May 21, 2014
Every group besides two have
at least started editing their
project. Last week we several groups not only begin editing their videos but
also finish editing their videos!
Wow, it was a proud moment for me as their teacher to see them complete their
final project. The first group done was Deforestation.
On Wednesday in both schools
we had 2 groups editing (since we are using our personal computers we can only
have 2 at a time) while the others played a game and arranged another time to
meet with me for editing. The game we played is a guessing game: each student
writes down the name of a person who is not necessarily famous but a person that
everyone in the game will know. They hide this name from others and pass it to
the person to their left who then, without looking, licks the back and sticks
it to their forehead. Everyone playing can see the name on everyone’s head but
their own. Asking “yes or no” questions each player has to guess who is on
their head. If the answer is yes, you ask again – if the answer is no you move
to the next player. At first the students didnt really understand, but after I
started playing and gave them examples of questions they got the hang of it
right away.
 The most difficult part of
editing is cutting down the interview and editing it so that only the most
interesting and important parts are shown for the film. One student asked “But
Madam, why can't we just play the entire interview?” As I was about to start
explain a student nearly took the words right out of my mouth, “Because it will
bore! You want your video to be nice don’t you? People won't watch it if it
bores.” When I explain this, I give a much more gentler explanation saying that
the viewers, their audience, might only have a couple of minutes to spare
learning about this topic so you want to make it “short and sweet”. Because its quite easy to just throw an
introduction in front of an entire interview and then slap a conclusion on the
end, I am challenging the students this year by requiring all videos to be
under 8min! That means, an interview which is 30min long needs to be edited and
cut down to about 7 min.
Once students seem to get a
good portion of their interview edited, I give them a break (because that’s the
most tedious part of editing) and teach them about animations, transitions and
how to use text. I also explained that our computers, both Macs, have cameras
and microphones built into the computer. This got the Practical Education group
thinking…. You will see what they decided to do when their video comes out! I
showed them several different ideas and told them “This part of the editing is
your playground. Explore, try new things and don’t be afraid to make mistakes!
These things will be what set your video apart from everyone else’s!” They got
the idea and started looking at more options in the editing. Practical
Education got a great jump start on their video and arranged to meet me on
Monday to wrap things up. They have done several interviews and are doing some
neat things with their editing.  At Lycee, the Practical
Education group is doing more than one interview for their video because they
want to get the teachers opinion and the students opinion! Last week they did
their final interview. One group, Diabetes, has not been able to record a
podcast yet due to various reasons but that day they finally finished it. It
was an extremely productive day.
As I walked towards the
computer lab at GHS in Buea Town I noticed here was a class going on. Mr. Ivo’s
class was going nearly 40min behind schedule so we just waited outside and I
began to go over the internship and graduation plans. The students are so
excited for graduation!! I am as well; this will be a perfect way showcase the
students work and make them to feel proud of what they have accomplish as well
as and show their families, the schools and the community the work they have
done. I am really proud, the videos are coming out great. 
As you have read in the last
post, our main project in class now is EDITING the video and making sure the
websites are fully updated with an About, Home, Reasearch, Vidoes/Photos and
Advocacy page. I have been meeting with students every single day outside of our regular class hours to ensure they
have the opportunity to finish all of the work before graduation which is literally
right around the corner.
Posted by Antonia.
May 17, 2014
This week was a bit
different at Lycee Molyko as the kids were busy studying for, and taking their
exams. Usually we meet on Wedensdays for class, but because of exams we met on
Monday instead. This led to a small class with only two groups showing up. In class
the kids were working at various stages of their projects. Some of the kids
were in the process of editing on the computers, while others still needed to
shoot footage. I helped one student shoot his introduction, and helped him
decide... Continue reading...
Posted by Maddy.
May 14, 2014
The last few weeks have been
the most hectic yet! Besides the regular classes and make up classes that I
have been teaching all year I now have additional responsibilities to make sure
I fulfill. Recently I have been running around from one office to the next
dropping off interview request letters on behalf of the students and then going
back a few days later to schedule the interview. Everything here is a bit of a
process so patience is seriously a virtue. During class time, the students
are... Continue reading...
Posted by Antonia.
May 5, 2014
Last week the classes at Lycee Molyko were a change of pace,
as the kids finally began editing their videos on the computers. Some of the
groups still had conclusions to shoot and interviews to conduct, but others
began the task of uploading scenes and editing title pages. A few of the
computers had new editing software, which posed some learning opportunities for
the students. Some of the kids worked on creating a title across their videos,
while some created a rolling credit page. Students ... Continue reading...
Posted by Maddy.
May 4, 2014
"Life is not about the destination, it’s
about the journey."
The Ring Road: Kumbo, Ndzenshwai, Wvem and Oku
in Short: People: Man at the
car park in Bambili, Edwin, Alison, Gilbert, Mary, Divine, Roland, Hassan and
Bonafice. Places/Things: crammed
car ride, travelers inn, coffee shop, waterfall outside Shisong, 2 waterfalls
and 2 caves in Wvem, soccer game, Oku palace, ‘museum’, lake and waterfall,
hassan’s lovely houses on the Oku Mountain side, torrential downpour, Kati
Kati, An...
Posted by Antonia.
May 4, 2014
 Here is Cardaine working on editing his Nature Conservation video. The Advanced YAN students met not one, not two but THREE times this week. They were so motivated they came to the regular club class on Wednesday to use any extra computers for editing! We tried to make it four days, but when we arrived on Saturday, Mr. Muluah who is usually working in the computer lab was not around and I called for nearly 1 hour straight but he didnt pick up his phone either.
The poverty group unfortunately k...
Posted by Antonia.
April 28, 2014
I would like to use these
next couple of blog posts as not only a memoir for me but also as a guide for
future travelers to the regions that we went to. I also hope to inspire
those on the couch reading to take the big leap and JUST DO IT: TRAVEL. The memories you make are worth the jump!
Although I was only on the
road for two weeks, it was a great reminder that traveling is not easy. It requires serious patience, flexibility, street
smarts, and a good sense of humor. Most importantly, i... Continue reading...
Posted by Erin Wildermuth.
April 27, 2014
Lycee Molyko’s club class is
getting small in numbers but those who are present are always working hard. First
we reviewed the responsibilities of actors/actresses and filmers as well as
brainstormed ‘tips’ for the two. For example, the actor needs to speak loud and
clearly while the filmer needs to
keep the camera steady. I asked for some more ideas, Etone Veronica had a great
idea that I hadn’t thought of: “The person filming needs to make sure he doesn’t
cough or sneeze becaus...
Posted by Antonia.
April 25, 2014
YAN was busy this week with a class or meeting every single day....
Monday I went on the Lycee campus to prepare the computers for editing later in the week. YAN will be using Windows Movie Maker. I met with Mr. Muluah who also works in the lab YAN uses and he told me he would add the program to all computers since it was only running on two of them. Because there were no lights the very last Wednesday class (April 2nd) I was unable to print the homework I had made for the Advanced YAN student... Continue reading...
Posted by Antonia.
April 3, 2014
Wednesdays classes were both a blast!!
Students of Lycee Molyko enjoying the "chop" or food.
80% of the students had
completed all of their homework which was for the club: to hand in their
letters to the people they wanted to interview and finish their storyboards
then for the advanced class: complete their interviews.
Deforestation group of GHS
Buea Town, Unemployment and Child Abuse from Lycee had not been able to turn in
their letters yet but will do that ASAP.
As for the Adva...
Posted by Antonia.
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