School: Nanguo Elementary School
    Changhua, none, Taiwan

6 students, ages 10~12 years of age worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 15, 2022. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): none

Classes and Teachers: Yu-Hsuan Lin

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.nges.chc.edu.tw/

1. Description of Our Community

Sakakpo is an ancient place in Huayang community, Changhua. It is a delta located between the Kengzainei rivers.

2. Summary of Our Project

The project introduces the '3gapu mesona'. Mesona is a plant in the mint family. We can make jelly out of mesona by boiling it for hours and cooling the liquid. Grass jelly dessert made of mesona is very popular in Taiwan. '3gapu mesona' is a very famous and popular shop registered by Mr. Yang Jiazheng, the fourth generation of the Yang family. The Yang family's residence is located in an alley of Sakakpo. The nearby market knows that this family is making mesona. It has been refined according to the ancient method for a hundred years. They used to boil the mesona grass all year round, and the nearby neighbors could always smell the faint fragrance of the grass. I heard that even Nanguo Elementary School could scent the fragrance!

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:not sure

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):

none

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

We encountered many problems when conducting this project. For example, because the students are in different grades, we can only meet together at noon. The time for discussion was limited, so we met once a week. At the moment, the teacher helped everyone arrange the progress, guided everyone in the project's direction, and taught computer skills. At first, no one knew how to design web pages. Instead, the teacher taught us slowly. Gradually, we became familiar with it. Finally, we used three months to organize photos and materials and then made a web page.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Participation in International Schools CyberFair can enrich our view of international. Most importantly, we can introduce local cultures in Taiwan to the world.

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

We hope that through the '3gapu mesona' project, we can cultivate students' ability to take away, such as plan formulation, data collection, interviews, web page production skills, etc. Through the writing of interview drafts, experience, and research journals, students' writing ability is trained and combined with the 'language learning field.' Learn to use the Internet, computer, and mobile phone to search for information, learn to take pictures with a camera, learn how to edit images, learn how to create web pages, and combine with the 'Nature and Life Science and Technology Learning Area.'

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

We use three desktop computers and three cell phones and the following software, including DreamWeaver, PhotoImpact, Word 2016, and Google Chrome, to collect photos and related content.

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

We introduce the '3gapu mesona' project to teachers and students in morning-study time. We also did project briefings in the class for some classes. After finishing the project, we put together all the results into a website with pictures and texts so that everyone can learn more about the local specialty '3gapu mesona' through the Internet.

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

We hope more and more people, especially the foreign visitors, can know about the local cultures in Changhua. Especially the local cuisine is not only 'kong rou fan' (soy-stewed pork with rice) or ba wan (mega-dumpling) but also mesona grass jelly.

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

The owner of '3gapu mesona', Mr. Yang Jiazheng help us to complete the project.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

We love mesona grass jelly. However, we do not understand what it is and how it is made until the accomplishment of this project. It is not easy work to make mesona grass juice. First, picking good-quality grass takes time. Sometimes, you need to go to many places to find out good grass. Second, boiling grass needs time and patience to repeatedly taste and boil. The flavor all depends on experience and ancestral secret recipes. It is no wonder that '3gapu mesona' can be passed down for hundreds of years and from generation to generation.