I've always done a Doodle For Google with my elementary students and my enrichment classes but this was my first go at Junior High. I thought the theme this year was quite difficult, especially for the kids in my community.
In our school, less than 20% of the students will go to college. Even less than that will take a professional job. When I introduced this contest to them, I was met with a lot of doubt. "We can't win, we're from Luling" or "Only rich kids win" or "Mrs. Greengold, you're crazy." I really wanted them to understand that art doesn't care about where you come from or how much money you have or any of that. All that matters is a good idea.
So we studied Google, it's founders, and what it would be like to work for a company like that. We watched clips from "The Internship"and The Doodle For Google live webcast and tour. The kids started getting really into it.
Google challenged the kids to come up with an invention "that would change the world." We started our unit by exploring problems in the world and our community. Kids came up with....
1) Drugs
2) Hunger and lack of food
3) Not enough money
4) Endangered Animals
5) Polution
And then we talked about inventions that have already changed the world.... phones, computers, cars, airplanes....
So I asked the kids to put the two together. What would change the world? What would change their world?
I'll be honest, they really struggled. Many of them came up with very creative Google Logos but I'm not sure they fit the prompt. Here are some of my most creative, can you tell what it is?
The hardest and most heartbreaking part for me is the kids what try so hard and tell me, "I really want to win because it's the only way I can go to college." Breaks my heart.
Comments
Post a Comment