To say you have inspired me would be an understatement. Going on this site initially was for a technology class and I was to follow a particular blog for 12 weeks. I had never even seen a blog before or knew the purpose of one. With the little knowledge that I had, thinking that all I would be doing is reading a strangers personal journal I reluctantly searched for art blogs. I came across this one and...Well I am totally hooked and excited. I teach art and want to assign this as a project. I feel the need to get my students involved. While I am instructed to teach within the guidelines of the art program, I strongly believe as teachers we have the responsibility to teach students about morals, character development and about life. I am always encouraging them to see outside the classroom and really get to the core of their existence.
This is the perfect project.
I am unsure how to get a drawing and Painting class to do this...perhaps through painting..or asking them to photograph each other. I feel I have the motivation part down. I will assign the students to check out the site first and I will develop a strong PowerPoint. But I guess I am a little nervous about the outcome. How to actually assign it, being it is not a photo class. I am looking for suggestions.
I must conclude by saying that this blog has truly inspired me. After reading hundreds of stories about these contributors I feel I need to be part of a bigger plan. I actually have always felt that way and so I became a teacher to make changes in this world. However if you really break down this blog into the reason why it is around, you have to know that most of us really do want to change the world. Perhaps that is why I do what I do…yes….it is….I just want to make a difference each day by encouraging, inspiring and motivating our children to make this place a better place for all of us.
Thanks...and looking forward to chatting with you all.
Roi
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I agree with your thought about the purpose of teaching: <<to teach students about morals, character development and about life.>> With the wdydwyd project, I hope that it does this too, but in as values-neutral way as possible. By that, I mean that that self-reflection is a goal more than leading students to any particular moral conclusions. I think we all have many motivations for what we do — some are very positive and others are negative. The more we accept and bear witness to all of these motivations, the more we understand ourselves. That understanding leads to living a more meaningful life, which is a sort of character development. All this to say, students don't have to have "do-gooder" responses to get a lot of value out of this project. Just engaging in thinking about the and using their creativity to respond is great. And, they may even just say "because I'm bored." In fact, some of the more vulnerable and/or candid answers are most compelling, such as one guy who said, "because otherwise I'd be punished."
You asked about doing this with painting and drawing. That TOTALLY works. The only rule is that a submission to wdydwyd has to combine text + image. But, that image doesn't have to be a photograph. It can be a drawing or painting, or a mixed media thing. Here are a few drawings from the old site that were drawn images. In fact, one idea is that you could have your students go to a public place and ask strangers the question "wdydwyd?" Then, they could draw their portrait. One key thing is to teach your students how to ask the question effectively. Here are some tips that I wrote up (please comment on them for continual improvement).
You mentioned that you were nervous about the outcome... what specifically are you nervous about? Let me know, I may have some ideas about how to handle some specific things.
I love your motivation to contribute in a big way to the world, and I look forward to seeing what you all produce!
Replies
I agree with your thought about the purpose of teaching: <<to teach students about morals, character development and about life.>> With the wdydwyd project, I hope that it does this too, but in as values-neutral way as possible. By that, I mean that that self-reflection is a goal more than leading students to any particular moral conclusions. I think we all have many motivations for what we do — some are very positive and others are negative. The more we accept and bear witness to all of these motivations, the more we understand ourselves. That understanding leads to living a more meaningful life, which is a sort of character development. All this to say, students don't have to have "do-gooder" responses to get a lot of value out of this project. Just engaging in thinking about the and using their creativity to respond is great. And, they may even just say "because I'm bored." In fact, some of the more vulnerable and/or candid answers are most compelling, such as one guy who said, "because otherwise I'd be punished."
You asked about doing this with painting and drawing. That TOTALLY works. The only rule is that a submission to wdydwyd has to combine text + image. But, that image doesn't have to be a photograph. It can be a drawing or painting, or a mixed media thing. Here are a few drawings from the old site that were drawn images. In fact, one idea is that you could have your students go to a public place and ask strangers the question "wdydwyd?" Then, they could draw their portrait. One key thing is to teach your students how to ask the question effectively. Here are some tips that I wrote up (please comment on them for continual improvement).
You mentioned that you were nervous about the outcome... what specifically are you nervous about? Let me know, I may have some ideas about how to handle some specific things.
I love your motivation to contribute in a big way to the world, and I look forward to seeing what you all produce!