1. Description of Our Community
It was the first district around Taipei to be developed. Other than the religious aspect, the traditional industries are still thriving like old times: the oldest grocery and herbal medicine market on Dihua Street, the cloth market on Yanping North Road, the generators and hardware stores around Chengde Road and Taiyuan Road and the prospering apparel industry at the back of Taipei Train Station. To sustain the cultural and distinguishing features in this community, the government has made great effort in improving the environment and the balancing of new buildings and traditional industries.
2. Summary of Our Project
Ri Xing Type Foundry is the only remaining type foundry with movable-type printing in Taiwan. Ri Xing Type Foundry is a place that represents profound culture value. Even though the movable-type printing is dying and replaced by computerized printing, the owner of Ri Xing Type Foundry works hard to keep the shop running in order to pass on the techniques of movable-type printing. The reasons we decided to do research on this topic are as follows. First, we really eager to get more people know about the Ri Xing Type Foundry shop. Also we want people to be able to appreciate the wisdom conveyed by this dying profession namely the movable-type printing. Finally, we want people to know and remember the beauty and value of the art of lead printed Chinese characters.
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:more than 6
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1. Schedule conflict: In order to introduce Ri Xing Type Foundry completely for its preservation of traditional typecasting technique and culture of movable type printing, we decided to interview Mr. Chien-Kuan Chang and visit Ri Xing Type Foundry. Due to master Chien-Kuan Chang’s busy schedule, it was very difficult to arrange the interview and the visit. 2. Guided skills: We have never done any professional presentation in public before. We practiced it again and again with some correction needed when each class came to the exhibition to listen to the guided explanation under the strict requirement and encouragement of our supervisors in order to conduct guided tour in front of all the students in the school at internal exhibition. 3. Interview skills: For us, interview was a special skill that is very unfamiliar and even scary. After the guideline from teachers and parents as well as the continuous simulation exercise, we finally got better and better; in the end, we were able to pay attention to all of the manners needed. 4. Complicated tasks: The whole process from the initial discussion, information arrangement and editing, interview, and even the guided tour in multi-functional classroom were very difficult to us. We often had the situation that everyone’s opinion was different during the process, but we learnt to achieve good result for each detail needed in website production through rational discussion and analysis, plan schedule planning, and working together according to division of work. 5. Achievement: It was about the time to present our effort on the website but it was getting more and more difficult in integrating the information and set up due date. After ful communication, we could consolidate our opinions under the assistance of the teacher even there was something very difficult to deal with.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
We have learned the skills for organizing, collecting information, planning exhibition and conducting a guided tour. We appreciated people's contribution and passion to preserve traditional culture and techniques.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The activity must interact and exchange the learning experience through internet in order to share the experience of exploring abundant multiple appearances of Taiwan with the people around the world. By the competition, the environment education is cared in depth and the teaching of junior high and primary information, internet, English and environment care is fulfilled.
Language field: Every discussion, reporting and review developed students’ creative thinking ability, and learned the ability of expression, communication and share from interview. Furthermore, we participated in International Cyberfair this time. There has been an improvement in English writing ability.
Comprehensive field: We held internal exhibition at the end of semester, and learned how to plan, organize and fulfill from the exhibition decoration and guided tour. We also realized the spirit of respect, care and teamwork, and established the basic ability of lifelong learning.
Art and humanity field: Art teachers teach us and engraved the exhibition theme The One and Only Type in Taiwan- Ri Xing Type Foundry.”Also in the class of art and humanity, art teachers gave each grade different activities to appreciate the beauty of movable type printing and traditional typecasting technique.
Nature and life technology field: we used lots of knowledge related to information technology, and we obtained the ability of applying information technology by keeping detailed record through digital camera, camcorder and voice recording pen as well as through surfing on the internet to collect information.
|