YOCee Blog

Hunting around Chennai

2011-10-09T04:47:00.000-07:00

When it was Puja Holidays -a long one week holiday - we thought the kids could be actively engaged online.

Who are the 'we'?

YOCee and Bambaram. Two independent outfits that cater to the city and its kids in completely different forms and ways.

Why online?

We knew the kids would anyway be online playing, chatting, 'facebook'ing and 'hangout'ing on Google Plus. So why not some Googling and learning?

That worked well. We launched ACID9 - Around Chennai in (9) Days, a Treasure Hunt completely online.

The experience was wonderful at our side when 76 teams (of two kids each) signed up for the Hunt. And what about the participants' version? To find this out, we had the finale face-to-face.

We had invited all the teams that signed up, participated, cracked or tried the daily clues and treasures. We got to know from them how much they enjoyed hunting online every day.

Many parents revealed that they had joined the hunt with their kids.

Yeah, we wanted and expected that!

The top 5 Hunters felt proud holding up their cups and sure they would remain in their showcases for ever!

Do you know what the question the kids, moms and dads asked alike was, when we signed off?

"When and what will be the next online fun?"

Who said the Internet is generally banned for kids in a south Indian city like Chennai?

Quizzing becomes a new weekend activity!

2011-09-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Of late. we see a lot of quiz for school kids.

Chennai is, of course, the quizzing capital as many would observe. But these quizzes are All India level quizzes and winning at Chennai region means another round of quizzing for these kids.

It was TCS IT WIZ last month. The team from SBOA won the regional finals and Bala Vidya Mandir team was the runner up.

It was then time for the Madras Quiz. Murugappa Madras Quotient was launched in a big way this year. Though it was for school students, an adult - a teacher or a parent- was also included in the finals. The team from PSBB Nungambakkam lifted the trophy. Vidya Mandir was the runners up.

Then came the Limca Book of Records quiz. The same team from Bala Vidya Mandir which was runners up in the TCS IT WIZ quiz was the winners of this quiz. And Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram team was the runners up.

Now there will be the Young World Quiz in October / November. The India Quizzing League's Republic Day quiz in January.

So how do these teams prepare for the quizzes? Or they just keep track of what is happening around them?

If you were part of any quizzing team, would you like to share a few tips for those starters?
Mail them to editor@yocee.in. Will be a nice gesture and we will publish them on YOCee.

Madras - Chennai - children

2011-08-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

Madras is Chennai to the younger generation.
Especially to those who are born after 1996.
Yes, that is when the official name of the city was changed to Chennai.

It has been on the records as Madras in English and Chennai in Tamil even before the official change of name. But now Madras is Chennai, though many in the city and many who are abroad still refer to it as Madras.

But then a celebration for the city reminds us of the old and new, history and geography of this city that has multiple faces.
One face of it is too conservative to accept the Western culture.
But the other face is very open to changes and modernisation.
Yet another face is exploring anything new within the parameters of tradition, culture and a little beyond them.

Yes, it is a fascinating city like many other cities in India.
And when it is August, it is time to celebrate every aspect of this city.

What is there for children? Hey, many things. Many firsts and many grand events, contests.
Just look at the array of events for the young people!
Happy Madras Day! Want to call is Chennai Day? Be it, but celebrate your own city!

Reporters ready for the year!

2011-05-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

It is again time for the young student reporters of YOCee to get ready for one full year of reporting.

It is fun, but serious. Nothing frivolous gets into their writing and reporting.
After all they are trained to be official reporters of YOCee.

This year, we grew bigger as the city grows bigger. There are kids from the greater Chennai, that is as far as from the Mahindra World City close to Chenglepet who are enthu about writing.
The bright eyed young people listened to what is reporting and how to go about picking up story ideas. But it is always the Reporter ID card that gets the maximum vote in the whole process.

After listening to the stories of the writers of the past years, the new crowd of cub reporters are ready for finding their story ideas.

Keep logged on to your YOCee, you will find stories and stories and ...

Pick up learning resources

2010-10-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

It is time to learn new things. Traditionally the Vijayadasami day sets the kids and the not-so-kids to a new beginning.

And for those who wished a resource guide to learning various things in Chennai, YOCee's Chennai Kids Directory is already out and available in the market, a very few copies though as of now.

The Hindu Metro Plus has put it out for the public again.

Read Anusha Parthasarathy's piece here.

On Expresso, the Chennai supplement of The New Indian Express

2010-04-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Chennai Kids Directory - Now on sale!

2010-04-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

March has been a busy month.
In schools, it was exams that kept the students and teachers busy.

In companies and banks, it was annual accounts closing time.
And at YOCee, it was a collection and verification of data for Chennai Kids Directory.

A project that began in February went on till the last day of March.

The entire experience was a new and educative. While some were quick to understand what a directory, some needed a more elaboration to make them comfortable to share their contact addresses and numbers. I mean the providers of hobby classes and after school activity centres.

Once everything is collected and verified, the data looked amazing. It ran to 100 pages. The final product is now on sale.

The directory is humbly priced at Rs. 20, though the information in the directory is invaluable.
You can contact YOCee for buying, gifting and bulk orders.

Chennai Kids' Directory

2010-03-24T04:02:00.000-07:00

It was more fun than task making the directory at YOCee.

Task because, we gathered details of learning places and activity centres from all over the city.

Fun because, the verification of details over phone calls connected to a variety of people.

Some thought we were another Credit Card marketing company and disconnected the calls. Some others thought, we were competitors to their centres and didn't want to 'disclose' the details. Some were really sweet to share info of not only their place, but of others who are also engaged in similar activities. But those people were from the unusual hobby centres like the The Hobby Club and the Anglers Club.

A few parents called up and shared the goods and bads of the classes their kids went to.

It was a great experience making the directory.
But we are waiting to see the output in front of our eyes. Release on April 2, 2010.

By the way, do you want to book a copy? Check out at http://www.yocee.in/directory.php

A new kid on the block - Copernicum

2010-03-16T02:08:00.000-07:00

This post is for the Science buffs.
A new element with atomic number 112 is officially named. And this is the new element added to the periodic table.
Named after the 16th century scientist Copernicus this is the heaviest element known element with a name now.

Read the full story here - http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/57303/title/FOR_KIDS_Heaviest_named_element_is_official

Get to sunlight; prevent rickets

2010-02-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

Travel by schoolbus, less of physical education periods in school, back home and relax in the sofa watching TV and to bed in a a/c room!

Sounds nice. But beware you could be diagnosed for rickets! Lack of vitamin D that mostly come from the sunlight is the cause.

Read here to know more. Scientists world over are more worried about this situation.

So make it a point to play out in the open in the evenings and go for a walk in mornings.
The more protected from sunlight, the more is chance to fall victim of rickets!

Catching up with critical thinking

2010-02-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Is your memory good? Or you just go about thinking of applying the common sense to solve problems?

Some do this and some others do that. But finally the education system realises that only memorisation does not help in daily life. Only marks do not count. You need to think critically.

Here is an article from The Hindu Education Plus that would interest you.

So, the State Board students are catching up with the rest of their peers in cracking exams like IIT JEE, AIEEE etc. No more just percentage! Think critically!

Do you exercise enough?

2009-09-22T02:31:00.000-07:00

What does exercise mean to me?
Why should we do it?
Don’t we stay healthy without exercise?
Did my grandparents exercised daily to keep their health in tact?

I ask these questions many times nowadays! Nobody stressed on doing exercises when I was a school kid. But now I hear many of my friends exercise or workout very hard and ask me why don’t I exercise!

When I was in school, I walked ny way to school most of the days and cycled when I grew up to high school.
We did not have lifts at our apartment where we stayed on the first floor. But we played on the terrace, on the quiet end of the road.
We skipped our way to the road end playing corner, almost like a skipping race!
And…. we never had a Television to sit in front and keep munching!
So never we had a necessity to exercise.
But what about the young kids of today?
A study carried out in Britain says most kids will be overweight by 2050!
Read here.
And tips about how simple it is to exercise!

How do YOU keep yourself fit and fine? Share it here. Sure, it will be useful to many!

Leave letter for a school girl from Obama

2009-06-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

Read this – http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8090000/newsid_8098700/8098788.stm
Kennedy Corpus, 10, missed school to hear President Obama speak, and needed a note to explain her absence.
When Kennedy’s dad told Mr Obama about her day off while asking a question, the president offered to write a note.
If you are away from your school to attend an important event you are interested in, do you give a leave letter mentioning the real reason? Or say you weren’t doing well?
Well, in most cases we need to say a ‘lie’ since most schools do not encourage you to skip the classes to attend another ‘useful’ event!
If the chief guest offers a note for your absence from the schools how would you feel?
Has it happened to you?

Short matches and big cup

2009-06-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

The second Twenty20 World Cup matches have started yesterday.
England took on the Netherlands at Lord’s in London.
The matches are kicked off with 12 teams hoping to lift the World Cup on June 21.
Gone are the days when we watched test matches for 5 days with a day of break in between. If the matches happened during the holidays, we enjoyed packing our tiffin box, water bottle, towels like we do for a picnic and go to the stadium for watching the match! Remember there was no TV at that time.
Slowly, we settled down at home listening to the running commentary on the radio. Still there were the long test matches.
One day cricket came in suddenly. Less time was spent on watching matches as the TV had also come to exist by then.
And now with the world moving at a rapid speed, 20 overs are now here.
Most of you wouldn’t have seen the test matches.
But one day matches – yes!
And now what do you think about having these short matches? Are we giving the same importance for sports, fitness, the art of playing the game as we did before?
Is only the time a constraint? If not, what else made these sports get squeezed into five hours of playing from the five days matches?

Does good spelling matter?

2009-06-02T02:24:00.000-07:00

Kavya Shivshankar, an eighth grader living in Olethe, Kansas, effortlessly spelt the word Laodicean, which means indifferent or lukewarm especially in matters of religion to become a Spelling Bee Champ.
This news flashed in every television and newspaper.
But in the days of short messaging, Internet chatting and Twittering do you think that good spelling matters?
At YOCee’s office we receive most of the mails in short forms. Of course, the reports by the student reporters are written with correct spellings.
The story in schools could be different.
Does your teacher accept short forms and bad spellings?
Is good spelling is cared for only by the English teacher? Other subject teachers do not bother much about the spellings?
Is it enough if the sentence conveys the message or the answer you want to write in your paper and do you think spellings should be given a go?
Tell us what do you think!

Walk to school week

2009-05-18T02:23:00.000-07:00

When the school reopens after the summer vacation, the first week is generally a ‘light’ week. Knowing the new classroom, new teachers, new books and some new friends. The load on your back may not be as heavy as it is during the rest of the year. So why don’t you take a walk to the school?

This is for those who reside within a kilometer around the school and get dropped at the school by bikes and cars.
We know that the kids who take the school bus or van cannot do it.

But what does it bring to you?
A leisurely chat on way and back with your friends and parents.
A simple but energising exercise.
Save some fuel.
Save some pocket money.
And some fun observing the streets.

For the young reporters of YOCee, a lot of story ideas!

If you find this interesting, why not take a walk to the school for a week in every term?

Post your comments!

Do you own your street?

2009-05-15T02:20:00.000-07:00

Do your own your street?
Let me put the question in another way – do you love your street?
Then what do we do to keep it clean?
There are dust bins put up by the cleaning agents of the city, Neel Metal Fanalca and Chennai Corporation almost in all the colonies.
But how much litter is found near the dust bins? May be more than what is inside!
How many of us throw the chocolate wrappers on the road while walking and through the window while travelling in car?
Imagine if the Corporation workers would just pick the litter from the bins and not from the streets.
Imagine no litter pickers pick up the plastic from the roads.
The road would be full of litter, but the bins would be clean!

So how about summer volunteering for our own streets?

Choose a car park in an apartment in your area and gather the public, children and the maids working in the colony and tell them why they should not be dropping litter on the road, but put them on to the bin.
You may not earn pocket money for this but I am sure you will earn a lot of goodwill!

In Manchester, England, as part of the Own Your Streets scheme, litter collectors won’t be cleaning up the streets on Thursdays! Read more here!

Comments

May 24, 2009 @ 2:11 pm, by P.S.Nandini

Even in our school the van children used to throw chips covers and wrappers out of the window even when the van was parked outside the school. they didn’t listen when some of us told them not to.. so we requested our vice-principal to make an announcement regarding this.
June 20, 2009 @ 8:37 pm, by sivaraman

We have another problem in our street that is the
shop workers and construction labours and others use the street corners and open grounds as open toilet. It makes the streets unhygenic as well as smelly.

YOCee on Express Indulge

2009-04-18T02:18:00.000-07:00

Here is how Reshma Iqbal of Indulge, the Friday supplement of The New Indian Express (Chennai Edition) looks at www.yocee.in

Click on the image to read from the enlarged picture.

Safety drive in schools

2009-04-10T02:17:00.000-07:00

A few schools in Kolkata join hands to maintain vigil on theie campuses through volunteer groups. The senior students of the schools will be part of the team.

A few school students, the scouts and guides helped the police regulate traffic and keep a watch on the security during the recently held temple festivals in Mylapore.
Do they volunteer to do the same in their own campuses?
Will this initiative Kolkata has shown, be followed by schools in other cities?

Which language do you speak at home?

2009-03-27T02:16:00.000-07:00

When we Indian speak in Englishg even at home, England finds more kids speaking languages other than English in their schools.

The reason they say is more kids are from other countries. Even the Govt. is giving extra money to schools where lots of languages are spoken.

They say they don’t want kids to be at a disadvantage at school because they don’t speak English at home.

Read the story…

Design a symbol for Indian Currency

2009-03-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

The major currencies across the world have definite symbols.
But the Indian currency is written with the prefix Rs. So why not a symbol for our currency?

The Finance Ministry of Govt. on India has announced a contest for designing the symbol for Indian Rupee.
Open to only Indian nationals.
Last date to submit the design – April 15, 2009.

Five entries shall be shortlisted for final selection. The shortlisted Designers would be required to make a presentation to the Jury and would be awarded a prize of Rs.25,000/- each.
The designer of the finally selected design will get a prize of Rs.250, 000/-
Spread the word across. Hey, you too could submit a design!

All the details of the contest is here

Summer : time for camps or jobs?

2009-03-10T02:14:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation is India is really hot. And you difinitely need a break and rest to re-energise yourself for the next academic year.

But all play (or TV all the time?!) and no work also make you dull! So the Summer Camps are here to stay as they are preferred by parents.

You learn something new in a fun way at these summer camps. They are also cool places to link up with new friends outof your regular school circle.
But what do you do after these camps? If you had learnt an art or a craft or to make paper planes, how long do you put this knowledge to use?
I had come across two friends who conducted a painting camp for younger kids during the holidays after their 10th standard Board exams. Just for fun and enjoyment! At the end of the camp, the ’students’ presented their ‘teachers’ a lovely gift by pooling money from their savings and that was a wonderful idea I thought!

In the West, kids pick up summer jobs. There are laws on what job the kids can do and how long, etc.,
In India, the law prohibits kids below 14 years to work for money.
If not a job for money, how about an internship on stipend?
If you want to take up a job this summer, what would you like to do?

Share your thoughts with YOCee!

Perhaps the readers of YOCee have an interesting assignment for you!

Stay safe on the Internet

2009-02-11T02:13:00.000-08:00

Are you on FaceBook or MySpace?
Do you think you surf the Net safe?
Is your email safe?
Do you give out information about yourself to online pals?
Well, chatting with your friends online can be loads of fun, but make sure you stay safe on the web.
Technologies help you study and give all new exciting ways to socialise with others. And you are always faster to use the Internet or the mobile devices than your parents.
So you need to know more on using the devises better and safer.

Countries across the world as well as many social networking websites have pledged to beat Cyber bullying, a menace for the kids who surf the Net. This bullying continues offline too, in your classroom or in your colony.
Be aware that all the information you type are read online go through many servers, Net spies and they are saved and circulated by the bullies many times.

If your parents have a watch on your surfing, feel happy that someone will be at help in case of any trouble online.
You should also be aware of copyright rules when you download information for your school projects or use in your presentations. You may be watched for ‘online copying’ too!

On the occasion of the safer Internet day 2009, http://www.saferinternet.org is organising events and competitions for kids and companies to bring about awareness of what is happening online.

Now a few tips for now to be safe on the Net.

- Never give out any personal details online.

- Never arrange to meet people that you only know online.

- Always let somebody know where you are going – tell your parents, guardians, friends.

- Block and report any abuse online.

- If someone is making your life a misery by bullying you or just being annoying, tell your parents. No one can help you unless you let them know what is going on.

Google’s Internet Bus in Tamil Nadu

2009-02-03T02:11:00.000-08:00

The Internet major, Google India initiated its ‘Internet Bus’ concept on Feb. 3.
A mobile Internet kiosk will travel across 15 tier II and tier III cities in Tamil Nadu demonstrating the content and usage of the internet in the local language to the section of the population still averse to the same.

The Internet Bus will demonstrate content under four topics – information, communication, entertainment and education. It will also introduce its visitors to Google SMS search and channels.

“Increased awareness about, and access to Internet, especially in the local language will empower users with information and greater access to information. Even in people experience the Internet for a brief period of time and find it to be very useful, they will find ways and means to get back to it. The primary need is to sensitise the masses about the large content available in the local language,” Dr.Prasad Ram, head, R&D, Google India said during the launch of the bus.

The bus has already visited 12 towns in Tamil nadu so far. In March, it will be going to Pudukkottai. Trichy, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Neyveli, Cuddalore and Tiruvannamalai.

If you have friends in these towns tell them to check the bus out!

Read this for more info and the route of the bus.

You are already programmed!

2009-01-10T02:10:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting aticle in the Science News.

This is about how your body is programmed to feel hungry at a particular time and get tired at the right time to sleep.

Everyone’s rhythms are unique, which is why you might like to stay up late while your sister always wants to go to bed early. But overall, everyone is programmed to feel tired at night and alert during the day.

So, when your parents urges you stay awake at night and study, you can always follow your body clock and get up early next day and complete your studies!

What will happen if you forcibly change the rhythm?
The findings of a study conducted by making the day with 28 hours (!!) reveals exactly what the body clock is all about.

The studies also say -

But staying up night after night, these studies suggest, could make kids extra hungry and more likely to gain weight.

Read the entire article here.

Weed – a book by Paro Anand

2008-11-12T02:09:00.000-08:00

Not just fantacies and comics, there are a few books written for children with subtle issues embedded in them that will make the kids think constructively.

One such book is Weed by the award winning author Paro Anand.

The Hindu Young World carried a review of it in its latest issue. Did you read it?
You should read the book too. May be this Christmas vacation.
Should the children of the terrorists be supported to have good education? Should they remain just outcast? But if the father was a terrorist what does the child have to do with it? Growing up in an atmosphere of violence is the child’s mistake?

There are many unanswered questions in our minds regarding these kids. Not just the terrorists, thieves, convicts in cases of violence and murders do have families and there are kids too in the families.
What does the society do about them?

Tell me what do you think!

By the way here is an interesting interview with the author!

‘Energetic’ idea!

2008-10-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

In these days of power cuts in the state of Tamil Nadu, every one thinks of alternate energy sources.
(We in the city of Madras are luckier than our counterparts in the muffssil areas – the power is off for five hours a day in those areas!)

The ‘green’ people have a concern for the energy resources and usage too.
Look at what this school near Bristol in the UK has come out with!

Does your school have some innovative ideas like this, implemented?
Or has come out with solution for a long-debated issue?
Why don’t you share it with the rest of the world? Just send an email. YOCee will get back to you!

Comments

October 11, 2008 @ 7:26 pm, by Saniya

Scientists have come out with an idea! Here it is – http://aspireblog.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/turn-your-car%E2%80%99s-waste-heat-into-energy/

Abolition of homework. Fruitful in the Indian system?

2008-10-02T02:04:00.000-07:00

A new school – Nottingham East Academy has decided to scrap homework and replace it with an extra lesson after school hours in activities such as sport and aircraft – modeling.

Well, as every coin has two sides to it, so does this idea of scrapping homework. Some believe it is a progressive idea and can be implemented even in India while many feel that it won’t work in India.

Before you form your own conclusions, let us together speculate both the sides and then you could possibly arrive at a conclusion which you feel would be appropriate.

It’s a progressive idea.

Homework serves little purpose as it only puts pressure on the parents instead of the pupils. Abolition of homework would prove to be good especially for students whose both parents are working, so that they need not break their heads with their child’s homework after a long, tiring day. Further, children from illiterate and poorer backgrounds are worse off in a system that emphasizes on homework.

Students especially of the primary classes could be put off by the very idea of school, if their tender shoulders are burdened with loads of homework – and this is quite prominent in India, when the children are on their vacations, supposedly enjoying their holidays.

Moreover, if students are saddled with hours of home tasks, they don’t tend to play outdoor (resulting in them watching television or playing computer games and becoming couch potatoes), socialize with peers, spend time with parents etc., all which play an important role in developing their life skills.

In India, teachers often teach new lessons and expect the students to attempt the exercises, which shift the onus onto parents who might not necessarily be fully equipped. This results in children being sent to tutorials at an early age and learning becomes a drab affair.

Now let us see why the scrapping of homework wouldn’t work in India.

The abolition of homework or rather, reducing it and fitting it into the daily school schedule after hours is an innovation being adopted by schools in UK. It is an interesting measure but all educational reforms may not be appropriate in every country. And we shouldn’t forget that it is yet to be seen whether this reform is successful in the UK, and even if it is, there are reasons as to why it must be wary of following suit in India.

The main reason why this new measure wouldn’t work in India is because of the educational system here in India.

The educational system in India revolves around examinations and home assignments, effective means of ensuring that students are well prepared to compete in these examinations.

And even after this, students scoring above 90 percent are unable to secure admission in the college or course of their choice, there is no logic in abolishing homework assignments, further handicapping the educational system.

Moreover, this is one of the main reasons of Indian students’ success abroad. Anyway, parents’ involvement in a child’s development is essential and cannot be done away with. At the same time, there is no harm in taking a look at the homework system used in Indian schools and seeing if there is any room for improvement, but abolishing homework from India may prove to be a mistake, in my opinion.

What do you think?

Comments

December 25, 2008 @ 2:11 pm, by Raman Sathiapalan

i dont know…
but i guess i would want homework abolition in my school… haha i

Children in reality shows

2008-09-22T02:02:00.000-07:00

In a recent recommendation, The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the governmant to ban children below 16 years of age from participating in reality shows.

The issue has been debated across various sections – schools, film and TV industry, parents, teachers and kids since June’ 08

iGovernment, a voluntary web platform that aims at good governance says this

Shinjini, a participant on a Bengali music reality show, suffered a breakdown and had to be hospitalised in June after she was severely rebuked by the judges for her performance.

Sometime ago, Bournvita Quiz contest fame Derek O’ Brien launched a campaign across 4500 schools in India to ban their students from participating in such shows. Some schools agreed and some didn’t.

Now the Government of India is mulling over this issue and will be out with a definite rule by the end of this month.

Meantime, some of the TV show producers and parents have suggested that the age limit could be 12 and not 16!

What do you think?

Have you ever participated in reality shows?
How was the experience, the shooting schedules, the behaviour of judges . . .?
Is it more fun than participating in school contests or the contests held in public?

Share your views here!

Comments

January 29, 2009 @ 9:50 pm, by Shrishti

I think that these shows that exploit kids for our entertainment shoud be banned !

Nominations invited for Young Achiever Award

2008-09-16T02:01:00.000-07:00

Do you know a kid in your neighbourhood who is an achiever despite a below ordinary or a disadvantaged background? You can show them to the world by passing on this info to the young achiever and do your bit for those children.

The Ma Foi Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Ma Foi Management Consultants Ltd. is inviting nominations for Disha Award for young achievers, 2008.

The award aims at encouraging and recognising the young with disadvantaged backgrounds who have achieved excellence in academic and extra-curricular activities. The age limit is 10 to 16. The award carries a cash award of Rs.10,000 a citation and a trophy.

Applications should reach Ma Foi Foundation by September 30. For details contact 4358 2125.

Holiday on Sep. 15

2008-09-15T01:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is a holiday today. A bonus holiday for the government employees, bankers, schools and many private institutions too.

It was declared last evening and The Hindu’s news update service put up the information at 7 pm yesterday.

How many of you spent an hour’s time (or more?) calling up your classmates and teachers to find out if it was really a holiday and how the day’s exam was going to be rescheduled, etc., etc.,?

When I saw the neighbour’s kid walking around with the telephone handset calling up friends I told him to check up his school’s website – he studies is a school which uses LCD panels instead of blackboards!
He did go to check up the website but could find nothing up there! He began his round of calling his friends from where he left 10 minutes ago!
I tried googling to help this boy out so that he could leave the phone out and get back to his books. I did not find even a single school in the city updating information on its website. Leave alone the day’s announcement, the info on the websites were at least a month old in many cases.
But I came across a surprise.
A school in Salem had updated their website with all the information a student needs to know of the surprise holiday declared on a Sunday. Clear information of what happens to the day’s Computer Science exams and what is up on Tuesday, after the holiday.
All this at the same time The Hindu published online – at 7.02pm!
The city schools do have an edge over the others in infrastructure, the technology, the resources and geeky teachers and students!
Did they come handy when those skills and technology could be used?

Comments

September 23, 2008 @ 8:33 am, by Sheba

I wish my school did the same. It was a whole lot of confusion on 15th morning.

Schools, paint your buses yellow, says the state govt.

2008-09-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

This is for the safety of children travelling by school buses, vans, autorickshaws and other contract vehicles.

The Tamil Nadu Govt. has issued a notification that the school buses in the state be painted in yellow. The vehicles should also have clearly written in bold letter ‘School bus’ or ‘College Bus’ in the front and rear top of the buses.

All the school and college vehicle should have a visual depiction to indicate that the vehicles transports school or college kids.

And for private and contract vehicles, the rule is that a board displaying ‘School Children’ should be placed. This is applicable for vans, contract vehicles, autorickshaws other than those run by the educational institutions.

So, does your school bus or autorickshaw carriy this board? I am sure schools will follow the rule.
And for the autorickshaws or vans, you can help them with a board painted by you, if you travel by it.

After all it is for your safety!

Comments

September 11, 2008 @ 10:57 am, by Vehicle

In some States, school busdrivers must pass a background investigation to uncover any criminal record or history of mental problems. Vehicle

A Teachers’ Day gift

2008-09-06T01:57:00.000-07:00

For the teachers who are always knowledge-thirsty want to know the best practices of teaching and keep themselves updated of the changes in education systems.
Here’s a gift for the teachers of India thoughtfully developed by Azim Premji Foundation with support from the National Knowledge Commission.

President Pratibha Patil launched a national portal – www.teachersofindia.org – on Sep. 5 on the occasion of Teachers Day.
The portal for teachers will offer a platform for sharing best practices and generating discussion in the teaching community, a release says.

Over the next few months the portal will offer content in several Indian languages along with English and will gradually provide access to students, parents, teacher educators also.
Currently the portal is available in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

Your teacher can also contribute to this portal and participate in the discussions. If your teachers is one among those looking for knowledge everywhere, share this infor with him / her.
Your gift to the teacher – an little and useful information!

Power cuts and schools in Chennai

2008-09-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

The power cuts are here to stay in Chennai.

One and half hour daily in the city limits and three hours in the suburbs. Newspapers and television channels talk on how it affects the industries, workplace and domestic life. Here is an article in today’s Times of India on the effect of power cuts in schools.

Yes, classes under the tree shades is an option now. But with the onset of monsoon in late September / October this would not be the best option.
Generators / inverters and other options are costlier, which means if the school installs them, there will be a hike in the school fee!
The schools with hi-tech facilities like plasma TVs and A/Cs in every classroom may not be able to do with alternate energy sources during the power cuts, as catering to high-consumptions is very difficult through gensets.

One of the teachers I know said, she would experience the power cut at home from 6 am to 7.30 am and leave at 7.30 am to reach the reach the school at 8 am. And there it is 7.30 to 9 am. With the humid weather and no breeze these days, she says she sweats for 3 hours in the morning and this drains her energy away for the whole day!

The same should be the experience of the students living in the same area!

So,what does your school do to manage the situation?
How do you manage your time to do your homework and complete your studies after coming home?
And what in your opinion can solve this problem?

One of my kutty friends suggested why not produce energy out of something which is available in plenty but remain useless. He suggested producing energy out of the noise produced by vehicles during the peak hours!

Hey, if you have any such crazy ideas, do share them here!

Comments

September 2, 2008 @ 5:10 pm, by Ramji

Its too hot in the afternoons to be under a tree or in the open. So alternate source is the only solution. More innovators will be on the job now I guess

Safe surfing of the Net

2008-08-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

Have Google and the Chennai City Police come to your school this week?

Yeah, the IT major – Google has joined hands with the cops to guide the students to be net-smart. After all the kids of today turn to the Net for every project of theirs!

But the operation of visiting schools, issuing booklets and guiding is restricted to 12 schools in the city, the reports say. So what do we do for the rest of the kids, who also would benefit if they too get the guidance.

We invite kids who received the booklet from Google and City Police to share the information with others.

You can host put them on your own blog.
Or send your request to be a contributor to YOCee’s blog and put them up here.
Or just sit with your friends and read to them.

To start with here’s CBBC’s guidelines on safe surfing.

Websites of Chennai schools

2008-08-03T01:47:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across an article in The Times of India about Chennai schools becoming smarter online.

I felt it was an encouraging trend that the kids and their parents need not always check with their classmates or the parents of their classmates for information they miss at the school.
The info now would be available online.
After all, many parents are cyber savvy these days!

I became curious and clicked on the websites of popular schools in Chennai. What I saw online was quite contrary.
Not many links opened here and no updates on this site. A blank page opened in the news section and the last year’s details are only available under achievements section! Some are fairly updated though the events for this year are yet to find place.
Of course I came across a well maintained and updated website too.

Have you ever looked at your school’s website? Do you see updated information or your parents get to know what the school is doing beyond the activities of your class?

If not so far, please have a look at the website of your school now!

Many teachers like Mrs. Trebilcock have a homework blog which the students and parents can check on a daily basis. (The US schools are enjoying their vacation now. So you will find the last post in this blog in June 2008)
And some teachers of professional courses like Ms. Kalnay have online dialogue and assign homework using blogs!

Do you think such a system will work in Chennai schools? Will the schools make all information available online for the kids and parents? If security is a threat, why not with a password for students and parents?
Do share your thoughts!

But why the websites once made for the schools are not updated? Don’t you think it is necessary? Do you talk to your teachers about the importance of keeping the school’s website current?

The forum is open to you!

Comments

August 18, 2008 @ 11:31 am, by Balaji

Revathi, I’d like to share with the readers a Chennai school web site that I liked: http://www.theschoolkfi.org/ The School by KFI.

Power Shortage!

2008-07-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

Posted by Saniya Surana

We all hear about the approaching end of Earth’s resources, but do we really do something to secure the next generation’s future? Well, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board has taken an initiative to cut down a little on the ever-rising power usage in the city. They have decided to suspend power for an hour everyday in Chennai and for two-hours in its suburbs.

The electricity board has guaranteed to cut the power only during the daytime, mostly between 10am and 6pm, so students are not disturbed and people will not have to spend sleepless nights after a long day. They have assured people that even the residents’ of politicians and other influential people will not be exceptions.

Weaving into a story

2008-07-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

Do you love short stories? Do you read the kids’ magazines – Gokulam, Chandamama, Dimdima? Then you should have also read the stories by Geeta Canpadee, a writer for children.

When she spins a new story, she mails them to magazines. After they are published in print, she lets the world read it online. Yes, she publishes them on her blog.

Isn’t it a good idea?

Now, YOCee will let you know whenever she puts up her story online through this blog! Here’s a new story by Geeta aunty!

You can also read the scanned pages from the magazines where her stories are published.
But if you want to read all the stories and have fun reading the fresh-smelling magz, you should buy a copy!

We alert. You read and buy!

Good Tree

2008-07-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

Posted by Saniya Surana

Are you concerned about Earth and its residents? If your answer is yes, then ask yourself whether you have ever fought for the cause you are deeply concerned about? I am sure a few have done so as most of us think – ‘What can I alone do anything?’

But we people tend to forget this famous determination quote – “Where there is a will; there is a way”. Yes, even you can make a dent in the hearts and minds of people without paying a penny or even exercising your limbs except for you hands to click on the mouse! You may still wonder ‘How’. Here’s a simple solution: What you need to do is just sign up on Good Tree which is a web portal where you can get to know people who share feelings which are the same as yours and that too for the same cause as you are most concerned about. You may wonder; how you can make a difference by just signing up this web portal and maybe even telling a few people about it. The catch here is that; whatever you do on this site is tracked down and revenue is generated which is given for charity, thus you can help those needy or even reduce the global warming with a simple click of your mouse! So, friends what are you waiting for? Go ahead and sign up.

Witch in a school?

2008-07-03T01:41:00.000-07:00

Witch? In a school?
That’s weird!

But not for the kids of Warboys Community Primary School in Cambridgeshire in UK!
They love the witch on their school logo and want it to continue even when there was a poll on new logos proposed.
Read the story from CBBC Newsround here!

Does your school’s logo has something different on it?
What do you think is cool about your school’s logo and what is not?

Post a comment on this blog or mail to editor@yocee.in

Comments

July 5, 2008 @ 10:17 am, by Niranjan

Should be a cool witch!
July 5, 2008 @ 10:20 am, by Dhanya

cutieee… we dont have a weird logo for our school. at least not a witch..
July 5, 2008 @ 10:25 am, by Rana Preet

lovely if it does not shoo away the children :0
July 23, 2008 @ 9:50 pm, by r.yashmini

i wish it was on my school’s logo.
September 20, 2008 @ 2:30 pm, by Ani

Cool:)

Kids from a village host a photoblog!

2008-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

The kids of Kalleda Rural School in a village called Kalleda in Andhra Pradesh capture the scenes of daily life in their village and host their own photo blogs.

Rural Development Foundation, which runs the school have initiated the Kalleda Photo Project two years ago. Through this project, the kids in the rural area are exposed to observe the daily life in and around the village through the lenses. Also, now they know a bit of photography and a lot of caption-writing.

Each student has a Flickr account and Flickr has donated a Pro account for this project to display a collection of all the photo blogs by children. Visit the main page of the photo blogs here .

Each student’s blog is added as a contact and the pictures taken by the kids are all up in one place.

While the school kids are on clicking photos, the students of Pai Junior College in the same village are on shooting videos. They learn the tricks of videography as well as video editing as part of the project. They upload their vidoes through YouTube. The videos are classified event wise. Watch the clippings of Bathukamma festival celebrated in Telengana here.

The area is well documented in photos and videos by the students living and studying in the village.

Our city too has many less visited but interesting places. You may be surprised to see an old statue of King George V in the middle of the famed Panagal Park in T. Nagar.

If you too have a digicam and keep clicking away interesting scenes on the road, why don’t you share it with the other kidsi n Chennai?

And how about an exclusive photoblog for YOCee kids? Post your views here!

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Comments

June 29, 2008 @ 11:51 am, by Ragini

A very good project indeed. Wish our city too had such a mission.

Become a Student Reporter for YOCee!

2008-06-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

The Student Reporter programme for this year is just launched.

Your school would have displayed the poster on the notice board. If you have missed it, here is the poster.
Go through the details and be part of the fun assignments!
Student Reporter

GREEN WOES

2008-06-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

Posted by Chethana

“Excuse me? “Is there a suggestions or complaint book in this shop??” I ask mechanically for perhaps the millionth time. All the employees stare at me for a second like I am out of a martian saloon and roll their eyes towards the register sitting in the most pathetic corner of the shop almost hidden.

Most of the times I visit a shop in Chennai this is what happens. I am sure you all will want to know what the complaint is – here it goes – ‘Please do not use plastic bags’. Use paper or cotton bags’, but who listens???

I dont even know if the complaint book is checked and I doubt anybody takes the good Samaritan who goes to the higher authorities with this matter seriously.

If it is recycled plastic, it should be printed on the cover (e-g. Amway covers are recycled plastic). Just imagine the seriousness of the situation – I am sure the shop (we are talking about the big marts and departmental shoes here) will have at least 50-75 or even more customers per day. so how many plastic cover are used daily and then per year???

Lets brush up our math which every one of us have blissfully forgotten during these heavenly holidays assuming one customer uses 1 bag. 1 x 50 = 50 x 30 = 1500 (in a month) 1500 x 365 = 5,47,500.

Yes, it amounts to a WHOPPING 5 lakh estimate an year and even more if the shopper has purchased a lot of things and has to take two plastic bags instead of one.

The least we kids can do it (forget the grown ups, if possible tell them but now in this IT and other professions with high competition dominating India it would be amazing if we have a decent conversation with most of them) is take a cloth bag to the shops and avoid large bags for small things.

Here’s another tip – during the exam times, where we spend the last days trying to cram all we can into this small brain of ours, tear up USED month sheets from the calendar and use the backside for working out and writing.

As much as possible use books with recycled paper and less of plastic bags for two things

1) you drive the teacher mad if there is that annoying noise of plastic in class

2) we are dong our 0.01 percent to save the environment. If every one of us contributes 0.01 percent maybe the earth will change slowly for good, change into the one all the environmentalists are praying for, and we do all this for our good and others.

What’s your opinion on this guys? Shouldn’t we arm ourselves with paper / cloth bags when we go shopping next time?

Shouldn’t we go for more non – CFC products and battle it out with the nasty chemicals and other substances depleting our dear environment and at the same time, save ourselves and the next generation?
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Comments:

June 6, 2008 @ 8:28 pm, by Saniya

Hey, it’s a very good post and very interactive. In my opinion, the shops not only in Chennai but around the world should use paper/jute bags and use the many other methods to save our mother earth. This is the least we can do to show are gratitude for everything she has given to mankind.
June 9, 2008 @ 8:31 pm, by chethana

hey thanks
it was plain frustration which drove me to write this article. glad to see such an enthusiastic reply. i am sure if we folllow ur ideas, it would do good for both us and nature.
July 1, 2008 @ 8:36 am, by Poornima

Heyy!! You are very much right chethana..I’ve already stopped using plastic bage completely. Even if all of us at YOCee follow this, we will be able to bring in atleast a small change! I’m sure people here will understand the hazards of using plastic and stop using it right now!
July 1, 2008 @ 2:18 pm, by Revathi

Here is an example from Coimbatore, where school students collected about 1.5 lakh plastic bags in a day!! http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/27/stories/2008062757680100.htm
July 4, 2008 @ 7:48 pm, by chethana

Exactly right Poornima, even that 0.000001 change can do India and then the earth better.
July 23, 2008 @ 9:58 pm, by r.yashmini

Chethana’s words are true.i only get eco-friendly products but my neighbours laugh @ me
September 23, 2008 @ 9:14 pm, by Sheba

Thats true indeed. This critizising puts us all down

Chethana gets in as contributor

2008-06-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

YOCee.in provides info, news and reports.

But kids have more issues to talk about. They want to get a feedback on their thoughts. They want to form a group and fight issues.

But YOCee is more a news magazine on the web. Where should the opinion find a place and discussed threadbare?

Here, on this blogosphere!

Here’s an example:

Chethana is bothered about the amount of plastic bags used in big marts. She mailed it to YOCee. She knows, this hub would take it further to create an awareness among the younger people who can bring about a difference.

YOCee is happier to introduce Chethana as a contributor to the blog. She would be posting her views / suggestions on matters that concerns her and she is sure that everyone of us should be concerned too.

Await her post and get together for a plastic-free environment!

Welcome young friends!

2008-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this special place on your own website – YOCee.in

Whenever we receive mails from the young readers about various issues and news that concerns them, we wished we had a place for open discussion within the website www.yocee.in.

Today, we have brought out this blog, which we hope would be your favourite hangout!

We welcome you to share your thoughts, your comments on the articles in YOCee, add-on information on any of the events reported on the website, any news on the interesting events, interesting links, your own personal blogs . . . You can do a lot of things here!

After all, YOCee and its hangout are your own!