1. Description of Our Community
Our community includes students, teachers and members of the general public who care for the Earth, its environment and all life and who are interested in promoting positive action in helping to find solutions to real-world problems issues. This community is both global and local.
2. Summary of Our Project
"Be a Consumer Hero!" is a student-created project on consumerism. Built around the celebration of the International Buy Nothing Day, the theme of our project is expressed in our slogan : "Be a Consumer Hero, not a Consumer Zero! Stand up against the pressure to BUY! BUY! BUY!"
In our project you can learn about the impact of advertising on consumer spending and how over-consumption has become a huge environmental problem in the world today. Created and illustrated entirely by students (9-11 year olds) the site challenges students especially in well-developed countries to reflect on the difference between wants and needs and to understand and begin to practice the 6 R's of environmental and global citizenship locally.
The project questions the "shop-till-you-drop" life style and its effects on the world. This is done through student research, student-created "chose-your-own-adventure" stories ("Didi's Dilemma" and "FUZ Gets Frazzled"), our art gallery, action plans, survey and multi-media presentations.
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:4-6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
We have access to a lab 20 computers once a week.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Our greatest obstacle in completing the project were the constraints of time and getting everyone organized. The students involved in the project attend an enrichment program that meets for one day per week at St. Elizabeth School. This demands very tight planning and organization so that enough time was available for all aspects of the project. There has been a lot of juggling of schedules and activities to make sure that the project was finished on time. We also spent a lot of time in deciding what the website should look like.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
“We are the future. Working together we can make a difference. We can create a healthy world by practicing the 6 R's of environmental and global citizenship. The best things in life aren't things. Buy less and enjoy more and help the environment and the planet too. The landfill begins with you!
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
One of the mandated requirements of the Ontario Curriculum is the integration of computer and information technology across all subjects areas. Our project in particular helped to develop and apply students' skills in information technology, research and writing, through the medium of Internet communications and publishing on a contemporary, real-world topic: advertising and its effects on consumer spending and the environment. We were totally amazed to discover the immense influence media has on what we think, buy or do.
Throughout the project we learned and applied many skills. Since our research was being published for a
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