Digital Storytelling at Protsahan India Foundation

Description

Protsahan has collaborated with an online Flash movie making service called toufee.com to create and provide teachers with a new online tool using which just about anyone can create short animated digital stories without learning any technical skills, purchasing any video editing first, hosting hassles, etc first. What this means in terms of development is that now every teacher across India can create animated short stories / videos in minutes and show to their class on a laptop to help improve book learning.

What do we deliver?

The target group is the slum community of Urban India today and remote/ rural villages in the future. This technology is a multi platform initiative that combines the power of MULTIMEDIA with EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH to help young children prepare for school and life and community relationships. It integrates a 360 degrees approach of learning with fun and yet keeping learnings grounded with real life problems.

Whom we deliver?

The slum community at Protsahan is currently using the product. The students of Protsahan, the teachers and also the community are using the service today. For teachers at Protsahan: We have provided a new way for teachers to aid learning. Simple concepts which were once explained only via books can now be presented with the help of short animated videos which the teachers can create themselves in a matter of minutes. For street children at Protsahan: It is now easier to understand concepts with help of videos and animations. Seeing their own photos used to create the video, the joy of learning is enhanced multifold. The content is refurbished time and again taking cues of important happenings in the community. Lets say, the community has just seen a devastating epidemic of Chikungunia, the slum children will make simple edited videos, without really learning the complex English language, using real pictures from the community to further spread awareness. It is rich in multimedia content and that makes it more interesting and engaging for students it facilitates learning Community: Protsahan has created short animated videos on water saving, how to prevent one from water borne/mosquito borne diseases during rains, good eating habits which we plan to show inside the slum areas where Protsahan is working. Earlier it was impossible to find good videos in Hindi language but now because of this new technology we are not just able to create the same but also personalize the movies with actual photos of their slum areas and appropriate vernacular and customized narration which increases interaction, interest and awareness.

How is the project unique?

INTERACTIVE: This e-learning software captures the attention of slum children who have a hard time breaking and challenging the status-quo and monotony in their lives. In each video, there is an animated picture of a child with a same name as one of the students in the classroom, this gets the children to usually glare at the screen with interest. We have seen that technology can change people, impact them and this can reach out to people all across India. FREE: Toufee and Protsahan have collaborated to create a free version of the flash making tool targetted for creating short online digital stories by non technical users to revolutionize education within Indian slums. Since it is an online tool there is no download and installation and it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux EASY Everything is click and point and teachers/children themselves can create simple animated movies on virtually just about any topic in a matter of minutes. There are no FTP hassles, hosting, etc. which means the teachers can focus their energies on the content rather than worrying about the technical nitty-gritty.

Roadmap

Our first step is to convert most of the syllabus being taught in primary classes along with videos on AIDS awareness etc. with relevant digital stories so that kids everywhere can benefit from it. Our second step is to create digital content for the marginalized women supported at Protsahan, which are learning creative livelihood generation activities. The designs we make on diyas and candles and pillow covers could again, become simply digital, by the same woman who had conceptualized it, in the first place! We plan to publish all the above videos under a Creative Commons (CC) License on our Protsahan Blog so teachers and NGOs all across India can access and show the same without restrictions. We also plan to teach the digital storytelling software itself to children in the coming time so that they themselves can create movies on topics which will impact their community, etc. This way not only will they gain a better understanding about the topic itself but also learn how to create digital stories which they can share online in the process. It has the power to transform the way education delivery happens at a neglected urban slum.

Contact

Protsahan India Foundation
Sonal Kapoor
357, Vasant Enclave, New Delhi- 100057
URL/Website – www.protsahanindiafoundation.org