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1. Description of Our Community
Mandarin Duck River, the mother river of our town, is a natural river course used for flood discharge. It extends itself from northeast to southwest and through Shangyi County, where forming a 6 kilometers long river. Four kilometers away from the upstream of the county and 500 meters east of Maohuqing Village, there has built a Nanhaoqian Reservoir, which can intercept 15 kilometers upstream water course, building a surface runoff of 73 square kilometers. Boasting a storage capacity of 6.4 million cubic meters, the reservoir can meets the needs of 1,647 acres farmlands’ irrigation. The north bank of Mandarin Duck River is the urban area, situated with Xiushui Street, Hedong Street, Taiping Street, Anning Street, Garden Street, etc., a high school, a middle school and three primary schools. There are totally nearly 6,000 students and 50,000 residents. On the south bank of the river is Xinxing Street community, a new rising community, where there locates our school, the Xinxing Street Primary School. There are over 9,000 people here, over 1,300 acres farmlands and a forest coverage rate of 43.1%.
2. Summary of Our Project
This feature research is of great significance. Firstly, we had a comprehensive understanding of our mother river, the Mandarin Duck River’s history, especially the beautiful fairy tale. Secondly, we called on the whole school that also actively joint us to learn the river and come to realize the importance of protecting our mother river and the environment. Besides, the surrounding residents were inspired and joint our activity, and also provided us some related materials. For they had a new knowledge on the environment and realized that it was each of us responsibility to protect our mother river. Last but not least, our mother river in Shangyi, a county with long history would be known worldwide.
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:2-3
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
In fact, it was the first time for three of us conducted feature research. Thus, with not any experience, we had to grope our way through contentious trials and with the help of coaching teachers. And the difficulties we met were unexpected, material collecting is the first one. For there is little record of the Mandarin Duck River here and little information can be found on the internet. Apart from that, the river has been through times of regional segments and is not large enough to gain great attention. Therefore, we had to consult with the related researchers, such as the old. However, the interview time became the second problem, for it was quite difficult to make a time. Also we could not drop on them without appointment. Finally we had to take down their phone numbers and called them to make appointments. There was more for that. For instance, we came back from the first visit for the grandpa was having a meeting. And in the second visit, when we were talking in high spirits, the grandpa was called to leave by a sudden visitor for something urgent. Finally the third visit did not let us down. The grandpa introduced us the history and development of the Mandarin Duck River in great detail. We do appreciate his great help for sparing time with us in their busy schedule. The materials were collected after our hard work, followed by which was the difficulty of making web pages. Glad that we had our coaching teachers who taught us step by step on the practical skills on it. And their hard work also was paid that we finally basically outline our ideas and opinions on the web pages. Apart from that, time was also a problem. The coaching teachers had classes, and we also had to do homework, so the only time we could spend was the several self-study classes and the 30-minutes-short free time between classes. That was too little time for our research. Therefore, we had to exert ourselves to spare time. We were subject to our coaching teachers’ time when we studied …
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Our feature research has gained great supports and help from the coaching teacher and many other persons of insight, imbuing us with the ideas that love was much more precious when we were in great desire. We conducted field investigations in the research, through which we have been brought to new knowledge and socially and practically trained and improved. Through a series of other activities, we also learnt that nothing is impossible for a willing heart, and to be confident, to be respectful and be keen on the understanding the essence of “unity is strength.”
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
The knowledge, the training and the improvement we have gained in this research were the things that could never be obtained in books. We have been opened to a new and broad world where we have learnt the infinite charms of the nature. Besides, we have learnt to use computer and have been practically trained. Undoubtedly that these activities were helpful for students, on the other hand, our research might of some help for the school to open such a practical class for all the students. And the benefits for them would be immeasurable.
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
Hardware: Computer ?ADSL ?U disk ?Digital camera?Mobile phone Software:Office? Word 2003?Acdsee 10.0? CISS?Php
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
In the research, we acted as promoters of “protecting the environment, protecting our mother river,” spared weekends and after school time conducting interviews and field investigations, and collected and sorted out materials. We also shared our experience with school mates and had feature class meeting to promote our researches to the whole school and parents, in order to attract more people to join us to protect the environment and the mother river. Through the whole research, we everyone has our own task division to be responsible for. So we worked independently and cooperatively. It was because of our joint work that we could finish all the tasks. In addition, we have learnt to be mutual-respectful and confident and realized the importance of being responsible complementation each other.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
As the mother river of our county, Mandarin Duck River is of long history, and it once has clean and clear water, but also was damaged and polluted before treated. Our feature research could help to make the mother and the historical culture of Shangyi County known by more people, meanwhile, to awake more people to realize the importance and responsibility of protecting it and the environment. After our website was built, we heard from some schoolmates say that they and their parents have visited the website and they thought it was great and we should promote more about our mother river, to motivate everyone to protect it and the environment. Our feature research did not last long, but we exerted ourselves to dig deep to find out as much as information. We had interviews with the old in the community, also the cleaners, the builders and some other people who maintain the mother river. We studied from them and discussed with them. Through the interviews, there would attract some people from the surrounding communities to join us. At last, all of us had a more profound knowledge on the mother river’s history and development, including its once clean and beautiful look. Meanwhile, this feature research has broadened our horizons, one of which was the infinite charms of the nature. Undoubtedly that these activities were helpful for students, on the other hand, our research might of some help for the school to open such a practical class for all the students. And the benefits for them would be immeasurable.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
Our heartfelt gratitude will go to many people. We are thankful for the school offering computer room and cameras for us, the teachers who spared time on the research, our parents’ help on contacting others. Besides, we are grateful for teacher Mr. Zhang’s technological guidance on website making, teacher Mr. Bai’s joint work with us to shoot film and look for meaningful stories, as well as the text information offered by the related departments, and the old in the community who shared with us their stories with the mother river at their young ages. Finally but not last, we also thank for some teachers and schoolmates who continued to collect information for us and joint us to promote the environmental protection.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
We three students were touched most by the environmental protection in this research activity. It was also the greatest finding. We found that the theories of 'damage in the ozone layer has caused black hole,' 'greenhouse effect' and 'global warming' and others raised by experts have casted shadows in the Mandarin Duck River. And through the feature research, people’s sense of environmental protection has been enhanced. Besides the problems of dumping and public facilities damage, people also had correct understanding on other aspects of environmental pollution. For instance, as more and more personal cars emerged, people would prefer to drive a car in both long and short trip, which for the latter, is of nothing but waste and pollution, also one drive for the “global warming.” Therefore, we should keep healthy sports, such as we can go on feet or bike and electronic bike instead in the short journey. Another example is enterprise of high pollution and excessive emission, which were actually “kicked” to the rural areas by the developed areas or countries. Likewise, such enterprises will keep on creating pollution to our earth if they survive. And what we three students can do is to actively promote the importance of environmental protection, to awake every people’s awareness to protect the environment, starting right from the young age and from the neighbor. This activity helped to open us a broad window to the charming nature, whose masterpiece is unmatched by any craftsman, while once was destroyed, it would be gone and never come back. All of these have been reminding us of nothing but no damage against the environment!
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 7593)
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