|
1. Description of Our Community
Lukang was originally known as Deer Harbor. It is located on the northern bank of the Lukang, to the northwestern of the Changhua Plain. It borders Sioushuei Township in the east, the Taiwan Strait in the west, the Lukang River and Fusing Township in the south, and Siansi Township and Homei Township in the north. Lukang was a hub for commerce in Taiwan in the early days, and was one of the historical towns, 'Tainan, Lukang and Manka'. It is a town with a rich history of arts and culture and an important center for the tradition of folk crafts in Taiwan. Lukang maintains its old looks, despite years of modernization. It is known for the variety and quality of craftsmanship. The large number of local artisans, masters and folk artists work day and night, in the quiet allies and lanes, to pass down this cultural heritage.
2. Summary of Our Project
Having engaged in woodcarving for 40 years, Master Chin-fu Shih combines traditional carving methods with personal feelings and modern elements. His workshop won the title of 'Taiwan Crafts Workshop' presented by National Taiwan Craft Research Institute. Master Shih has deliberately preserved traditional carving culture since many years ago. His workshop displays many traditional works, tools, related items, and his own creation. A visit there seems like a trip to the woodcarving history of Lukang. Besides the collection of materials related to the historical evolution of carving and processes, introduction to ways of cutting, interviews masters, and introduction of the works and resources of Chin-fu Shih Woodcarving Workshop, during the Cyberfair project, we did several works by ourselves and experience woodcarving by serving as volunteers, hoping to understand more about woodcarving and make more people realize the charm of woodcarving through our website.
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:more than 6
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
It was a brand new learning experience for students participating in Cyberfair 2016. The students used to be led and taught by teachers in the past, but for this project, they are required to collect data independently, visit teachers that have expertise in various areas, and participate in experiential activities. The major problem for the students was the change of the way they learned. Fortunately, through teamwork, sharing, communication and coordination, they finished all researches and activities. Besides, we did not have enough time and know how to make web pages. It was difficult for us to find a time that we were all available for activities since all 10 students are from different classes. Sometimes we had to ask some students to sacrifice their regular curriculum. Therefore the research progress was very slow. As to the use of computer technology, it took time for them to learn and get familiar with the application of all software, in order to produce a great Cyberfair project website.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
We had only a few months to prepare for the competition. The process was tough, but we felt very happy when we saw our web pages finished one after another. We thought it was an impossible mission in the beginning, but we worked together and finished the project finally. So, we should never hesitate once we make decision. Heaven helps those who help themselves, so we will harvest as long as we work hard.
During the interview, we saw the masters’ serious working attitude and deeply felt that the skillful, exquisite, orderly, and meticulous “craftsmanship spirit” was a life attitude that we needed to learn. Of course, unity is power too. During this period, we worked together and overcame many frustrations and failures. The footprints we left together will always be our beautiful memory forever.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
Grade 1-9 Curriculum Guidelines have clearly pointed out that the main purpose of the course is to 'train holistic citizens with democratic accomplishment, disposition, integration capability, local and international awareness, and lifetime learning spirit'. It stresses that the curriculum should be centered on life, respect development of personality, cultivate initiative exploration and introspection, initiative concern for society, environment, and nature, have deep understanding and acknowledgement of local culture, and respect and appreciate other cultures. Therefore, we selected 'Chin-fu Shih Woodcarving Workshop' as our research topic, discussed the content of the topic, made proposed study plan, distributed task, and visited schools. We also interviewed folk art masters in communities to understand the cultural background, classification, and ways of cutting of traditional carving, and symbolic meaning of carving works. We served as volunteers to understand, appreciation, and promote the traditional arts of our hometown. Through data search from Internet and production of website, we learned how to summarize knowledge via technology and cultivated our spirit of active exploration. During our study, we divided tasks, helped each other, and solved problems initiatively. Moreover, we integrated the fields mentioned in Grade 1-9 Curriculum and local courses into our study and implemented the spirit of Grade 1-9 Curriculum in our study.
|
