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1. Description of Our Community
Description of Our Community: Xizhou Township is located at the southernmost part of Changhua County in Taiwan. It is named Xizhou because it is an alluvion, which is floating on the west and south of Luoxi of Jhuoshuei River. It covers an area of about 75.8310 square kilometers. It is the third largest township in Changhua County. Xizhou Township Office holds cultural festival every year. In recent years, the festival theme is the black mud of Jhuoshuei River. The river brings abundant water and black mud. The black mud nourishes the land to produce various rich crops and foster rural culture.
2. Summary of Our Project
The Summary of Our Project: 'Travel to Xizhou' is focused on Xizhou. Xizhou is located at the southernmost of Changhua County. It relies on the mother river —Jhuoshuei River, which has abundant water and fertile black mud to irrigate the land. The farmers work hard on the land to produce rich agriculture products. This subject starts with the history and geography of Xizhou. The students attended the rural activities and visited attractions, and developed various trips. They are introduced as follows: The Black Mud Festival which is hosted by the Township Office is local cultural activities with a theme of Jhuoshuei River; village trips involve distinctive local traditions and figures, such as sweet potato noodles of Xicuo Village and Shitagong of Xipan Village; Rice is an important crop of the villages. The villages use the rice farming method which can protect the environment and restore the ecological diversity of paddy field. The trips to the paddy fields can make visitors know the plants and animals of the fields, cattle farming and rice culture. During the observation and recording, the students have known more about local rural sceneries and humanities, and accordingly they have expressed their ideas and expectations about future development of their hometown.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:21-50%
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:1
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1.Proposed research topic aspect: Based on the previous experience of our school participating in the Cyberfair project, we placed the main axis of this year’s Cyberfair project on our hometown to take a native soil route. 2. Research team composition and work division aspect: Because we are from the same class and the leading teachers are also our tutors, we simply accepted the teachers’ instructions and divided the groups according to the personal ability in terms of the work division. 3.Research time arrangement aspect: The school announced the decision of developing a work for the Cyberfair project after the first sectional exam, but because of the numerous schoolwork and activities, it needed to find a common time to conduct the research, which was not a simple thing.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
In our Cyberfair project team, a small number of students have participated in the Cyberfair project during the elementary school and regarded the Cyberfair project of junior high school quite challenging. To conduct a good Cyberfair project, it needs the proper work division and spirit of mutual cooperation as well as the good manner of listening to the opinions of others. Surely, everyone needed to try hard to complete their respective task within the prescribed time limit. As long as everyone fulfilled their work, the team spirit would be fully exhibited and the result would reach a certain level. Through the baptism by participating in this Cyberfair project activity, we feel we have learned a lot and grown up a lot. Thanks for the school teachers giving us this learning opportunity.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
1. In the geography class in the first semester of Grade one, we studied the Taiwan hydrology and learned that Jhuoshuei River is the longest river in Taiwan and has the highest sediment content and at the same time, because of the uneven distribution of rainy seasons, the Jhuoshuei River is also a devastated stream type of river with more water quantity in summer and less water quantity in winter. Due to the participation of this Mud Festival project, we had a rare opportunity to touch in person the dry and fine sand in the Jhuoshuei River bed in winter and even made some mud balls to play. It looks simple but is actually not very easy at all! Moreover, the Cizai aqueduct within the territory of Hsichou Township is the important irrigation water of every piece of farmland. The water is also diverted from the Jhuoshuei River to Cizai aqueduct. Because of participating in this Cyberfair project, I had a deeper understanding of Hsichou Township and verified the textbook knowledge through our own feet and eyes and all of these made a deep impression on me. (In cooperation with: Chapter 5 Hydrology, Middle School Social Science Textbook (Hanlin version) 1st semester, Vol. 1)
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