School: Victoria Academy (Elementary School)
    Douliu, Yunlin, Taiwan

10 students, ages 10-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 10, 2015. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): none

Classes and Teachers: Sherry Wu, Naomi Chang, Henry Su

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.victoria.ylc.edu.tw/

1. Description of Our Community

Honey bees play an important role in pollination for agricultural counties in Taiwan, such as Yunlin. When bees disappear globally, insects are endangered due to environmental changes and plants’ propagation will be influenced. What should agricultural industry in Yunlin do with bees disappearances? Elementary school students of Victoria Academy did a thorough study on local environmental crisis. This is the first time elementary school participating in Cyberfair project. We hope to make contribution to society in the future by raising bees on campus.

2. Summary of Our Project

Since May in 2014, students, parents and teachers have invited other students, parents and teachers who are interested in bees to join their exclusive facebook group to collect information and post photos and videos from interviews in the group. Students did a lot of interviews, workshops, experiments through science club and learned how to keep bees to understand the ecology of bees. Also, we hope to get motivated to learn through bees.

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:not sure

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

Victoria Academy elementary school is fifteen years old. This is our first time participating in Cyberfair. Our G7-12 did this every year and got good results. The way elementary school picked participants was according to students’ Chinese and English proficiency, performance in science, music and find art. After training, school picked ten participants.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.

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

Ministry of Education designated Victoria Academy as the school of imaginative education and digital reading. Honey bees and honey are a research project for multiple grades and subjects. Beekeeping study takes a long term. Higher grades in elementary school can build basic skills, strengthen their personal merits and get intrigue in learning through doing Cyberfair projects. There is approximately five more years to go. This is not just a 1st to 9th grade research class, but also helps students with science experiment and essay writing. School invested much in this project and invited some professionals to school to instruct us. We even went to a certain college camp in Yilan with students from the best high school in Taipei.

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

Laptops, pads, smart phones DSLR Multifunction printer Facebook group PowerDirector Format Factory Library Books and newspaper (from a newspaper’s archive) Museum Questionnaire, interviews, bee farms, electron microscope at a lab

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

We were like the bridge between men and bees. We visited bee farmers and farms in countryside. Some of us were traveling abroad, but still stayed in contact through facebook reporting the information in another country. We wish we could tell the whole world about the close relationships between bees and men through our great project website and the statement about rescuing bees. Moreover, we’ve planned to keep bees for long term to play a pioneer in beekeeping on campus and in cities.

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

We conquered our fear of bees, made friends with them and been taking good care of them. We always make sure the environment is perfect for bees and let more students aware of the bee crisis. Surprisingly, three to five year old kids are also interested in bees. Beekeeping at Victoria Academy is a success. And then another elementary school in Yunlin wants to do it too.

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

We’d like to thank Victoria Academy for providing us the best education environment. Our principals and the director of academic affairs office are being so supportive. Our teachers, Mr. Ma Kuotung and his wife, Chang Chienyu, opened our minds and made us notice the environmental issue about bees. Mrs. Sherry Wu who has been instructing science exhibition for years helped us with bees’ ecology. Some teachers and parents helped us with a tour in bee farm, inviting Mr. Chen Yuwen, a college professor to school for the project and research at a bee lab in the east coast. Thank Ms. Lee, our vice-president for having Mr. Chen Chi, the founder of Bee Museum to arrange a lecture and guided tour which was led by his families. Thank Mr. Li Tunghsiun and Mr. Tsai Wenneng, the beekeepers for instructing us. Thank Ms. Yang Hsiangting, our music teacher for helping us sing the bee song. Thank Mr. Henry Su for fine art work, Ms. Kirsten Chang for photography, Mr. Li Tsunglin, the director of logistics and school bus drivers for driving us to the mountains to look for bees. And many teachers helped with editing our writings.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Bees are our science teacher and a good role model for us to learn from. Queen bees breed and workers work as soon as they were born. When there is a colony crisis, they fight for their home.