CyberFair Project ID: 7499

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Focus on Left-behind childre in rural areas
Category: 2. Community Groups and Special Populations
URL: http://hb7cy13.edu.17888.com/module/a0012/index.php?intModulePK=A0012&tagorder=0&isinner=0&lang=en
Bibliography: http://hb7cy13.edu.17888.com/module/a0011/more.php?pkey=74081&classID=14078&intModulePK=A0001_9&PageSize=10

School: School
    zhangjiakou , hebei, china

4 students, ages 11-12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 28, 2013. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2011,2012

Classes and Teachers: Liu Ping, Zhang Haiping

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://hb000007.edu.17888.com/module/a0011/index.php?isFromTag=1&intModulePK=A0001&tagorder=0&isinner=0

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Our county is located at the southern edge of Inner Mongolian Plateau as well as in the northwest of Hebei Province. It is a national-level poverty-stricken county with a population of 194,300, of which 148,300 are engaged in agriculture while 155,400 are permanent residents. Owing to the limitations of geographical environment and other specific factors, the county economy is dominated by agriculture, and people are earning a modest income and living a poor life. With the rapid development of national economy in recent years, the structures of urban and rural economy have been changed dramatically, and the labor force in rural area has shifted more quickly. As a result, large numbers of labors in our county have joined in the migrant labor group as well. More and more farmers go out as migrant workers, and most of them are young adults. Every year, more than 38,000 people in our county leave their home for income improvement while leaving their children at home, thus making 45% of children in our county left-behind.

2. Summary of Our Project

Among 1,271 students in our school, 328 are left-behind students, taking up 30.1%. Most of them live with their old grandparents or other relatives or even some hosts of private apartments. Those temporary guardians always pay more attention to the raising than to their education. Since the parents who are far from being competent guardians are working outside and have little time to stay and communicate with their children, and the predominant generation-skipping education still leaves much to be desired, left-behind children are thirsty for family love, thus developing some problems in mental health, personality and study. As a result, those children who should have been the apples of their parents’ eyes now gradually become a vulnerable group. Therefore, we confine our investigation to the left-behind students around us, so as to do our own small part to help them and let them know that they are not alone any longer.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:less than 20

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:1

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

a?Limitations on basic knowledge of computer and web page making. We almost know nothing about the Internet and software. Even so, teachers teach us patiently, and encourage us to learn by doing.

b?Network problems. Due to the relocation of teaching building, computer room is under the construction and is till unavailable, therefore, fewer computers can be used to surf the Internet with a rather low network speed.

c? Time pressure. In order not to affect study, we have to squeeze and make use of all possible time like break time and weekends to finish interviews, investigations and web pages.

d?Difficulties in interviews. We ran across heavy snow during researching. We were troubled by 8-centimeter-thick now. However, we left all difficulties aside and finally finished work successfully.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

During researching, we have received great support from school leaders, teachers and especially all head teachers, thus guaranteeing the success of our research. For two months, we have experience more happiness than difficulties. It is really nice that we can come up to them to understand their thoughts and stories. Through the activity, we have not only known about how to take and process pictures, how to operate computer, design and make web page, and make interviews, but learned to be strong and brave, and improved our social practice ability and collaboration skills.

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

We mainly base our research mainly on practical activities, such as interview, investigation, taking pictures, collecting information about left-behind students and their parents or temporary guardians. Moreover, we also spare no pains to collect, sort, calculate and tabulate relevant data. All those activities call for knowledge we’ve learned in Math, Morality and Society, Computer and other classes.

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Project Elements

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

Hardware: Computer, digital camera, scanner, SD, Card Reader, Sofeware: Photoshop,Microsoft Word ,Internet Explorer,ACDSee,Ftp Netware: CISS, Email, BBS,ADSL

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

We four work as “little masters of the school” and young amateur reporters during research activity. In our spare time, we not only go deep inside classes to interview, investigate and collect information about left-behind students and their teachers, but give them some school supplies on the behalf of school, so as to let them feel warm in school. Moreover, we also make interviews with some parents and temporary guardians of left-behind students in order to understand their attitude towards children’s education. In addition, we act as promoters in the activity as well. Under the influence of our in-depth study, the school does much more in left-behind students’ study, life, education, feeling and mental health

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

This study has made more parents and temporary guardians clearly realize the shortages in their ways of education and pay attention to changing their traditional educational methods like “money + indulgence” and “attaching more importance to the raising than to educating”. More students and teachers offer great help to left-behind students with concrete action in order to make them feel the joy of life and thus become confident and happy. With the development of our research, the school has taken various measures to guarantee the healthy growth of left-behind students. In addition, the Education Bureau of our county has organized brother schools for many times to visit our school and communicate with us, which has propelled the workabout left-behind children to a new level.

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

Our study has received great support from school leaders, head teachers and all other teachers. Parents and temporary guardians of some left-behind students not only accept our interviews actively and provide some necessary information about children, but also tell us some moving and thought-provoking stories about those children.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

This was the first time for us to participate in web page making on the recommendation of the teacher, which made us extremely flattered while ambivalent since the web page was somewhat a strange concept for us at that time. However, we three all believed that “nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind on it”. Led and guided by the teacher, we began to try bravely with keen interest and modest attitude. Our hard work in the two months paid off, and we finally succeeded. Although our web pages were less than satisfactory, we had a sense of accomplishment. Through the activity, we have not only improved our social skills, but learned something we can’t get in class. In addition, we have realized the importance of cooperation when making interviews, searching materials on the Internet and designing web pages. It is really a perfect opportunity, and we all cherish it very much.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 7499)

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