International Schools CyberFair 2006

The Story of Sweet Potato

 


(A) Project Information

1.

Title: The Story of Sweet Potato

2. Hyperlink to our project:
http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2006/gsh4547/flash.htm

Hyperlink to our project:
http://210.243.34.252/bj/spbe/flash.htm
3. Competition Category: The Characteristics of Native Specialties
4. Number of Students who worked on the Project: 5
5. Age of Students who worked on this project: 13~14
6. Date that our project was Finished : February 20, 2006
7. Municipality : Taipei City
8. Directing teachers : Chiu Mao-jui
9. Our project's contact e-mail address : a0935082352@yahoo.com.tw
10. School : Taipei Municipal Bin-Jiang Junior High School
11. Our School's Web Sites: http://www.bjjh.tp.edu.tw/bj/script2/default.htm




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(B) Project Overview

1.

Competition Category : The Characteristics of Native Specialties

2.

Description of “Our Community”:

Taiwan possesses the abundant natural resources.

Taiwan possesses the abundant natural resources.

Taiwan, situated in the major juncture of East Asia, is a typical island. Because of its abounding coalmines and its crossing position of many international transportation courses, many countries occupied Taiwan for the purpose of acting as their base for international trade in the 16th and 17th centuries. Its special sea-surrounding geographical location and its various landforms have given birth to diversified culture and spirit as well as great humanity and history. That is why Taiwan got the name of "Formosa" - meaning beautiful island. Moreover, Taiwan is a fertile place producing numerous plants and fruits. From forests to valleys, we can spot groups of animals and plants everywhere. The abundant natural resources are another reason for Taiwan's being reputed as "Formosa".

 

3.

Summary of Our Project :

Sweet potato does not fear to get rotten when falling onto the ground; it only wishes its branches and leaves to prosper and hand down from generation to generation. Sweet potato was the most influential agricultural product when the Taiwanese people started to plant foreign crops at the end of the 16th century. Sweet potato not only witnessed our ancestors' courage in fighting against wilderness and natural disasters, but also was one of the most important agricultural products during the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese occupation period. It predominates an indelible position in Taiwan’s history of economic development. Therefore, we invite all of you to taste the beauty of sweet potatoes from the perspective of humanity, and hopefully to recapture your in-depth memory of Taiwan's rural lives.

Taiwanese people started to plant foreign crops at the end of the 16th century.

Taiwanese people started to plant foreign crops at the end of the 16th century.

 

4.

Our Computer and Internet Access:
Our school uses a 2MB ADSL line to get connected to the Information Center of Taipei Municipal Education Bureau, which in turn gets connected to TANet. The Internet environment teachers and students use is the 512K/64K ADSL line provided by ChungHwa Telecomm.

5.

Problems Encountered and Overcome :

【 Insufficiency of Experience 】

 

Due to the assistance from the voluntary mamas, we were able to overcome obstacles one after another.

Due to the assistance from the voluntary mamas, we were able to overcome obstacles one after another.

Before we started, we thought it was a simple project. We soon realized this project was not as easy as we had imagined the minute we embarked on it. Tasks such as plan outlines, the whole structure, the contents of the texts, and the persons to be interviewed, etc. were emerging one after another. Each and every task made us hesitant and intimidated. Thanks to the guidance of the directing teachers and the assistance from the voluntary mothers, we were able to overcome obstacles one by one.



【 Insufficiency of Time 】

  

From the very beginning, we seemed to be racing against time. We had to gather materials, interview people in the Central and the Southern parts of the island, and carry out promotional activities in campuses while at the same time having to cope with various tests at school. It was unlikely that we could complete this project without extraordinary perseverance and energy.

We can achieve our goal on account of our extraordinary perseverance and energy.

We can achieve our goal on account of our extraordinary perseverance and energy.

 


【 Insufficiency of Knowledge 】

The elaborations of the elderly complemented our insufficiency of specialized knowledge.

The elaborations of the elderly complemented our insufficiency of specialized knowledge.

Besides its edibility, other specialized knowledge regarding sweet potato, e.g. its species improvement, its nutrition value and its relatives, etc., could not possibly appear in our daily lives. Luckily, the elaborations of the elderly and the experts complemented our insufficiency of knowledge.



【 Insufficiency of Technology 】

  

In the course of making web pages, the toughest situation we faced was the insufficiency of editing skill. We were very fortunate to have professional computer teachers to assist us. They patiently provided their expertise by continuously supplementing and modifying our works. Thanks to them, all those who take interest in are able to enjoy viewing this educational and illustrative works.

Professional computer teachers assisted us in completing our works.

Professional computer teachers assisted us in completing our works.

 

 

6.

Our Feelings to Share with You :

Agriculture is the basis of food and clothing. Regardless of different times and different human races, when it comes to eating, we cannot avoid mentioning agriculture. The Western proverb "when you eat, you are involved in agriculture." best explains it. Ever since we began the project, we were deeply drawn by the abundant humanitarian touch of sweet potato. The process is like Alice in the Wonderland, from full of curiosity at first, through adventures of many surprises, to the ultimate intoxication without being aware of self-existence. In addition to elevating our abilities, this learning journey has made our lives more colorful and interesting.

This competition has made our lives more colorful and interesting.
The residents of our community were also attracted by the abundant humanitarian touch of sweet potato.
It is also a kind of heritage, isn't it?
This competition has made our lives more colorful and interesting.

The residents of our community were also attracted by the abundant humanitarian touch of sweet potato.

It is also a kind of heritage, isn't it?

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(C) Project Elements

 

1.

How does our project meet the objective and aim of CyberFair?

【 Homeland Education 】

Homeland education is not just a slogan!

Homeland education is not just a slogan!

  

Taiwan shapes like a sweet potato, extending to all directions; and symbolizes the unlimited vitality. For people who live in Taiwan, they have a warm feeling about sweet potato. As such, we chose this crop as our topic, which best symbolizes Taiwan. It not only helps us know more about our homeland, but also cultivates the awareness and appreciation of this land. It coincides with the objective of the course of Homeland Education in the "Nine-Year Constant Learning".

【 Information Education 】

The Ministry of Education promotes the boundless information technology; the CyberFair outlines the vision of information education.

The Ministry of Education promotes the boundless information technology; the CyberFair outlines the vision of information education.

 

In this time of swift advancement of technology, the impact of information technology is boundless. Through this project, we use "ability oriented" education instead of "intelligence-oriented" education to meet the information education promoted by CyberFair. It is also the new trend of world education in the next century. Under the environment of equal education opportunity, whoever can swiftly and effectively access the latest, most suitable information will be able to stand at the most favorable start point. That is to say, who gets hold of information will get the best opportunity. Therefore, we apply knowledge to collecting, analyzing, and organizing information so as to realize the ideal of "information is within reach at hand".

【 Humanity Education 】

Value homeland and pursue for humanism.

Value homeland and pursue for humanism.

Importing agricultural products has inflicted heavy loss upon local farmers. The evolution of farming villages has brought another wave of economic effect. By virtue of the detailed elaborations of the elderly, we are given the chance of knowing more about our homeland and strengthening our identity toward this land. It also fosters the humanity education that our school actively promotes.

 

2.

What information tools and technologies did we use to complete our CyberFair project?

Hardware

Computer

 design website pages , store data.

Printer

  print out pictures, data, and questionnaires.

Scanner

  scan pictures and photographs.

Digital Camera

ord activities, photograph interviewees, and reproduce  data.

Video Recorder

  record the contents of interviews and memos.

MP3

  store in personal computers the relevant materials in  connection with the project before putting it on  InterNet.

Telephone

  interact with organizations to be interviewed,  interviewees, and project team members.

 

Software

OFFICE 2003

 a program specializing in sorting data and editing data.

PHOTOIMPACT10

  modify pictures to make website pages more  intriguing.

Flash MX

  produce small-scaled animated pictures.

Dreamweaver MX    

  a more complicated program to design web pages that  enable the formatting of the works more in order.

FrontPage2000

 edit and store the contents of the texts.

SwiSHmax

  special effects of headlines, home page, etc.

Ulead GIF Animator 5

produce animated photos.

WS-FTP95LE

  transmit data files.

ACDSee32

  browse pictures.

MS-Outlook Express

  receive and dispatch emails.

 

Others

Library

  search and obtain useful materials.

Museum

  collect data and interview characters.

Newspaper

  collect reports on related persons, incidents and  objects.

Interview record

  interview records of the related persons.

Magazine

  search and collect data.

 

3.

How did we play the "Ambassador" or spokesman's role of CyberFair project through online or personal contacts?
In order that the content of this project coincides with the courses taught in the school, we have designed a series of relevant activities, i.e. the outside campus teaching on "roast kiln", sweet potato season in the campus, exhibition of teaching result during school's anniversary party, etc. Besides teachers, students and the people in the community, the participants include City Mayor Ying-Jiu Ma and several city council members. Furthermore, we attended the 110th anniversary party of the Agriculture Experiment Institute and were introduced to the farming experts during the speeches made by Chairman of the Commission of Agriculture, the Executive Yuan, and Director of the Agriculture Experiment Institute. By way of different types of promotion, the school has strengthened its tie with the community and the interaction gets more frequent and harmonious. We believe that concern about hometown events and products is the foundation of homeland education. Therefore, we use the campus as the base to cultivate our hearty concern about our homeland.

4.

What influence and impact does this project has on us?

Sweet potato has carried and marked the vitality of the universe's past and present.

Sweet potato has carried and marked the vitality of the universe's past and present.

Given the chance of participating this CyberFair project, as a bunch of teenaged junior high students, we began as green hands with no knowledge of sweet potato industry at all, continue to grow speedily through the interaction of teaching and learning, and finally become knowledgeable students who can speak eloquently about sweet potato. We have discovered the secret of life and turning point of history with such experience, and have observed the remarkable vitality of sweet potato that carries Taiwan's past and present.

 

5.

How did other people in the nation provide assistance or voluntarily participate in our project?
A project could not be completed by a handful's efforts. There were always some people, during the process, who showed the direction and assist to provide relevant information behind the scene so that we could accomplish the project. Therefore, we want to express our appreciation for those elderly who have supported our project.

(1) Dr. Jin-Long Li, former Chairman, Commission of Agriculture, the Executive Yuan.

Dr. Jin-Long Li, the then Chairman of the Commission of Agriculture, introduced us to the guests during his speech.

Dr. Jin-Long Li, the then Chairman of the Commission of Agriculture, introduced us to the guests during his speech.

At the 110th anniversary party of the Agriculture Experiment Institute of the Commission of Agriculture, Dr. Jin-Long Li took the initiative to converse with us. When he realized that we traveled a long way to Wu-Fong specially for attending the party with a view to participating in the CyberFair competition, he introduced during his speech Taipei Municipal Bing-Jiang Junior High School to all participants and encouraged us to continue participation and concerns about agriculture.

(2) Dr. Yong-Xiong Cheng, Director, Jia-Yi Branch of the Agriculture Experiment Institute

Dr. Yong-Xiong Cheng, Director, Jia-Yi Branch of the Agriculture Experiment Institute, makes us further understand the achievement of Taiwan's agriculture.
Dr. Yong-Xiong Cheng, Director, Jia-Yi Branch of the Agriculture Experiment Institute, makes us further understand the achievement of Taiwan's agriculture.

At the 110th anniversary party of the Agriculture Experiment Institute of the Commission of Agriculture, the Director taught us a great deal of knowledge. He told us that Jia-Yi Branch was the largest one for species improvement in Taiwan. In addition to species improvement for sweet potato, they also promoted the species improvement for food plants. The Director even invited us to visit Jia-Yi Branch in order for us to further understand the achievement of the agriculture in Taiwan.

(3) Dr. Yong-Chang Lai, Jia-Yi Branch, the Agriculture Experiment Institute

The guidance from Dr. Yong-Chang Lai made our  works more persuasive.
The guidance from Dr. Yong-Chang Lai made our works more persuasive.

Dr. Lai is the important player in promoting the domestic sweet potato seed breeding. His expertise has been acknowledged by the nation. He spared some of his busy hours to tour us around the Jia-Yi Branch and provided us professional study material for our reference, which makes our works more persuasive.

(4) "Uncle Sweet Potato", Bei-Pu Xiang, Xin-Ju County

Uncle Sweet Potato is just like a live dictionary.
Uncle Sweet Potato is just like a live dictionary.

Uncle Sweet Potato is just like a live dictionary. He accounted for us the sweet potato history in Taiwan, i.e. how sweet potato lightened the lives of poor families during the Japanese occupation period in Taiwan, and the changes from its golden years to its gradual evolution to a new type of operation. His detailed presentation has benefited us a great deal.

(5) Mr. Ying-Jiu Ma, Taipei City Mayor

Mr. Ying-Jiu Ma, Taipei City Mayor, visited our school and gave us physical support.
Mr. Ying-Jiu Ma, Taipei City Mayor, visited our school and gave us physical support.

  

At the anniversary's party, he visited our school for the opening ceremony and toured "The Exhibition of Sweet Potato Research" in person to give us physical support. We were highly exhilarated to be encouraged by him.

(6) Miss Xiao, Technical Advisor, the Agriculture Experiment Institute, the Commission of Agriculture, the Executive Yuan

Miss Xiao arranged for us the detailed visit plan.
Miss Xiao arranged for us the detailed visit plan.

She arranged for us the detailed plan for attending the 110th anniversary party of the Agriculture Experiment Institute, the Commission of Agriculture, the Executive Yuan, and prepared the anniversary party's data, posters and many precious materials that made our visit very fruitful.

(7) Mr.Wan-Qin Li, Advisor, Farmers' Association of Xi-Hu Xiang, Miao-Li County

Mr. Li hopes to increase the popularity of Xi-Hu Sweet Potato.
Mr. Li hopes to increase the popularity of Xi-Hu Sweet Potato.

  
Mr. Li led us to participate in the activities of Xi-Hu Sweet Potato Cultural & Arts Festival 2005 at Miao-Li, illustrated the history of the festival, and provided us the VCD disc of the activities in the hope to increase the popularity of Xi-Hu Sweet Potato.

 

6.

Elaborations on Intellectual Property Rights of the themed web pages: 

When we laid out the structure of the web pages, we reserved a page of "Data Source" marking the sources of the reference materials to show our respect to the IP rights of the original authors. Besides, the directing teachers and volunteer mothers repeatedly reminded us that we had to indicate the sources of reference information of the compiled graphics or articles and to modify the articles with personal insights.

 

7.

Discovery, Motto and Wonder.:

(1) Discovery of borderless information flow
The students of the 21st century have to be equipped with global view so as to catch up with the pace of modern times. The swift dissemination of information has lifted the border between one country and another. The whole world has become a global village. The impact and influence of information is borderless and omnipresent.

(2) The mottos learned from the local agriculture's prosperity to sluggishness.
Agriculture used to be the root of a nation. Taiwan was established on the basis of agriculture. Today we observe from a broad in-depth view the prosperity and sluggishness of the agriculture in Taiwan and how it can survive in the marginal space with little concern from the society. It shows us this island's diversified profiles and brings us, who are used to it without thoughtful observance, extraordinary introspect.

(3) The wonder of "United will to solidify a city"
From nothing to something, from curiosity to indulgence, we combined the theory with the practice and demonstrated our concerns over the nation in a pioneering spirit. We faithfully recorded everything with a sense of inheriting the past and inspiring the future. Through the actual practice, all the team members have surprisingly realized that a tiny screw is indispensable in a team during the promotional activities in campus and community.

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