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Classroom Learning

Climate Change

Climate is sometimes mistaken for the weather. But climate is different from the weather because it is measured over a long period of time, whereas weather can change from day to day, or from year to year. Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place. It may cause weather patterns to be less predictable. These unexpected weather patterns can make it difficult to maintain and grow crops in regions that depend on farming because expected temperature and rainfall levels can no longer be relied on. 


In polar regions, the warming global temperatures associated with climate change have meant ice sheets and glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate from season to season. The cause of current climate change is largely human activity, like burning fossil fuels, like natural gas, oil, and coal. Burning these materials releases what are called greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere. There, these gases trap heat from the sun’s rays inside the atmosphere causing Earth’s average temperature to rise. 


The main reasons for the frequent climate changes are:

  • Greenhouse gases- Concentrations of the key greenhouse gases have all increased since the Industrial Revolution due to human activities. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide concentrations are now more abundant in the earth’s atmosphere than at any time in the last 800,000 years. These greenhouse gas emissions have increased the greenhouse effect and caused the earth’s surface temperature to rise.
  • Absorption of the sun’s energy- This effect is observed in heat islands, which are urban centers that are warmer than the surrounding, less populated areas. One reason that these areas are warmer is that buildings, pavement, and roofs tend to reflect very less sunlight than natural surfaces. 
  • Variation in solar activity- Changes in the sun’s energy output can affect the intensity of the sunlight that reaches the earth’s surface. While these changes can influence the earth’s climate, solar variations have played little role in the climate changes observed in recent decades.
  • Changes in earth’s orbit- The amount of summer sunshine on the Northern Hemisphere, which is affected by changes in the planet’s orbit, appears to be the primary cause of past cycles of ice ages, in which the earth has experienced long periods of cold temperatures (ice ages), as well as shorter interglacial periods (periods between ice ages) of relatively warmer temperatures.
  • Volcanic activities- Some explosive volcano eruptions can throw particles (e.g., SO2) into the upper atmosphere, where they can reflect enough sunlight back to space to cool the surface of the planet for several years. In addition, human activities emit more than 100 times as much carbon dioxide as volcanoes each year.
  • Changes in carbon dioxide concentration- During warm interglacial periods, carbon dioxide levels were higher. During cool glacial periods, carbon dioxide levels were lower. The heating or cooling of the earth’s surface and oceans can cause changes in the natural sources and sinks of these gases, and thus change greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.



Climate change has a bad effect on our environment as well as some good intentions. We can conclude that the evidence that the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere have increased and are still increasing rapidly, that climate change is occurring, and that most of the recent change is almost certainly due to emissions of greenhouse gases caused by human activities. Further climate change is inevitable; if emissions of greenhouse gases continue unabated, future changes will substantially exceed those that have occurred so far.

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Adyasha Anapurba Sahoo | 16 Feb 2022

Technology & Innovation

A Guide to KineMaster

How to edit your videos on your phone using KineMaster Video Editor


KineMaster is one of the best video editing apps for Android and iPhone. The app lets you make videos look professional by editing them in easy few steps. With its straightforward interface and powerful features, anyone can spruce up a video, even without experience.

Some Features of KineMaster

The KineMaster is a comprehensive video editing tool that is used for cutting, trimming, and using engaging controls. Features like real-time recording help the users to shoot fresh videos and integrate them into the editing process. One can even add multiple audios to make things look all the more interesting and beautiful. Its drag-and-drop features let you edit videos on the go, as well as add media to it.


The main features of KineMaster are:

  • Speed Control
  • Effects
  • Themes
  • Adjustments
  • Multiple Layers
  • Overlays
  • Music
  • Audio Filters
  • Frame-by-Frame Trimming
  • Volume Envelope
  • Stickers
  • Instant Preview
  • Transition Effects
  • Real-Time Recording
  • Animation Styles
  • Social Media sharing


How to Use KineMaster, Step-by-Step

KineMaster is available for both Android and iPhone. These steps are based on the Android version.

Step 1. Prepare Your Concepts and Materials

First, decide the topic and the message you want to deliver and find relevant videos for it.

Step 2. Open KineMaster and Create a Project

After downloading the app on your phone, launch it. When you open KineMaster, you'll be welcomed by a landing page with an option to start a new project or continue editing a previous one.

To start a new project, tap on Create New and select an aspect ratio for your video.

The aspect ratio you choose largely depends on where you intend to publish the video. For instance, 16:9 is suitable for YouTube, while 9:16 is best for Instagram. For smaller screen sizes, you can use 1:1.


Clicking on Next will open the Media Browser section.

This is filled with folders containing images and videos.
Select the video clip you want to work on from the location it is stored, which will import it to the project window. Repeat this process to add more video clips if desired.

Step 3. Trim Your Video
To trim your video, select the video clip you want to customize, and the border will appear in yellow.
Tap on the scissors icon to open the Trim/Split menu.


This opens four options to choose from Trim to Left of PlayheadTrim to Right of PlayheadSplit at Playhead, and Split and Insert Freeze Frame.


Step 4. Add Video Transitions
Choose the video you want to add transitions between. You'll see a Plus (+) on the sidelines of each video clip.
To add transitions, tap on Plus; many options will appear on the right.


You can select from options like classic transitions, 3D transitions, picture-in-picture, text transitions, and more.


After picking the one you want, tap the tick mark in the upper section to save your choice. For this example, I have selected 
3D Transitions > Strips.


Step 5. Add Text to a Video
To add text to your videos, hit the Layer icon to open a window of options. From the options, choose Text.



Write your text and press OK to display some small text across the video. 

Tap-and-drag the text to make it larger or smaller. 
Tap the Aa symbol, to select a font type that matches your video's tone.

Then, hit the checkmark in the top-right corner to save your changes. You can also add other elements to your text: color, shadow, background, and animation effects. There are many attractive animation effects you can add to your text.

Here I have used In Animation > Letter by letter.


 Step 6. Add Background Music

To add music to your video, place the vertical red line on the project sheet where the music should start. 

Then, hit the Audio icon on the main tool menu


Choose suitable music from your phone. You can also import tracks from KineMaster's Audio Browser

If you're confident with the choice of song, tap the red plus sign, and you will see the track's name in the lower section.


Step 7. Export Your Video From KineMaster

When you've finished making edits and are satisfied with the end product, tap on the export symbol at the top-right corner.


You can export the video at the recommended quality or adjust the video resolution, frame rate, and bitrate as needed.

Your exported video will appear on the right. 


Tap the share symbol to upload it to YouTube and social media, or any other apps available on your Android phone.


According to me, KineMaster is one of the best apps for editing videos. It has a lot of hidden features that one might not be able to discover at a glance. This app is so flexible that anyone ranging from professionals to beginners can use the app. Its user-friendly interface helps a lot of beginners create decent videos.

I personally use KineMaster for editing videos and I really love it.

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Manju Mishra | 12 Feb 2022

Technology & Innovation

Importance of A-Z Screen Recorder

As the name indicates, the ‘A-Z screen recorder’ app helps us to record whatever appears on the screen of our Mobile (Android). It provides stable and fluid screen recording.

This application has a simple interface, which means it is very simple to use and does not occupy much space. It is a completely free application. It is easily available on the play store and is compatible with almost all android devices. There are different quality controls available in the application for setting up video as well as audio quality. It helps to save the content for future use. The best part of the application is that it does not leave a watermark like most other applications. So the attention and the focus of the viewer are not distracted from the content and the video stays aesthetically pleasing to the viewer’s eyes. You can record games, movies, serials, etc. You can also record live streaming.


How to use the application:

  1. Tap the Screen Recorder icon.
  2. Give permission to record the screen.
  3. Determine the sound you want to be recorded.
  4. Tap ‘Start recording’ and a countdown will begin before the recording starts.
  5. When you activate this app, you'll find four icons in the center of the screen: to start recording, to adjust app settings, to access the folder with your recorded videos, and to exit. From its settings, you can choose the video output quality or see interactions with the screen done during the recording.
  6. We can clip off the beginning or end of the video, or cut out sections in the middle. We can add our own soundtrack on top of the video, in place of the audio, from your phone.



Uses for a Teacher:

We can record the entire lecture and send it later to children. This will not only help the children who were absent but also those learners who forget what had been taught. They can go back and listen to the concepts again. They can refer to it when they are studying and have doubts. The teacher may not be available all the time, but her lecture will be, through the A-Z recorder app. This also helps the teacher to prevent repeating the explanation again and again for different children.  Different tools help us to put a tick or cross on the content shared or highlight important points.

  • It also records the face of the speaker, so this gives a personal touch to the lecture and students feel the touch of live teaching.
  • We can also record WhatsApp video calls. This helps us during the grading of oral exams. We can revisit our recordings of students’ answers and recitations.
  • We can also use it to record and compile the videos of the special assemblies, Cultural activities, festivals, and Annual day celebrated virtually.

I personally feel that  AZ screen recorder is a stable, high-quality screen recorder for Android that helps us record smooth and clear videos of 1080p, 12 Mbps, 60 FPS. Also, there is no recording time limit. So we can record our full 40-minute lecture.

The more we use it, the more we understand its benefits. It is an app worth trying.

 

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Shobha Gurmukhdas Methwani | 09 Feb 2022

The Arts

क्या होती है एक नारी

सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी

नारी की एक अद्भुत कहानी 

जीवन बिकट ऐसे बिताती

रहे मौन बहे आंखो से पानी

             सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी |


सीता देखो बन-बन भटकी

अहल्या बन रही शीला;

तारामती बिकी बनी दासी

द्रौपदीने भी दर्द ही जेला;

वो सबथी राजाकी महारानी;

               सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी |

         

सती बनाके जिंदाजलाया

विधवा को तो शर मूंडवाया ;

अरे! बालविवाह भी करवाया

पढना लिखना पाबंधी फरमाया;

नारी पर  होती रही मनमानी

              सूनो सूनावुं अपने देश की |


फिर नया युग जो आया

ज्योतिबा फूले ने समजाया

सावित्रीने शिक्षादीप जलाया;

बने भीमजी नारी उद्धारक,

              सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी |


हिंदु कोडबील रहा सतत सहायक,

अब नारी जो चाहे करपाये;

आज नारी की है मुक्त कहानी ;

आज नारी की बात सुहानी  !! 

             सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी |


इन्दिरा(गांधी) बनकर राज चलाये,

(कल्पना)चावला बन अवकाश में जाये,

(पी.टी.)उषा बन खेलाडी हो जाये,

लता(मंगेशकर) बनकर गीत वो गाये,

              सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी |


रंग भर के अमृता(शेरगिल) बन जाये,

कानून पढकर किरण बेदी बन जाये

लिखके वो महादेवी(वर्मा) कहलाये

वैजयंती(माला)सी नृत्यांगना हो जाये

              सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी |


अैश्वरिया,सुस्मिता,प्रियंका देखले,

सानिया, हीमा,मैथिली को न भुले,

हर क्षेत्र मे नाम अपने लिखाये,

यश 'प्रीति' हर जगह से पाये,

              सूनो सूनावुं अपने देशकी |

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Priti Waghela | 31 Jan 2022

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