1. Description of Our Community
Hsin Kang, famous for its faith in Mazu and maltose candy, is a place of culture and arts. The local troupes of music and drama are often invited to go to America and Europe to perform. Recently, with advancement and promotion by local people, two traditional arts “colorful ceramic figurines” and “Koji ( Cochin ) pottery” have been developed and brought to full flower. Arguably, Hsin Kang is the center of Koji pottery.
Although Hsin Kang is an age-old agricultural town, the traffic is convenient and the streets are clean and neat. The vicinity of the Feng Tian Temple is one of the most bustling areas. Every year many Mazu faithfuls from Da Jia Township make a pilgrimage to Hsin Kang. Hsin Kang is, so to speak, a huge garden. Around every corner and wall, there is beautiful gardening that is pleasing to the eyes.
Due to the well-planned efforts of the Hsin Kang Foundation of Culture and Education, the dormitory of Taiwan Sugar Company has been turned into a leisure center for local residents. The work of beautifying the community has been implemented and tour guides who can explain local culture and history have been trained. Hsin Kang, a small and old town, has been reborn and has a promising future.
2. Summary of Our Project
Although a small town, Hsin Kang has many cultural and educational activities. The pilgrimage from Da Jia every year also makes Hsin Kang become a famous sight-seeing spot. With well-planned development and marketing, it has presented a variety of new aspects. When thinking about the theme of our project, we decided to choose the Deng Yun Academy because of its historical significance. The focus of our project meant inheriting the tradition and creating the vision for the future. So we were eager to go back to the site of the Deng Yun Academy to trace the meaningful evolution of our School.
The Deng Yun Academy was set up in the reign of the emperor Dao Guang of Qing. The words “Deng Yun,” literally “Ascending to Clouds Meteorically,” were used in honor of General Wang De-Lu's speedy rise in the government hierarchy. The Academy experienced two big earthquakes and its architecture suffered devastation. Only one stele of granite, decorated with two dragons, 208 cm in height and 93 cm in width, has survived.
Inside the Academy was the Wen Chang Shrine, dedicated to Confucius. In 1963, the Wen Chang Shrine ( Confucian Temple ) was formally instituted in Wen Chang Elementary School . In the center of the Shrine was the spirit-tablet of Confucius. Although the area of the Confucian Temple was only about 72 to 108 square feet, it was the first Confucian Temple on campus in Taiwan . In January 1971, the County Government set up a pavilion in Wen Chang Elementary School to commemorate the Deng Yun Academy and repaired the mini-scale Confucian Temple . Wen Chang Elementary School is the one and only school that has a Confucian Temple in it in Taiwan . More.... please link to http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2007/gsh5021/narrative-2.htm
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:less than 20
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:2-3
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
--School: There‘s one computer classroom in campus, using windows 98 system. So far the internet service is ADSL. There are two WINDOWS2003 SEVERs. Two NT SEVERs are installed anti-virus SEVER and Mail Server. Another computer adopted LINUX system as the central processing unit of the school's home page. Apart form the computer classroom, you can surf the internet in each classroom. The library and audio-visual classroom even provide wireless internet service.
--Home : Members use dial-up internet or ADSL wide-band internet. The data we found was mostly stored in discs or via emails for members to share. Later the amount of data grew too huge and pictures too many to store in discs, so the teacher open a data file at FTP Server and overcame the problem.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1. Our First Time in Undertaking a Project
We had ten members. Actually, many students in grades 5 and 6 also participated in the project. We had to stick to the schedule of the project and integrate the data and results coming from team members. It was a big task full of challenges. At the beginning, we were not very skillful at handling the data and many hours passed before we were able to file them. We were too shy to speak when interviewing someone. Fortunately, our teachers prompted us so that we would not fall into embarrassing situations. It was another challenge for us.
Although we could not do it perfectly each time, our teachers led us to review what we had done. Our reflections were written down so that we could find out our shortcomings and weaknesses and try to find ways to correct them the next time. Slowly and steadily, we made progress and became knowledgeable. We have a consensus from this experience. That is, don't be afraid to confront challenges. As long as you face unknown challenges bravely, it would mean a great advancement for you!
2. Unfamiliar with Data Handling and Web-Page Design; Much Time Needed to Explore Essential Skills by Trial and Error
A project focusing on a specific topic seemed novel to us. Unfamiliar with the skills in data filing and web-page design, we and our teachers learned by doing. We spent much time sorting out the tapes lasting many hours, having hit the tape-recorder buttons of “forward winding” and “reverse winding” many times. Our teachers learned how to use soft-wares of web-page making. The whole team worked even back at home, racing against time to learn the skills in designing web-pages.
Although we met many difficulties and challenges in undertaking the project, “two heads are better than one.” We overcame the problems though group discussions and cooperation. We had a team spirit that had a firm and solid foundation. There is a saying, “Those who walk by will certainly leave behind some footprints.” From our web-pages, you can see our sweet and beautiful achievements. More.... please link to http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2007/gsh5021/narrative-2.htm
5. Our Project Sound Bite
When we first came into contact with the news of the Cyberfair competition, we knew absolutely nothing about this activity, Before registering, our team members thought about the topic for four weeks. After registration, we proceeded by visiting others' websites on the one hand and modifying our project direction on the other. Therefore, continuous “exploration, discussion, production, and modification” was our primary research method.
In the past, when we were running and chasing on campus, we seldom took notice of the inscriptions on the steles. We didn't know that the name of the classroom building “Deng Yun Hall” came from the Deng Yun Academy . When we were attending the ceremony honoring Confucius, we did not know that the spirit-tablet of Confucius in the Wen Chang Shrine was a century-old relic. As children born in Hsin Kang Township and students studying in Wen Chang Elementary School , we are obliged to know the history that dates back to the distant past. More.... please link to http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2007/gsh5021/narrative-2.htm
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
?In this competition, we began with issues commonly raised in daily life. Within the limited time, we integrated the abilities of collecting, filing, classifying, presenting, and sharing data in cooperation. By making use of computer technological tools, we presented a precise and whole record of research results. It was, so to speak, mission impossible, yet we finally managed to make it.
?Having taken part in this competition, we are full of sweet and bitter memories of web-page making and cooperation. The most important thing is that we have the ability to undertake a project, which has fulfilled the aim of cultivating “portable abilities” in students emphasized in Grades 1 to 9 Curriculums.
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