How do you start your day?
In this latest learning event we drill down and try to identify one specific aspect of your world…and that is the very beginning. We’d like to know, see, hear, taste (if technology would permit) your dawn. We all start our day in a different way, and we all see different purposes for the dawn of our days.
I’ve always found it interesting to take a look into people’s lives through two basic questions. First, I’m a foodie. I love food, I love culture. I want to experience new cultures through food. I’ll eat anything, any time. The one particular time period that I find differs drastically is breakfast. What do you have for breakfast? Do you skip it and have your quad, ventidulce, two-pump, non-fat, caramel latte? Do you need protein? Do you have a bowl of Pho every morning? What is your breakfast and ritual?
The second question that I usually find intriguing is what do people first reach for in the morning? Specifically, do you first reach for your cell phone, and is that the first thing you look at in the morning?
What does your dawn say about you?
Depending on what you identify as your dawn, what does this say about you and your identity? Do you have a favorite time of day? What does your dawn look, smell, or sound like? How do you use this time of day? Do you reflect and slowly wake…do you jump into the fire immediately? Do you have a choice?
How do I do this?
Read and annotate Dawn by Dorothea MacKellar. Read The Fierce Country by Douglas Stewart. The first poem, Dawn is an Australian poem that reflects a landscape, time, and place that was very important to the poet, Dorothea Mackellar. The New Zealand-born poet, Douglas Stewart, offers a harsher Australian landscape in The Fierce Country. Think about the imagery these two poems create.
What kind of landscape represents you? Would your landscape be harsh, dry, and hot or cool, lush, and green? Do you have a favourite time of day? Does it contain despair, hope or joy? Is it the end or the beginning of a journey? Have you ever witnessed a ‘miracle’ whilst walking ‘the common way’?
Create a visual, written, and/or audio text which best captures the essence of your dawn. Try and incorporate features of your landscape. You may want to link to a poem, poet, or song that is unique to your country or culture.
Share your response using the #WalkMyWorld hashtag on twitter.
Be sure to stay active on the #WalkMyWorld hashtag to see what other people share as a representation of their dawn.
A guiding example
Last year I was playing with Vine to complete some work in another MOOC I was a part of. I used Vine to capture the start of my day. Take a peek below…for the most part, it’s the same. In a couple of months it’ll change drastically. 🙂
Cover image CC BY 2.0 history.com
Top image CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Pedro Vezini
Middle image CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 hexholden
Bottom image CC BY-NC 2.0 wired for sound
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