CyberFair Project ID: 7977

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: To do one thing for Taiwan's Agricultural- Joy& Hope Wheat
Category: 3. Business and Community Organizations
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7977/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7977/eBibliography.html

School: Dong Nan Junior High school
    Yunlin County, , Taiwan

10 students, ages 13-14 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 18, 2015. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2015

Classes and Teachers: Dung-yi Lin, Chun-ming Lin, Cheng-yu Ho

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://https://sites.google.com/site/dongnan1957/home

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Dong Nan Junior High School is located in Xiluo Township, northern Yunlin County. From the north of Xiluo Township, across Jhuoshuei River, is Changhua County. Dacheng Township, Changhua County is on the way the wind blows and the river ends, so during fall and winter, the northeast monsoon is very strong and Jhuoshuei River brings in very thick mud that is rich in organic matters and very fertile. The mud is the best gift from heaven for farmers and the “secret weapon” of Jhuoshuei River rice, Taiwan’s best quality rice. The mud is also the best organic fertilizer for growing drought-tolerant wheat. With the strong northeast monsoon, fall and winter are not a right time for growing rice; however, it’s the best time for growing wheat since wheat is not afraid of the wind. Additionally, the strong wind is the most natural “pest control prescription” that stops pests from infringing wheat plants. Wheat is a dry-farm crop and does not require too much time and labor, so it is very suitable for Dacheng Township’s geographical environment. Through the promotion in the past three years, its area of wheat farmland has rapidly expanded to 180 hectares, about one third of the national wheat farmland. Dacheng Township hopes to make “Dacheng wheat” know to the public and improve Taiwan’s wheat self-sufficiency.

2. Summary of Our Project

Joy & Hope Wheat has assisted in developing Taiwan’s wheat agriculture and establishing a contract platform between crop production and marketing of crops to help silently hard-working wheat farmers look for more developmental opportunities for a long time. They started the wheat contract plan in 2007, from Joy & Hope Fantasy to Joy & Hope Wheat, and then to Joy & Hope Soybean Team. Besides putting efforts into the restoration of miscellaneous grain crops for improving food self-sufficiency, Joy & Hope Workshop also works with contracted farmers to implement environmentally friendly farming to care for nature. The farmers that contract with Joy & Hope Workshop are all around Taiwan. Besides providing farmers with choices of crop planting for making money, Joy & Hope Workshop also helps reduce the percentage of fallow farmlands and lazy farmers, and restore the natural ecological diversity of the countryside. They even utilize the Internet technology to build a contract and mobilization production resume system to provide producers, processors, consumers, and service providers a clear and friendly communication platform. Dong Nan Joy & Hope Wheat Team will visit organizations and factories related to Joy & Hope Wheat, interview important characters, personally plant wheat and make wheat products, and then make a series of reports about the business structure of Joy & Hope Wheat.

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:more than 6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem

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 Computer and Internet Access: TANet and 4G mobile access

School: our school has a computer room and 36 computers available for students to use. The computers in our school have access to internet, which is convenient for us to discuss in school, check data and print documents. Each teacher is equipped with a computer and has the basic ability to operate computer and webpage edition.

Home: the team members have computers, tablet, and mobile phone at home. They can have access to internet at any time and do tasks of Cyberfair project everywhere.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1. Joy & Hope Wheat is a community-based agricultural cooperative. The relevant business entities are diversified, and there are too many data values to introduce and stories to tell. Therefore, it is a huge problem as to how to select and edit. *Resolutions: 1. Joy & Hope Wheat. It is best to present with photo and words, so that readers can have a general understanding. 2. Let the readers have a general understanding over“ Joy & Hope Wheat” in terms of 5 aspects, namely wheat in Taiwan, growth in a friendly environment, wheat field chimera, production record system, wheat products and Joy & Hope Workshop.

2. The study activities to visit and interview the Joy & Hope Wheat are diversified and rich; it is not each to present the entire fact. *Resolutions: 1. Emphasize on the digital video and illustration of visit and interview by the students plus their study notes. 2. Have interviews with Magistrate Ming-ku Wei, Mr. Ming-huang Shih, and Mr. Chi-sheng Liu. Present by recording every word, so as to faithfully record the opinions and experience of interviewees.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

The Cyberfair project teaches me some knowledge about the growth and products of wheat. We hope to circulate the ideas and concept of Mr. Shih through the Cyberfair project, and spread the growth technique of wheat in Taiwan to the world. Through the Cyberfair project, I deeply feel the contribution of these people to agriculture (land) of Taiwan. Mr. Chi-sheng Liu and Mr. Shih do not work on the precondition of profits but the interest of the public. Although preliminary success has been made, they dare not to slack, but continue to spread their concept, wishing to be accepted by the general public and make Taiwan a better place. The best lesson and enlightenment are “You get the best out of others when you get the best out of yourself.” – Harvey Firestone, Entrepreneur.

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

During course reform, the integration among subjects and the flexible use of abilities are emphasized. During the process of overall research, the participating students could enhance the combination and application of their abilities in various subjects among the actual research, and apply to cyber network. The subtle study effect will help them to study independently in the future and enhance interest of study.

In the domain of social studies subject, we learned the history and operation of corporate organizations and established resources with relevant experts outside the school. In the domain of language, this project integrates our abilities of listening, speaking, collection, reading and writing in an overall manner. We now can actively express, and apply digital sci-tech, integrate message of words to make detailed reports.

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Project Elements

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

I. The exclusive computers used by the research team combining the functions of pad and notebook computer 1. Number of computers combining the functions of pad and notebook computer: 10 sets 2. The students could use the spare time during the activities to discuss and record the study fruit and experience immediately thanks to the portability of notebook computer, and keep the study fruit faithfully. 3. Use the notebook computers of the school to have access to wireless internet. With 4G mobile internet, students could check the data and send e-mails on-line at any time and place.

II. Computer rooms with perfect equipment 1: Desktop computers of internet access fiber 2: Digital drawing board 3: Video teaching equipment 4: Access to wireless network

III. Electronic specialized classrooms of multi-media 1: Notebook computers capable of accessing to wireless internet 2: Digital drawing board 3: Multi-media projection video teaching equipment 4: Access to wireless network 5: Electronic whiteboard wireless bulletin pen 6: Wireless projection video equipment

IV. Unconstrained digital environment-4G mobile phone internet 1. 4G mobile phone internet: 5 sets 2. Each 4G mobile phone could share the WIFI internet 3. Use the exclusive computers used by the research team combining the functions of pad and notebook computer to have access to internet

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

For each interview, all members were gathers to discuss and plan the procedure of activities in advance, and communicated and coordinated adequately the object and theme of study and special interview with Joy & Hope Wheat, Dacheng Production and Marketing Cooperative and Secretary of Changhua County Magistrate, and provided official documents as required to facilitate arrangement and assistance.

Through the Cyberfair project, we (with the role of an ambassador) deeply feel the contribution of these people to agriculture (land) of Taiwan, and have some knowledge about the growth and products of wheat. We hope to circulate the ideas and concept of Mr. Shih through the Cyberfair project, and spread the growth technique of wheat in Taiwan to the world.

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

The “grain in the field, processing in the field and consumption in the field” by Joy & Hope Wheat gradually taken into form, besides expansion in area and output, the growth pattern in friendly environment receives recognition by the farmers. Farmers in Daya Township (Taichung City), Dongshi Township (Chiayi County), Yuli Township (Hualien County), Shoufeng Township (Hualien County), and Dacheng Township (Changhua County) start to plant the certified organic wheat.

Although the production output of wheat accounts for only a small part compared with the annual import volume in Taiwan, the efforts to realize self-sufficient of grains in Taiwan is enlightening. It is also very important to leave the cultivation seeds and technique for wheat industry in Taiwan under such challenges of extreme weather and energy issues in the future.

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

10 students of Art class Grade 2 from Yunlin County Dong Nan Junior High School, 2 teachers and 12 volunteers formed the Dong Nan Joy & Hope Wheat Team. With the consultancy of Joy & Hope Wheat, as well as the counseling of Changhua County Magistrate, Mr. Ming-ku Wei and Mr. Huang of Department of Agriculture, we finished the research topic “To do one thing for Taiwan’s Agricultural-Joy & Hope Wheat” with joint efforts.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

If it was not for Cyberfair project, the students might not have discussed the wheat thing for a whole life. Even though the wheat products used by us every day are so unfamiliar to use, how funny! After our participation, interview, visit, record, report and being young farmers make us full of expectation and nervousness. Just like the corporate vision of Joy & Hope Wheat, “to do something for Taiwan”, the students have contributed our parts to the environment of Taiwan during the research.

With such expectation and goal, DongNan Joy & Hope Wheat Explore Team continuously explore and search, lesson and surprise: The discovery (of combination of teaching and study “Engage and Unite”) is in the procedure of topic framework and exploration of Cyberfair project mutually decided by the teachers and students around.

The surprise is the search for topics which is not as difficulty as thought, such as gathering children to participate, setting discussion structure, and the genuine question of children. After constant clarification and abstract, the orientation of work is formed gradually. The best lesson and enlightenment are “You get the best out of others when you get the best out of yourself.” – Harvey Firestone, Entrepreneur.

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