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Videos

Nov, 11

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Classroom News, Project Tracks, Videos

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Introducing #TMSFreedomIs

#TMSFreedomIs

#TMSFreedomIs

What does freedom mean to you?

What does freedom look like?

What does it sound like?

Smell like?

Taste like?

These are the questions my students at MGM and Seetaphalmandi are grappling with right now as they both head into making their final projects about the idea of freedom. Though you can look forward to some very interesting videos from them, in order to complete these projects we need YOUR help!

If you have instagram, think about the above questions and then take a photo that represents your vision of freedom. Tag it with the hashtag #TMSFreedomIs (and @themodernstory –> PS follow us! #shamelessplug) and your instagram may end up in one of the students’ documentaries!

The goal is to source opinions on this topic from all over the world. Though we know what freedom means to us, what does that mean when it is translated to the US or Thailand? What is universal about freedom and what is different for each person?

Feel free to be as creative as literal as you want, and the campaign is certainly not limited to students. Anyone can (and is encouraged to) participate! We’ll be collecting posts throughout the next two weeks. If you need some inspiration, check out the #TMSFreedomIs tag on Instagram– students have already begun posting their thoughts!

Thank you in advance. Now get ‘gramming!

Nov, 10

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Classroom News, Reflections, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos, Watch

West Marredpally: Harmful Alcohol

When you’re pushing to get a project done, sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of why you’re making the project in the first place. This was definitely the case with my class at West Marredpally as we worked to complete our video on alcohol. In my rush to move through the process of choosing a topic and writing a script, we ended up with a story that felt a little disconnected from the students’ actual experiences with alcohol in their communities. So, instead of moving on to the next steps of pre-production, we took a day to just step back and discuss the message we wanted our video to send. We talked through reasons why people choose to drink, researched the long-term and short-term effects of alcohol abuse, shared personal experiences of peer pressure, and in the end rewrote the script to be something the students would want to show their friends to encourage them to make smart choices about alcohol. From there, we plunged back into pre-production with renewed excitement. The girls put their all into writing a shotlist, rehearsing the dialogue, and decorating the set. As an added bonus, we filmed the birthday party scene on the date of my actual birthday. The students made me wear a sari (which they had to retie when I arrived at school) and once we finished filming, they turned the set into a party for me. This was definitely one of my most memorable birthdays, and that’s due a lot to it capping off a project that meant so much to the students. It wasn’t a celebration for me as much as it was congratulating ourselves for our hard work.

Here I am cutting the prop cake (not super tasty after three days of sitting on set).

Here I am cutting the prop cake (not super tasty after three days of sitting on set).

Nov, 6

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Classroom News, multimedia home, Reflections, The Modern Story Fellowship, Videos, Watch

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MGM: Freedom For Girls

Constant talk of marriage, lack of parent support, street harassment, and cyber bullying: just a day in the life of a teenage girl? That’s what students at MGM Girls Government High School say in this short film about a girl named Zoha. Though Zoha wants to go to school (and has her brother’s support), her family wants her to get married and stay inside. But what would happen if she had her parent’s support? This movie explores both options.

The film also touches on issues that modern girls face, like harassment, bullying, and blackmail through cell phones. In India, where mobile phones are more widely available than ever before, this has become another tool for making girls’ lives harder.

Proud of these students for thinking of this idea, writing the script, filming, and editing on their own! Stay tuned for what MGM has coming next.

Nov, 6

1

Classroom News, multimedia home, Project Tracks, Reflections, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

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MGM: Stop Power Cuts!

Ever since Telangana split off from Andhra Pradesh in June, power cuts have increased dramatically in Telangana because Andhrah is where most of the region’s power originates. The Hindu newspaper reported that people in Telangana are facing power cuts between four to 18 hours per day. Students at MGM Government Girls High School in Nampally have taken notice– in the middle of the day there will be no light for a classroom and we can’t use computers. At night, they sometimes have to do homework by candlelight or flashlight– or not do it at all. This PSA shows how power cuts affect three students’ lives in order to shed light on this problem. The idea, filming, and editing was done almost entirely independently by this group, which is quite a feat given this is their first movie ever. Proud of their work!

This video is one of a series of three short movies that the students produced focused on spreading a message about an issue in their community. The students came up with the concepts, scripts, and shots on their own, in addition to doing all the filming and most of the editing.  Given these are their first movies, I am really impressed at the outcome!

Nov, 6

0

Classroom News, multimedia home, Project Tracks, Reflections, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos, Watch

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MGM takes on Swachh Bharat (before Modi)

One of India’s currently most talked about civic works movements is Swachh Bharat– Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign to sweep the country’s streets clean of rubbish. MGM students were a step ahead of the Prime Minister, pointing out the issues with garbage on the streets and the poor infrastructure around trash pick up before the campaign even began. With this in mind, they have created a visual letter to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) discussing their issues and complaints around garbage in the city. They also include short fiction stories about how garbage affects citizens’ lives.

These students also brought up an important detail that specifically pertains to Hyderabad: population growth and infrastructure issues that arise because of it. From 2001 to 2011, Hyderabad’s population grew 87 percent, now resting at about 8 million. This massive influx of people, mostly from rural areas searching for better opportunities, has drastically changed the city and infrastructure has not necessarily kept up. I was really impressed with these students for noticing the nuances and context of this issue. Perhaps PM Modi should take notice!

This video is one of a series of three short movies that the students produced focused on spreading a message about an issue in their community. The students came up with the concepts, scripts, and shots on their own, in addition to doing all the filming and most of the editing.  Given these are their first movies, I am really impressed at the outcome!

https://vimeo.com/110616634
31
Oct

0

Classroom News, Daily Updates, Project Tracks, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos, Watch

Happy Halloween from Hyderabad!

Back in July after my first class at Audiah Memorial High School I road the bus back home with a lump in my throat. My first day did not go so well. My entire introduction lesson that I had planned fell apart in an instant when I realized that, as a Telugu-medium school, my students understood very little English. Explanations of The Modern Story, of me, and of our classroom goals were completely lost upon them with no translator present. How was I going to generate classroom discussions? How was I going to get to know these students? How would they get to know me? How would we learn?

These worries all vanished the moment I put them in front of the camera. Some of these students are born-actors. And some are incredibly creative about experimenting with different camera angles. After doing a few photo and video scavenger hunts, I knew I wanted to give them the opportunity to write, create, and act in films that they were truly interested in, and to keep them actively working in-front of and behind the cameras as much as possible.

Last week several of my students asked if we could do a film about ghosts for our final project. They were so passionate about the idea that within one day they created a story outline and a shot list. Ultimately (with guidance from the TMS Team), I decided that we should choose a different topic for the final project. As a compromise, I came to Audiah the next day and told them that we would spend one day in production for their horror film in the spirit of Halloween. This is what we created! Enjoy! Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

 

Oct, 20

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Classroom News, Project Tracks, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos, Watch

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Hyderabad, India to Ranong, Thailand

October has been a bit of a “swiss cheese” month in terms of classes given a 15-day Dussehra break, Eid al-Adha, quarterly exams, and (this week) Diwali, but students have been working hard with the few classes we have been given.

My school, Seetaphalmandi, is doing a classroom exchange with my friends (and fellow Loyola alums) Nick and Kristin’s class in Ranong, Thailand. We sent them this short video about our school just before the end of September and were thrilled to get a response video about two weeks after! Here are the first two videos in our exchange, and be sure to stay tuned for more updates about Seetaphalmandi Government High School and Anuban Ranong School!

 

Jun, 24

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The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

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Meet Karis

When you’re young, you’re likely to have big dreams. Mine were pretty much as big as you can imagine. From year to year I decided I was destined to be a professional soccer player, a fashion designer, a CEO, and even a dolphin trainer. However, throughout all of these ambitious career choices, I kept doing one thing, just because I loved it: storytelling. I made newspapers for my friends, classes, and family starting at age seven, and started taking photos daily when I was 12. Finally one day I wised up and realized that I should probably think about doing what I did everyday anyway for a living. So I decided to become a professional storyteller, or as I usually call it, a journalist.

That dream has become a reality in some of the most incredible ways. I’ve reported for major newspapers and radio stations, and traveled to every corner of cities and around the world in the search for a story. To me, storytelling is the best way to make sense of your life, explore a new place, and interact with others. If you can put a human face on an issue or explain a complicated idea in a simple way, oftentimes you have made sense of it yourself and you can convince people to make a difference in the world. I’m motivated by action, and I’ve found a notebook and camera is the best way for me to spur action in the world. Storytelling was also the only way that I dealt with some tough issues in my life. Growing up, especially when you’re young, can be quite challenging. Asking questions, writing down thoughts, and expressing yourself in words and pictures is one of the best ways to explain your feelings and show the world the importance of your story. With that in mind, while I did journalism on my own, I also volunteered and worked with students to help them tell the stories of their communities and their lives in order to empower the next generation of storytellers.
So when a friend sent me information about The Modern Story, I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me. I’m so excited to travel to a new place, meet new people, learn about Hyderabad (and India), and instill a love of storytelling in more young people. Though it will be quite a bit hotter than my current home, Minnesota, I’m ready and absolutely thrilled to brave the temperatures and travel to Hyderabad to work with The Modern Story and its partners.

Jun, 24

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Pre-Departure, The Modern Story Fellowship, Videos

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Meet Dara

Last summer I heard the story of Cho, a Tibetan refugee, who walked by nightfall for two months to India from a Chinese-occupied Tibet. I was studying abroad in northern India and this service project, a simple language and culture exchange, was meant to serve as an integration method to help prepare us for living in a nearby village. However, for me, hearing his story had a profound impact. Cho told me: “Please tell others my story. I want others to know”. I remember wishing that I had the tools and the proper platforms to get his story out into the world, and not just my small connections to it.

Before I met Cho I understood how important personal storytelling and digital media could be in personal development. While living in New York City I volunteered to teach digital photography to inner-city junior high students. The transformation that occurred was stunning to watch – my students became more confident, it gave them a changed perspective on their world, and it excited them to learn more. It created passion. After meeting Cho I decided that I wanted to do more service for youth, and to help them find their voice in our ever-changing world.

This passion for service also propelled my interest in global education. Following university I moved to Kumasi, Ghana to work for an American NGO where I ran peer mentoring programs in rural villages. I spent seven months there working within the school systems, learning Twi, traveling West Africa, and hearing people’s stories. It was during this time that I learned about The Modern Story Fellowship, and knew that this would be the perfect next step for me to explore additional educational systems, listen to more people’s stories, and to also return to a country that I love.

I think that global education is an ongoing dialogue; it bridges cultural and religious gaps to achieve learning and understanding. I love teaching because I love being a part of that dialogue, and because I never want to stop learning about the world. I am so excited to be a part of The Modern Story, and for this new adventure!

5
Dec

1

Daily Updates, Pre-Departure, Reflections, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

Three Cheers for Uma Rani!

Yesterday was my final class at Bansilalpet School. I’ll reserve a separate post for their final project but just for now I want to highlight one student in particular. We spent the class preparing for today’s final presentation and party: making a snack list, finalizing and retouching all the videos, and deciding who would give the welcome address to fellow students, the entire faculty, and the headmaster. Almost before I could finish asking for a volunteer, Uma’s hand shot up.

“I’ll give the welcome,” she quipped.

My co-teacher Geetha and I were both (pleasantly) a little shocked. From the beginning, Uma has been excited about the class and eager to learn, but also slow to raise her hand and very prone to blushing. She never quite got comfortable in front of the camera, but, slowly, she did make strides: first volunteering to be camerawoman, than to direct, and finally, to take the lead on writing our last fiction story and recording the voiceover. Still, if someone had asked me whom I would have pegged as a willing public speaker back in July, I would never have guessed Uma.

Maybe Uma’s transformation stems from the fact that, as a class, we’ve all gotten more comfortable with each other. We’ve worn insane costumes and had too many spontaneous dance parties to count.  The girls and boys have not only learned to work together, but have found that they enjoy it.  Maybe it’s simply that she’s six months older now. But whatever the reason, in the video below she proves herself to be an incredibly confident and articulate young woman.

I’m missing my students at Bansilalpet already, but it’s no small comfort to have walked away knowing that Uma and her classmates, who taught me so much over the last six months, truly are confident excited and excited about continuing to tell their stories.