1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
In order to fully accomplish the CyberFair project, we applied a wide variety of information tools and technologies.
In gathering the data we needed for the content, we made use of oral interviews, personal immersions, video and digital cameras, and the internet. In order to put together the content and the website, we occupied a computer laboratory in school with several computers with internet connections, computer software, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, and Adobe Photoshop CS2, and a website content management system.
The individual teams provided personally for the data gathering tools. However, our school provided for the computer laboratory and internet connections along with all the necessary computer software.
The most valuable tool for us was the availability of the computer laboratory for our use. The teams took great advantage of this, and accomplished a pile of tasks in a short period of time.
The technology that greatly helped us was the website content management system. This was a new technology, and it enabled us to collaborate our individual accomplished tasks efficiently through the internet. This made information and file sharing within and between the teams seamless.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
From the word ‘ambassador’, the very common impression would be, important people, and people whom one cannot just simply approach.
Yes, in a way we acted as ambassadors, but only to the extent of representing our school and the whole Cebu community. This is where the similarities stop though, for we made it a point to be very approachable people. People who one would not shy away from. In order to be able to write a veritable description on our topic lechon, one should be able to interview and interact with a wide variety of people, and the interviewer should be someone who one would not be reluctant to open up his/her mind to.
We were able to alert them to the importance of the lechon, and now they can add one more thing to their lists of ‘Uniquely Cebuano’ and be proud of it.
We asked the same people what their reaction was to our CyberFair project. Everyone thought that it was a great idea to highlight one of Cebu’s best. They said that one can never get enough of people like us. People who would devote time and effort into putting Cebu right out there, where everyone can see it in all its glory.
We are basically showing the community a group of students who take fierce pride in one’s country in the vision of becoming a catalyst for change. We believe that in order to create change, one must have the initiative to start it, and with this project we are looking forward to accomplishing that.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
We believe that this CyberFair project will renew the Cebuano’s pride to one’s culture.
What was once mistakably thought of as just a favorite party dish is now regarded in a new light, and this has led to the discovery of more things, simple things really but more things nonetheless that we Cebuanos can take pride of.
We had envisioned a reawakening to what was obviously a dormant belief to the Cebuano culture. With our CyberFair project, we were able to influence a large number of people, but compared to the whole population of Cebu, it can be considered a petty size. People would say that our efforts were put into vain for our message would not reach every citizen of our community. We would say otherwise, for we believe that in order to be able to make a great change to one’s society, one must start out with a single small drop to a body of water known as our community, and from there on, count on the ripples and waves that this single drop would cause.
Our website will be frequently viewed by people and in just a matter of time the knowledge of our culture will spread like wild fire and Cebuanos all around would be walking with confident strides. A boost in confidence can affect one’s outlook on life and one’s attitude towards work making people assets to one’s community and not liabilities.
The great change that would take over Cebu will attract attention and will infect all our neighboring communities like Negros, Siquijor, Bohol, Leyte, and eventually the whole Philippines will become empowered.
Some would say that this is all a great dream, but as CIE students, we were taught that what we all have come to understand as reality now were once just dreams before. The best way to predict the future is to create it.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
There are a great many people who we would like to extend our thanks. People who were there to lend us a helping hand and who provided us with unbiased opinions on the final output of our CyberFair project. People who in the middle of a heated argument between and within the teams provided light and cool judgment. People who encouraged us and pushed us through our full potential. People who never ceased to believe in us. To our teachers we are truly grateful.
To teacher Mike, we appreciate the fact that when we had computer problems you were always there to fix them. You also made yourself available to every computer related questions that the team had. In short, work became a breeze, thanks to you.
To teacher Anne, teacher Rhena and to teacher Beth, we valued each and every little comment that you freely gave. There were missing factors to our CyberFair project, factors that we overlooked, but your comments filled those missing pieces and for that we are gratified.
In times of great weakness, when we felt that we couldn’t go on due to exhaustion, our parents were there to lend us their strengths. To our parents, many thanks for being understanding, for not limiting us, but for broadening our perspectives instead. Thank you for constantly reminding us to think outside the box. This constant reminder resulted to a lot of various ideas that were instantly applied to our CyberFair project.
Almost everyone in our school influenced us and our decisions, in some way, regarding the CyberFair project, and we express a great big THANK YOU to you. Two (2) simple words but heavy with meaning.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
In the process of creating and completing our website, we made a lot of surprising discoveries and we learned much. The CyberFair team is happy to experience and learn more about Cebu’s famous specialties. Each member is proud to say that they learned something new with this experience.
Lechon used to merely be an enjoyable local delicacy, but we have come to appreciate it more with our discoveries of how it was made and its history. We also learned lechon has an important role in our rich past. We discovered how deeply embedded “lechon” is in our history.
As an entrepreneurial school, we eagerly learned as much as we could about the business side of lechon. It was an interesting discovery to see how good the lechon business is doing. We also learned that this keeps the lechon very much alive in our culture.
It was a surprising and amusing sight to see our members, during our research outings, eating lechon in the more traditional way, with their hands! Another surprise we encountered while making our website. We were in the computer laboratory of our school, quite pleased with the amount of work finished. Suddenly, there was a blackout and for a few seconds, everyone was still. Then the team erupted in noise, some laughter and some frustrated cries. We were afraid that our work was gone! Our teacher came in the room; he was very amused and was practically laughing at our reaction. Then he told us that our server had a UPS, an uninterrupted power supply. We were surprised and relieved that all our work was not wasted.
The CyberFair project was a very interesting experience for the whole team. We hope that the excitement, interest, discoveries and fun that we experienced can be reflected in our work.
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