School: Centre for International Education Science and Inf
    Cebu City, Cebu , Philippines

4 students, ages 15-16 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 31, 2003. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 1

Classes and Teachers: Jelo – Level 11, Nikki – Level 11, Keith – Level 11, Rhea – Level 11, Edward Matuguina - Coach

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.cie.edu

1. Description of Our Team

The CIE Doors to Diplomacy Team is composed of 4 Level 11 students who were chosen based on skills, attitude and interest on the topic that we are working on. They are Keith – a 15 year-old Filipino-Chinese computer wizard; Rhea – 16 years old and the only Newtonian awardee of the school for garnering the highest scholastic average; Jelo – 16 years old and consistent recipient of the school’s Mahatma Gandhi award for his exemplary character and Nikki – a 16 year old master of new age art and visual design. These students are also gifted with a lot of talents as shown in their participation in the numerous activities of the school. Since designing a web page on arts and culture involves a lot of work and we only have 10 days to finish everything, we divided the tasks to make sure that we will accomplish our goal on time. Keith and Rhea worked on the design while Jelo was in-charge in gathering information. Our coach is our Information and Communications Technology teacher, Edward Matuguina. He was always there to supervise us starting from the brainstorming of ideas to checking our design.

2. Summary of Our Project

Our entry to the doors to diplomacy competition contains information about the various cultures of the world and their invaluable contribution to preserving peace and unity among nations. In this project, we will try to point out the similarities and differences of the many art forms in the four corners of the world. How the different cultural festivities influenced each other and how the people of many races celebrate their faith.

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:4-6

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

We have 2 computer laboratories with 16 computers in each lab. All computers have Internet connection. The students have their own web pages and email addresses. They also have easy Internet access at home.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

If we were to give one main problem our team experienced, it would have to be inexperience. We have never embarked on such a task before and so were unsure of our capabilities and tasks as we began this project. We overcame these difficulties by viewing the works done by other students in previous website competitions such as the Cyberfair. Other difficulties we had to overcome were the constraint of time, the lack of resources and our hectic year – end schedule which includes allotting time to study for our final quarter exams.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

“Memoria” – Through the creation of the web page, we are glad to share to the world the importance of cultural and ethnic diversity among nations, speaking of the unity, the friendship and the unending closeness it sparks among them.

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

It was through this project that we learned to:

Gather - Through this project, we have learned to utilize our surroundings and resources to the fullest and to achieve the greatest of results through what seems to be the most meager of commodities. Relate - A great philosopher once said that the world sprang from but a single tear of a primordial deity and that if one were to look close enough, each aspect of the world, great or small, possessed relation to each other. With this, we learned that each every component of research that we had received had relevance, no matter how simple or short it may seem. Optimism - The constraints of time and our hectic year – end schedule have turned all odds against us, making it seem as if the end was nowhere to be seem. However, through our teacher’s optimistic values and teachings, we have persevered and went through the darkest of times. Work - Though one may possess the knowledge and resources of a winning entry, we learned that nothing can ever be accomplished if we don’t have the spirit to work, work, work and work some more. Like Einstein once said: it takes but one percent inspiration and ninety – nine percent inspiration.

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

Since the Doors to diplomacy is indeed a celebration of the technology and elite individuals the edge of possibility one step further, we had to use every technology in every field to the fullest of its potentials, making even the simplest of tools yield the most impressive of results. Firstly, we equipped ourselves with the fundamental applications of every good HTML programmer: Windows notepad for simple HTML positioning, Microsoft Front Page for more advanced HTML executions and Macromedia Flash for smooth multimedia and graphical interfaces. Secondly, the school provided us with several other technologies that proved unavailable to many of us such as scanners for providing digital scanned images of our pictures obtained from other non-digital sources, digital video cameras in order to save us from the hassle of developing and scanning pictures as well as camcorders and their appropriate M-peg conversion hardware. Lastly, for several other sources of information, we had to resort to simple technology such as phones, hand written correspondence and even things as simple as requests and conversations with people that had originated from other cultures.

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

Since we were conceiving a project that advocated diplomacy and global unity, we felt that this entry, despite its minute scale in comparison to the macrocasm that is the world, would contribute to the dream of peace and prosperity for all.

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

Through the completion of this project, we have opened the eyes of our fellow countrymen and neighbors to the similarities of our differing cultures as well as the underlying spirit of unity that we all possess.

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

This project brought us together and taught us not to simply work as a team, but to coexist with our surroundings and work as one with our school and our community. With this, we have received invaluable support and assistance from the various members of our society.