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1. Description of Our Community
Our ‘community’ is Changhua County. During the region of Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, its old name was ‘Banxian’ and then changed to be Changhua to show the meaning ‘Signifying the Imperialization (of Janpan)’ and ‘Revealing the Sun of God’s power on remote areas by the sea’ during the Japanese Conquer. Changhua is a county included 26 townships and cities in total in the western central Taiwan and has plains mainly. It is situated on the eastern side of Baguashan the divide between Changhua and Natou. It has a beautiful scenery and delicious cuisine. Nan Guan and Bei Guan Center and Changhua Arts Hall are so attractive and flourishing places of arts. The community is of booming economics, rich culture and talented persons and a good place of traditional history and modern progress. Our school, Changhua County Chang An Junior High School, is located on the Zhonzheng Road in Changhua City and is next to the historical Confucius Temple and Nanyao Temple.
2. Summary of Our Project
The Project is to explore the history, current and future development of dough figurine art. Dough figurine is one of traditional Chinese skills with folk features. It has been around for over one thousand years. It could be traced to originate in the northern area in China. The major material is wheat flour. Traditional dough figurines are mainly table immolations as the offerings to gods in temple fairs, such as fruits, immolations and gods. Modern dough figurines are also with the function of appreciation and art. In the culture of dough figurine art in Taiwan, Changhua is one of the important places of development. Through this project, we desired to refresh the typical impression of people regarding dough figurine art, so we collected and studied the data and history of dough figurine. We made screenplay to arrange and play the origin of dough figurines drama to let people know about dough figurines. We visited the Wu Art Museum and had an interview with Curator Wu to understand the raw materials and art of dough figurine. We took part in dough figurine DIY course to learn color mixing, modeling and other skills. We also held Dough Figurine Camp for the students in elementary school, acted as volunteers for Dough Figurine Culture Train of Cultural Affairs Bureau and for dough figurine competition to promote dough figurine culture actively. We expect there will be more and more people get to know and love dough figurines to make Taiwanese dough figurine art pass to next generation and also shine around the world.
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 are two well-equipped computer classrooms and eighty computers in total in school. The network in school is part of Taiwan Academic Network (TaNet), and internet access is supported in each classroom. While discussing the project at school or at home, we searched information and printed data online and we would also collect data and make process report through the access to broadband.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
We had never ever held camps, so we asked our teachers to share with us their experiences of holding activities, and learned to plan individually, discussed with each other, and decided the procedure. Then we presumed any possible reactions and questions of students in imitated situations. For the time we were unable to have a meeting, we created a page by a social networking platform for having online discussion and recording work schedule. During the process of making the project, we went to many places away from our school at least 30 minutes in driving. We asked our parents or teachers to drive us there to make the activities smoothly. We appreciated them very much. We were not familiar with the interview experience, so we drew out questions before the formal interview. We practiced to play a role of interviewer and interviewee in turns. We had poor performing skill of drama. To improve acting, we recorded our rehearsals by digital video. Besides, we also asked teachers to give us suggestions. We had never learned to make web pages before and we asked teachers for help. Due to the plain and unattractive web page models of web software, we decided to use PhotoCap to edit photos to highlight the topic and combine them with the same topic by thumbnail modular system to produce various layouts.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Through this project, we found our local community is of many artists and cultural activities including dough figurines. In the past, we though dough figurines are traditional skills could only be seen in books or documentary films. Because of the project, we visited Curator Wu and Ms. Liang who actively promote dough figurine art even to the school, visited Wu Art Museum of rich dough figurine history and creation, and joined Dough Figurine Culture Train held by 26 towns in Changhua. In summer time, we also held dough figurine camps in elementary schools to spread the seed of culture into the hearts of school children. We helped holding dough figurine competitions to call others to join in and make dough figurine creation. As a member of the community, we expect the valuable dough figurine culture to keep passing down to future generations and be known well by people around the world through the program of Explore and Unite sponsored by the International Schools Cyberfair.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
This project is designed in accordance with Grade 1-9 Curriculum administered by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan (R.O.C.). Grade 1-9 Curriculum Programs emphasize the development of students’ basic abilities which are the most basic, important, central and critical abilities inquired to face the future life. Learning is the constant interaction and conversation between oneself and external world. It expands the self-learning in classrooms to the interaction in local communities. It includes planning interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and visit and extra activities for research projects and then develops the ability of ‘understanding oneself and developing potentials’, ‘planning, organizing and executing’ and ‘actively studying and researching’.We are with our teachers and parents to join ‘2013 International Schools Cyberfair’. Through appreciating dough figurine art, we accumulated a rich and special life experience and beyond the life experience we had a unique dough figurine creation to develop abilities of ‘appreciation, performance and creativity’ and ‘cultural learning and international comprehension’. Through the interview with dough figurine art masters to have communication and understanding of them, and through holding dough figurine camps in elementary schools to have promotion of dough figurine culture and experience sharing, we developed abilities of ‘expression, communication and sharing’. We, a total of six members, organized a cyberfair team to learn and grow up with our teachers and parents. During the process we accepted different and adventurous thinking and tried to develop abilities of ‘respect, care and teamwork’ and ‘ independent thinking and problem-solving’. In the process, we used digital cameras, digital videos, voice recorders to record the activities, and organized the project content by document edition software and web pages to train abilities of ‘technology and information application’.
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
We used different information technologies in order to meet the needs of different activities and complete our project. The most valuable tools is Personal computer in our school computer classroom that allowed us to apply all the software. Most of the software we chose to apply is freeware, so we could download and use freely at home or anywhere. The software we used are as follows: *Mind map software: Xmind (to plan the project outlines and directions, and edit the site map), *Document edition software: OOo Writer (to edit words and typesetting), OOo Calc (to design questionnaires), *Picture browser: XnView; *Drawing software: OOo Draw and Inkscape, *Image processing software: PhotoCap 6.0 *Web page browser: Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer (to collect data and inspect whether the website can display normally in different browsers) *Email: Gmail, Yahoo! Kimo email (to contact the interviewees); *Web page processing software: Dreamweaver CS5 Video *Audio processing software: Corel VideoStudio 12 (to edit the drama record) *Internet social community platform: Facebook ( to set up non-open club for discussion, photo storage and thoughts sharing) There are other tools, such as: Hard-disk DV, we used to video tape and record the interview, drama rehearsal and performance. Scanner, we used to scan the certificate of authorization ( the authorization of photos and website content by Curator Wu),and the pictures made by ourselves before processed into website elements by the image process software). Printer, we used to print the collected information for the discussion of planning website topic, and questionnaires or survey lists, and the completed web page content for correction and modification. USB Flash disk, we used to store all the pictures and information for this project. Mobile phone/ Telephone and cellphone, we used to contact the team members, interviewees, and elementary schools.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
Through this cyberfair project, we had a further understanding of the traditional skill - dough figurines. We hope to give a small force to invite more and more people to know dough figurine culture and feel the beauty of arts. 1.Be the seed of dough figurine art We learned appreciating dough figurine art and expressing our inner feelings and affections through knowing background and meaning of dough figurine culture. We also learned creation launching to rich life and spirits. We visited Wu Art Museum and served as volunteers for Dough Figurine Culture Traino to let dough figurine activities irrigate the seeds of arts in our hearts. We expect the little seed grows up gradually. 2.Be the broadcast station of dough figurine art Changhua County is an important place of dough figurine art development in the central Taiwan, but people in local communities know it little. Through planning the project, we want to become a ‘broadcast station of dough figurine art’ to make it known well to people everywhere. By holding dough figurine camps for students in elementary schools and attending dough figurine activities in Changhua for children and their parents, we make more adults and kids to get close to dough figurine art together. 3.Be the promoter of dough figurine art We made a presentation with the subject of the history and prospect of dough figurine to introduce it to schoolmates. We took advantage of the learning platform of distant social group in Changhua to promote the presentation in a way of being as an anchorperson, and accepted a vehement reflection from them. We are merely junior high school students, but we will do our best to spread the traditional skill to the people we know or do not know and call for more people to devote new force in dough figurine art.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
Changhua County is one of the important place of dough figurine art development. However, in addition to the elders, most of the local people do not know it, especially junior high school students who concentrate on seeking knowledge everyday like us. Therefore, through this cyberfair project research, we made our effort to collect information from books and the internet. Through various connections of the community and school including having interviews with dough figurine masters, having a visit to Wu Art Museum, holding dough figurine camps to teach elementary school students in creation, playing a drama performance of dough figurine origin and helping dough figurine competitions in Changhua, we wanted to spread the seeds of arts and let more and more people know or understand dough figurine art. We hope to let the beauty of art cultivation grow up in heart of everyone and keep the traditional skill last.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
It is not an easy mission to complete this cyberfair project. From a layman of dough figurine art to a beginner, we have to thank the passionate people in the community for teaching us a lot of knowledge in this field and also cooperating with us in the activities. 1. The visit to Wu Art Museum, the DIY dough figurines making activity, the interview with dough figurine masters Ms. Liang Xiuzhen arranged the time for visit and taught DIY dough figurine making. Curator Wu Junde introduced the history and development of dough figurine art, and authorized many pictures and literary compositions to us. 2. Dough figurine camps in elementary schools Principal Chen Xianqi of Lushan Elementary School and Ms. Huang Yingmei (teacher) encouraged the teachers and students to join the dough figurine camps held by us and provided the place to assist holding activities in their schools. 3. The drama performance Our parents assisted in driving us to activity locations and Auntie Liu Mingzhu helped us with making props and giving suggestions to the drama. 4. Dough Figurine Culture Train Changhua County Cultural Bureau sponsored funds to Wu Art Museum to hold a series activity of dough figurine culture. Also with the supports of Mayor of Changhua City, Qiu Jianfu, and Changhua Municipal Library, the activity went well. 5.Dough figurine competitions in Changhua All the children and their parents attending the activity made dough figurine art promotion a big success.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
We did not know much about dough figurine at the beginning. In the process of this project, we gradually got to know more about the traditional skill and people who make effort with their hearts to keep it pass down and promote it widely to the country and overseas. Curator Wu and Ms. Liang looked like ordinary people at first sight, but they were great artists after showing their skill in making dough figurine. We were surprised that they just completed a splendid piece of work with few bags of dough at a glimpse. Through the activities such as DIY camp, creation competition and dough figurine serial promotion, we received different reflections from in those who participated and learned from them to review ourselves to be a capable person. By doing this project, we also learned a lot about acting, assisting activities, expression, cooperation, group discussion, webpage production and etc. After completing the project, we seemed to become a person with more intelligent and grateful.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 7365)
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