastic encouragement and in time help we can learn and grow firmly.

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

(1). On curriculums: Nowadays, the purposes of our school teaching move forward to multiple directions, and knowledge that emphasizes the consciousness of community has integrated into many curriculums. In our textbooks of third and fifth graders they mentioned the facial tattoo, however, we do not think they help us understand them better, so we decide to broaden the content. As well as realizing the origin of facial art of the Tai-ya tribe, materials and tools, the processes of handicraft, taboos, forms and meanings, we also learn to respect culture of different races and to pay more attention to them.

(2). On daily life education: While studying our monograph, we truly understand the meaning of devotion and the importance of cooperation; after finishing one¡¦s own work, if we still have time and energy, we give support to others. We not only make efforts to collect written papers and to share with each other, but also prepare well setting up the question we want to ask before the interview. We record the whole process of interviewing and then transformed them into written forms by turns.

(3). On socialization education: With the decrease of the facial-tattooed senior citizens, we come to realize the importance of cultivation for tribes, which enables us to cherish our living environment. Teachers, parents and we students work together for the same purpose, and in this research all of us seek after the self-growth and self-learning.

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

(1). Telephones: we use telephones to check things with our interviewers; besides, teachers and students also use telephones to discuss making homepage.

(2). Computers and copy machines: we find which books we need on which bookshelves in the library via computers, and also use copy machines to copy the contexts that we need.

(3). Tape recorders: we use tape recorders to record the process of interviewing; then we transform it into written form.

(4). Digital cameras: we transmit the pictures taken by the digital cameras into computers.

(5). Scanners and image processing software: photoimpact5.0, UMAX-scanner ¡C

(6). Internet: we learn to use Internet to survey the information we need, also, we exchange our experiences via e-mail.

(7). Dreamweaver 3.01 of Chinese version: we learn to use Dreamweaver 3.01 of Chinese version to make homepage, and to send up and download information.

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

(1). After double-checking the content of the questionnaire, instructors ask each of us to assume each part of the questionnaire and then to interview different clusters of people. We ask the uncles, aunts and some little children in the neighborhood to fill in the questionnaire, and they are all glad to do so.

(2). Zhang Rui-zhi, one of our members and is an Ata-yal, whose father is acquainted with Tian Gui-shi, an original organizer of Facial Art Workshop, so Rui-zhi and his father visit Mr. Tian personally. Knowing the purpose of our monograph, Mr. Tian promises immediately that he is willing to tell us all things about facial art that he knows without reservation. This is why we can visit Ke-le villege on Nov.11 without having difficulties.

(3). Zheng Zhen-qin, who works in the Hualien Hospital and once studied Guidance curriculums in our school, knows that we are doing researches on facial art, so she eagerly introduces us to Wang Nai-chang, the head of social service . We go to visit Mr. Wang on Nov.28 and ask him several questions about facial-tattooed senior citizens, and he answers our questions enthusiastically. Without government¡¦s financial subsidization, people of the Hualien Hospital use the fund for philanthropy to take care of these facial-tattooed senior citizens and charge for nothing. We are touched deeply by their philanthropic behaviors.

(4). On Dec.21, we visit Lin Jin-fu, a chief of the bureau of aboriginal administration, knows that we are doing researches on facial art, so he eagerly answers our questions and copies down valuable information about facial art for us.

(5). Man Ru-yiag, who teaches in our school, knows that we are going to visit facial-tattooed senior citizens, therefore, asks Tian Gui-fang, her husband¡¦s good friend, to introduce us to visit facial-tattooed senior citizens. With Mr. Tian¡¦s translation and introduction we interview a facial-tattooed senior citizen of 89 years old on Dec.23.

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

From our questionnaire we find out that most people have ever heard facial art, nevertheless, not many people truly understand the process of facial tattoos, the tools, its spirit and meaning. Not only the non-aborigines but also the youngsters of the Ata-yal people do not completely realize the spirit and meaning of facial art. From doing our research we come to realize that the government authorities and some private groups gradually experience the value of facial-tattooed senior citizens, and they treat these senior citizens as national treasures. Now the facial-tattooed senior citizens are offered better social welfare and medical treatment. For the reason that not many people truly understand the spirit and meaning of facial art, so we decide to set up the web site hoping to make the spirit and meaning of facial art clear and distinct. While doing so, we earn lots of encouragement from our teachers, government officials and people of the community. They know we are eager to learn, therefore, they also do their best to offer us as much information as possible. We are grateful for their help and their encouragement.

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

(1). After we decide the topic of facial art, we busy ourselves with collecting written information, and we go to the library of National Hualien Teacher¡¦s College searching for some papers via the cooperation between libraries. Thanks to Miss Yang, who works in the library of National Hualien Teacher¡¦s College, that we can obtain more abundant information.

(2). We cherish that Ye Xiu-yun and Jian Li-zhen, teachers of our school, offer us written information; that parents of the community, Qiu Wen-gui who is the head of our school, and teachers good at computer technology, advise us to make homepage.

(3). During the proceeding of questionnaire survey, we obtain lots of help from parents of the community; we are grateful to Tian De-cai, Dr. Chen Dao-ming, Dr. Zhang Wen-jin and Lu Quan-jing for their participation our interview.

(4). Wang Nai-chang, the head of social service , and Lin Jin-fu, a chief of the bureau of aboriginal administration, they both tell us more detail information about facial-tattooed senior citizens; Tian Gui-shi, Zheng Zhen-qin, and Man ru-yiag, it is with their introduction that we have further chances to interview some important figures; and we are grateful for Tian Gui-Fang¡¦s clear and distinct translation, and thank GuMuWumao for his acceptance of our asking for interview. Every time before we start our visiting, we tell the interviewees our purpose for this visiting, they all think it meaningful that we participate the contest sponsored by the Website Exhibition in Taiwan, for this reason they are willing to offer written information and to accept answering our questions. This really give us a lot help.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

(1). Lesson: We experienced frustrations and failures while making the homepage, however, the experience enables us to make our homepage better and approaching perfect. Practice makes perfect, and we will keep on growing if we really learn something from our shortcoming.

(2). Discovery: Because of the monograph, we learn a lot about facial art; from the research, I know how to make homepage, and this helps me complete this report successfully and this enriches my daily life; also from the disappearance of facial art of the Ata-yal people we come to realize that as well as a nation can not exist without their particular culture, a nation has right to maintain its good and meaningful culture. Back of the facial art exists so profound wisdom and extraordinary value that astonishes me. With the decrease of facial-tattooed senior citizens, we should try hard to protect and to broadcast the spirit of this art and culture.

(3). Wonder: While discussing facial art as particular culture in Taiwan, students of our group can not figure out why people do not pay attention to such important cultural heritage. Is that because we do not understand it? Therefore, we decide to research this topic to make it known; and now that Taiwan is not big enough, however she contains abundant cultural heritages. The most important thing is that we should not ignore the culture of our own to follow the track of foreign countries.