School: Jaw Nan Elementary School
    Miaoli, Taiwan, Taiwan

12 students, ages 6-10 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 14, 2005. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2003 2004

Classes and Teachers: Yue Ying, Chang Mei Xian, Lin Shu Zhen, Luo

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://163.19.159.248/

1. Description of Our Community

Biological control is the method used by organic agricultural to prevent destructive insects and weeds. In order to meet customers’ higher demand of agricultural products, Miao-Li District Agricultural Improvement Station actively developed and popularized the destructive insects biological control technology which can take place or partly take place of the pesticides. In order to reinforce the development and application of biological control technology, Natural Enemy Breeding Station was established with the support of Committee of Agriculture and Bureau of Agriculture in 1993 and breed the natural enemies of destructive insects in large amount for demonstration. Besides Miao-Li District Agricultural Improvement Station, Tai Chung Agricultural Research Institute Department of Applied Animal and National Chung Hsing University Department of Entomology are also the famous ones for research of natural enemies of destructive insects of crops. They provide various kinds of enemies for farmers to breed and try their best to put consideration on both interest of production and environment and pursue sustainable development.

2. Summary of Our Project

In order to survive, human beings must think a lot continuously. To solve the problem of food shortage, besides cultivate lands, we have to overcome the plague of vermin. We watch the drama of struggling with natural world again and again. Can human always win? Probably when human beings are seeking prosperous at the cost of destroying the environment, the plot of the film “The Day after Tomorrow” is incubating in our world. Is pesticide the only way for killing destructive insects? In order to find out more about crop treatment, we made special visit to Miao-Li District Agricultural Improvement Station Dahu Natural Enemy Breeding Station, Tai Chung Agricultural Research Institute, National Chung Hsing University Department of Entomology and several organic farms. We made field research and studied how to use the natural enemies in biological control.

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:1

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):

In our school, there are 2 computer rooms each with 40 sets of personal computers. We can access the Internet through the TANET, by Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) with 1536K uploading speed and 384K downloading speed. Our members use computers to access networks by either 56 dial-up modem link through various network providers or wide band services (ADSL) at home.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

4 Problems We had to Overcome 1.It is difficult to get materials. Since the government can provide limited subvention, we can only receive it from research organizations. The number of materials is limited, so it is impossible to achieve mass production. 2.It is limited by the distance. We must go to Tai Chung, Wu Feng and Da Hu to carry on each research. They were far journeys and we have to consider the problem of safety. 3.Farmers have little environmental consciousness. The materials are very expensive and the farmers don’t want to use them. So Professor Shi and Doctor Wong must make lots of promotion and explanation. These are all the difficulties during research. 4.Discussion period Since we pay much attention to students’ study and growing, the direction of research topic, the questions for visiting, the style of the website are all discussed by all the team members for a long time and revised one time after another. Though the original schedule may be delayed, the students obtained much during the process of discussion.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Most parents and teachers have a stereotyped view about learning, that is, learning can be only confined in the traditional classroom. This time, we stepped out of our classroom and made some variations in the way of learning for students. Meanwhile, we were also inspired by the change and progress the children have made in these few months. We surely learn things from each other. We hope the birth of this project would help more and more people find the beauty of our hometown.

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

Traditionally, education can only take place at schools. While this time, the resources of our community and parental supporting have played an important role on the research. We believe that diversified curriculums and more real time experience would motivate and stimulate students’ will of learning. The mission of education is to enhance students’ ability to think, to ask questions and to solve problems by themselves. Acquiring basic knowledge of computer is one of the benefits we’ve got throughout the research. The trend of using computers has gone international. It’s urgent for everyone to learn how to combine the skills and knowledge of using this modern technology in our daily lives. In addition to increasing our knowledge in science, we have learned skills like how to organize a team to work on a project, communicate with people and also the importance of cooperation. Learning is not just an individual activity for acquiring and storing knowledge. It’s beneficial to share what we have learned through interaction. Besides, it’s essential for teachers to provide students with an environment of abundant living materials. The result of our research would be used as a supplemental material for science and local social studies subjects.

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

1. Telephone:To keep contact with people for interview and to arrange schedule. It’s also used for communication between members. 2. Digital camera system:To shoot the process of research and to pick up figures from books. 3. Computer & the Internet:For collecting or uploading data and to edit photos and written journals. 4. Computer software:Microsoft Office seriesUlead PhotoImpact 7.0 Macromedia Dreamweaver MX Macromedia Flash MX Macromedia Fireworks MX 6. Tape recorder:For interview

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

We first looking for the target of visiting through the materials of Da Hu Natural Enemy Station biological control provided by Liu Ceng-cheng of Miao Li Agricultural Improvement Station. We phoned Lu Chiu-tong of Tai Chung Agricultural Research Institute Department of Applied Animal and Professor Shi Jian-ying and Doctor Wong Chian-chi of National Chung Hsing University Department of Entomology. After the visiting schedule was settled, we start out to discuss the research content with them. We visited Chang Yue-lin Sin of Chu Fo Shan Organic Tea Farm, Ceng Wen-ping of Tai Chung Hsi-tun Rose Garden and Song Yo-fa of Kuanhsi Jishin organic farm. We first made self introduction and let them know our direction and demand of research. The master showed us around and made explanation during every visit and provided free organic products for use to taste. We made preparation before each visit and made verbal visit. We asked questions, wrote down the important points and recorded by tape recorder for fear of omitting the important materials. We also took pictures and video pictures. During the research of aphid lion and amblyseius, we realized that they are effective for biological control. Professor Shi used amblyseius in Da Hu district and got wonderful effect. So she encouraged the farmers of that area to use pesticides as little as impossible. Pesticides can merely alleviate the symptoms of the illness but not get to the root of it. In order to solve the problem thoroughly, they should use the method of using natural enemies. Professor Shi has worked hard on the research of amblyseius and got good result. The method should be wide popularized.

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

By doing this project, we found that the interaction between schools and our community has greatly increased. Through the understanding of our hometown, we’re more bonded to our lovely hometown. What we are trying to do is to promote our local specialties by introducing them through the Internet and raise our publicity as much as we can.

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

1. Before we began our research project, Liu Ceng-cheng of Miao Li Agricultural Improvement Station first showed us around Shei-pa National Park and a farm in Kong koarn area. He explained local customs, practices and feature of landform of Miao Li District and then provided materials and the persons we could visit. 2. Chen Ji-tong of Miao-Li District Agricultural Improvement Station Dahu Natural Enemy Breeding Station voluntarily explained the aphide lion, parasitic wasp, eocanthecona furcellata, praying mantis, Oriental fruit fly and stag beetle. 3. Lu Chiu-tong of Wu Feng Agricultural Research Institute explained the natural enemy and introduced aphid lion, poppius, oriental eretmocerus, ladybug and amblyseius. We knew that in ladybugs, the yellow round ones are the smallest and the ones with 13 spots are the largest. He also provide us with microscope for observing amblyseius because they are so small that we can not see them with naked eyes. 4. Professor Shi Jian-ying and Doctor Wong Chian-chi of National Chung Hsing University Department of Entomology explained the kinds of amblyseius, the advantage of using amblyseius and how to feed and collect them. 5. Ceng Wen-ping of Tai Chung Hsi-tun Rose Garden let us visit the rose garden free of charge and introduced how to cultivate roses. We knew that during spring, autumn and winter of growth period of roses, the quantity of output were large. We also got the chance to send amblyseius in the field. 6. Chang Yue-lin of Shin Chu Owe Mei organic leisure farm introduced the tea garden and fruit garden of the farm and let us taste oriental beauty tea and green tea free of charge. We knew that amrasca biguttulas are destructive insects, but it brought fame for oriental beauty tea. This is so called “natural law” and “creature coexistence”. 7. Song Yo-fa Shin Chu Kuanhsi Jishin organic farm explained how to manage an organic farm and how to coexist with destructive insects and let us visit the fruit garden and observe insects. We also found out the difference between the organic ground and the ground used pesticides and the cause of mudflows and landslides.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Though the half-year research was truly painstaking, we gained a lot. So all the hard working can be omitted. And we would like to thank Chen Ji-tong, Lu Chiu-tong, professor Shi Jian-ying and doctor Wong Chian-chi for their explanation of biological control, aphid lion, ladybug, oriental eretmocerus, amblyseius and spider mites. We knew how to feed and breed them and the importance of them. We did not know about the word “amblyseius” at first and we have deep impression about it and know it is very important to Da Hu strawberry field because of its help in killing destructive insects. By this means, farmers can get more strawberries in low expense and better effect than pesticides. We are really glad for the farmers in Da Hu District and hope that amblyseius can take the plac of pesticides thus we can have tasty and healthy strawberries. Thank Ceng Wen-ping of Tai Chung, Chang Yue-lin in Owe Mei and Song Yo-fa in Kuanhsi for their kindness of providing objects and fields for our visit. We knew better about the great effort made by the farmers and their kindness of accepting natural law. They made creatures and their crops coexist well and killed the destructive insects with biological control treatment Thus we can have healthy and nutritional food and enjoy the best roses. During this research, we gained knowledge, skills in interpersonal relationship, method of keeping record and interview and also got better skills of using computer. We realized that “the way you cultivate, the way you gain”.