International Schools CyberFair 98

Project Narrative

Hiroshima: From The Depths Of Destruction

To The Heights Of Peace

Information About Our Site

Link to our CyberFair 98 Entry

Link to our School Home Page

Date of Project: March 25, 1998

School: Hiroshima International School

District: Hiroshima, Japan

City: Hiroshima, Japan

Teachers or Classes: Middle School & High School Students; Mr. Paul Ketko (Middle School Teacher, CyberFair Coordinator); Mayumi Yingling (Japanese Language Teacher); Takao Matsuura (Library)

How many students worked on this project? 15 students

Their ages were: 12 -15 years of age

Project Contact Email: his888@po.cisnet.or.jp

Project Overview

We entered our Web site in CyberFair Category: 6: Historical Landmarks

Description of "Our Community"

At 8:15 A.M. August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb dropped in history exploded approximately 850 meters above the center of Hiroshima, Japan. In an instant, it reduced the city to a scorched plain, wiping out countless precious lives and inflicting devastation on all city functions. Because this unprecedented tragedy was on a completely different scale from the destruction caused by natural disasters or conventional weapons we believe that the entire city of Hiroshima can be designated as an Historical Landmark. Thus the city of Hiroshima, with its numerous links to its tragic past was our community.

Specifically, during this project we embarked on several field trips in Hiroshima to view A-bomb related sites such as the Atomic Bomb Museum, Peace Park, and Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF). We met with an A-bomb survivor and learned about the history of U.S.'s involvement in the Pacific War from an University of Hiroshima History Professor.

Summary of Our Project

Our project hopes to enlighten people about the damage caused by the atomic bomb and Hiroshima's feelings about peace. By passing on understanding of what events led up to the dropping of the atomic bomb and the subsequent pain and suffering that ensued we hope to help others understand the "Spirit of Hiroshima" - its appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting peace. Our project is divided into the following sections: Historical Sites; Atomic Bomb facts and figures; Post Atomic Bomb information; Radiation Effects; 1000 Crane Club; Survivor Stories; Hiroshima Internet Links; and a Bibliography.

Our Internet Access

Our project was manufactured in our computer lab which consists of five LAN PC computers. Four of the computers are connected to the internet server through proxy connections. The internet server is connected to the internet through a ISDN line. Our home page is housed at RERF who offers us free use of their survivor and 100 Mb of disk space.

Problems We Had To Overcome

The largest problem we had to overcome was that of limited time. We overcame that problem by working after school and using as much curriculum (coursework) as possible in our project.

Our Project Sound Bite

Participating in this project has allowed us to understand the true meaning of the "Spirit of Hiroshima" - its appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting peace.

Project Elements

1) How did your activities and research for this International School CyberFair project support your required coursework and curriculum requirements?

This project fit into our curriculum perfectly. Our study of "A World In Conflict" included an entire unit on Hiroshima (please see Curriculum materials used for this project).

During this project students learned a great deal about both Japan's and United States involvement in World War II from a variety of sources: texts, primary and secondary sources, the internet, reference books & CD ROMS, videos, visits to the A-Bomb Museum, Peace Park and Radiation Effects Research Foundation, and from guest speakers (two historians and an a-bomb survivor). Using this vast array of resource materials, students worked individually and in groups to gain an excellent understanding about the events that led up to the dropping of the a-bomb on Hiroshima, and the subsequent consequences of such an action. Group work helped to reinforce the goals of cooperation and understanding. This project reflects those goals. Use of the internet helped students hone their research skills and allowed them to collect information from many sources (pictures and facts). Lastly, this project helped in the creation of a home page for our own 1000 Crane Club - the only one left in Hiroshima - to help promote Peace.

2) What information tools and technologies did you use to complete your CyberFair project?

Telephones
VCR
Still cameras
Scanner
Tape recorders
CD ROMS
Internet
Computer software
Libraries
Books, newspapers
Museums
Oral interviews

The above mentioned technology combined to make this project very enriching. While libraries, books, newspapers and CD ROMS helped give us a basic understanding of our topic, it was our visits to museums (Peace and A-Bomb Museums),and the three guest speakers (two historians and an A-bomb survivor) which helped deepen our understanding of the issues surrounding Hiroshima and the A-bomb. The internet played an invaluable role as a source of information and pictures. The use of Microsoft Front Page allowed us to create web pages were creative and attractive. With out a doubt, our project could not have been completed without Front Page. The majority of technology used was located in the school's Computer Lab which was accessible to the students during the day and after school.

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

As foreigners living in Hiroshima we feel that we are always acting as ambassadors. Very rarely does a day go by that someone in the class has the opportunity to see, talk to or interact with individuals who were affected by the A-bomb. For example, Michiko Yamaoka, an A-bomb survivor who was invited to the school to talk about her experiences remembered meeting a student from our group in Tokyo last summer. Another student, whose heritage is Japanese/American has a grandfather who was involved in the war who told her many stories about that time period in Japan. The visit to Radiation Effects Research Foundation generated a great deal of interest amongst the staff. In the past they donated space for the school's home page on their server and gladly offered to offer more space for our project. Jim Madison, a Fulbright history professor at Hiroshima University who visited our school both demonstrated interest in our project by offering extra help and access to Hiroshima University's Library.

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

We believe that our home page will give those who view it a better understanding of the A-bomb and its effects on the people of Hiroshima and the world. This home page is the beginning of a long term project to make this site the definitive source for information about the A-bomb/Hiroshima/and Peace. Being the home of the 1000 Crane Club, our school regularly receive boxes of 1000 Cranes from schools and organizations around the world. Each year we receive 20,000 -25,000 folded cranes (see the 1000 Crane Club). As the only International School in the area, we act as ambassadors to those wanting to live/work in Hiroshima. We hope our project will help these people understand the unique history of Hiroshima a little better. This project has helped us reach out and make friends with several researchers at RERF and professors at Hiroshima University. To date we have received nothing but accolades regarding the content of purpose of our project from parents, students, and teachers.

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

First of all we would like to give thanks to all those who volunteered their time to help us better understand the events surrounding Hiroshima and the A-bomb.

Seymour Abrahamson (Assoc. Chief of Research - RERF)
Dr. Dale Preston (Chief of Statistics Department - RERF)
Dr. Nori Nakamura (Chief of Genetics Dept - RERF)
Dr. Keisuke Iwamoto (Research Scientist, Radiation Biology - RERF)
Dr. Gerald Sharp (Research Scientist, Epidemiology - RERF)
Ms. Nobuko Shiba (Eternal Affairs Section - RERF)
Mr. Tarao Sasaki (Independent Hiroshima Artist)
Dr. John Colonge (Statistics Department - RERF)
Professor James H. Madison (Faculty of Integrated Arts & Sciences - Hiroshima University)
Michiko Yamaoka (A-bomb survivor)
Daniel Seltz (Fulbright Fellow - Institute for Peace Studies - Hiroshima University)

Second we would like to thank the teachers who helped us with this project

Paul Ketko (Middle School-Technology)
Mayumi Yingling (Japanese Language)
Takako Matsuura (Librarian)

6) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises

As the teacher supervising this project I would like to pass on these few words of wisdom:

plan, plan, plan
allocate jobs for small groups to complete and assign completion dead lines
Place each Topic HTML page in its own folder and in that folder include a folder for images. This will help in putting together your final product
Once you start to reach out into your community, you will be amazed how many human resources there are

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