Students only knew how to use the internet and type when doing the background research; therefore, it took much time instructing them using digital devices and creating web pages.

With the school’s information courses, we enhanced students’ ability to use digital camcorders, cameras, and digital Dictaphones as well as information transmission skills. The teachers also helped the students to create web pages during noon breaks in the computer rooms

During the process of the interviews and the experience activities, the interviewees were only a few chiefs of the tribe so the relevant information was limited and translation was also needed.

We tried to record the interviews through digital camcorders and Dictaphones and asked the parents or the senior citizens in the community questions when we were organizing the data after the interviews. Whenever the seniors described relevant items’ names, items’ parts or operation, we would ask them to use body language or repeat expression to leave a stronger impression.

This was the second time of our school’s participate in Cyberfair so we had previous experience and data.

The experienced teachers carried on the work.

This time was a presentation of the research work. The research team should establish a correct attitude towards the research. The research included meeting discussions, work arrangement, data collecting, information device operating, information digitalizing and organizing, video processing, and web pages creation. This was a broad research so dilemmas sometimes happened when they could not be coped with by general teaching environments and learning contexts.

We understood the importance of having the team prepared and to gaining supports from the school’s administration departments when it came to organizing the school, the community, the students, and the volunteers to work together. Without being prepared, the work could not be completed due to laziness; without the administrative support from the school, it was not possible for the teachers and students to complete the work successfully. Therefore, we spent a great amount of time communicating with the community and the teams whereas the school was in charge of relevant administrative works to make the entire process successful.

Problems with the volunteers occurred during the research process, mainly for the following 2 reasons: 1. The school did not take the responsibility of organizing the execution of the plan; 2. It was difficult to gather all the volunteers due to the fact that they were all from different departments with different schedules.

We tried to contact the interviewees in advance and inform the volunteers of the schedules so that they could plan their time well. We had the opportunity of communicating with each other and finishing the last bit of the work because the dead line of the web page creation was by the end of the winter vacation.

Assigning works to the team members was the key to diversified data. As the proverb goes, “two heads are better than one”. It has been very important for all the team members to work together but take their own responsibilities.

We understood the significance of carefully reading through the data found on-line, digitalizing data which matched the theme or relevant topics and providing connections through FrontPage software or the campus website server to systemize the data through major topics description or hyperlinks to serve as references for future researches relevant to the community.

The volunteers from Tzu Chi University integrated data found in the books borrowed from the campus library, which was a significant part through out the interview process. The elders’ answers regarding the complicated ceremonies could almost all be found in the data; if relevant preparation was not made, the original expectation would not be met.

In addition to giving related lectures in current curriculum, the school teachers also helped the pupils write down their thoughts, create web pages and visit the community during noon breaks and on holidays.

This was the second time our school participated in Cyberfair; however, the schedule was not always followed because it was difficult to find a balance between the courses and the activities. The failure of regular records of the time of uploading schedule reports in particular, would affect the following schedules and the complete presentation of the entire work.

Regarding the control of the schedule, we uploaded the schedule form to the web site to clearly notify the team members of the assignments of each stage. Another solution was the on-campus server; the written data were collected and processed by the team members and uploaded by the plan executer.

A large number of the Truku tribal folklore activities are held from September to November every year, during which these ceremonies with the most profound cultures are celebrated in such a simple and quick way that most people do not have the opportunity of understanding the rich cultures of the tribe. The New Aspen Cultural Information Club of our school has always played the role of cultural researches. With the professional instructions of the teachers, the hard work of the students and the supports of social resources, we have been through 2 Cyberfair projects and have achieved great results.

The project of the Truku Thanksgiving ceremony exploration has been carried out for more than 2 years. From data collection and interviews with the elders, we have completed so many works with the pupils, including the works completed by the graduates. I felt deeply touched when I saw the web pages that we have worked so hard on.

I have an even further understanding of the tribal cultures after this exploration and have stronger interests in exploring deeper into the Truku tribal cultures. I am looking forward to greater results from the “New Aspen Cultural Information Club”!

This was my second time assisting students in Cyberfair project. With the first experience, we had a much clear idea of our works. Through profound discussions and the students’ hard work, we gradually headed towards our goal. We have been through so many years of hard work since the project theme was decided.

The person who made the greatest contribution to the project was Teacher Shu-jun Hua. She planned the entire research and assisted the pupils in every aspect, which I admired deeply. Through the process of helping the students, I have seen their improvements and hard work pay off, which was the biggest reason I enjoyed the project so much.

I would like to again show my appreciation to the principal, the director and the entire teacher team for their support and assistance. This project has been a valuable experience no matter.

Time has flied since the establishment of New Aspen Club. I have learned so much about the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, including the clothing of the oracle, the sacrificial offerings and the qualification of an oracle. I have been really glad and honored to be given this opportunity of participating in Cyberfair project that I have learned things that I have never learned before.

I would also like to thank our teachers for their support whenever I confronted problems and for visiting the chief of the tribe with us.

I have learned so much from the New Aspen Club since the beginning; for example, I have learned about video production, photography, shooting and have improved my skills of drawing on the computers. In addition, I have had a much better understanding of the taboos, foods and clothing of Truku tribe. I believe I have gained so much.

I am very glad to be given the opportunity of participating in Cyberfair project because I am honored to be a school representative and that I enjoy the process. I completed my works though I was afraid that I might make mistakes. Teacher Ai and Teacher Hua would always check our works in the computer room at noon, ask us to correct mistakes, make improvements and pay attention to certain details. I am grateful for their help because I learned how to use cameras and camcorders. I am looking forward to next opportunity.

I have had a lot of fun since I participated in the Cyberfair project, which enabled us to learn about the cultures of Truku tribe. I am glad to have this opportunity because I have learned so much. I am looking forward to next opportunity.

This was my second time participating in this project. Last time I got to know ramie, which people used to make clothes while this time I learned about ceremonies. Both opportunities allowed me to learn about the cultures and relevant knowledge of Truku tribe such as oracles, ceremonies and cloth weaving. I was happy that I could have the opportunity of collecting information from other villages and gaining knowledge. I am looking forward to more learning opportunities.

This was my first participation in the Cyberfair project. Before the project, Teacher Hua told us about the major works of this semester and important parts that we should pay attention to. Sometimes Teacher Hua and Teacher Ai also taught us how to look up information on-line in the computer room!

I am glad that I have learned so much about the Ancestral Worship Ceremony and other relevant knowledge! I would also like to thank Teacher Hua and Teacher Ai for their tutoring during noon breaks.

I am happy that I learned about many traditional cultural relics though this was my first time participating in the project. We went to the computer room typing or drawing traditional cultural relics during every noon break. We drew oracles in the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, who gave speeches about traditional cultural relics. I learn to concentrate on my works and absorbed knowledge about the sacrificial offerings.

I would like to thank Teacher Ai and Teacher Hua for their help. I am glad to have this opportunity and I am looking forward to the next one.

This was my second time participating in the project. Last time we learned how to weave and make clothes with ramie. This time we learned about ceremonies.

From these 2 opportunities, I have learned about the weaving skills of clothes and baskets, taboos and cultures of Truku tribe. In addition, I think visiting the elders was so much fun because we could talk to them in person and through web cameras. We could see them and listen to them clearly. I am glad that I have learned so much.

I have participated in Cyberfair project before. Last time, we interviewed the oracle and during the process I even worked as the photographer. Through these experiences, I have learned about cloth and basket weaving skills, the taboos, ceremonies and clothing of indigenous people. It was so much fun!

The purpose of education is to develop students’potential and cultivate their ability of adaptation and improving their living environments. Participating in Cyberfair enables every team member to make improvements and realizes the goal of Grade 1-9 Curriculum. Since the research theme has been decided, the supervisors, people in the communities and volunteered students have taken the responsibility of exploring Truku tribe’s ceremonial culture. The progress is a combination of wisdom, experts’ documents, resources provided by the school and community as well as information technology to present a complete result.

(2) Educational content

The experience our team members have been through throughout the process of Cyberfair project matches the education concept of Grade 1-9 Curriculum, which are as follows:

1. Humanity thinking

Our team members learned to understand their own abilities, respect and appreciate the characteristics of other people and the differences between people of different age.

2. Ability to integrate

Instead of teaching in the classrooms, we took the students to the communities, aiming to cultivate their sensible and sensitive attitude and integrate humanity quality and technology instead of forcing them to absorb or memorize fragmented knowledge.

3. Democracy

The students learned to improve their ability of self-expression and communication through interviews, learned to take down the interview records and thoughts through independent thinking trainings, learned to develop their own abilities trough working as a group, learned to actively participate in cultural activities in the community and make contribution to cultural transmission, and cultivate the habit of abiding by the law through understanding intellectual properties.

4. Native soil and international awareness

Through the process of planning, extraction and dyeing of ramie, we cultivate a passion for the native culture and environment of our country. Such a process is definitely worthy of sharing with other nations.

5. Life-long learning

Through continuous interviews and records, we have gradually learned to actively collect and process information, raise questions and solve problems, to provide our achievement with a value of preservation and further development.

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

First of all, the students have absorbed so much knowledge and learned so many skills during such a short period of time. In the beginning, when asked about what they were doing, they would say they were using the computers. However, their answer has changed because they have been to too many places, interviewed too many people, written too many thoughts and made use of so many latest resources and equipments at school. Now, they would say they are honored to have participated in this meaningful activity.

We would like to thank Mr. You-hsiang Hsu from Hualien County Shioulin Township Tonglan Village, Mr. Chung-yi Chen Lin from Wanrong Township Hongyeh Village for accepting our interviews. Their professional knowledge relevant to the Thanksgiving ceremony has greatly helped us throughout the process and allowed to learn about the rich culture of Truku tribe.

We would like to show our appreciation to Kaji Cihung, a local history and culture worker at Shioulin Township Tongmen Village with a degree in Anthropology at Tzu Chi University. From his “Improvisation and Tanscendence: The Seejiq Truku Village Ritual and Ancestral Images”, we could completely understand the history of the Thanksgiving ceremony and therefore have learned a lot.

We would like to thank Ms. Ching-hsiang Hu for her “Hualien County Sejiq Truku Traditional Ballads”, which completely presents the authenticity of the traditional music of Truku tribe. We have been very honored to be give the opportunity of listening to her music, from which we could experience the vigor and profoundness in the forests and the mountains.

We would like to thank Hualien County Wanrong Township Office and Shoulin Township Office for its organization of the Thanksgiving ceremony, which gave us and so many others an opportunity of having a close contact with the great traditional Truku tribe cultures.

We are members of the New Aspen Club who have taken the responsibility of culture transmission. We will carry on this work and have close interactions with the communities and school to ensure the preservation of local cultures.

(5) Intellectual Properties

We would always carefully write down our thoughts after each interview. It was difficult to present the actual situation though we were only required to write short articles. The teacher gave speeches about intellectual properties; therefore, we had been very careful when quoting information (words, photos, illustrations, music and videos) on-line that we always provided bibliographies and copyright agreements to show our respect to the authors.

(6) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises

Many people have a strong passion for their ideals and work hard to achieve them. From elders and experts with great knowledge of traditional ceremonies such as Hongyeh Village Head, Mr. Chung-yi Chen Lin, Wanrong Village Head, Mr. A-yuan Cheng, Tongmen Village Head, Mr. You-hsiang Hsu to music collectors Ms. Ching-hsiang Hu and Mr. Kaji Cihung, we have discovered a common feature: they persist in their interests. They showed an awe in ancestors, strong confidence, courage and professional attitude when we rediscovered their wisdom. Their strong power of knowledge has led us towards to great hall of cultures and society step by step. The lesson we have learned was that we needed to make a better use of time and improve our communication ability with the tribe.