School: Taipei Nei-hu Vocational High School
    Taipei City, Taiwan, Taiwan

5 students, ages 16-17 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 20, 2009. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2007

Classes and Teachers: Mr. Mu-Hui Lai, Ms. Yi-Fang Hsieh, and Ms. Shin-Shin Chiou

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.nihs.tp.edu.tw/

1. Description of Our Community

Our target community is Taipei City, which is not only the most advanced city but also the city of the highest death rate and of a great number of heavy citizens in Taiwan. Many people would rather stay up late in their youth than form the habit of exercising; thus, most of them usually take health lightly until they lose it.

2. Summary of Our Project

The sport we tried to explore in our project is Qigong, an exercise that people perform at daybreak. Due to pressure of work and schoolwork, lots of people find it hard to set aside time to do sports. Since it is believed that a day begins with a good start in the morning, we hope, with our project and introduction, more and more people will understand the beauty of Qigong and maybe consequently take up this sport. In our project, we interviewed those who have performed Qigong for quite a long time in person, and they also shared suggestions about performing Qigong with us.

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:none

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):

The computer resources we used for the project include two computers in the Computer Center at school and laptops from the group members. The Internet system we used is optical fiber network of 100MB.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1. The first problem we encountered is to find a topic of creativity so as to attract attention. 2. We found it hard to get access to some areas, such as Beitou and Nangang. None of us live in those areas, and we have no access to public transport to those areas at daybreak. 3. The weather is also a problem, which affected the number of group member for participation. 4. When gathering information, only one member of the whole group was familiar with the procedure of making web pages, which left the rest of us collecting and seeking information.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

We learned a lot from working on this project. For example, we learned how to converse with people we just met on the site and how to use PhotoImpact 11 and Frontpage2003. We explored the practice of Qigong in Taipei City and acquired growing understanding about it at the same time. In addition, we devoted lots of time and efforts to this project. All the group members strived hard for greater results. Most important of all, we did not give up. Instead, we kept discussing and worked together to solve problems we encountered.

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

Because of carrying out this project, we learned that health is closely related to doing sports. Therefore, we suggest that the practice of Qigong can be incorporated into the curriculum of P.E. in our school because we all felt relaxed and warm after performing Qigong.

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

1. We used computers for making web pages, animation production, uploading information and looking for information. 2. Printers are used for printing information we need for the project and questionnaires. 3. Flash drives are used for storing web pages and photos. 4. Digital cameras are used for recording interviews and our preparation. 5. We used cell phones to make contacts with the group members. 6. Books on web page design, FLASH, PhotoImpact 11 are also used for reference. 7. The software we used for the project include FrontPage 2003 (for making and managing web pages), Word 2007 (for writing articles and making forms), Macromedia Flash 8 (for animation production), Ulead PhotoImpact11 (for editing photos), Yahoo Messenger (for discussion and sharing information) and Internet Explorer 6 (for browsing web page).

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

When participating in this project, we recognized the importance of getting along with others well. When doing interview, we showed deep sincerity, smiled a lot, and made our intention clear. The result is that the field trip went well and smoothly.

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

Our project can help busy city dwellers understand Qigong and the benefits of practicing it. We can perform Qigong at home anytime to stimulate our circulation of the blood. By performing Qigong, we can all be much healthier and relaxed.

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

One of the instructors for our project, the director of computer center at our school, was very patient and with us and applied his professional knowledge to instructing us. Since he has first-hand experience of taking part in Cyberfair projects, we truly learned a lot form him. We are extremely grateful for his patience and instruction. Besides, we also appreciate the kindness from those who performed Qigong in parks we visited. When collecting information of Qigong, they were very willing to share what they know to us. Their passion and kindness earned them our deep gratitude.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

We learned the importance of being in a team from running this project, and we learned to interact with one another by fulfilling duties, discussion and putting information we have together. Besides, we discovered, discussed and solved problems we had together. This project also cemented our friendship as well. Take our interview in Beitou Park for example. Due to the limitation of public transport at daybreak, we stayed in a hotel in Beitou for one night. The next day we successfully visited the park and people performing Qigong and finished our interviews, which is an unforgettable experience we had in our junior year in high school.