1. Description of Our Community
Our school is located in Wenshan District, Taipei (a district known for its prominent educational institutions). We are a private school, with students from everywhere. Only some students live in the neighborhood. We have a total of 36 classes and approximately 1,500 students. Due to the fact that our school is in the urban area, our students like to ride bicycles outdoor to not only take a deep breath but also exercise for health, so we decide to do this project.
2. Summary of Our Project
We focus our study on GIANT Manufacturing Co., the leading bicycle manufacturer in Taiwan. GIANT is also one of the few famous Taiwanese brands in the world. In this CyberFair Project, we hope to guide children to learn more about the history of GIANT and the process of how it became a global brand name. It is one of the few success stories in Taiwan that OEM manufacturers transform themselves by developing own brands. We hope this research project can enable children to know the difficulties and importance of brand developments. We wish that they can, via interviews and questionnaire surveys, learn more about how GIANT reaches out to the world from Taiwan and how GIANT promotes its philosophy overseas. Meanwhile, we also want them to understand the efforts made by GIANT to promote energy efficiency and environmental protection.
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:2-3
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:not sure
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1.Budgets: With the support and sponsorship of the parents of the participating students, we were able to conduct this project. The resource and assistance they provided allowed us to complete our studies and investigation.
2.Timeline: We needed to work at lunch breaks and after school for this project. Racing against time was a challenge since students had to deal with a lot of school work and activities.
3.Data collection & summary: We attempted to gather truthful and accurate information via study sessions, Internet searches, interviews, questionnaire surveys and discussions. All the challenges and difficulties presented learning opportunities for children and teachers.
4.Interviews: Thanks Giant Manufacturing Co., Ms. Chen, A-Long (owner of Evergreen Bicycle Shop selling GIANT’s bikes), Mr. Dai, shop manager of GIANT’s own shop in SOGO Department Store, Taipei for accommodating our visits and interviews. We got to know more about the history and current status of Giant Manufacturing Co. and acquired first-hand information and hands-on experience in this project.
5.Interview skills: Student did not have interviewing experience before this project. They had to be prepared. We trained students at lunch breaks and during the winter holiday. We had study sessions and mock interviews so that they acquired interview skills and the ability to learn about the opinions and professional knowledge of the interviewees.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
We learned from the history and philosophy of Giant Manufacturing Co. that only with dedications to quality, can one survive the competition and stand out from the crowd. GIANT is not only one of the few global brands from Taiwan, but also a role model for Taiwanese industries. We should not be content with the OEM business model. Rather, we should embrace the world with our roots in Taiwan. We should learn from GIANT’s spirits in charting out its own brand and identify the blue-sea strategies for Taiwan.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
1. Literacy We had to learn how to release questionnaires and conduct interviews. Interview etiquette, question listing, questionnaire design, data collections and summary and status report writing all improved our literacy. We also developed the ability to listen and communicate in the interviews and questionnaire surveys. We translated all the activities into texts and notes and this process helped us to improve abilities in listening, speaking, reading, writing and summarizing.
2. Numeracy We analyzed the questionnaire with spreadsheets and presented data collated from the questionnaire survey. The purpose was to enhance our understanding of Giant Manufacturing Co. and cyclists in Taiwan.
3. Social Sciences We gained different perspectives on the bicycle industry from our meeting and speaking with GIANT Manufacturing Co. We also experienced the dedication in bicycle quality from our interviews with a store manager of a GIANT’s own shop and a shop owner. We also learned a lot from their professional knowledge.
4. Arts & Culture We apply image processing techniques to edit the photos we took and use them in our webpages. We apply the techniques of drawing, layouts and photography in the editing of images and processing of computer data. The process of producing webpages broadened our horizon and developed our aesthetic tastes.
5. IT Literacy We used digital cameras, DV recorders and audio pens to record our interviews. We share our thoughts and opinions via the webpages we produced. We enhanced our IT literacy by applying all kinds of IT devices.
6. Collaboration Every classmate provided feedback and shared thoughts in this project. We learned to express ourselves and respect other people’s ideas. We came to appreciate the importance of team work and the challenges of entrepreneurship.
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