1. Description of Our Community
Originally, Daliao was named “Fongtan,” serving as a flood pond as well as a military stronghold. In Ching Dynasty, it was under the juridiction of Fongshan Down Tamsui River. Because the soil of the riverbank was so rich that it kept attracting migrators, coming for reclamation and settlement. The settlers made their homes with sugar cane materials. During Kangxi Emperor period of Chin Dynasty, great number of Han people began moving to this place. The dry lands along either side of Kao-Ping River (also known as Down Tamsui River) were often devastated by floods, which also made the soil much fertile, conducive to farming. For hundreds of years, to prevent their homes from being flooded, the forefathers made make-shift liaos, temporary dwellings, as short-period abodes. Among the liaos, there were four large settlements: “Sipu Liao,” “Chaozhou Liao,” “Ding Da Liao,” and “Sia Da Liao,” which were merged as “Daliao” druing the Japanese Occupation. Decades after on December 25th, 2010, its title was changed to Daliao District of Kaohsiung Municipal, following the restructuring of the five Municipals. Daliao District, situated in the southeast of Kaohsiung Municipal, is rich in geographical appearances. Geographically separated by Fonglin Road, its west is Fongshan Hill, while its east is Kao-Ping River Alluvial Plain. It is now populated by 109 thousand people. In addition to mountains and rivers, fertile soil and aboundant eco-systems, Daliao is also abundant in humanity and history. Daliao Plain was formed by the flooding of ocean sedimentary formations, with a height of 16.2 meters above the sea level, easy for farming. As the major industry of this district is farming, the farming of crops adopts three-stage production. From 1961 to mid-1970, the plantation in this district was mainly rice. After the second rice harvest, farmers didn’t smooth the land for farming; rather, they planted the red bean seeds by digging holes between the rice stalks, making good use …
2. Summary of Our Project
With the development of the times, people are becoming reluctant to take farming, a costly-and-susceptable-to-climate industry, as their profession. Instead, they take second or third industry, such as skill occupation or knowledge profession. What’s worse, entering WTO, followed by opening up the rice market to the global community, surely has a devastating impact on rice farming. Thus, rice farmers have been forced to transform to other higher economy-valued crops. Originally, we focused our attention on the transformation from rice to red beans. Yet in the process of the discussion, we found that in addition to the previously mentioned transferred crops, some rice farmers make good use of the rice harvest to pursue the higher-valued manipulation or reproduction—turning it into alcoholic products, the main purpose of the Cyberfair Project. In the project we hope to better understand the transformation of the agricultural industry, the motives of transformation, the predicaments of transformation, and finally the strengths and weaknesses of transformation to the industry. Taking Feng Lin Winery for example, we follow up its developmental stages. Originally a rice planter and even has its brandname rice, “Rice of Farmers,” to cope with rice oversupply and the problem of not being able to be kept fresh for long, Feng Lin transforms its sorely stage 1 farming to integrate stage 2 processing and stage 3 customer service. It is the first rice-farming-turned winery, who chooses the traditional manual way of wine making, different from modern mechanical way. During the process of transformation, in techniques as well as in marketing, it has brought great impacts and changes to its original rice-farming business, which is the focus of this Cyberfair Project.
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:1
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
School backbone network is optical fiber/cable bandwidth of 100Mbps, The same specification of wireless Wi-Fi.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Many problems and difficulties arose during doing the project. Team members had to face both schoolwork pressure and took care of extracurricular activities, which were draining our energy and making us unable to get together for more discussion sessions. We solved it by seizing every opportunity we could to hold meeting with instrcutors and team members. Since we were not computer software experts, we really found it difficult to create web pages. To deal with this situation, we consulted relevant books, sought instructors’ advice, and pleaded or coerced schoolmates or friends to give us a hand. And we were so inexperiecned in interviewing people that we felt extremely nervous before. To lessen our anxiety, we went through the interview contents as many times as we could and read the background information of the VIPs we were scheduled to interview thoroughly. Besides, favorable cooperation came slow. In the beginning, meetings were either unfocused or fierce. Not until the first three meetings did we get to the right track, with the instructors’ guidance and everybody’s efforts. Last but not least, our parents misunderstood. But this situation was solved by itself when they found our using a lot of computer was to collect information for the project and edit the contents. We really learned a lot from doing the project.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Though troublesome and exhausting, doing the project was a fantastic experience. Students felt thrilled and instructors felt enlightened when having meeting with VIPs, experts, and professors. To students and instructors alike, doing the project was a journey to Knowledge.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
Actually, doing the Cyberfair project was to complete a PBL program. We are a commercial high school requiring all students to select some courses concerning commerce. So far, we've had business management courses, accounting courses, etc. Doing the project, we had to integrate all what we learned. For example, after collecting the necessary information and materials, we had to do editing jobs, requiring our language ability and logical thinking. When doing the analysis jobs, we had to resort to our knowledge on business management and more than one kinds of computer software. Not until after doing the project did we know that all learning has its share in completing the job we are doing ,no matter how small size it is. And we also realized that there are some things that we could not learn in classroom settings, such as interviewing people and attending press conference. We really think that the Internet can be an effect way in teaching and learning, in which all kinds of information and materials are easier to share, edit, and upload.
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