1. Description of Our Community
Cebu is the region that the whole country of the Philippines deems as the “Queen City of the South”, boasting its magnificent views and crafts that have been known not only in this country but also to the entire world. It is famous for being the seat of Roman Catholicism, and well-known for its guitars, white sand beaches located both in the North and in the South, delicacies like otap and dried mangoes, and its colorful festivities celebrated annually at almost every municipality in Cebu, as well as its historical landmarks like the Magellan’s Cross and Fort San Pedro. Aside from its breath-taking features, its streets and edifices are also filled with undoubtedly hospitable citizens who are always willing to prove to the world that the Cebuano culture is something that we can be proud of.
Cebu City is the oldest city in the Philippines which was established in 1571 by Miguel Lopez di Legazpi. It is also the capital of the Cebu Province. The city lies in the eastern shore of the Island of Cebu and is the oldest city of the Philippines. Cebu, or Sugbu, was already a prosperous settlement before it was colonized by Spain. Geographically, the island of Cebu is 562 kilometers south of Manila, the capital city, in the middle of the north-south axis of the country's 7,700 islands.
Today, Cebu City boasts itself as a major business center outside the National Capital Region (NCR).
2. Summary of Our Project
'Calles de Cebu: Gateways to A Nation's History' is a research project that documents the different streets of Cebu City. The streets of Cebu City are where most of us travel everyday going to different destinations. But have we seen these streets to be more than just a concrete connection of places? These streets carry along with them a story , a story of a past that molded the richness of a culture and its people. There are streets named after the rajahs, the priests, the freedom fighters and the great events in the history of the Philippines. The project provides you with a virtual tour of Cebu City and along these streets you learn about the stories of people and events that helped shape the nation into what it is today.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:21-50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
Our school’s Internet connection is provided by Globelines. We were very lucky to be one of the beneficiaries of Ayala Foundation Youth–Tech Project in 2001. Aside from the connectivity, the donation included 10 workstations, 1 server, licenses for the Microsoft Windows operating system and Microsoft Office Productivity Suite. Without these donated facility. These donations have enabled us to explore the various application of the Internet in the delivery of educational services.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
The researchers had difficulty in balancing time for academics and co-curricular activities. Proper time management is highly recommended in order to accomplish this project.
A series of meetings ensued during the months of October and November to make sure that valuable time is not wasted in the research part of the project. The students were grouped and assigned to tackle specific streets. The research part proved to be very challenging since there were very few materials detailing the history of the street names. Fortunately, we have the Internet. But still our challenge was to find local materials in the libraries of the universities in the city as well the museum in order to substantiate what we have gathered in cyberface. Contacts with different agencies were established. Again this was not easy for the students because of their class schedules. Fortunately, we were able to make arrangements with other subject teachers so that students have enough time to make the necessary interviews and gather the needed pictures.
After gathering, collating and creating the project write-ups, another concern of the students was the development of the project website. Fortunately, the class was able to hook up with two graduates of the school, namely, Mr. Jowil Carvajal and Paolo Genargue, who patiently devoted a big amount of their time helping us put up the project website. Without their assistance, we wouldn’t have made it this far.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Walk through the streets of Cebu City and you will learn the rich cultural heritage of this “Queen City of the South”. We do not only take you to different corners of our little but vibrant community. But we also take you to different pages of our nation’s history.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The project is a very new experience for the students in researching and eventually creating their own project output.
They were also exposed to project management and a wide array of curriculum related activities that allowed them to apply skills that they have learned in school. The project is a clear example of an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. Students were able to connect different areas of the curriculum in contrast to the traditional approach where learning tends to be very compartmentalized. Students learned more about their community and honed their researching and writing skills in documenting the various streets of Cebu City. At the same time, knowing more about their own province and its very rich cultural heritage gave them a clear sense of history.
With this project, teaching and learning are not confined within the four walls of the classroom and the campus. Students had to explore alternative sources of information which cannot be found in the school. Moreover, the values of responsibility, leadership, teamwork, cooperation, hard work and resourcefulness were manifested throughout the entire duration of the project. These are qualities which will be very useful to the students as they pursue higher education.
Finally, presenting research output for the rest of the world to see and learn gave the students a sense of achievement and pride.
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