On our first day, the project was introduced. Students came into a rearranged classroom and participated in a series of activities. We began with photos on Instagram taken from users across the world. Students were presented with the photos below.
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| #culture |
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| #connect |
After seeing the clusters of images, they were asked to write down any hashtags they could think of relating to these photos. We found consistency in the theme when multiple students recorded similar hashtags.
This activity allowed students to see how hashtags can link images together and can be represented differently by users with various backgrounds. Instagram and this form of social media can connect people from all over the world. It is a special application that can be accessed on many different smart phones and tablets.
The next activity involved a more hands on approach. Students with access to Instagram shared their phones with classmates to search the site for images. We began with the concept of connection. After searching #connect, one student drew a symbol inspiring others to search for different #hashtags. In the end, there were similar symbols and you could see the path of inspiration taken from the original drawing.
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| Final drawings |
You can see students working with charcoal attached to a bamboo stick. This allowed all participants to be on the same level. No student was at an advantage having more drawing abilities than their peers. This gave them the opportunity to share their thoughts through drawing, something they may have not done before.
We move into next week with the theme Nature. Students will take photos and experiment with what Instagram has to offer.
