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I have been trying to find a name for the team these past few days. I don’t know if it is because everyone hasn’t gotten acquainted yet, is too “reserved” or dares not talk too much in front of the teacher, we haven’t been able to come up with an interesting name yet. Finally, the teacher thought of a way. She asked us to discuss on Moodle, an online teaching platform, during the computer class hours. Like expected, people were more open to discussion on the web.

Although the name of the team has not been finalized yet, at least we are going somewhere.

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Nothing special went on today. Our winter vacation started and we attended the graduation ceremony. Then, we had lunch and gathered at the Office of Academic Affairs. We put down our book bags, removed our coats, took out the data, and set up our computer to start working.

We took out the data we brought and engaged in group discussion. After the discussion, we turned on the computer and explored “The Taiwan Shrine.”

Before we could react, the teacher approached us in lightning speed and turned off our computers.
She then led us to the playground to run two laps for fear that after the winter break we would all become nearsighted.

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As usual, I arrived at Taipei Municipal Jiantan Elementary School at 9:00A.M. this morning and discovered that many students had already been seated. I put down my bag and started sharing the tasks with the others in my group. Guo xx was late for 20 minutes, so the teacher called his home. It turned out he had overslept, but he had the teacher worried.

At noon, the teacher ordered curry rice for us, and we ate with relish. After lunch, we took a rest before continuing our animation again. The teacher said that we had to finish the animation that day. It was such a rush! Fortunately, I was assigned something else, so I got away with it! It was a close call. So, here I am writing this stuff.

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The CyberFair is contest of topic studies. I joined because my teacher chose me. My father said that it was a once in a life time opportunity, because I could learn the strengths of students from other schools. If I won in the contest, I would receive extra merits for school!

Our group for the CyberFair consists of three instructors and eight students. To complete this contest, teamwork is even more important than the performance. We started preparing for the contest during the semester. Each morning, we would search data in the computer room. We also had to do it during lunch breaks on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. It was tiring at first, but we had a sense of achievement after completing what the teacher had assigned us. It was the teacher’s encouraging words that kept us going. I have realized that by participating in this contest, I have not only learned new things, but also encountered interesting events while working with my classmates!

During the winter vacation, we still reported to the school on a daily basis to work on the web production. We had to work longer, from 9:00A.M. to 4:00P.M. Some may find it annoying to go to school during the winter vacation and may think it is a waste of time. They might not even be able to finish their winter vacation assignments in time. I admit I had the same thoughts at first, but then I realized that since I joined the contest, I must not quit half way. We should do our best in everything we do or else we cannot possibly accompany anything at all. I thought about it for a long time, and finally I decided that instead of doing the winter vacation assignment, watching T.V., playing computer games, I might as well spend some fulfilling time in school. At least, I get to exercise in the playground in between work.

We shared the work because the deadline was the class commencement day. Everyone had his share of responsibility, such as animation and data collection. I was in charge of “The Beauty of the Grand Hotel Taipei” and had to introduce the features of the hotel. Besides searching the related data, I had to present it in my own words. It was a bit difficult for us. We had to constantly make changes and make improvements. Fortunately, under the teacher’s guidance, Yu-Ju and I understood some tips. We changed the description in three or four lines into one with more than twenty lines. The typing almost drove us crazy, but seeing the work we had completed, we both had a great sense of achievement!

The smooth conduction of our work since we first joined the CyberFair is contributed to the dedicated instructors and collaboration among the students. Everyone worked seriously to complete every task the teacher assigned us. Whenever we had questions, we would turn to our instructor or surf the Internet. As our theme is “The Grand Hotel Taipei,” we had to visit the hotel regularly for interviews. The hotel is a world-renowned hotel, so we were very excited and eager to learn more about the hotel the moment we found out it would be our theme. Since our school is right next to the hotel, it is not new to us, but we have not had the chance to gain an insight into it. This being said, I hope to have the opportunity to work with my classmates in the future.

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I became a busy person known to all when I entered the sixth grade. And I was even busier after joining the CyberFair! I had to practice the track and field events during the self-study time and work on the CyberFair during lunch breaks. I could not bat an eyelid! After the Northern Regional Games, I entered the basketball team. Since the CyberFair and basketball practice hours had conflicting schedules, I had to make a choice or else I would have done a bad job in both and would have been blamed for losing. I would have lost everything!

One can develop the tacit understanding by joining the basketball team; one can also develop the spirit of sportsmanship and become healthier by sweating constantly. Of course, there are also disadvantages such as injuries, sprains, bruises, and even fractures. But these reasons were not why I quit the team because I was ready to take the risks when I decided to join.

At the CyberFair, there are opportunities not available to ordinary people, such as interviewing the knowledgeable or well-experienced people. As for the disadvantages, I am not sure yet. There might be some, but I just don’t know them yet.

Finally I gave up the basketball team. I am very grateful to my teachers for their guidance and training. However, basketball was not something I wanted to pursue. I joined the team only to practice the tacit agreement and the spirit of sportsmanship. Indeed, getting gold medals feels great, but winning is temporary and is a passing glimpse. So what if we win gold medals? So what if we are number one? Although the basketball team needs me, the CyberFair needs me even more! Perhaps this way of thinking is based solely on my selfishness, but I am just a person that knows no magic, neither can I be in two places at once. So, I knew I had to make a choice and that I had to make sacrifices.

This is what I have learned at the CyberFair. Greed will lead to nothing. I refuse to do harm to others and to myself! And if I am determined to do something, I must finish it even if it is against everyone’s will.

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I am pleased to have been chosen for the CyberFair. I not only had the chance to learn new software, but also stay connected with everyone. It was simply great! We were not so familiar with each other at first, but after rounds of fierce discussions, we got acquainted, and both the boys and girls mingled with one another.

To find out more about “The Grand Hotel Taipei,” we had to visit the hotel in person. We scheduled interviews with the foreman and manager. Their vivid descriptions kept us interested and allowed us to find out more about the history of The Grand Hotel Taipei, the Taiwan Shrine, the staff training methods, and the hotel’s prospects. In order to understand more about the hotel, we paid a visit to the hotel again to conduct a survey on visitors’ views on the hotel. Although we were rejected by many people, we appreciated every opportunity to visit in order to compile the visitors’ views about the hotel.

Because of my participation in the CyberFair, I had to come to school for the production during the winter vacation. Instead of feeling tired, I enjoyed it and looked forward to tasks the teacher assigned us.

The CyberFair consists of eight students and three teachers, so we had to work as a team in order to gain recognition from others and from within. We must not be defeated by failure or frustrations; instead, we must gather our courage to face problems and work hard in order to achieve excellent performance.

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After we signed up for the CyberFair, the teacher looked for eight students to engage in the web production. At first, the teacher introduced the CyberFair as a contest that allows one to gain knowledge through the web production. In terms of the scoring, the contest sponsors let us evaluate others’ works, but if we gave unfair scores to others, our scores would be deducted. As the work had to be submitted in two or three months, we had to create the web pages for the contest in the computer classroom during the self-study time and lunch breaks after the theme was finalized.

We have selected “The Grand Hotel Taipei” as our theme because it is a world-renowned hotel and is filled with unique features, making it an excellent theme for the production. At first, the teacher asked us to search information related to the hotel. While I was doing that, the teacher mentioned to us that there was a secret passage in the hotel. I was surprised because I had never heard of such a thing. I looked it up on the Internet and saw a slide beside the secret passage. I was fascinated, so I wanted to see it for myself. The animation production was extremely difficult for me at first because I was not familiar with Flash. But as it gradually became easier, I regained my confidence and completed the animation at last.

We visited The Grand Hotel Taipei during our spare time after exams. I was excited because I finally had the chance to see the hotel for the first time in person. The foreman first showed us the Century Golden Dragon that has been handed down since the period of Japanese rule, which was in imperial style. Then, we visited the Eisenhower Presidential Suite, the most luxurious guestroom in the hotel, inside which are first-class amenities. I really wanted to stay for one night! Finally, the foreman showed us the secret passage, the part I had wanted to see the most. It is said that the secret passage was built for the Late President Chiang. It was really amazing.

Through the CyberFair, I have learned a lot more about The Grand Hotel Taipei as well as the computer. All in all, I have learned a great deal.

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When Teacher Lin Shang-Yi asked me to report to the Office of Academic Affairs, I was really confused because I did not know what the teacher had wanted. Then, I was asked to join the CyberFair. The group consisted of eight students and three teachers. I had high expectations for the event. At first, everyone was silent, and when the teacher asked questions, we would look at one another. The air condensed, and everyone felt awkward. However, after a while, the event became easy and pleasant as everyone got along and became familiar with one another. The teacher finally found relief.

I was assigned to the art and design group. Everyone did his own work and shared responsibilities. Then, in order to obtain sufficient data and complete the web production. Then, we went to The Grand Hotel Taipei for interviews. The teacher first prepared the questions, distributed them to everyone, and asked us to ask them on our own. After getting ready, we arrived at the hotel and interviewed Foreman Chen, Manager Wang, and other “heavy weight” staff of the hotel, through which we gained a valuable experience. I also learned more about The Grand Hotel Taipei that I saw on a daily basis over the years and the secret behind the glorious history of the hotel that accommodated a steady stream of visitors and high-level government officials.

I am grateful to the teacher for letting me have this special experience. Although considerable time was spent, it was of great help to me. It was a great experience in terms of both knowledge and expression. I hope our schedule will be completed smoothly and that will achieve excellent results so that our hard work will eventually be paid off.

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When we gathered in the Office of Academic Affairs, besides chatting with the students were had had interaction with, we did not talk to the unfamiliar students. Although everyone was “reserved” at first, everyone got to know each other better because everyone saw on another on a daily basis. Another reason is that because of the fierce discussions, we often had casual talks and laughter. We became good friends that talked just about anything. We always got together to play games and chat freely. We laughed over the tiniest things or even wrestled one another. When we got tired, we would talk and laugh. Although the boys and girls were grouped separately, I believe that after the winter vacation, the gap between the boys and girls will disappear and they will get along just fine.

After a day of long search, the teacher bought everyone a drink. The drink tasted unlike any other: it quenched our hearts, and we felt rejuvenated. In the afternoon, the teacher followed us to the playground to not only to exercise, but also to take a closer look at the green plants. I call it “Killing two birds with one stone”! The teacher also stressed that she did not wish to see us become nearsighted and chubby piglets. It was really funny!

I have learned a lot over the winter vacation. Since I joined the CyberFair, I not had a more fulfilling and fun winter vacation, but was also able narrow the distance with others. I have gained knowledge that cannot be learned from textbooks. It is no wonder that there is saying that goes: “He that travels far knows much.” We have learned to think independently and not to rely on others. I believe that the coming CyberFair will be more interesting and unique.

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The winter vacation begins today! Despite the cold and sleepiness we felt, we still reported to the Office of Academic Affairs early in the morning to work on our web production.

After all, we are just a bunch of kids. From morning till noon, we have been sitting at computer desks for too long! So, we walked outside to stretch. The winter vacation really deserves its name, the wind was freezing! But there are still kids playing ball in the playground. It is no wonder they say: “There are three fires up the children’s behind.”

It is close to noon. Yuan-Ana and I have roughly completed it and only to make minor changes. I am not sure about the progress of the other teams.

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This morning we typed the transcripts while listening to the audio files. We listened to them for so long that cocoons grew in our ears, our fingers were sore, and our eyes felt uncomfortable due to the prolonged computer use. I felt a sense of achievement when the work was completed. The teacher was really kind. She gave us sometime off to let our eyes rest and roam around. Some watched others play basketball, others directly joined basketball games, and still others played the swing. How relaxing. Later that afternoon, I was unable to keep up with the schedule because I had to attend class. (What a pity! The teacher had no slight comprehension of how much fun the CyberFair was). I hope our hard work will finally pay off. Let us keep up the good work!

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Upon entering the Office of Academic Affairs, the teacher said: “In a while, we are going to The Grand Hotel Taipei to distribute questionnaires.” In order to draft the topic report, we had to visit the hotel again to interview the tourists that had stayed in the hotel before.

At 10:00A.M., we set off for The Grand Hotel Taipei. At the hotel entrance, we saw a foreigner, so we went up to him to ask some questions. Unfortunately, the foreigner did not speak Mandarin, so he did not accept our request for an interview. At first, I thought that if foreigners had spoken Mandarin, they would have found our questionnaire quite interesting. Fu-Chi and I then came across a Japanese man. We talked to him in Mandarin because we could not tell his nationality. He then said something in Japanese, but we did not understand him so we had to say “thanks.”

Although we were turned down by many visitors today, instead of giving up, we tried harder to find “kind people” to fill out the questionnaires for us. Hopefully, we will meet more enthusiastic visitors next time to help us complete the questionnaires.

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As usual, we came to school at 9:00A.M. to work on our web production. Although everyone was stilly a little sleepy, we had to perk up as work was about to begin!

We went up to The Grand Hotel Taipei again today, but after yesterday’s experience, we were more confident then. However, Yu-Ju and I tried many times, but only succeeded a few times. At first, we took the initiative to ask some foreigners who were taking pictures for remembrance, but those foreigners did not speak English. We tried again and again and managed to get three to four people to fill out the questionnaires. Although the process was not entirely smooth, we knew we had to make more persistent efforts.

At last, we ran out of people to ask. The teacher had to take us back as our patience began to wear thin. Back in the Office of Academic Affairs, we carried on with our recorded transcripts. It was really tiring listening to them!

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We distributed the questionnaires twice, through which we experienced different things. The teacher disused the questionnaire distribution review with us and tried to ease our hurt feelings. After that, we carried on with our unfinished work.

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The classes have commenced! It is time to submit our work. Everything was in such a rush! The groups compiled their data in a hurry and checked for spelling errors. How chaotic! There were plenty of errors!

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