Project Elements

I. How to merge the 9-year consistent education with the standard curricula of Guangfu Primary school with the project of “Taiwan School CyberFair”?
     

Using the topic of “Wave of Fashion—DIY” to teach the students who majored in the project, the research design would be organized as follows:

II. What skills have we learned?
1. The Skills of DIY. DIY is the major topic in the project. We have learned the skills of making craft artworks from clay, beads, perler beads, rhinestones, hair ties, wool felt, and other intricate and beautiful items in pursuit of the DIY trend.

2. Writing the Interview Draft. In the project, we used the methods of interviewing, visiting, observing, and experiencing. We edited the variety of materials to be substantial and organized in content in the project.

3. Interviewing skill. Before the interview, the background data about the interviewees must be collected and we had to design the interviewing items. At the interview, get ready for a recorder and camera. Questions should be made randomly at appropriate timing. In the beginning of the interview, the moderator should deliver the welcoming speech, and the grateful speech in the end of the interview.

4. Imaging Arrangement. We used the software of PhotoImpact to arrange the pictures taken by us. In process, we learned lots of skills to arrange images which would tell the truth and beautify our report.

5. The Skills of Collecting Materials. The data on the Internet was very abundant. How to collect the useful data was very important. In this research we learned the skills to collect the data. We typed the key word and searched for the data on the Internet. The skills we learned to search for the data on the Internet were interesting and useful for us to do the other research later on.

III.How many cooperating teams’ concepts and methods had we realized or practiced?
1. We divided the topic into several units. Each team was responsible for a small unit. Then, they divided the small unit into several parts, too. Everyone had to manage his (or her) own parts. Every team had bodily realized its own link of the entire research program. Missing of any link would foil the program so that every team had painstakingly striven with its utmost effort.

2. All of the researchers were busy, so we cooperate with each other. Some people were to attend the outdoor banquet, some people were to interview and observe the head chefs, some people liked to take photograph, some people had good computer skills and some people were courageous to be responsible of controlling the progress of the research. Sometimes one was a leader and sometimes the other was being led. All of us had learned to play a good role in the task and recognized the importance of incorporation.

IV.How many particular concepts had we experienced or clearly acknowledged?

1.DIY Culture
It is a group of people using materials in their daily life to inject personality through strange ideas, to use DIY and make products and technologies that belong to the local lifestyle; after the passage of time, it becomes DIY culture.

2.Creative Markets In recent years, there is also a rise in creative markets, and they are cheap to rent. There is no great burden on DIY makers, and they can set up stalls of their own in creative markets and directly communicate with customers, sharing the value behind products, so that they can have more opportunities to be appreciated. Creative markets can also congregate DIY makers and they can impact each other to create new ideas in creative achievement, convert group abilities into the energy to promote creative arts.
3.Decoupage The French term “Decoupage” refers to cutting beautiful shapes to paste them on home items or furniture; it is a decorative art that involves creative design. “Decoupage” is a very simple DIY arrangement method. Just cut napkins or print fabrics, then glue them with special glue to easily change the look of plain home furnishings.
4.Wool Felt Wool felt craft does not require machinery or electricity; it only requires hands and wool to make unique works by making designs from the raw materials. The designer uses a felting needle with hooks to poke it slowly and repeatedly to make unique works by making designs from the raw materials.
5.Scrunchies Scrunchies are pretty hair ties that are covered in lots of folds and look like large intestines, but they’re the favorites of many girls with ponytails.

V.How many items of information technology had we applied in completing our research program of “Taiwan School CyberFair”?

VI. What techniques did we use in acting the role “Ambassador” through  working online, personal contacting or team cooperating?

1. Interviews on the Spot. We visited Bear Mama DIY material store, and interviewed the teacher in “A.Bu.Dou” workshop and DIY parents’ experts. They received us kindly and told us a lot of knowledge about DIY to let the project go smoothly.

2. DIY Experiencing. In the project, DIY is the major work. We have learned how to do the beads, perler beads, clay, rhinestones, wool felt and scrunchies. And we have not only learned the skills of DIY, but also gotten a lot of souvenirs.

3.Exhibition of Works. We hold the exhibition of works in the late stage of the project. We exhibited the DIY works making by ourselves and the works borrowed from our schoolmates and parents.

4. Catwalk Show. We invited teachers, schoolmates and parents to attend the presentations. We displayed our DIY crafts with personal characteristics in the catwalk show to let the audiences understand the DIY culture and encourage them to attend the DIY family.

VII.What effect and impact of the research program generated to us?
　　In elementary school, each year we hold a fair, and among the many stalls at the fair, most people sell food and small DIY objects, such as handmade soap, handmade fabric bags, and various small accessories. I always use the envious eyes to see the DIY charms. After the project, I have learned it’s not difficult to be handmade. If I am interested and have time, I would belong to the DIY groups.
　　Moreover, I have learned there is a chain of DIY realm. From DIY material stores to the creative markets and internet sales, there are a lot of DIY creators and DIY aficionados to contribute their works in the markets. As the Cyberfair project ends, everyone also has more and more charms on their pencil boxes and bags. We not only gained a lot of practical knowledge about DIY, but also got many lovely and unique accessories – we got so much out of the project!

VIII.How did other local members provide assistance or voluntarily participate in the research program?

People from the Community	People’s Participation and Help
	←Bear Mama DIY Material Store Explaining the DIY culture and the items of business in the material store, and providing DIY instruction to let us understand the “DIY Trend” entirely and develop the research frame.
	←A. Bu. Dou” Workshop The teacher of “A. Bu. Dou” workshop teaches us how to make “scrunchies” and receives the interview. We have the first experiencing of making DIY fabric arts.
	← Mrs. Ke Mrs. Ke is a DIY aficionado. She teaches us how to use wool felt to make the acorn charm and provides her DIY works to exhibit in our presentations.
	←Mrs. Tie-pi Mrs. Tie-pi is a DIY aficionado, too. She uses leather sculpture and Decoupage to make many beautiful and practical leather sculpture works. She is a major contributor to our presentations, too.
	← The Stall Owner of Creative Market Shopping at the creative markets, the stall owner tells us the joys and sorrows about the DIY groups.
	←School Parents, Teachers and classmates Providing the DIY works to our presentations

IX.Statement of Intellectual Property Rights of the research website.
　　All written information of the entire website is obtained from the integration of our several practical visits & interviews made to the related institute, the website information and the relevant news. The interview part is the truthful recording of the interviewing we had performed by ourselves.
　　The photos in the web were selected from the shots taken by ourselves with digital cameras. Some of the photos were from the internet, newspaper and briefing from the related institutes. Some of the photos were from Ministry of Transportation and Communication. All the applied photos are stipulated with their sources.

X.Discoveries, lessons and Surprises
1. Discoveries: I also found that in life we actually encountered many handicraft works, but we overlooked them because we didn’t know or understand. For example, I did not know that my aunt and sister were both DIY aficionados, and my sister would even go to DIY winter and summer camps. After this research project, I experienced the fun of DIY, and I realized the DIY products were so attractive to people.

2. Lessons: The A.Bu.Dou. teacher taught us to make scrunchies, and we had to keep sewing and pulling, and the repetitive actions made me really confused and tired. I kept thinking, “I’m so glad I’m living now, if I was born in ancient times, I could only make things that sort of look like dragons and lizards, and I would never have gotten married.”

3.Suprises: Since we attended the project, the teacher had found someone to teach us, and we would have definitely gotten some souvenirs. Indeed, now I have so many of them! Also, since I’ve always enjoyed DIY, I never regretted it, and I’m very thankful I chose this topic!