Video Clip Prompting Questions and Guidelines Guru Vandana
Video Clip Prompting Questions and Guidelines
Guru Vandana
What is the ask? Share the video clip of your experience from attending the Guru Vandana (Teacher Appreciation) program in the past.
What is the purpose? To create promotional and testimonials videos.
These videos will be used as a resource for Guru Vandana, a yearly program of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA (HSS) and HEF (Hindu Education Foundation, a project of HSS).
What should be the duration of the video clip? Between 1 to 2 minutes
Are there any guidelines for the script? Yes, below are a few suggested questions that you can answer for the video clip.
Your very brief introduction: What is your name? Please mention your school district, school, and city name.
For how long have you been teaching or have been an educator?
How many times did you attend Guru Vandana? How was your experience of attending Guru Vandana in the past? Please mention any specific aspect of the Guru Vandana which you like the most.
Share your thoughts on how the Guru Vandana program is helping to build a stronger student-teacher connection through community involvement.
How Guru Vandana is helping teachers to learn more about Hindu culture and enhance cultural proficiency for a better understanding of the diverse demographic?
Are you planning to attend Guru Vandana (virtual) this year?
Would like to mention anything specific learning on being an educator in this unique school year due to paramedic (COVID-19)?
Are there any guidelines for the video recording? Yes, below are the guidelines to follow when recording your video clip for Guru Vandana.
Camera:
Record in the landscape mode, this means holding the phone horizontally.
Place the phone or camera on a sturdy surface (use a tripod, if possible).
If possible, have the phone or camera elevated off of the floor.
If using a camera phone, use the camera on the back, NOT selfie mode.
Background and attire:
Simple is always better.
Choose the outfit that you won’t have to adjust while recording.
Lighting:
Use a well-lit area with a decent background.
Don’t face the sun if recording outside.
Try to record opposite a window. Avoid having a window behind the teacher/subject.
Audio:
Do not include any background music or any other sound/music clip with your video.
If shooting inside, please pick an area in which there are sound-absorbing materials (carpet, curtains, etc.). If you’re taking the video outside, please make sure it’s a quiet area with minimal noise distractions.
Make sure that the device you are recording with is: not covered or blocked.
Always test before you record. Make sure the video and audio quality is as good as you can get it.
About Guru Vandana:
To honor the teaching community for their exemplary service in educating the students, the first week of ‘May’ is dedicated to Teacher Appreciation Week in the USA and the first Tuesday of the same week is recognized as National Teacher Day. Hindus have been emphasizing the importance of Teacher, or ‘Guru’, from time immemorial and hence been recognizing their contributions at every opportunity. This day brings people together to honor the student-teacher relationship and to celebrate those who are responsible for the growth of our children. While parents provide the physical and mental well-being of a child, the Guru is entrusted with the responsibility of imparting the knowledge and education.
Guru Vandana 2021
Guru Vandana 2021
The U.S. celebrates the first week of May as “teacher appreciation week” and Tuesday of the same week as “National Teachers Day”. Hindu philosophy and culture consider the Guru as the “Supreme Being” who invokes and sustains the light of knowledge while eliminating the darkness of ignorance. Our lives are touched and inspired by countless teachers in schools, colleges, and many other activities that we participate and excel in. To acknowledge and appreciate these Gurus who silently shape our lives, HSS volunteers across the nation will hold Guru Vandana during their weekend activities in the Month of May and at some places in June. In a typical event, the children will present a cultural program where Sanskrit shlokas are recited in the honor of the Guru. The shlokas focused on the significance of the Guru, comparing the Guru to God, and pointing out the Guru’s role in achieving the supreme knowledge. A local chief guest will share his or her thoughts with the audience, followed by a teacher appreciation ceremony. Following infographic shows 2021 Guru Vandana statistics
Testimonials from educators on Guru Vandana
School District Superintendent, Indiana
Middle School Principal, Texas
Elementary School Principal, Indiana
School District Superintendent, Texas
Past Guru Vandana events by the numbers
Thank You Email Template for GV 2021 – 2
Guru Vandana Thank You Email Template – 2
Subject: Thank You: Guru Vandana (Teacher Appreciation)
Dear <Teacher / Principal / District Superintendent / Board Member Name>,
On behalf of the HSS-HEF team, I wanted to convey our sincere thank you for attending the Guru Vandana event.
Thank you for being a source of motivation and inspiration to your students and recognize that your warm participation in such events is an additional element for the growth and nourishment of the students.
Guru Vandana events were hosted in other cities as well by HSS-HEF chapters. We felicitating over 1,700 teachers from 113 school districts from 24 states. I am sharing the national press release for Guru Vandana 2021 (please see attached) that was covered in various media outlets.
Have a great rest of the summer break and best wishes for the upcoming school year.
We are looking forward to the continued partnership to enhance the student learning experience.
Warm Regards,
<Your name and contact phone number>
Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), a program of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA (HSS).
Thank You Email Template for GV 2021 - 2
Guru Vandana Thank You Email Template - 2
Subject: Thank You: Guru Vandana (Teacher Appreciation)
Dear <Teacher / Principal / District Superintendent / Board Member Name>,
On behalf of the HSS-HEF team, I wanted to convey our sincere thank you for attending the Guru Vandana event.
Thank you for being a source of motivation and inspiration to your students and recognize that your warm participation in such events is an additional element for the growth and nourishment of the students.
Guru Vandana events were hosted in other cities as well by HSS-HEF chapters. We felicitating over 1,700 teachers from 113 school districts from 24 states. I am sharing the national press release for Guru Vandana 2021 (please see attached) that was covered in various media outlets.
Have a great rest of the summer break and best wishes for the upcoming school year.
We are looking forward to the continued partnership to enhance the student learning experience.
Warm Regards,
Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), a program of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA (HSS).
HSS COVID RESPONSE
HSS COVID RESPONSE
Sample Planning and Timeline
Sample Planning and Timeline
| Sadhana Shakha Guru Vandana Utsav Protocol (Utsav date : May 9th, 2020) | |||||
| Create an interactive medium for teachers and educators to experience Guru Vandana Utsav, virtually. | |||||
| Timeline | Category of task | Task | Owner | Participants | Notes |
| 1st week of April | |||||
| Zoom meeting to invite ideas | 1. Finalize date of Guru Vandana Utsav 2. Determine the feasibility of an interactive e-Guru Vandana 3. Invite ideas for performances/events to be included in the Utsav 4. Assign task owners 5. Follow up with bi-weekly Zoom meetings to gauge progress on all tasks | GV Pramukh | All Shakha Families | Document Ideals in a centralized loction (Google Drive) | |
| Invitation to Teachers | 1. Parents will enter name, school, email id of teachers into the Google Sheet shared with them 2. Prepare a standard invitation to be sent to all teachers, listed. Invitation content: a. Date, time of the Utsav b. RSVP link for teachers to confirm their acceptance c. Invitation sent by GV Pramukh, using Sadhana Shakha Gmail id. (ensure timely delivery of invites) | 1. Parents 2. GV Pramukh | Document info in a centralized loction (Google Drive) | ||
| Instructions on creating and sharing videos | 1. Record at least 1080p resolution (standard in most phones). The higher, the better. 2. Recording at similar resolution will help where stitch videos where they are part of same task 3. Give few seconds of blank recordings at the start and end of recording, they can always be trimmed. 4. Keep your device horizontal (i.e. Landscape and not portrait) 5. Do not use Email, Whatsapp, web transfer etc to share the videos. 6. To transfer videos, connect your phone to your PC and transfer your videos to your PC first and then transfer to Google Drive. (You can download the Google Drive App for that). Each participant was assigned a Google Folder, into which their video files could be uploaded by them. | GV Pramukh & task owners | Shishu gana, Bala gana, Kishore gana | Verbal and WhatsApp Instructions | |
| 2nd & 3rd weeks of April | |||||
| Follow up email to all invitees | 1. A brief reminder was emailed to all invitees (parent responsible for inviting CC'ed on each email) to RSVP. | GV Pramukh | Emails were sent from GV Pramuksh account for: a) Put personal touch b) Prevent going to Spam fold | ||
| Video Editing - Main | 1. Every project (event) needs 3 files : a. Video Files b. Audio Files - background music, sound effects c. Visual effects - transitions added 2. Choice of Software: iMovies, Adobe Premiere 3. Premiere video of 50 minutes was divided in 7 parts: a. 5 minutes: Intro, Ganesh + Saraswati Vandana + Deep Prajwalan b. 5 minutes: Welcome by MCs, Recitation of Gurur Brahma c. 9 minutes: Intro, Facts on Hinduism - Om, Skit d. 6 minutes: Intro, Facts on Hinduism - Namaste, Musical Instruments e. 7 minutes: Intro, Facts on Hinduism - Yoga, Skit f. 7 minutes: Intro, Facts on Hinduism - Festinvals, Dance Performances g. 11 minutes: We The Students, Miss You, Thank You | GV Pramukh | Video Editing is the hardest part. Be very patient. | ||
| 4th week of April | |||||
| Invite dignitaries & PRESS | a. Invite Mayor, Congressmen, Senators b. Invite TV and Newspaper | GV Pramukh | - Ideally invitation to dignitaries must be sent atleast 4-5 weeks prior to the event. Invitation can be sent via email. Follow up with a personal phone call or a visit to their offices. - Press and TV media should be informed 2 weeks in advance. Invitation and Program Guide must be shared. | ||
| Post Production tweaks; Review and Feedback | a. Video files are often large, which could make them difficult to share with your team via traditional channels, such as email. Files were uploaded to YouTube and links were shared with team to invite their feedback and edits. b. Large amounts of storage is needed to save these video files. Please be mindful of that. We had to deleted some files as soon as they were converted to YouTube links. But later realized that these files would have come handy to polish and refine our final product. | Everyone | Keep history of files and backups. People change their minds. Have to accomodate everyone to the best extent. | ||
| 1st week of May | |||||
| Launch teaser on Social Media | 1. 60- second Teaser with glimpses of the actual Premiere was prepared and launched on Sadhana's FaceBook page and shared with Sadhana families on it's bi-weekly ZOOM meeting. | GV Pramukh | a. Teaser for e-Guru Vandana, 2020: https://bit.ly/2Wzm6wu b. Guru Vandana from past years: https://bit.ly/2yyJL8t | ||
| Email invitees and families | 2. Email with, a. viewing instructions b. link to teaser (eGV, 2020) c. link to video compilation of past Guru Vandana Utsav(s) d. Program Guide | 1. Parents 2. GV Pramukh | a. See Summary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LSqC4-MwOoetKx1R-qhTzfY1idcq7q0e/view?usp=sharing b. Teaser for e-Guru Vandana, 2020: https://bit.ly/2Wzm6wu c. Guru Vandana from past years: https://bit.ly/2yyJL8t d. Program Guide: https://bit.ly/3ce4X22 | ||
