CyberFair Project ID: 7383

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Connecting people - A Special Courier Service in Beitou, Taipei
Category: 4. Local Specialties
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2013/gsh7383/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2013/gsh7383/bibliography.htm

School: Taipei Municipal Linong Elementary School
    Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

10 students, ages 11-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 24, 2013. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2012

Classes and Teachers: Nancy Chang, Chia-wen Lin, Lily Huang, Ling Rou,Robera Lo, Chen-hsi Kao, and Young Power Team

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.lnes.tp.edu.tw

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Geographically, Taipei City is a basin surrounded by mountains. Beitou area in particular, is located at the foot of the DaTun volcanic belt in northern Taipei. Covered with lots of bumpy roads, meandering trails and wide-spreading hot spring network, Beitou has become an active commercial area in Taipei soon after the Japanese colonial rule. To cope with such prosperity, waitresses, freelance band musicians, and massagers gathered here to provide service to the large amount of visitors. Thus, the need for a more flexible, easier to load, and lower-priced method of transportation urged the motorcycle couriers to be in service. After terminating the sex industry in Beitou, motorcycle courier service has not only added its function of a neighborhood watch but also switched the potential passengers from the above mentioned to the working class, housewives, meal providers and shoppers. Moreover, it is also an indispensable transportation method for the residents in the deep Datun Mountains. Distinguishing from the various modernized mass transportation, such as MRT system and bus networks, the motorcycle courier service available in Beitou can be taken as a community transportation network that contains the most local elements. The history of the local motorcycle courier service has been there for more than half a century. Not only is it unique but also sole to the transportation nowadays. Most of all, it is deeply emerged into the Beitou residents’ everyday lives.

2. Summary of Our Project

The current school, Taipei Municipal Linong Elementary School, has been in the Beitou neighborhood for more than thirty years. All students are raised and grow up here. The purpose of this project aims to let the local students obtain more knowledge about the special lifestyle of Beitou residents, so as to arise their awareness of the local culture. The project, Connecting People – A Special Motorcycle Courier Service in Beitou, stemmed from the Taipei City Government’s recent recommendation for Beitou as one of the major scenery spots in Taipei. As a matter of fact, Beitou has long been renowned for its availabilities of hot spring resorts, museums, green library, Geothermal Valley (also known as Hell Valley), and Xin Beitou Park (or New Beitou Park). However, the unique way of transportation which is highly related to Beitou residents’ everyday lives has seldom been mentioned. Therefore, a local school like us takes this opportunity to investigate this rare-touched topic. By probing into different issues of this special courier service, students get to know the humane aspect and life-connected domain of this profession.

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:none

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1.Activity of Experience --- The measuring instrument was designed by us and simple. Some topography and scenes could not be measured. We have to find some topography with steepest slopes to get the readings, which may be accurate enough. 2.Interview ---We have visited a dozen of people, and the interviews are our key activity. In the activity, though we have already planned the outline well before interview, the visitor gave an irrelevant answer. When we want to summarize by writing, we find that there is no content that can be noted down. The interviewees this time mostly use Taiwanese as the mother tongue. To reach full understanding, we will ask their teachers or parents again. 3.Collect the materials ---When we looked for the materials in old newspaper and through the Internet, all of us felt so difficult and time-consuming,, but not certain to find usable materials. 4.The transcription of interview ---Interview takes the most time and portion in this activity. But we couldn’t require enough useful information through the transcription of interview, though which has took us a lot of time. Later on, we have to do phone interview again afterwards to fill the materials incompletely. 5.Questionnaire investigation ---We’ve issued 230 copies of questionnaires and returned with only 180 copies which were usable. There are too many open-ended questions in the questionnaire and caused the statistical difficulty, we spent more time to arrange in to order for counting. 6.Webpage making ---We’ve not used the software of webpage making for a long time and nearly forgot all. After studying again, we feel fun and refreshed. Though cartoon making is interesting, it also took most time.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

This project could make more people around the world to meet the traditional Taipei and witness our great efforts. It would be our big honor to present such a special culture in Beitou to the world.

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

¦Language ~ our language abilities are improved through compiling data, interviewing, and producing reports from experience. We paid more attentions on being polite and communication skill during interview. Especially, using Taiwanese language to interview is a new but challenging experience for us. ¦Mathematics ~ statistical analysis of more than two hundred questionnaire forms is performed; furthermore, the statistical results are used to produce analytical charts and diagrams of questionnaires and topography. ¦ Arts and humanities ~ in the webpage production process, in addition to the editing of photographs, artistic design of the webpage and its layout also need to be performed to produce an effective and visually pleasing webpage. ¦Computer skills ~ tasks such as finding required information on the internet, producing webpages, editing photo, and producing animations, etc., increase our computer skills and capabilities. ¦Social Studies ~becoming re-acquainted with local cultural heritage, walking through the streets of Beitou and gaining a great deal of knowledge through interviews and activities that allow students to experience local culture. ¦General activities ~ division of labor and teamwork must be accomplished throughout the project, each team and its teammates must work hard to fulfill their objects and contribute to the team. These activities help cultivate a sense of teamwork and responsibility.

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Project Elements

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

In our project, we used these tools which included digital cameras, telephones, computer software, projectors, recorders, books and etc... By using the projectors and computers at school, we could discuss and work in groups to make the webpage. The recorders and earphone helped us to record all the interviews. Moreover, we often took pictures with our own cameras during our experiences activities. No matter what tools we used, we thought the most useful and valuable tool is internet. The internet helped us not only find data and information we need, but also send the photos and the articles to our teammates. Most importantly, we communicated with each other via the internet and integrated the finished parts into the project on the web.

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

The special courier motorcycles in Beitou, shuttling back and forth in the streets and lanes of the Beitou District every day, have incorporated in the life of the intersection of Beitou and people already. So they have a wide variety of customers. They have just opened and stood-by and dispersed in different places, so, we divide the students into groups first, allocating different time slots for them to visit different places, contact and arrange the time of interview by telephone and visit face-to-face. Each group begins with collecting materials and activity photos, and then put all materials in order via the computer. The theme of the website is ' Connecting People-A special Courier in Beitou, Taipei. Finally, it trained us to organize and coordinate, communicate and express, in the hope to share this characterized business in Beitou to more people through this webpage even more.

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

The staff of the special courier of Beitou motorcycle is senior natives. Although they are small potatoes of the society, they defy the devotion of the trials and hardship day and night, bringing a lot of facilities in life for the people in Beitou. The students understand “hard work paid off” via the activity this time and receive others' respect by the same way. In the activity, combining the bits in these small potatoes life to form the systematic information and integrate the overall picture of this unique culture thoroughly, by participating in webpage making. We expect more tourists to come here and realize characterized” special motorcycle courier service” of Beitou.

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

We found Huang’s wife and got a chance to interview with village leader's recommendation. Thanks to Miss Wu of Beitou Community College, she assists us to release the questionnaire voluntarily, let us make a lot of useful information. Thanks to the bosses of these stores offer motorcycle courier service, and the local community group, they are interviewed by us in busy affairs, have offered a lot of precious materials and stories.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

1.Measuring topographical slope of Beitou District is interesting. Though our handmade instrument is very simple, we find the correct method and study from the mistakes; know the importance of the experiment. 2.There are so many stories of motorcycle courier service, but which one is true? We have found the family of the original store owner, and introduces the completely story to you. 3.Too many open questions in the questionnaire, so people have to take a lot of time to fill in and influence the will. We require the questionnaire quantity, so we have to work hard every day to release it. We spent most time in questionnaire investigation in this project. 4.The special courier service of motorcycle is a simple job, these riders reach every corner of the Beitou by motorcycle. As time pass, they are not only propagating warm, but also the envoy who is conveying kindred.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 7383)

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