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1. Description of Our Community
The area where we reside is called the Xuejia District, located in the northwestern part of Tainan City. Being close to the coast, the land has a higher level of salinity. The Bazhang River, Jishui River and Jiangjyun River flow through the region, and given the flat terrain, flooding is frequent during heavy rain. Due to its proximity to the sea and higher soil salinity, we mainly specialize in milkfish farming, milkfish fishball production and cultivation of drought-resistant and salt tolerant crops such as sorghum, corn, watermelon and cherry tomatoes. Our line of milkfish products, watermelon and tomatoes are famous throughout the nation, and visitors to Xuejia must try these specialties to make their trip worthwhile.
2. Summary of Our Project
The Xuejia Wetland Ecological Park, which officially opened on February 21, 2012, is located on the Jishui River bank, and covers an area of more than ten hectares. The wetland was originally a spread of farmland and settlement called the Ganzailiao (previously named Northern Fazaitou). However, due to severe earth subsidence, the land became increasingly eroded by seawater, making farming and living impossible. On October 1997, the entire village had no choice but move away. Untended and invaded by seawater, the abandoned land became a prime habitat for waterfowls, crabs and mangroves. Later, the Xuejia District Farmers' Association lobbied and obtained governmental subsidy for farmer's rent, and commissioned the Xuejia District Farmers' Association and the Wildlife Conservation Institute of Tainan City to construct the land into new wetland scenic spots in Tainan. According to a survey by the Wildlife Conservation Institute of Tainan City, the Xuejia wetland has an abundance of species, including birds such as the Black-faced Spoonbills, Sacred Ibises, Wood Sandpipers, Whiskered Terns, Common Redshanks and Common Moorhens, various kinds of fiddler crabs, and plants such as Grey Mangroves, Indian Camphorweed, Black Mangroves and Kandelia.
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: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 is equipped with 1 computer classroom. Almost every classroom has a computer. All the school computers are connected to one another though special line or internet. The online connections are quite smooth. The campus internet is a regional internet work where resources from each computer are shared.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1)Personnel Gathering and Time Arrangement: The school courses have a stable time schedule, and there are no empty time sessions to use. After school, everybody has their own day care classes to take. It is hard to gather everybody. Therefore we can only use lunch breaks and holidays to gather and discuss the structure of the topic, outline of the interview, and to carry out the interview.
2)Interview techniques need more training: The topic of this research is a local environmental issues, therefore giving a interview in person is a very important experience. Many information has to be obtained through the interview. But to tell the truth, we have no experiences on interview, and do not know what questions should be asked. Focusing on this difficulty, our teacher let us watch a film of a interview conducted by a television host. We discussed the technique and demeanor that needs to be paid attention to during the interview, then we carried out a simulation of the interview. After repeated practicing, when in formal interview, everybody can ask questions orderly, and record quickly as we conduct the interview.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
By establishing a topic and a website, we hope that everyone can have a richer understanding of the geographical environment and cultural history surrounding their hometown. On the other hand, by using this activity to establish school features and cultivate student ability, we want to convey to the local community that even as a rural school, our learning activities are on par with those of urban schools. Moreover, the completed website can also be the best information source for promoting wetland education and ecotourism, and will boost the visibility of the school.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The Nine-Year Integrated Curriculum emphasizes creative and active teaching, and uses diversified evaluation methods to inspire the multivariance of the wisdom of the students, and let students of different potential to develop their strengths, and truly reach the goal of ?suitability development?. The project research of this project, brings the students together to go out for on-site survey and interview, breaking the tradition of learning only in the classroom. This also cultivates the ability of solving problems in our actual life. The result should be plentiful! What we truly want is ?knowledge that can brought, and not a school pack that cannot be carried?! The attending of this research project, not only lets teachers to improve their professional knowledge, but also to develop their strength to guide their students;Children also learn that they have to discuss and negotiate repeatedly to complete this task, and understand the importance of teamwork. This also lets students to transfer from learning passively to aggressively construct knowledge by their own, and fully trying out and cultivating interests and ability.
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