School: Gimnazjum no 4
    Zory, Silesia, Poland

13 students, ages 13 - 15 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 8, 2007. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2005, 2006

Classes and Teachers: Bozena Tkacz-Biskupek

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.gim4.dyndns.org/gim4

1. Description of Our Community

Our city Zory is situated in the South of Poland in Upper Silesia, in the middle of Europe. The local people, known as the Silesians, have inhabited Zory for centuries. Zory is a town since XIII century. Here, in former ages, lived together peaceably Poles, Germany, Jews. However since 70’s of XX age the new community create indigenous inhabitants (Silesian) and Poles, which came from different sides of country to work in the neighbouring coal-pits. The number of townies raised tenfold.

2. Summary of Our Project

Zory is a town with the rich cultural life. In the calendar of entertainments are two important for inhabitants feasts.

The most important feast, solemn celebrated is Fire Day, officiated 11th May. We celebrate it since upon 300 years in remembrance the largest fire, which destroyed the settlement. The main part of celebrating this feast is big imploring procession with torches in order to protect the town from following fires.

The second feast of inhabitants of town Zory is Fair of Wladyslaw. It happens at the last weekend of June on the ground of the housing estate Ksiecia Wladyslawa. It is one of first of burgh built for comers – the workers of new pits. Name of burgh commemorates prince Wladyslaw Opolczyk, which in 1272 granted municipal laws to the town Zory. Fair of Wladyslaw is organized like mediaeval fairs.

This project shows the photo essays from these solemnities, history and interesting places in the town.

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):

One of the two fully equipped computer classrooms was won by our school in all - Polish contest “Superschool”.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

The biggest problem was epidemic of flu. Everyone who was needed was sick!

5. Our Project Sound Bite

At project worked twelve pupils. Our project is about days, which unite and this project united persons who worked at this, too.

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

Our students learnt many new skills for this project: how to use graphics to enhance communication, how to work with the text, to document resources and sources used, how to conduct an effective search on the Internet, how to carry out a long-term work and how to combine individual efforts to create a large group project. The students also improved their language skills. Speaking, listening, and writing in English language were all important components of this project. They have also found out a lot about the town's history, culture and traditions by searching the historical sources. Younger students learnt how to use the digital camera, how to record short films and how to create the web sites.

Using of the Internet has been very helpful to us because enabled us to obtain needed information quickly and easily, made it possible to continue work at home in the evenings, even at weekends.

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

To complete our Cyber Fair Project we used: 6 PC Celeron 1,2 GHz – 2,4GHz computers, personal computers at teachers' and students’ homes, printers, digital camera, scanner, telephones, libraries, books, the Internet, interviews. Most of the tools were available to us here at school. Our most valuable tools were: the computers, digital camera, the Internet, interviews and books. We used computer software: Microsoft Word to edit information, MS Outlook Express to receive and send mail, MS Internet Explorer and the Internet searchers to search and browse the Internet resources for example dictionaries and encyclopedias, Microsoft Front Page to design our web pages and sometime we used Windows Notepad to correct the html code, MS Photo Editor and Corel Draw to manipulate some photos, digital camera software, CuteFtp to upload our web pages to server. It's important to mention that our school has won fully equipped computer classroom in the all-Polish competition, therefore we had no problems in finding the needed tools.

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

While working on the project, our students personally visited the Town Office, 'Zory's Lovers' Association' and the Zory Museum – History and Culture Section. They talked to the town's authorities and people who know the town's history very well. Every visit was agreed upon and announced by e-mail or telephones. Every time our students briefly explained the CyberFair idea and our project. Many of the adults were also interviewed by our pupils. Parents appeared to be very helpful as well. Some of them helped us by working with their children at home. All engaged people were amazed that our students were so proficient at researching and creating their own web page. They claim that it's very good that youths can use the computer techniques in such a young age and they are glad that our school glorifies Zory all over the world.

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

This project broadens people's knowledge about our town and region, the monuments, history and culture. It encourages to come here and visit the beautiful Zory's historical landmarks. It also reinforces the local patriotism. Many citizens and local authorities have visited our web page and sent us emails saying that we've done well. Our site appeared to be very helpful for other schools too – they used the materials and photographs during their lessons. Our future students can benefit from our project too. It goes without saying that the work we've done will be very helpful to the Dutch and French students who regularly visit Gimnazjum nr 4 and Zory.

Our work will be also helpful for the participant of eTwinning project and Comenius project.

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

We would like to thank Mrs Barbara Kieczka and Mr Grzegorz Utrata (members of 'Zory's Lovers' Association') for providing photographs and information about historical streets and monuments in Zory, Mrs Krystyna Jurkowska from school library for searching needed materials, Mr Tomasz Gorecki for give us some photos. We are very grateful to our teacher Mrs Bozena Tkacz- Biskupek, the project coordinator, for her creative inspiration and helping hand.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Our project has been used during lessons about our town, so called “Knowledge about Zory”, during History lessons and during lessons about the society. It's also been very helpful when the Dutch students visited our school. Most of the materials and texts from the project were presented to the Dutch as a part of a teaching programme about local society.