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1. Description of Our Community
Our school is located at Lingya District, Kaohsiung City. Where we live is a place full of wonderful things and people, and is worth visiting. Kaohsiung is the biggest commercial harbor and the second biggest city in Taiwan, ROC. It is situated on the southwest cost of Taiwan Island and comprises an area of 153.6-sq. km., divided into 11 districts. It has a population of 1.46 million, and half of it is labor.
Kaohsiung is the chief center of the heavy industry and petrochemical industry. Lin-Hai industrial district, Jung-guo Steel Corporation, Jung-guo Shipbuilding Corporation all have greatly contributed to Taiwan’s economic. Besides, Kaohsiung harbor is the biggest commercial harbor and the cargo volume she handles ranks four in the world.
For the development of metropolitan Kaohsiung in the new century, the city government will focus on transforming Kaohsiung into an international bay city with emphases on the balance of living, ecosystem, and production. Many major projects are under way to this goal, such as the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit system, the Kaohsiung Multi-Functional Commerce & Trade Park, and the Asian Pacific Regional Operation Center.
With regard to culture, Kaohsiung is a city with culture. More than 1,000 activities of arts are held in the Chiang Kai-Shek cultural Center. The Museum of Fine Arts arranges displays of both domestic and international high-standard art articles for citizen.
Lingya District is the origin of Kaohsiung culture. It has the City Hall, Culture Center, schools, a university, several lyceums, gyms, huge attractive department stores, five-star hotels, an 85-story skyscraper, and also many famous historical sites. They all make Lingya one of Taiwanese best places to do business, go shopping, enjoy entertainment and explore culture there. Linya's splendid and chancy future is depends on people who can devote themselves, like Prof. Yau-tai HWANG.
2. Summary of Our Project
Encouraging and attracting students to explore culture, including both local and international culture, is one of major tasks of our school. So after we knew that there is an excellent musician, Prof. Yau-tai Hwang living in our neighbourhood, but we do not know him and his works very well, even though we have been taught several his songs, we ask our teacher, Miss Wu and the Principal help us to get more information about Prof. HWANG so as to introduce him to all those who are interested in him. As soon as we put his Web pages on the Internet, many people who can read Chinese living overseas sent us message to encourage, we then try to translate the Web pages into English, so we can share with more people.
Prof. Yau-tai Hwang has given all his life to compose songs and teach music. His touching music songs lead people to a peace and wonderful world. He owns eldership in Taiwanese music circle, and his creativity is very admirable. With the age of 91, he still continues his own path on, and devotes himself to music education very dearly. He has not regarded himself outstanding. The uncommon life of his comes from his humbleness. It's very valuable!
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:2-3
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
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 campus network links to Internet, via the system belonging to Jung-hua communication Corp., through ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and has nearly two hundred computers connected points inside school. No matter where the information is send, inside or outside the school, the quality is rather high, so it provides teachers and student a great place to teach, study and research.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
At first, we confronted a lot of troubles. We were not familiar with the functions of software and the procedure for handling many things, such as, formatting movies and pictures, processing digital image, making animation with Flash, and typing a pile of Prof. Yau-tai HWANG's works. In particular, Prof. Yau-tai HWANG has numerous music works, it is rather hard to key them in, to word-process them, and to translate them into English. WE have been steering a cautious course to go on this mission. By trial and error, and by the faith of "doing it, so making it", we have hade unforgettable and happy experience. We found books to read, friends and teachers to ask, and have spent almost our holiday for a long time. Fortunately, we finally finished all the tired jobs. As the old saying"no pain no gain", we must be brave to face any challenges that we meet in order to succeed.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
This CyberFair has made us feel more confident. With regard to computer skills, we have mastered several software, such as, Flash, Excel, FrontPage, PhotoImpact, ACDsee. In addition, we also have absorbed wisdom from Prof. Yau-tai HWANG's by looking closer at his life experience, to realize how to behave ourselves and to help people. As for teamwork, we have learned that coming together is very important. We look like a pan of sand, and it was a great chance to solidify us together. If we hang together, we will have power. We know that although a single drop of water cannot pierce through a rock, but if many drops of water continuously falling onto a rock, one day a hole will appear. To our community, we believe that people will be happy with what we want to share with them, that we have contributed to promote the quality of their lives.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The research we have completed is going to share valuable information with people worldwide. This goal is what the International School CyberFair want reach. As to our school coursework and curriculum, it is meaningful task to meet its requirements. In Taiwan, we are carrying out a educational revolution which is try to broaden study fields, to encourage students study together, to learn more know-how instead of know-what, to combine high technology and culture together.
First, we know how to use advanced technology, Internet and many software. Second, we learn how to work in a team and understand the process is more important than the result, so we were able to learn by doing. Third, we realize know-how is better than just know-what, and it give us more motivation to learn more in the future. Fourth, we find out that we are useful, because of us many people, at least school students and teachers, can get valuable information about Prof. HWANG easily. Our school has been planning to establish an information room for Prof. Yau-tai HWANG and held a weekly Music Party, including a musical performance, a seminar on music. Finally, we understand culture is a very essential element for developing a country, and that why Prof. is so admirable.Particularly, we enjoyed philosophy of music. Just as what Prof. HWANG taught us that music is an art of time, and the rhythm is its soul. Music can increase efficiency of working; can adjust body and mind of people as well. It is the nutriment of life to make people inspired and heartened, to clean upset and beautify life.
One of the major is to know Prof. Yau-tai HWANG deeply. We learned many lessons from his stories and music creations, which is related to the information in our music books.
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
To all participants, it is a rather tough task. In order to make things go through well and effectively, we cannot but ask help from information tools and technologies. With these tools, we saved a lot of precious time. For collecting all related information, we read books, newspapers in many libraries, or borrowed from friends, teachers, and even Prof. HWANG.
First, we made appointments with Prof. HWANG or other people through phone calls. In order to take notes as soon and precise as possible, some of us wrote down on paper, some typed in notebook computer, and some made tape recorders. Also, we used tape recorders to recorders the songs and speech, and use video and digital still cameras to take related photos. Next, we use Desk top to key in written words through WORD, use scanners to scan photos and other manuscript copies, use video and digital still cameras, Videowave and cable to transmit films and images to PC's hard disk storage, to save video and audio data. At the final stage, we need the help of computer software, such as Excel for statistical analysis and figures drawing; Flash for making animation; Photo-Impact and ACDsee for viewing photo, photo-processing; Videowave for decoding and image-processing, Media-Player for displaying media; and finally, FrontPage for combining all the data to make Web pages. To make sure all data having backup, we use CD burners to make some CDs.
All tools have been contributed to our project, however, Computer, language, including oral language and written language, seem the most important tools.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
We have worked in a team, so we have learned to organize everything equally. Our captain Yu-ru LEE formed our group and was responsible for made appointments with Prof. HWANG with help of LEE's mother, and acted as a spokesman of our team. Besides, he needs to respond to any E-mail sent by those who are interested in our Web pages. For example, he has make friends with a person sending E-mail from Canada.
Tony HUAN was in charge of assembling team members almost in person at school, and reporting our schedule and progress to our teacher, Miss Wu. Tony also had to ask his father to send E-mail to Ian in Australia for help. Another member Yi-wen DONG hat to represent us to find volunteer person or group to offer us required information they hold, such as books, newspapers, photos, recorders, or films. We have contacted and talked to people via E-mail, phone calls, and in person, with exception of letters.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
Our project has made some difference, and it will be bigger and bigger. Our school becomes a new focus of attention, a center of dispreading culture. In the past, people in Kaohsiung seemed to have more interest in earning money, using technology. After the economy has developed quickly, our governments have take action to promote the quality of live through culture development. Our project is doing what our governments want to do. With our effort, people in our community have become more familiar with what Prof. HWANG's achievement. Moreover, they know that except globalisation is important, to localise our culture, like what Prof. HWANG have done, is important too.
Since our web pages (Chinese version) issued, there has been almost 5000 passengers, including some of them from overseas, visiting our web cite, and the amount is increasing. We suppose that as long as our English version put on the Internet, there will be more and more people visiting us. They will know more about Prof. HWANG, our school, our community and Kaohsiung City, and even our country. We also believe that we can make friends with more people, and they will give us more feedback.
A person who lives in Canada E-mail us to encourage us that we have done a good job and it is a valuable thing to do. Captain LEE tried to contact him through E-mail and ask him how he knew our site. The answer was so surprise to us. He said he found this message on the Web cite of a high school in Hong Kong. Then Captain LEE contacted the Web site, the person there told us that Prof. HWANG used to a teacher there, so they have been searching for any information about him. It really encouraged us.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
For mastering computer software, our computer teacher, Hong-fu CHEN, and our director Miss Wu, has been teaching us how to use computer software and get familiar with hardware.
For contacting more people so as to get more information, the major help came from three teachers outside my school. Ms Ling-rou Wu, mother of our captain LEE has been helping his son to arrange us to interview Prof. HWANG. Ms Pei-zhu ZHANG, a student of Prof. HWANG, offered us a lot of information about her teacher. Ms Jin AHANG, a Chinese teacher, guided us how to write essay after interview, and corrected our writing in Chinese.
Besides, Miss Zhen-ni DAI really gave us a hand. She always accompanied us to interview and showed us how to take photos, films and make records. Some other groups, like Kapok Ensemble and Chun-hui Press, have provided CD and photos of Prof. HWANG's vocal performance which really help us quite a lot.
Fortunately, their thoughtful acts were commendable and unforgettable, because they were all voluntary. In addition, there were quite a few of people we have to say thanks to them, although we were unable to list them all. All the help together offered us a great opportunity to introduce Prof. HWANG more details, and by doing so we can share people all what Prof. HWANG has devoted himself to music education for our society.
We also have some long-distance helpers. Because we try to make our introduction in English more fluently, we have tried to find some English-speaker friends, especially Ian Campbell and his wife Elizabeth in Australia and Prof. HWANG's daughter in America, to correct our translation through E-mail or by FAX.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
Through this project, we have discovered, by learning from bitter lesson, that teamwork is an essential element to succeed. Teamwork is really not an easy thing. On our way to finish the Web pages, it was hard to stop arguing. And because we were not old enough to prevent us from acting rashly, even though we knew arguing is a bad thing. Eventually, we learned a lesson that we would suffer losses if not working together. After that, we stopped quarrelling, but communicated with each other, and learn from each other instead. By thinking in another way, our space will not be confined in a narrow area. Such lesson let us know that teamwork is the best to success in the future. This implies the same meaning as an ancient proverb – three common people working together will be better that a wisdom. Moreover, We have found Internet and computer are so powerful. With our exhausting effort, we submit such a high-level result to our school and our community, we have mastered more computer software. What an unexpected surprise.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 1909)
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