School: Jui-Fang Industrial High School
    New Taipei City, TAIWAN, R.O.C

10 students, ages 16-17 years old worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 1, 2017. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): no

Classes and Teachers: WENLIN LI, CHIU MING HSIANG

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://210.59.2.4/front/bin/home.phtml

1. Description of Our Community

Ruifang is a small community located in the northeast corner of Taiwan. It is completely surrounded by mountains and the sea. Ruifang’s oldstreet section was originally developed because of the mining and railway business during the period of Japanese colonial rule. The area around Ruifang and Fongjia roads near the rear of Ruifang train station was once the most vibrant. Cultural activities alwaysbegan there. Community members are now hoping to recapture the spirit of Ruifang’s glory days.

2. Summary of Our Project

The Ruifang Torch Festival’s continuous succession of torches depicts a long fire dragon, creating a moving environment for all of those participating. The event is held annually by the Ruifang Old Street Culture & Tourism Association, which seeks a revival reminiscent of the old days when the community really flourished. Our research group sought to acquire stories from Ruifang’s oldstreet, the memories of local residents, and what new elements the Torch Festival might bring. Our research group conducted interviews, surveys, and collected information to answer our questions.

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

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

There is one computer room in our department with 40 PCs, 4 notebooks and 2 printers. Each teacher has their own computer in their office and students use computers in their information classes. For our project, most of the students had access to computers at home, but a few students did not. They were able to borrow notebooks to use at home to work on our project. Our school is connected over broadband to the Taiwan Academic Network. The bandwidth of our school's network is not large. When many people are online at the same time, the network can easily grind to a halt.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

We encountered and overcame the following obstacles: 1.Insufficient activity photos and content: Attend torch festival in person, increase interviews. 2.Relatively insufficient time for group discussions: Record meetings and put notes online for further discussion. 3.Website design skills not proficient: Seek assistance from teachers or search for guidance online. 4.No previous experience attending Website Exposition: Discuss previous Website Exposition award winners with teachers and members. 5.Work distribution & progress: Push group members to work harder and request assistance if encounter difficulties.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Our research project on the Ruifang Torch Festival sought to give us a deeper understanding of our local culture and we hope more people can learn about it. We were made to feel like a part of the community, spurring us on to make a contribution to Ruifang.

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

1. We developed strong connections with each other as we faced challenges together. 2. We conducted research, designed the interview questions and survey, and organized the interview transcripts. 3. We learned about designing web pages and surveys, organizing data and information, and developing interviewing skills, among many other things. 4. We used Excel to organize survey responses, analyze data, and create graphics. 5. We integrated information and data from the interviews, surveys, and others to complete the project.

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

1.Hardware a. PCs: Research information, Web Design b. Mobile phones: Contact group members, make appointments c. Digital cameras: Take photos at the Ruifang Torch Festival d. Flash drives: Store data and backup files e. Handheld recorder: Record interviews f. Printer: Print documents g. Scanner: Scan documents

2.Software a. Microsoft Word 2010: Process Documents b. Dreamweaver CS6: Web Design c. Photoshop CS6: Edit images d. Microsoft Excel 2010: Analyze survey data e. Line: Communicate, coordinate with group members f. Power Director: Edit videos

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

Our research project on the Ruifang Torch Festival sought to give us a deeper understanding of our community’s local culture. By attending the Taiwan School Internet Exposition, we hope that people can see another side of Ruifang. We collected extensive information through surveys and interviews in order to form a better understanding. Finally, we presented all of our data with statistics.

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

We are students at Jui-Fang Industrial High School in New Taipei City and come from far away places to study in Ruifang. We tried to take this opportunity to learn more about the local culture and are pleased to introduce our local community event, the Ruifang Torch Festival. The impact of our community: 1. Interviews: Director Tsai from the Ruifang Old Street Culture & Tourism Association and Mr. Ko, the head of Long-An District for accepting our interviews and sharing the history of Ruifang, the purpose of the association and the mission of the Torch Festival. 2. Surveys: 110 questionnaires were distributed. The respondents' data showed that 37% had not heard of the Torch Festival. Among the respondents who had heard of the Torch Festival, 60% have not participated in the Ruifang Torch Festival. Our project will improve visibility through network and questionnaires distributed. 3. Torch Preparation: We maked the hundreds of torches by ourselves all day. Director Tsai and Mr. Ko were very glad to see us participate with them. 4. Volunteering: We were volunteers at Ruifang Torch Festival, and lead the participants finishing the route. Everything we did about our project will strengthen the relationship between our school and our local community. The impact on us: 1. Deeply understanding of Ruifang old street history. The efforts made by the Ruifang Old Street Culture & Tourism Association to reflourish the old street make us feel like one part of the Ruifang community and enable us to contribute to Ruifang. 2.We observed changes in our perceptions as well as growth in our attitudes towards work. We learned how to cooperate with each other to resolve issues quickly and effectively, and also gained a lot of valuable experience throughout our investigation.

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

Helpers: 1. Director Tsai from the Ruifang Old Street Culture & Tourism Association 2. Mr. Ko, the head of Long-An District They accepted our request for interviews and shared the history of Ruifang, the purpose of the association and the mission of the Torch Festival. 3. Mr. Lin Wen-Ching He is the author of a blog that introduces events happening in Ruifang and agreed to let us reference his material.

Volunteers: 1.Ms. Hu Shu-chi, Mr. Cha River, and Mr. Wang Yeh-sheng They are our English teachers at school and helped us polish the content. 2.Mr. Stephen Lowell Belter He is our friend from America and helped us polish the content. 3.Mr. Lee Tzung-I He helped translate some of the content.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Through our interviews, we discovered that Ruifang’s most thriving streets changed as resources were shifted from the older streets adjacent to the rear of the train station to the front. We were very glad to become acquainted with the director of the Ruifang Old Street Culture & Tourist Association, which helps maintain and promote the historic area. In our months of collaboration, we put in lots of hours learning many things we did not know before, including web design, survey design, and interviewing techniques. Our efforts showed us that we still have a lot to learn. However, through long hours of teamwork, we developed strong connections with each other as we faced challenges together.