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1. Description of Our Community
On the west bank of lower Tamshui River, the city of Luchou is opposite to Shilin District of Taipei city with a river in between, and is east to Wugu Township and west-north to Sanchung City. Luchou City used to be a sandbank, which was flat with fertile soil, suitable for agriculture and residence; however, the development of this area was slow due to floods in the past. The establishment of Erhchung Floodway allows Luchou City to avoid disasters brought by floods. Chenglu Bridge is the main connection between Chengchou, Wugu and Luchou. Under Chenglu Bridge, Wugu Wetland becomes the leisure spot of Luchou residents. Wugu Wetland is north to Erhchung Floodway which covers from the northern area of the highway to Chukouyan Ecological Park, from the west of Shuhung 1st Rd. to the river dike Wugu west bank with a total area of 92 hectares. West to Taipei Basin and next to Kuanyin Mountain, with the coverage of the confluence of Keelung River and Danshui River, Wugu Wetland becomes an ideal habitat of water birds as a vast sand land would be formed during ebbs. With Wenzi Canal flowing by and a diversified environment of ditches, swamps and river highlands, Wugu Wetland is one of the most important post of Taiwan’s migrant birds and transit birds during their migration.
2. Summary of Our Project
The vast green land next to Erhchung Floodway provides residents of Wugu, Sanchung and Luchou a close encounter with the nature in urban areas. With landscapes such as swamps, waterways, and river-highlands, Wugu Wetland has become the ideal habitat to wild animals. This project on Wugu Wetland hopes to enable the students to have a further understanding towards wetland ecology — the only habitat of Mortonagrion hirosei in Taiwan. In addition, we also hope to allow our teachers and students to understand the significance of environmental protection through field trips, interviews, on-campus campaigns, learning sheets, trivia games, and requesting bookmarks and paintings. More importantly, we hope to establish the “Wild Area Yong Narrator” club to introduce this beautiful land to other students and residents within the neighborhood so that people can utilize this natural classroom of ecology and become closer to the nature.
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:1
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 are a lot of information resources in our school. Every class has its own computers and there are four computer classrooms and a network center in our school. The network in our school is connected to the Education Network Center of Taipei County by 100MB optical fiber, which allows all students to search information online. Students can also connect to the Internet at home through ADSL broadband.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1. We did not have much time. We used our one-hour lunch break everyday to discuss about the contents of this project. We had to ask for leave to after-schools or talent classes to participate in activities outside the school. 2. Our abilities were challenged by the diversified activities. We acquainted ourselves with the abilities in play writing, stage property producing, techniques of picture sketching and coloring, listening, briefing presenting, and techniques of reporting in these activities. With the training from these activities, we have learnt a lot. 3. Parent Attitude. Some parents doubted that our learning might be influenced by these activities, and our teachers had to communicate with our parents personally about the ideas and the benefits of CyberFair to gain the support from the parents. 4. The difficulties in contacting with people in our community. We had never interviewed, contacted with, and communicated with the people in our community or invited them for an interpretation, and promote our concepts in the community before. We appreciated the assistance provided from out teachers, which helped all the activities to run smoothly and helped us not to be shy of getting in touch with strangers and become open-minded to absorb new knowledge.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
During the Cyberfair project, although we faced a lot of problems, but we never gave up. We tried our best to overcome those problems by the assistance and encouragement from many people. The experience of working in Wugu Wetland with Yu-cang from The Society of Wilderness taught us that there are many unsung heroes who are working hard to build a more suitable place for organisms to live on this beautiful land, and to let more people feel the beauty and vitality of Wugu Wetland. Teacher A-hsiao and Guan-ying, who try their best to arouse people’s attention and care to this wetland, both taught us that each of us has the ability and duty to protect this wetland and to convey their spirit of guarding.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
1.What we have learnt: (1)What teachers have learnt---the progress in professional abilities and more understanding toward community issues. (2)What students have learnt ---different learning and experiences and more understanding to environmental protection. 2.Integration with Grade 1-9 Curriculum: (1)In language learning field: During the Cyberfair project, the series of activities have enhanced the students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For example, students had to edit and write their feedback to the project on their diaries, arrange the contents of webpages, design questionnaires, practice interview skills, have interviews with some people, summarize the key points of the interviews, and participate in propagation activities. (2)In social science learning field: Through the activities of Cyberfair project, students became aware of the serious consequences that environmental damage could bring, and their sense of mission to protect the environment was strengthened. (3)In natural science and life technology learning field: With the spirit of scientific exploration, we searched over the Internet, recorded the interviews, and took pictures by using digital cameras, which cultivated our abilities in utilizing information technology in daily life and nourish our scientific attitude. 3.School-based curriculum and “Community as Classroom” In this project,students’ passion and vitality are undoubted, since this is a kind of learning close to their life and is different from the knowledge in regular school curriculum (e.g. English Courses). Current concept of “Community as Classroom” expects that students can get out of classrooms to truly experience or to explore something other than books outside the school and to make every corner in the community a place of learning. Participating in the research activities of CyberFair project enabled us to step out of the school and to experience the feeling of “Community as Classroom & to Learn Everywhere.”
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
1.Recorders:To recording the contents of the interviews 2.Telephones & mobile phones:To communicate with interview subjects or team members 3.Internet:To looking for relevant information, to send emails, and to transport webpage files 4.Digital cameras:To take pictures of all kinds of activities and visits 5.Digital video:To record hearings, performances, and interviews 6.Frame grabbers:To capture digital still fames of videos and interviews to computers 7.Printers:To print out information and to produce posters and cards 8.Photostats:To print out information. 9.Computers:To write reports, look for information online, edit digital images, and analyze statistics, etc.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
1. Trivia games in morning assembly We perform a short play in dialogue and hold the trivia games, which enabled the students in our school to further understand relevant knowledge of Wugu Wetland and the concept of environmental protection. 2. Holding speeches on campus We invited Mr. Yu-cang Wang, who is a member of The Society of Wilderness, to give us a speech in our school. With Mr. Wang’s humor and the play of animated videos, we got well aware of the abundant knowledge and fun on Wugu Wetland.
3.Exhibitions on campus We held an exhibition of wetland on campus. The title of the exhibition was “Paying a visit to the home of Mortonagrion hirosei,” which had attracted many students’ attention. Meanwhile, with our roles as “Little Guides” in explaining the briefings and the introduction of serene scenery in Wugu Wetland by using Powerpoint, many students were attracted by our exhibitions. 4. Propagation activities in the community We gave a briefing to the Dreamland Community at night on Jan 15. We introduced the location, functions, and ecology of Wugu Wetland, and then we proposed the idea of environmental protection by performing plays. In the end of our briefing, all participants were welcomed to ask questions about our briefing. Through this activity, the students, parents, and residents in the Dreamland Community not only learned more about Wugu Wetland but also realized the importance of environmental protection. 5. Holding a public hearing: In order to establish the “Little Soldiers of Wilderness Club” and to cultivate Little Guides, we held a public hearing on campus. We sent invitations to our principal, teacher representatives, parent association, and student autonomy, etc. In this conference, Little Guides were assigned to explain our missions and give briefings. Our dream of establishing this club was realized in the end.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
1. To make students and the wetland come closer In this project, we discovered an educational ecosystem—Wugu Wetland, which has abundant natural resources and is near our school. By holding various kinds of activities of listening, reading, and speaking, we brought the information of Wugu Wetland to our school and community. We hoped that more people could have a chance to experience the valuable knowledge that the wetland park had brought to us, have more understanding to Wugu Wetland which is right near us, and further experience the ecological beauty of the wetland. 2. To publicize the spirit of environmental protection In Wugu wetland, we found that some fishermen went angling in ecology pool and some visitors threw their garbage on the wetland recklessly, which did not only pollute the visual scenery and environment but also endangered local natural ecology. Through our play performance and the play of electronic picture book, we hoped that all the students in our school could understand that mankind is closely related to environment and the spirit of environmental protection and care for ecology are important. 3.To understand the power of cooperation Actions speak louder than words. Therefore, we also participated in a lot of activities, such as beach cleansing activities, speeches of special topics, activities of pulling the floating island, research and training courses in Little Guide Club, static exhibitions, through which we could cooperate with residents in our community and teachers and students in other schools. When participating in these activities, we realized the power of cooperation for that everything in these activities could not be done simply by one person. In the division of labor, everyone’s potential talents could be aroused to make everything more complete and perfect.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
1. The Society of Wilderness let us participate in the activities of pulling the floating island and supporting us. 2. Mr. Yu-cang Wang and Ms. Yung-cheng Sun provide relevant information and suggestions during this project. 3. Teacher Rong-hsiao Lai, Mr. Yung-ming Sun, and Ms. Yung-cheng Sun accept our interviews. 4. Teacher Guan-ying Chang of Cheng Chou Elementary School provide relevant information and the research courses of Little Guide, accept our interviews, encourage us, and support us. 5. Teacher Rui-ling Chen of Shen Keng Elementary School take us to visit the campus wetland at Shen Keng Elementary School, accept our interviews, and encourage us. 6. Our principal and director encourage us, participate in our campus hearings, and promise to help us, which really moved and motivated us. 7. Every class of grade 4 students in our school fill out our questionnaires, which enabled us to understand their understanding to Wugu Wetland and their opinions in and advice on establishing Little Soldiers of Wilderness Club in our school. 8. LY-L provide precious pictures of Mortonagrion hirosei. http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2009/gsh5675/eweb/w6-2.htm
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
1. The beauty of Wugu Wetland After we paid a visit in Wetland Park to further understand the history of her and appreciated the plants and animals there, we found that each region of the five major regions in Wugu Wetland has its own characters. We saw a flock of sacred ibis strolling around the ecology pool beside the road, a flock of little ringed plover resting in the brushwood of reed, and we found that Wugu Wetland Park is such a beautiful place. Therefore, we should go outdoors more often to learn more about the beautiful scenery in our hometown and to appreciate the ecology in our hometown. 2. Our own strength We held several activities on our own, such as meetings of sharing, courses of producing picture books, and bookmarker recruiting activity. The most influential activity that we held is the public hearing for the establishment of our club. In this hearing, the students in our school discussed about the topics of Wugu Wetland, our teachers offered their educational subjects focused on Wugu Wetland, and our principal, directors of each division, and parents expressed their support for the establishment of the club. We truly experienced that our efforts could make some influences. 3. Unforgettable experiences We participated in the activity of pulling floating island held by The Society of Wilderness on a holiday when a cold current came. I remembered that we put on wetsuits, sat on the canoes, and rowed hard in the big ecology pool of Riverside Park. The feeling of our first canoe riding was really amazing .In addition, we also went biking around Wugu Wetland where we saw many kinds of birds and plants, such as egret, sacred ibis, Japanese silver grass and reed. These experiences are very valuable and unforgettable.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 5675)
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