CyberFair Project ID: 6659

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Stone Treasures of the East- Creating Art With Stones
Category: 8. Local Music and Art Forms
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2011/gsh6659/
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2011/gsh6659/n5.htm

School: Zhong Zhen Primary School
    Hualien, Taiwan, R.O.C

21 students, ages 11-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 14, 2011. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2009,2010

Classes and Teachers: Shuo-Hung Wang

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://210.240.66.7/liaw/2011e

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Hualien has always been a place where people look forward to going, and are reluctant to leaving. When you drive along the East Rift Valley, one side is the Coastal Mountain Range, the other side is the vast crystal blue ocean. The topography, the soil of the Coastal Mountain Range varies considerably, and as you go farther inside, you will discover a different world, towering canyons, clear streams, abundance in flora and fauna ecological resources, up stream on a higher spot, you can have an even much better view of the big ocean from afar. To be exceptionally rich in natural resources is a gift from God. Hualien is the most abundant source of quarries in Taiwan. The total number of stone processing factories in this county occupies over 95% of the entire country. Through the history of the developemnt of Hualien’s stone processing industry, we can see the development of stone processing industries of Taiwan. We are even more grateful to a group of stone sculptors . Their real actions make Hualien’s humanities and nature become united,fully showing Hualien’s unique style. Hoping that through our exploration, we can interpret this value once more.

2. Summary of Our Project

Our subject of study is Hualien’s art of stone sculpting. Through deep research, we believe our plan can completely show the meaning of ‘actions’ and the value of ‘unity’. Hualien’s art of stone sculpting also shows unique value, and because of this, it enjoys international fame. Not only keen observation,but also bountiful creativity are needed in the art of stone sculpting.We can slowly learn and improve as we view and emulate each other’s work. By exploring the art of stone carving in Hualien, we got to understand this form of art that has already taken its roots here in Hualien. On the other hand, by visiting and interviewing stone sculpture artists, we actually got to inspect and view their works. And we couldn’t have learned this from textbooks! Even though they had everyday workload and pressure, they were still willing to share with us the joy of their success. All of these have made us learn a lot! Of course, we did not only view but act as well. And so, we used sculpting clay to simulate real situations. Although stone materials are different, still we were hoping that the students could learn the basics. After all, stone carving is still very difficult to primary students. And with the use of clay,we actually took action! Also, we hope that by combining knowledge and skills, we can show this uniqueness in the art of stone sculpting.And we also believe that through this investigation and exploration, more people will understand the effect produced by this unity of humanities and natural art in Hualien.

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):

Our school’s classrooms and offices all have computers at present, and we can all have access to the Internet. Also, we have two computer classrooms and one multi-media computer classroom. The school uses DongHwa Telecom’s 10 optical fibers to surf the net, which is quite fast whether you’re uploading or downloading. Aside from this, the students use ADSL at home as link to the Internet.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

(1) Because of the large number of team members, we needed to work a lot on contacting each other and to find time to get together for the interviews, we were always in situations where we couldn’t have a complete group. Because of delays, our research time was shortened and compressed considerably, but luckily, with the convenience of modern technology and the Internet, we shared our information using the msn and ftp. Under the hard work of the entire team members, our work has gone smoothly and we were still able to divide our work and each member could familiarize himself with the progress of our research.

(2) Our subject of research – Hualien’s stone sculpture is a theme that needed a lot of information gathering from many places. We usually had to make appointments very early in order to pay them a visit and get interviews. And then, the people we wanted to interview didn’t have much time to give us, and in addition, the students’ time was also unable to match theirs. We spent a lot of time trying to contact them and each other. But luckily, the volunteers and the parents helped us and our gains were bountiful. (3) Web page making skills are inadequate on the part of the students and teachers, which made us spend a considerable amount of time practicing.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Just like what Mr. Tsai the artist told us time and again, the result behind concentration and trying to surpass oneself continually is sweet. With persistence and hard work, we will be able to reach our goal in the end.

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

At present, our school places great importance on the arrangement of integrated curriculum. Competing at Cyberfair is just the best example of integrated curriculum. We also used this opportunity to write a lesson plan, hoping to use this opportunity to lead our students and let them experience the real side of their society’s economic activities. From actual visits, the students are made to feel the affect and shock of real art. The students of Zhong Zhen Primary School are extremely lucky to have this opportunity that other elementary students don’t easily get, that is, close contacts with artists. Besides the usual art education, we definitely won’t let the students miss this educational opportunity that their local place has to offer. So, our teaching activity fully utilizes the on-hand teaching resources that we have in our locality. Generally speaking, from our study, we have learned the ability to write an essay, and to compile (language education); the control of the study plan procedure, the estimation of the budget (mathematics education); how to interview, to handle, to cooperate with other team members to form a capable team (humanities education); to handle web page images and editing (art and information education), and others, they are all the results of what we have learned. Actually, the process of web page study is precisely an example of cooperative learning. The teachers play the roles of leaders learning together with the students. This research activity made us realize, that under the mode of integrated curriculum, a student does not have to be bound inside the classroom, he can freely explore knowledge. The teacher, of course, has to have more educational resources. This is what we are trying to convey to our education administration authority. Also, the Internet uses actual teaching, its value is affirmed, although unfamiliarity and other games soft wares could cause a waste of time.

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Project Elements

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

During the making of the webpage research study, we used the telephone, msn to make contacts; we used mp3 record our interviews; the digital camera and digital video camera to get the pictures and images we need, and lastly, we used Photo-impact digital imaging software to make our pictures, word to write our data, Dream weaver web development soft ware to complete web-page study plan and our works. Of course, we also used the Internet to look for information we need, and we went to the library to look for old newspapers, this was how we got our information. Other tools include ftp, e-mail.

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

At the beginning of our study plan, we used the phone and msn to contact the people we wanted to interview, confirming the date, place, and draft the questions to be asked during the interviews before hand. During the interview, we prepared mp3 recorder, to record the content of the interview. After going back to school, we had to re-arrange and put things in order. We also used a digital camera or a digital video camera to take photos. Several times of interviews and study, from the people we didn’t know, introducing our study plan, the process is already a kind of marketing, we are selling our school and the enthusiasm of the local enterprise. Even the ones we interviewed thought our research work could take its root from something small. That’s why after we have finished our work, lots of people were impressed and they gave us a lot of encouragement.

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

The topic of our research, Hualien’s stone sculpture is an art characteristic of Hualien. Many know about this kind of art, and only a few deeply understand it.Through the process of propagating this kind of art, we know how to communicate with others. During this opportunity, we have learned a simple yet practical view of life: continue making breakthroughs and surpassing oneself. We hope that after a deeper study, this form of art will be learned and understood by even more people in the community. Through this study, we re-introduce with greater depth the art of stone carving to let the people know more about this local art that is worth knowing and and the artists that are worth admiring.

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

At the start, because we were not familiar with the topic, we didn’t know where to begin. Luckily, some teachers in our school know some artists, and they gave us some directions as reference. And during the actual study process, a lot of people helped us, including: the residents in the community, the artist Mr. Tsai, our school principal, directors and teachers. They either gave their opinions on what they think about stone sculpting art, or told us how to make the best use of these resources , or shared with us some related history, its transformation and its distinct features, etc. Mostly, we are grateful to all those teachers and students who joined in. With everybody’s help, our finished work could be shown to the world. Thanks again to those who helped us.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

While doing this project study plan, we discovered that paying attention, listening carefully are all knowledge and wisdom. The ones we interviewed had in them many amazing thoughts, like doing something that one has interest in, finding a hobby that one can do until one’s old. This has become our motto throughout our study, Of course, not everything went smoothly! From contacting people and visiting them, we had encountered many difficulties, making us realize that the key point to many works lies in us personally, how to deal with people, how to negotiate, how to control, handle, advance and retreat. All these are knowledge. We are glad that under the guidance of our teachers, we had this chance to learn. In our surroundings, we believe there are even more surprises waiting for us to unearth.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 6659)

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