Deepam

Books, Benchmarks and Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (RR) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:53:00 +0000

BOOKS, BENCHMARKS AND BEYOND

WM Centre Library Review – Third Term

When one of the Library team members said that we should prepare a write-up on WM Centre Library Review for the Third Term (05 Jan -16 Apr 2011), as we had done for the previous two terms, my first thought was that the Third Term was no different from the other two. This thought was immediately followed by another, “Or was it?”

Books

If we are to write about books distribution in the Third Term, it would be mere statistics. Children’s thirst for books remained unabated and we had to release about 25 more books for distribution to III, IV and V standard students, numbering 54, for taking home to read. Reading of books in the class on Saturdays, assisted by volunteers, continued, where children of II standard and VI standard also
participated with great interest. Out of some 220 books we had, as many as 180 books were in regular use, either in circulation or in class-reading sessions.

During the term, intent on trimming the Library stocks, 26 books were identified to be of much higher standard for WM children and these were handed over to Centre Co-ordinator for exploring possibilities of using them at other Centres.

To cater to the varied interests exhibited by the children, old and new issues of Magic Pot, a fortnightly English magazine (now weekly) specially designed for children – comprising comics to colouring, stories,problem solving tests, quiz, etc. --were bought and donated by two of the team members. Needless to say, these became hot favourites among the children.

Mid-week visits to the school by two of the Library Team members continued throughout the Third Term and as many as 14 such visits were made. These visits helped volunteers to interact with the children more intimately and on one-to-one basis to gauge their interests and overall improvement in language.

There were 4 occasions when a child read out for the other children a story from a book. This exercise boosted children’s self-esteem and motivated other children to emulate them.

Silent reading by some children on their own was tried during this term. However, as monitoring this activity proved to be difficult, this was abandoned after few attempts. With a better volunteer strength, probably, we could have gone on with this experiment and emerged successful, instead of losing out not just in efforts, but also in keeping track of books in the overall extra excitement this trial created. In
the third term, sadly, as many as 22 books have been lost or have gone missing.

Benchmarks

All the targets set at the beginning of the academic year – number of books every kid reads in a year, recalling stories read, overcoming hesitation to speak in English, reading to an audience --were surpassed with ease and children’s interest in seeing, reading, drawing and learning from the lot of books we placed at their disposal kept increasing and we went on creating new benchmarks. However, the number of kids showing considerable improvement in the language front was not up to expectations
and this has to go up to make the library project a total success. This is the goal set for the coming year, and towards this end, the team has already started devising plans and processes, including investing in and inducting as many as 50 new books.

Seeing that the children have started to eagerly look forward to taking home a book on Wednesdays, the teachers decided to make use of this interest more effectively. As a means of punishment, unruly children were forbidden from taking home any book for a week or two. Though this gave way to long faces, the apprehension of another week without book made the children correct their behaviour.

Beyond

Books and benchmarks are part of any Library effort, but alwyas there was something beyond these that was taking place in Deepam WM.

At the beginning of the third term, on January 7, a group of 18 children were taken on a guided tour to Anna Centenary Library, Kotturpuram, to make them understand the concept of a Library and give them a feel of the Library atmosphere and culture. The sense of awe the kids had on seeing the huge building with rooms and rooms of books (not just rows and rows), including some in Braille and digital Braille made us feel: One Library visit = All Deepam sessions of the year.

When announcement about Deepam’s Third Anniversary function was made and the Centre coordinators decided that each Centre would give a brief account of its activities at the function, the Library Team decided to make this intro speech a lively show. An idea as to how to present it was conceived, contents were developed and transferred to paper, resources (8 children) for the part handpicked, rehearsals and practice done, the children made to understand what they were to speak - and they did! Many unscheduled visits to the school were made by the team members, with one goal
in mind and when the speech was delivered at the Anniversary Function held on 19 March, the children outperformed everyone’s expectation. The remarkable capability shown by the children in reading, understanding, committing to memory and reproducing to an audience of 500 plus with hardly a tremor showcased the fruits of our efforts.

When the twice-weekly interactions with the children revealed that some of the IV standard children were dismally poor in basic English and found it difficult even to understand simple words, we identified 10 kids who needed help the most. A book specially designed for such children (simple words in bilingual form) was purchased and given to each of them, along with a notebook. Exercises to learn the language
in a fun way were devised and the children were told to do them during vacation as a pastime.

Ten children who exhibited excellent learning skills, eagerness to learn, improvement in attitude, exemplary behaviour and an enthusiasm to participate in Deepam classes regularly, were chosen to be rewarded. It was unanimously agreed that nothing other than a Book would be a fitting gift to them. Therefore, we bought 10 sticker books that were learning-oriented but with entertainment value and these books were presented to them during Deepam’s Anniversary function. Later, the children could
be seen going through these books with eyes wide with pride.

Reaching out

On the last day of the school, the Library Team members visited the school to give away free Tamil and English books to children for reading during vacation. These came out of the books received by the Centre as donation. The Magic Pot collection was also cleared and the magazines found their right places in the kids’ bags ‘to keep in touch with English’ during vacation.

Few books were collected from members’ own personal stock of books and reached to one of the IV standard boys who was staying home nursing a fractured leg and has been advised a month’s rest by the doctor.

What started as an effort to introduce the children to simple story books in English and to ensure that every child had read at least 10 books at the end of the year, has now become synonymous with a ‘way of Deepam English sessions’ at WM Centre. Nearly eight to ten kids have been able to understand the concept of library record too and had an index of a list of books they had read, which, to them, is a matter of great pride.

Conclusion

Wrapping up last year with a good sense of fulfilment, we hope to strengthen the efforts in the forthcoming year in the Library front to increase its effectiveness and consequently the satisfaction of having a fantastic outcome. With volunteers keenly supporting library team’s efforts through the year, such increase in effectiveness and ensuing joy are only to be expected, naturally.

WM LIBRARY TEAM
5 June 2011

Microsoft Digital Literacy Certification

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Mon, 30 May 2011 05:12:00 +0000

Deepika is one of our regular students at uroor kuppam centre. Bubbly and full of energy always. Today, she is nervous and not her usual self. She is about to take a 'practise' assessment test - She scores 80% and yet doesn't clear as assessment test ( the test was deliberately made tough by the test designer, with higher cut-offs ). She breaks down ... All the volunteers talk to her and cheer her up. Kamalesh tells her it was a practise test and she still isn't convinced...

That moment defined what the UK centre has managed to accomplish over the last 3 years. Deepika could have taken the test 'lightly' and with no emotions attached. But there seemed to be a sense of attachment and 'a want' to do well. This surely has come from the months of bonding between the volunteers and the children..

A week later,Saturday the 28th May 2011 4 pm was a proud moment for all of us at Deepam - 6 children from Deepam took the certification test. All of them cleared the exam. Here is the certificate of the 1st kid from Deepam who passed the Microsoft Digital Literacy Certification

This certification tests students knowledge about basic computers , internet and worldwide web , basic skills in productivity programs among others. This is a significant step for Deepam since our computer curriculum is also focussed on making children familiar in the same areas as digital literacy certification curriculum.

Thanks to all the volunteers who have worked with the UK centre children over the last few years. Prasanna , Kamalesh , Shyam , Arti and the logica volunteers had spent last few weeks revising the curriculum , getting the children prepared for this certification.

Someday soon, we will have all children at Deepam - Microsoft Digital Literacy Certified !

2010 Deepam Fellows

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:53:00 +0000

Deepam Fellow is an award to honour the volunteers who have gone an extra mile to support the cause of education at Deepam. Our earlier fellows - 2009 Deepam Fellows , 2008 Deepam Fellows

Deepam aims to honour 2 types of people through this award

People involved in direct teaching & mentorship : Teachers are the people who have an immense opportunity to change the future of the world - by positively influencing the people who will inhabit the world in the future. The best among them will be honoured through the Deepam Fellowaward
People involved in design & implementation of programs enabling teaching : By designing / implementing a program that enables teachers / children to meet their education goals, people who design / implementation work in tandem with teachers to make an impact on the children. The best among these people will be honoured through the Deepam Fellow award

2010 Deepam Fellow

Rajagopalan Sir - Everytime I talk to him, I come away with a light feeling. I would not have been surprised if he was on the stage at the annual day, shaking the legs with the children. Almost twice my age, he has never 'adviced' me or saye or the other 'kids' :) - he easily connected with all the volunteers and won our respect and admiration, just for this. His flair for writing , wit and energy filled emails / puzzles keeps the Deepam mailing lists alive

He is meticulous in his work, along with Vasanthi mam / Maduravalli Mam, organises a successful library program at the Deepam West Mambalam centre. He visits the centres even during weekdays to run the library program. His enthusiasm to help children read was evident in the way he helped organise the Deepam WM centre trip to the Anna Library. He also prepares 'interesting lesson plans like this ;) .

He connects with the children with ease. They adore RR sir :) - no wonder he was called in as a 'chief guest' for the West Mambalam school's annual day.

We are honoured to have RR Sir with us. He is one of our Deepam Fellow 2010

Meera - One of the earliest volunteers, Meera was active at Deepam, despite a 2 year study break in the US. She actively evangelised Deepam in the US and brought in valuable donation dollars.

When she got back, she was keen to make a difference on the ground. This keeness as evident when she encouraged the children to participate in the Google Doodle contest - I was pushed into taking her to the Uroor Kuppam on a sunday afternoon, where we met the children with the painting kits.

She showed equal enthusiasm in building a strong team at the Uroor Kuppam Centre, who have been doing some great work at the centre.

She also pushed us / kept hope / helped in writing an effective proposal that helped Deepam win the 2HP EdTech award.

She is our other Deepam Fellow 2010

3rd Annual Day - Thanks for making this a memorable event!

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 04:34:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

It was a joy to watch the children enjoy the Deepam Annual Day. Almost all of them seemed like natural performers on the stage. Thanks to all the volunteers for making this a memorable experience for the children.

Leeba - First one to show up at the 'party' . She got us answers to some difficult questions - Right from the start, she took on the job of helping identify venue / chief guests / making other arrangements, besides helping out the VRS team to put up the show.

Basu - Has always been a solid support at Deepam. This time too, he ran the show behind-the-scenes and ensured things happened.

Archana - Wherever she is, she contributes to Deepam. Despite living in Poland, She co-ordinated - designed / ensured the certificates , medals were available for the event, well in advance !

Priya / Radhika / Other KCG College students - Talented bunch from the KCG College. Their consistent efforts at Deepam is really an example for college children. On the annual day, they entertained all of us with their music. Thanks!

Vandhana - New to deepam - yet got into "action mode" along with Archana to get the medals / certificates were ready, much before the event. Thanks!

Our Guests Murali / Illayaraja from Sevalaya - Thanks for sharing your stories and being with us on this day. The children connected with your speech and was motivating for them.

Orderyourchoice.com - Thanks for supporting the event. Gladly offered to sponsor, on hearing about annual day.

Roopa / Swapnil / Sriram / Mahesh - Thanks for supporting the event with your generous contributions. The best part was all it took was an email about the event and they gladly responded on their own :)

Hotbreads - Our 'food partner' - they provided snacks for all of us. They were feasted on by all of us, hungry ones!

Yashwant - Took on the role of MC, this year too. Kept everyone engaged . He also brought in a humourist-friend, who kept us light and laughing with his mimicry

Sriram / Noopuran / Pradyot / Anupama - The photographers for the event. Sure made us all feel 'big' on stage . Thanks for capturing the moments!

The centre teams and Children ( so many to mention here ) - Going by what we saw on the day, it was clear that every centre had put in a lot of effort to put up the show. Many hours had gone into re-hearsing and getting 'ready' for the day. Despite a volunteer effort, it was heartening to see the effort to make the show as professional as possible - the ideas / the 'props' / the execution was just awesome. Thanks a lot friends, you deserve the most special thanks !

Thanks

Deepam Team !

Deepam 3rd Annual Day - You are Invited !

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 03:52:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Deepam turns 3 this April and we are getting together to celebrate the best year we had, till date. As always, this event is focussed on the children - they will perform on the stage for us. We will also felicitate the teachers ( Volunteer - Teachers ) who have been mentoring them through this year.

Venue : Bapalal Bhavan , #15 ,1st Seaward Road, Valmiki Nagar ,Thiruvanmiyur

Date : 19th March, Saturday , 2011

Time : 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM

We request your presence for this event, to be with the children and support Deepam.

All are invited.

Thanks

Deepam Team

HP Grant - Delivered

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:54:00 +0000

A small dream we had 3 years ago , is now a reality - ALL Deepam centres will have computers and internet from next academic year !

The shipment from HP arrived a few days ago - The HP grant of 20 laptops , a printer / scanner / copier ( all in one ) , 20+ inch monitor was delivered.

The laptops are some of the latest ones in the market - has an i7 processor, rotating screen with touch sensor and importantly, will last close to 9 hours on full charge ( HP has given heavy duty batteries too !! )

Deepam Annual Day - Contribution / Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:16:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Deepam 3rd Anniversary Celebration is on 19th March ( Saturday ). We will have events / performances by the children , followed by certificate / medal distribution to the children.

Here are the pics from last year's event -

We are looking for sponsors / Donors for this event - The donation / sponsorship will be used for

Certificates / Medals for children - 15k
Transportation of children from school to event venue / back - 10k
Food / Snacks -5k
Venue cost - 5k
Misc ( audio / projectors etc ) - 5k

The contributions could be any amount. Please mail kk@deepam.in , if you are interested in contributing for this event.

thanks

Microsoft Digital Literacy Certification at Deepam

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:17:00 +0000

Some exciting news for Deepam Students -

Deepam is now one of the Microsoft partner NGOs for providing Digital Literacy Certification. What this means is, every one of the Deepam student can now take up an online assessment and get certified by Microsoft. This online assessment will be conducted at the Deepam Centres.

The best part about the certification is that the curriculum for assessment closely matches the current focus at Deepam. Our students can now graduate with a Microsoft certification, on successful assessment.

The Digital Literacy curriculum consists of five courses:

Computer Basics
The Internet and the World Wide Web
Productivity Programmes (Word processing, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Databases)
Computer Security and Privacy
Digital Lifestyles

The certification will start soon at the Deepam UK Centre.

UK dashes off to the Chennai Book Fair!

noreply@blogger.com (Abhi) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:40:00 +0000

It was a lazy Sunday morning by the beach when UK volunteers had assembled to do a quick head-count before we left for St George's School, Egmore. Sixteen heads, including the volunteers. When Meera had called for a fun and productive way to spend a Sunday the previous day (when UK classes were held), she certainly didn't expect such a large turnout.

We soon marched off to the Besant Nagar bus terminus (the only means to transport such a large contingent) and after an hour long rickety ride through Usman Road which all but broke our backs. A short walk later, the sixteen of us strode into the gargantuan complex after reaching a consensus on disciplinary issues (all kids were to line up and stay with us at all times and were not to visit any shops without our approval). Surprisingly, there were no defaulters- it was more difficult to convince the kids to put books back on the shelves and move on!

We decided on a few stalls to visit- notably the Sura Books stall that the kids loved for the pocket-friendly quiz material and the eponymous Indian Book House (that publishes the Amar Chitra Katha series). A couple of kids made a few purchases after seeking anna's or akka's approval. We were amazed at their enthusiasm and wished we could play Santa, if only we had the resources.

At two, we dispersed for a lunch break and discovered the only hygienic food options available were fresh fruits and corn!. After our 'snack', we decided to head home, anticipating another hour-long journey, deciding to skip window-shopping. This time, we skipped the Panagal Park area altogether and were back in less than an hour, surprisingly.

Back home, binging to break the day-long fast and napping to put sore muscles to rest, I realized that the backpacking experience was one adrenaline-charged day that I will never forget! Not to mention, putting smiles on a dozen young faces!

PS: Next time, a bit more planning will make it more comfortable for everyone. Nonetheless, we're a learning organization and this is yet another learning experience- for volunteers and children alike.

noreply@blogger.com (RR) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 09:32:00 +0000

WM CENTER LIBRARY – AN EVOLVING CONCEPT

The Second Term

How long has it been since any of us wrote, mentioned or even heard the words “mental block” or “alien” while talking about WM Center children’s approach to English? Quite a while, isn’t it? It is now there for everyone to see: the children have shed their inhibition in this respect. Being treated with a blank look when volunteers speak to them in English has become a thing of the past. On the other hand, often we observe the children trying to speak or ask questions in English.

A lot has to be said for this impressive progress. While lessons taught in the curriculum front have contributed to this marked improvement, it is the role that the Library team had played in bringing about this much-cherished change that we wish to record in this document.

In the first Term, the Library Team had laid a solid foundation and the joint creative power exhibited by the volunteers and the children alike through the academic year has brought about the transformation that we see today at the end of the Second Term.

One of the developments in the Second Term that the Library Team saw and could be proud of – one that could well be the greatest reward to the Team for its persistent efforts -- is that, inspired by the other children visibly enjoying taking home books to read, six of the III standard kids showed interest and wished to be enrolled as recipients of books every week. The Team was only too happy to oblige them. It was very gratifying when we were later told that these children narrate the books’ contents to the other children under their English teacher’s supervision.

It will not be out of place to mention here that not a single week had passed without two members of the Library Team visiting the school on Wednesdays (or the day preceding or following it in case of a holiday) for distributing books to the children who have come to look forward to Wednesdays eagerly, with a book in hand and a book in mind. Of the 12 weeks in the Second Term, 11 days’ of book distribution took place except one week when it was not done keeping in mind the terminal exams.

In the Second Term, 36 new books were additionally put in circulation, throwing open to the children the option to choose from as many as 103 books. It is a common sight these days to see some kids picking a book, going through its pages and deciding to discard it and go for another book. And there are children who specifically ‘ask for’ books by name and still some who insist on books with more sentences per page.

After keenly observing children’s likings and keeping in mind their progress in becoming more and more interested in books, 24 new books were purchased in the Second term. With regular weekly visits by volunteers on Wednesdays for distributing books among 54 children, the turn-round of books increased drastically. This also resulted in many books becoming oft-read and well-thumbed, necessitating binding of some of the books to make them sturdy and withstand more handling. This exercise was taken up and 40 books identified as most dog-eared were got bound.

At the end of the Second Term, Library Record Notebooks of the children were collected. These notebooks were evaluated by the Library Team off-site and, based on how effectively they have been utilized by the children, stars were awarded to stimulate more interest in keeping record of books read. Sticker stars were stuck in their notebooks. Of the 24 notebooks reviewed, 5 were found worthy of 3 stars (the highest rating).

The Second Term also saw children taking to reading books in groups with the help of a volunteer in a very eager way. We have had seven good class reading sessions in the Second Term. On days when volunteer presence was less, some kids could be seen to take the lead and form their own groups to read more than one book in the half-hour time allotted for the session. Occasionally, a kid taking a book and sitting all by himself or herself to read it has also become a common sight. During these periods, some children who showed interest in knowing the exact meanings of words learnt were suitably guided in making use of the dictionary.

Besides group reading, children identified as good in reading were given the opportunity to read a book aloud to the class on Saturdays. Mohanraj, Sanjay, Saranya & Vaishali were such privileged ones. This has motivated other children to put in more efforts to be thus recognized.

In December, a day of Library session was converted as Educational Games period. Participated enthusiastically by children as well as volunteers, the session brought to light how learning (or teaching) through games could be more fun and more effective, compared to conventional methods. As one of the volunteers later put it, “Games make children focused…….the hands on activity helps.”

Overall, the results we have achieved so far in Library front have been very good and leave us in no doubt that we can do more for the children.

Computers, Notebooks, Netbooks, iPads and Mobile phones have been changing the way we have been reading, writing, listening and viewing, thus introducing digital in every walk of life. The day we could bring in technology to WM Library, such as children reading an e-story by flipping pages on the netbook using the mouse pad, we would have indeed reached a significant milestone.

________________________

2010 and the Year Ahead at Deepam

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 07:54:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

A very happy new year to all at Deepam.

Looking back at 2010, Deepam stuck to the objective set at the start of the year - Focus more on improving the impact we make . We didn't expand / start new centres. Instead, improved our current programs.

Some significant activities / progress in 2010

A stable team at West Mambalam and VRS centre.
Quantitative evaluation of our teaching at WM / VRS centres
A good implementation of Library program at West Mambalam centre
Internet availability in 5 of our 6 centres
Deepam Fellows
Launch of STARS
Deepam Newsletter - Oli
The 1st Deepam class picnic at VRS centre
Availability of computers at all centres
Structured curriculum at WM / VRS centres
Painting events in partnership with Logica
Fun childrens day and annual day event
Google Doodle submissions by Uroor Kuppam Centre
The origami sessions at all centres
SCRATCH implementation in Pudiador Centre
Ofcourse, the HP EdTech 2010 - Education Innovation Award

And lots more..

Deepam is still in a learning phase and this year has brought out some clear ideas - Importance of consistent efforts / contribution at a centre. West Mambalam and to an extent VRS centres had consistent contribution from the volunteers. Clearly, the 2 centres were able to 'Do More' and execute the ideas. In the other centres, a lot of effort went into ensuring class happened every week.

Looking forward , in 2011, Deepam would again focus on improving the impact / quality of education at our centres. As West Mambalam and VRS showed us last year, improving impact requires consistent contribution. It is this aspect of Deepam, that we will look to improve in 2011.

Lets make 2011 a better year at Deepam.

Thanks

'SOME' FEEDBACK ON LESSON 'BODY PARTS'

noreply@blogger.com (RR) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:52:00 +0000

Basic Body Parts with pictures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo9fQ9A60rU

Disclaimer: 30% of this is based on facts (including the video), the rest pure imagination.

The other day I had sat with five Level 0 (least bright) children at WM Center with the net book to go over the Body Parts video lesson. Names of the students are not relevant, as you will realize at the end of this report. I was able to activate the video showing head, eye, nose, etc., but the audio was not there or was very feeble. Perhaps it was in 'mute' mode. Not wanting to fumble with the net book in front of the children, and thus expose my net book illiteracy, I allowed the video to run without sound. I hushed my ego by making it believe that it was a shrewd strategy on my part to judge if the children could come up with the right words on their own by seeing the pictures, or even try to read the words seeing the letters appearing on the screen.

Normally when they see a word start with H, they will either say Head or Hand, but the pictures accompanying the words helped choose the right word. When it came to distinguishing between Hand and Arm or Leg and Foot looking at the picture alone, which could be confusing even to a trained teacher, the words helped. Occasionally, seeing the children try to pronounce some words, I helped them by sounding the first letter, e.g., mmmmm................, nnnnnn....................., fffffff................ , for Mouth, Nose, Foot, etc.

Lastly, the picture of Stomach appeared. (see pic.)

Now, Stomach, you will agree with me, is perhaps a word the WM Center children had never come across, let alone used, having had no occasion till now to write leave letters on a monthly basis citing acute pain in that part of the body. For ages, stomach ache has been the excuse most preferred by everyone from school kids to executives to housewives to escape not just classes but several other situations because of its unique distinction of being an ailment that can't be disproved by teachers, colleagues, bosses, husbands or even doctors. As if having never heard the word is not bad enough, the word itself is a complex one, looking from a Level 0 kid's angle. It not only cunningly starts with a double consonant but also ends with one, making life difficult for the children and the volunteers.

To come back to my narration, when the picture of Stomach appeared, there was a sudden silence and after about 2.0003 seconds I thought I have waited long enough and started to say st...st.....st...... and had gone as far as 'ssssss' when suddenly, all the five kids triumphantly cried out in unison, "Simran!"

Well, I thought, either the children, assessed as level 0 by us volunteers who consider ourselves to be somewhere in level 122+, could read my mind or I have developed a new skill of group-communicating through telepathy. For, I can’t truly say that the name did not occur to me.

Note: None of the above, except for the contents of the video, is true. Including the allusion that I don't know how to turn on the speaker in the netbook, because I know how to do that. Yes, when I say I know, I just KNOW, okay? If you don't believe me, ask Sim......... NO!.......I was only about to write 'ask simply anyone'.

Can't 'stomach' this kind of stuff, eh?

-- RR

The Sound of Silence

noreply@blogger.com (RR) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 07:58:00 +0000

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own........no, if I hand't 'heard' it with my own ears. At WM Center, it was achieved today not once, but twice.

At the end of the half-hour Library session, with Saye's laptop set on the table with speakers on either side clearly signalling that a DVD was about to be played, the din and noise created by the excited children was deafening. Try as some of the volunteers might, it was simply not possible to make the children stop chattering. Then Saye tried the time-tested method. He somehow managed to make himself heard to the first row of children and told them that until total silence was achieved, he would not play the DVD. To drive home his point, he went and sat in a corner. It took some time for the meaning of his gesture to sink in and percolate to the furthest row in the back. Gradually, the intensity of the noise came down to a light buzz and then to a murmur.........until the class became unbelievably quiet. You could hear a feather settling down. Throughout the transition -- from sound to silence -- all the volunteers remained rooted where they were, sending out an unmistakable message to the children. The DVD was then played.

Well done, Saye!

The second time this same feat was achieved, an entirely different technique was used. After nearly two hours of book reading, video watching, lessons and worksheets, the children were starting to fidget -- as they tend to do after a long session. The activities were all done, we were ready to call it a day when the skies suddenly opened up. The children's noise, coupled with the pouring rain, reached its peak and it was so bad that you couldn't hear yourself think.

Suddenly, above the racket boomed Yeshwant's voice, "All of you be silent." No one bothered. He wasn't one to give up, though. Straining his vocal cords, he again yelled, "All of you be quiet." Again, no one stopped speaking or shouting. Then he bellowed, "Let's hear the rain!" That did the trick! Even the volunteers took notice. Slowly, ever so slowly, the uproar gave way to silence until there was not a sound. Except that of the rain.

In that silence, we listened. We listened to the music orchestrated by Nature that was coming to our ears from all directions. In the stillness, we could hear the rain coming down in sheets, could distinctly hear and distinguish the sounds of rain falling on the roof, hitting the cement floor outside the class-room, dropping in the open space above the class and around it. We could hear the gurgle of rain water as it gushed down the drain.

The silence within the class lasted for about 40 seconds, but within me it stayed much, much longer. When it lasted, it was simply divine. There is no other word to describe how I felt. 'At peace' would come very close to it.

Thank you, Yeshwant!

Deepam wins 2010 HP EdTech Innovation Award !!

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 05:51:00 +0000

Hello Friends of Deepam,

The hardwork and dedication shown by all at Deepam , is rewarded through the 2010 HP EdTech Innovators award . This award includes grant of Technology and cash worth over $40,000. The HP Edtech Innovators award supports educators using technology in creative ways.

The email from HP says " Deepam is one of 10 educational institutions across the globe that have been selected by HP to receive this grant in 2010. Only 4% of the received proposals were funded, making Deepam part of an elite cohort dedicated to enhancing math and science education through the innovations that are possible at the intersection of teaching, learning, and technology. This award of cash and technology is valued at more than $40,000 "

This award rewards organisations that make real impact on people and helps the organisation to build the capacity to reach more people.

An idea like Deepam can exist in many minds but its the execution that matters. It is only because of the dedication and commitment of the entire team of volunteers at Deepam, that we managed to win the award. Every single volunteer who has contributed time and energy to show up at the class , motivate students or even helping Deepam through many administrative tasks, has contributed to winning this award.

Awards like this one validate the Deepam way of thinking and execution. This is an assurance that we are headed the right way. This award also will motivate all of us to put in more efforts .

A working model such as Deepam has high chance of winning awards. Thanks to all volunteers for keeping the Deepam model, working. A special thanks to Meera Sundar - She was always positive about Deepam winning the award. She motivated / pushed a lot of us and applied / sent a proposal for the award grant. Thanks Meera !!

Check this page for details about the award http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/socialinnovation/hpedtech-2010recipients.html

Thanks

Fun with Google Doodle

noreply@blogger.com (Meera) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 07:40:00 +0000

The kids at the Uroor Kuppam(UK) center participated in the Doodle 4 Google contest conducted by Google last month.

Doodle for Google is a competition where young people were invited to design the Google logo in their very own style based on a different theme.
The theme this year was: My Dream for India

We had very enthusiastic responses from the kids in the UK center. You can check out some of the photos of their drawings here:

Deepam on E Tv

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:32:00 +0000

E Tv had done a story on Deepam , last children's day ! Thanks to Rajesh and his crew, for making this colorful video .

Here is the Part-1

and the Part - 2

Engineers of the future in the making.

noreply@blogger.com (chandana easwaramurthy) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:19:00 +0000

Its Oct 2nd, National holiday, shops are closed, schools are closed too, and in most centers children to mass bunk, and decide to watch T.V.But what happens at Kakkan colony center takes everybody by surprise. It was also quarterly exam holidays, so the volunteers weren't expecting much of a crowd.

The previous week, we had taught kids about bridges, their types, their functionality etc, and so decided to give children a hands on experience on what it takes to build bridges. Volunteers were all geared up with all the materials to make this bridge building event a thought provoking one for the kids, but were alsofilled with skepticism about children turning up for the class. slowly by the time it is 5 o clock, we have more than 30 kids in the class, and new kids just kept pouring in.

In a way, we were both happy and scared if we would be able to make the children experience what we intended to teach. so anyway, we take one thing at a time, and decide that the only 5th graders and above will do the bridge building activity in groups of , while the smaller ones will work on dialouge delivery and conversational english. Once again, we were surprised, the smaller ones offered to help the bigger kids build the bridges.

Children and volunteers formed groups and the ice cream sticks were distributed and children were allowed to choose their bridge designs from the templates. The collection of designs was given on an experimental basis to cater to various levels of complexities and to test commitment levels besides team work and visualising 3 D objects. These included simple truss bridges to more complex ones like suspended bridges, arch bridges and beam bridges based on their strength and load bearing capacities.. The thought that these kids probably don’t get a chance to relate real life scenarios to what they read in books made the whole effort of teaching them and experimenting on it made it a worthwhile experience.

We had invited Ms Lekha Umesha as our chief guest, Lekha is an Architect graduated from NIT Trichy. Her areas of interest are in product design and creative designs. Currently after graduation, she has been learning and doing a lot of complex Modular Origami objects.

we had started working on building the bridges by 5.15 P.M. while the bigger kids were scaling their bridge designs and getting ready making their templates, the smaller kids help them apply glue to the ice creams sticks and also run around spying on other teams and their levels of completion. It was a total fun activity, where we were witnessing a combination of team spirit, leadership among the older ones, understanding maths, physics and the strength of materials.

the Judge arrived at 6:30 P.M and only 1 bridge had got completed by then. when we looked around, we had no hopes of seeing any more bridges getting completed, and she started her work on judging, which included criteria like stability, complexity of design, execution and improvisation from the original design, minimal usage of material for maximum strength and load bearing capacity. after the 1st entry had been evaluated, the heat caught on when children started counting the number of tiles the bridge could bear, and the spirit was so high inside the class room.

subsequently all the entries were evaluated, and the result was announced. Honestly it was a very satisfying event and a memorable one for the volunteers and kids as well, as most of them took more ice cream sticks home to complete their bridges and were planning to bring it to class the following week. Later Ms Lekha remarked that, the enthusiasm in the smaller kids was higher than the bigger ones. while some of them took it seriously, some of them were having fun. while some of them struggled with over ambitious design, some of them did a commendable job with their simple yet strong designs. The struggle was more due to the lack of team work and communication skills among kids, as they were unable to communicate what they wanted to deliver and hence slightly complex designs failed to materialise.In effect, it was a learning experience for both volunteers and the kids. Never mind, it was still a practical lesson learnt.

Deepam WM anniversary Celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (saye) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 10:47:00 +0000

No festoons or flowers, no dazzling lights or music. Still, the class room wore a festive look and the joyful atmosphere was so thick you could lean on it. The children had come in dazzling colours that matched the excitement in their faces. It was like it was everyone’s birthday.

In a way it was. Yes, West Mambalam Center of Deepam stepped into its second year on 4^th September 2010 and the function to commemorate it was got up on 25^th September.

And what a day it turned out to be! The class started at 9 AM like any other day, with children vying with each other to get the best book from WM Center’s library. Even though the children knew ‘Board Games’ were to be inaugurated after the library session, it was heartening to see that they were well-behaved, not wanting to rush through the books. Soon, when the modest collection of Board Games was thrown open, the volunteers appearing more excited than the kids, it was greeted with loud cheers. The games were an instant hit.

Children and volunteers formed groups and the games were played with great enthusiasm both by the kids and the volunteers. The Center’s collection of games had been procured on an experimental basis to cater to the interests of children of various levels. These included jigsaw puzzles, word games, chess, games based on numbers and shapes. The thought that these kids probably don’t get a chance to enjoy such games either at home or at school made the whole exercise very special and exciting.

The Center had the honour of having Mrs Chitra Nagesh as chief guest. Mrs Chitra Nagesh worked as a Social Science teacher at DAV and at PSBB and currently after retirement she is working with a lot of schools and teaching Ghandian Values. It was a proud moment for Saye and Yeshwant who have attached so much value to her impeccable qualities, and today they could express their gratitude to their teacher in a way she'd feel happy and invite her over to introduce WM team to her. Mrs Chitra Nagesh put everyone at ease with her simple approach and modesty. Her talk on non-violence and appeal to all to shun violence, going deep into root causes of many a conflict, was really thought-provoking to the kids as well as to the volunteers.

Afterwards the children enacted a beautifully conceived skit, show-casing in just 90 seconds the ideals of Deepam and how over the last one year these have been achieved in West Mambalam Center.

A fitting memento was presented by Deepam WM Center to Mrs Chitra Nagesh. In recognition of the excellent support the school’s Head Mistress, Mrs Radha, and the teachers of the school have been extending to Deepam and its volunteers, an acrylic shield with the inscription “Deepam Supported Institution” was presented to the School.

This was followed by cutting of the Anniversary cake and distribution. Children were also given in a take-home packet cakes, biscuits and chocolates.

Truly it was a very satisfying event and a memorable anniversary for Deepam WM.

Later, commenting on the event, Mrs Chitra Nagesh remarked that Deepam’s way of combining fun with teaching is something that even trained professionals struggle to achieve.

Origami and SCRATCH ! Learning By DOing!

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Deepam KC centre had organised a fun activity for the children. Subash Thiyagarajan , an origami expert, had a fun time with the kids at the centre. He seemed a natural, talking their language , engaging the kids in the art , commanding their attention , keeping the kids interested and amidst this fun activity, he taught us to make this paper art and also a nice lesson in maths on shapes.

All the kids showing off the japanese samurai hat !!

'Tsuru' the bird, that we made !! I enjoyed this workshop . I was happy i made it to this class - this bird is now on my home showcase ;)

Thanks to Chandana and Gokul, for planning and organising this session. They are now keen on taking Subash to other centres. So, if you missed making this 'bird' , you still have a chance ;)

Deepam team at Pudiyador has been experimenting with a new application called SCRATCH. SCRATCH is an interesting tool - students can draw / animate the characters / record audio and play them in sync with their animation. In short, children can make a short animation movie!!

No no, it is NOT complicated - with such easy to use tools, SCRATCH makes the children enjoy this experience. How do i know if the kids liked it ? Well, the volunteers had to stay 30 mins past the scheduled close of class, since the children were so engrossed in the project :)

One of the kids showing off their project :) - Surely, learning is only by DOing :)

Sooper work Ram / Santhiya / Shashi / Deepa et al. Awesome energy in the class !!

Netbooks at Deepam West Mambalam Centre!! Thanks to OPEN India

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:17:00 +0000

We had our first class at the Deepam WM center on Sept 5th 2009 with a dream of introducing computers to the kids and teaching English by using them as a tool and one year later we have realized this dream. It is more than a dream come true for these less privileged kids who are enjoying the english lessons taught using the netbooks.

The Deepam West Mamblam center currently has 6 Dell Mini Netbooks and from the class on Sept 4th we have integrated it as a part of our curriculum. We are sure that the children will cherish learning english from the Hi Tech tool. The WM team is very happy and grateful to the sponsors for not only nurturing the enthusiasm in the kids but also helping the center take one step closer to being GREEN by helping us reduce the number of worksheets used in the class.

All the 6 netbooks at the west mambalam centre were sponsored by OPEN India. Just over a call , OPEN team decided to support Deepam and followed through with it. We are grateful and thankful to OPEN , IGNITE trust and Sriram Gopalaswamy and Bala from DELL for making this happen. We look forward for your continued support. Also thanks to Saye for his initiative - he came across OPEN and wrote to them requesting for support... and here it is :)

Deepam Financials 2009-10

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:46:00 +0000

Though we had these numbers in our newsletter issue of july 2010, financials required a seperate post.

Highlights

All the monies raised / donated were used to directly benefit the children
There is no admin expense - no money spent on activities that didn't directly benefit children . For example : No salaries were paid to 'volunteers' / no cost of operating an office etc
The netbook fundraiser organised by Srini / Balaji / Meera and Vijay
Many small contributions that added up quite well, to end the year with a surplus
We bought 6 netbooks with the monies , to support the UK / KC centre

Thanks to our treasurer Bhargav, for patiently working through this one. Quietly, he works away in the background, to ensure all the activities go smooth without the glitches. Thanks buddy!

Thanks Round Table / TeamUSA (Indiateam.org)!!

noreply@blogger.com (saye) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:16:00 +0000

When noble and munificent organizations or individuals come up with donations to strengthen and support Deepam in its continuous endeavour to light the spark in the child’s mind – and keep it glowing – it is with wide open arms and lot of gratitude that such gestures are received.

A sizeable fund was given to WM Center out of the donation received from Roundtable ( Madras Knights Round Table 181 ) / TeamUSA (Indiateam.org), and the co-ordinators wasted no time in inviting suggestions from volunteers on how best to utilize it. Equally quickly, mails were exchanged, needs discussed and the Center’s immediate requirements finalized.

The first was a 5.5’ steel almirah – a long-felt need at the Center. This was ordered, delivered and was in place at the Center and one set of keys was handed over to the School Head Mistress on 31/07/2010. The storage space in the cupboard will be shared between Deepam and the School.

Another immediate need was augmentation of WM Center’s Library. As many as 55 books, hand-picked with utmost care to suit WM Center children’s aptitude, were added. With this addition, the Center will now be able to fulfill its desire to give children more books to choose from, for reading in the class or at home.

15 learning-based games (e.g, Spell-O-Chess, Origami, Number Puzzles, Jigsaw Puzzles) were added to the Center for use under volunteer guidance. It is the Center’s idea to utilize these as occasional diversions to the children without, at the same time, straying much away from learning.

Deepam would like to thank Round Table (Madras Knights Round Table 181 ) and TEAM USA for its generous contribution and we look forward to their continued support to help improve infrastructure at other Deepam centers.

Internet & Stars - Our Way of Celebrating Independence day at Deepam :)

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:28:00 +0000

Since the 'inception' of Deepam, Internet access has been a dreamy 'reality' at Deepam. Internet access was hoped for / dreamt of / wished for in most of the meetings / discussions but we were 'kick'ed back to reality, everytime. We came close to having the internet available in the centres last year, but we woke up to reality, again.

So, when Balaji of AIDIndia 'formally' launched internet access at Deepam West Mambalam centre this morning, it was a sense of 'dream come true'. Hopes & Dreams were now 'strengthened' by DOing :)

All of us at Deepam always dreamt of a 'Deepam World' where children had access to Information / Knowledge. So, watching the children revel in the excitement of 'playing' with the computers / Internet was euphoric for all of us , at the centre today.

Internet was now available at 5 of the 6 Deepam centres :)

Clearly, these are children who are 'hungry' to learn and one can only wonder about the possibilities that Internet has to offer. But for all of us at Deepam, we have just begun what we set out for, 3 years ago - introduce the children to the world of internet :)

Another significant progress is the launch of 'STARS' project at Deepam - Stars project shoots for the possibility of a deserving child not losing out on education because of lack of monies. That is the core belief that makes Deepam reach out to such students every year and help them do what they do well… excel in their studies and expand their knowledge. Stars project made a small beginning today, by awarding a 'full' scholarship for 2 deserving kids

Deepam would like to thank a few folks for making the 2 projects possible

Jayanthi - She leads the 'Stars' program for Deepam. She stands out through the sheer intensity / commitment she brings to any activity she does. My respect for her, just seemed to go higher, as i worked more , with her. She simply does things :) - thats it. Always ahead of time and always to a degree of perfection. A real DOer :)

NIA : An awesome organisation that supports education of girl children in India. They have supported education of girl children for over 10 years. Over a 100 girls have benefitted from support for school & college education. Deepam is happy to work with NIA to support girls in Deepam :) . Thanks Priya / Vallabhi / Munish, for coming over.

Another donor who wishes to be anonymous - thanks a lot :)

Balaji : The CTO of Deepam !! He was the 'internet access' evangelist at Deepam , never missing an opportunity to highlight the possibilities of internet access for children. He got the infrastructure up and running in no time at all, when we had the datacards. Thanks Balaji !!

And always, the energetic volunteers at the Deepam WM centre - thanks for the awesome time :)

When people want to make something truly happen, the whole world conspires to make it happen.. I was rushing to the centre this morning and missed picking up an envelope, to keep the cash/cheque in, when handing over the prize to the 'STARS' . I hurriedly rang up Saye to get an envelope, but he seemed to be in control of things and asked me to just come over to the centre - When i went over to the center, i was told that one of the children at West Mambalam had made envelopes out of old newspapers and handed them to Saye , just this morning :)

And this was our way of celebrating the Independence Day at Deepam :)

STARS & Internet - New Possibilities

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:35:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

This saturday, we will be launching 2 projects that open up huge possibilities for children. The 2 ideas quite literally opens the 'whole world' for the kids.

STARS :

A deserving child should not lose out on education because of lack of funds. That is the core belief that makes Deepam reach out to such students every year and help them do what they do well… excel in their studies and expand their knowledge.

We are making a small beginning by awarding 2 children, a full scholarship for the academic year 2010-11. All their fees ( school fee / books / uniform / transport etc ) will be covered by this scholarship.

Internet :

The big idea at Deepam was always to expose the children to a world of opportunities through Internet. This is becoming a reality now. Beginning this saturday, Internet will be available at 5 of the 6 Deepam centres :)

The 2 projects will be launched at our Deepam West Mambalam Centre .

Venue : Deepam West Mambalam Centre. Sri Venkata Nivasam Primary School, Thambiah Road, West Mambalam.

Time : 9:30 am

Date : 21st August , Saturday

Look forward to meeting you all, there.

thanks

karthik

Oli - Deepam Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Karthikeyan (KK)) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:14:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

To keep our supporters / Deepam Family informed about Deepam, our newsletter 'OLI' is launched. This will be a quarterly newsletter that brings out news about the Deepam world. Newsletter would the place to share the best practises in different centres , the behind-the-scenes stories , any interesting incident at Deepam or.. just about anything that requires the attention of all the Deepam supporters.

Please feel free to share this link with your friends / family and more importantly... strangers :)

OLI could be launched mainly due to the efforts of Swapnil Lodha and Abhinav Sher. Both, despite living in a different country, spend time to work on Deepam. Thanks to Ajay John , for coming up with a brilliant logo concept & design !! Also, thanks to Meera Sundar, Meera Sivakumar , Srini for helping put together the content earlier.

Deepam Newsletter July 2010