England meets Massachusetts: A morning with Jamie!

Recently, I was given the chance to live video chat a real curator and historian from Manchester, England. The experience was very rewarding and something that I know I will never forget. The day before the video chat with Jamie, the historian, we had to make sure we were prepared and had questions ready to ask. The museum Jamie works at is known as MOSI, educates people on a variety of topics. However, we mainly focused on the textiles gallery and the machines used in the mills. Located on the museum's website, there is a lot of information regarding the machines in the museum and the history that makes those machines so special today. In class, we viewed two articles and recorded notes on both. The first article, "Richard Arkwright, focuses on Arkwright who is credited with the invention of the water frame. The article also includes parts of Arkwright's life before the water frame. The second article focuses in on important textile designers during the Industrial Revolution. Some designs of the men are shown as well. Exploring the website helped me to gain a better understanding of MOSI. Additionally, we watched a video sent from Jamie. This video gave me a better look at what I would be expecting from the video chat later on. In the video, Jamie gave us a small tour of some of the machines. By viewing this video, I was able to get a better idea on some of the terms that I would have to know before the chat. Most of these terms I was unfamiliar with, so I had to look them up using Google keyword searching skills. Most of words my group and I were able to find, however a lot of them had lengthy, confusing definitions. But, we able to clarify some of these definitions using Mrs. Gallagher! Although learning vocab seems unnecessary, it was definitely helpful to know the terms during the live video chat. The most important preparation task I completed was drafting questions to ask Jamie. As you may imagine, there are countless questions that could be asked. My group focused on questions such as, "How did the young children working in the mills affect their families?" and "What is it like being a curator/historian?".

 

The video chat with Jamie was an eye opening experience. I learned a lot from Jamie that I most likely wouldn't have otherwise known. The most fascinating part for me was learning the truth about Richard Arkwright. Jamie explained that Arkwright wasn't exactly the inventor of the water frame. The people making the money weren't always the people who invented the machines. Surprisingly, Richard came across someone else's idea and therefore got the benefits from it. Poorer people didn't have the money to paten their idea, so the wealthy ended up stealing their ideas.  In addition, I learned a lot about thread and cotton. Egyptian cotton is said be to the best cotton in the world. The longer the fibers are the better thread and cotton turn out to be. Related to bed sheets, the more thread count, the better quality cloth. Jamie also informed us of an interesting fact about cotton. During the 19th century, specifically the Industrial Revolution, the cotton that cannot be used as three is known as "trash". Ironically, the "trash" was quite valuable and could be used for filling couches. In other words, "One mans trash is another mans treasure". As a whole, I learned that the textile process is not a short one, or even a safe one. Thousands of young children and especially woman were put in danger daily. As Jamie said, "Working Conditions were horrendous." Because there were so many people, diseases were spread easily. But, these diseases weren't just the common cold. More serious, deathly diseases were spread from person to person. There was a massive explosion of industry, so hygiene and sanitation weren't top priority. Besides disease, working the machines cause countless health problems as well. After many years, people often died because of bad lungs. Years of breathing in the cotton fibers caused lungs to deteriorate. Often hair was pulled into the machines on accident and girls were scalped. Loose clothing could be pulled in too. On some occasions very bad incidents occurred, such as people getting crushed by the machines. After someone was crushed, people were expected to continue working. Lastly, people often went deaf because of the loudness of the machines. As a result, they had to lip read. 

 

Relating to the machines, I also learned a lot of new information.  Jamie described that the hand loom is where cloth is weaved. It is hand powered and operated by using petals. The petals allow the frame to move up and down. The longer the people worked the petals, the stronger they got. Jamie also informed us that the spinning wheel was solely a woman's job and that the water frame makes the thread. I enjoyed being able to learn this information from a real person, rather than a textbook. 

 

Overall, the live video chat with Jamie was an awesome experience. I was amazed that we were able to communicate with someone who is so far away. Personally, it is much more interesting to learn about the Industrial Revolution from a real expert, rather than a book. (like I said before). I liked that Jamie was so open to asking us if we had any questions. I also liked how he gave us so much information about what we were learning, which we probably wouldn't have learned from a textbook! There weren't many aspects of the chat that I didn't like. Sometimes it was hard to hear Jamie, but overall it was a positive experience. I would love to do something like this with other experts throughout the year. Talking to Jamie was an experience that I know I wont ever forget.

Below, I have provided some photos that I took during the live chat. The first photos shows Jamie himself during the chat. The last two photos show some of the machines located in the museum and  cotton and thread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Money, Destroying Neighborhoods: The Story of the Industrial Revolution

A few days ago in class, I worked on creating a museum exhibit relating to the Industrial Revolution. I worked in a small group of four people. We were given six sources, which also included photos as well. From there, we analyzed each source, found the most important details, and wrote placards about them. The placards are used for visitors to get the main idea of what the source is trying to get across. Below, I have provided a full image of what my museum exhibit looks like.

 

 

Before we created the exhibit, we had to analyze each source. Basically, this means asking yourself, "Where is it located?", "Who created the source?", "When was it written?" and most importantly, "What motivated the author/creator to produce this source?" By answering these questions, it gave me a better understanding on why these sources are very important to my understanding of the Industrial Revolution. The analysis process is one of the most important aspects of the curating, if not the most important. Through this process, you are able to make sure your sources have enough interesting information for incoming visitors. It is essential for visitors to be engaged in what you are providing. In addition, by analyzing a source you can test whether or not a source is reliable. Asking yourself the question, "What will visitors gain from visiting this source?" is also an essential aspect of curating. My exhibit focused on the effect the Industrial Revolution had on the community. This includes, the people and the environment around them. Our first source shows the Thames River in 19th century England. This image shows that although innovative, the Industrial Revolution did bring negative affects upon the environment. The river became polluted, foul, and turned a pale brown fluid. Aside from photos, our second source is a letter from Professor Michael Faraday. He explains that there have been negative effects on the environment, and he wants people to be more aware of their actions.  Not only does the Industrial Revolution affect the rivers, streams, and air quality, but it also greatly affects the citizens. A excerpt from Andrew Ure is included in our six sources as well. While some believed that the revolution was positive due to the increase in jobs, others became sad and depressed due to working endless hours and not fully enjoying life.  A map between the years of 17-15 to 18-15 is also included. Basically, the map shows increased population, new machines, and a number of docks that were increased for transportation. Our last two sources went together. The image shows poverty stricken neighborhoods with poor living conditions. Below the photo, there is a chart. The chart shows that in certain years of the Industrial Revolution the inflations were more than people could afford. Citizens did not have enough money to pay the cost of living. Some years inflation wasn't as drastic, but high inflation is what caused people to live on the dirty, cramped streets.

It took a while for my group to come up with our title. We tried a variety of titles but a lot of them were just too long. We wanted something that was short, but also allowed for a very important point to get across. In the end, we decided on "Making Money, Destroying Neighborhoods". We thought  this was a good representation of life during the Industrial Revolution. Although people were making money, the new machines was causing a negative effect on the community. When visitors view our exhibit, I hope that they learn that the Industrial Revolution wasn't all good. There were some bad aspects of it too. The environment is extremely important and citizens have to do whatever they can to preserve it. Relating to someone's life today, I hope they learn that their actions do have consequences.

Another exhibit I explored was called "Cotton or Freedom? You decide." I really like their title because it made me think. Also, the title makes you want to learn more about the topic. Looking at their poster, I was very surprised by the slavery graph they provided. It is amazing how much the slave population grew over time in the southern states. It is baffling how much the slave population can increase in such a short time span. In addition, I also liked how some of their photos were in color.

 

"Condemning the Innocent: Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution" was a poster that caught my attention. The title was big and bold, which I think is important. Also, I learned that most of the people working in the cotton factories were very young, some younger than 10 years old. Additionally, I found it interesting that even woman worked in the mills, even though they were usually in housekeeping. I couldn't believe that many children had belts with chains tied around them so that they could pull loads.

 

 

"Weaving Slavery Into the Industrial Revolution" was another exhibit that I found interesting. While visiting, I learned that Great Britain was the greatest importer of cotton. I was also surprised that there were so many factories in such a small area. I also found this particular poster to be easy to follow and very legible.

 

The last exhibit I viewed is called, "Spinning into Slavery". I found it hard to believe that Northern factories greatly effected the people down south. Slavery in the south was driven by the need of cotton to make textiles in the North. Additionally, their title helped me to better understand the topic. It made me realize that people were literally "Spinning into Slavery". More slaves were needed to work the machines.

Man vs. Machine: The industrial Revolution

A few days ago in class, I worked in a small group reading an article on the Industrial Revolution. While my group read, we were told to focus on one aspect of the Industrial Revolution. This included, People, Technology, Resources, and Technology. All of these terms fit well into the understanding of the great impact the Industrial Revolution had on the world. Each day in class we are asked an essential  question. Basically, this question is supposed to get you thinking about the lesson ahead. Relating to the lesson a few days ago, the question was, "What is revolutionary about the Industrial Revolution?" Using this question, we were able to record what the essential ingredients were to the Industrial Revolution.

 

One of the most important ingredients to the revolution is known as Transportation. During this time, many more ways of transporting goods were invented. Steam boats, one of the most important ways of transportation, was built. This allowed faster overseas shipment and trade. However, steam boats couldn't carry much cargo because of all the coal that was used to power it. Therefore, people started towing the cargo in a separate hull. In addition, the steam locomotive was constructed for easier land travel and helped citizens to transfer goods more efficiently.  Likewise, additional railroads were built for more vast transport. Although a small fee would have to be paid to use them, Turnpikes were also built to decrease the time it took to transport goods. Because all these new ways of transportation were designed, people had more access to products from places that were farther away. The key to developing a good transportation system is to allow people and goods to move efficiently and easily. Looking at the Industrial Revolution, it did just that. This made the invention of new transportation revolutionary.

 

Along with transportation, Technology is also one of the most important ingredients to the Industrial Revolution. New technology allowed for there to be many innovations in textiles. Created by John Kay, the flying shuttle allowed weavers to weave much wider fabrics and work faster than spinners. Similarly, James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny. This machine allowed for many threads to be spun at the same time. To speed up spinning, Richard Arkwright's invented the water frame. Additionally, long sheds were built to house machines and workers. All of the machines mentioned above now produced what an entire industry of a district could produce. These new machines were efficient and saved a great deal of time. Furthermore, the steam engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. Coal was used to develop the steam engine. The engine was used to pump water out of mines, so that miners could mine deeper. This greatly helped miners and made mining just a little bit easier. Lastly, iron was improved. Coal was used to separate iron from its ore. High quality iron was used all over the world, especially in building railroads and textile machines. Without the improvement of technology, people wouldn't have been able to work and produce goods efficiently. This was simply revolutionary because new technology made for a better society.

 

 A woman working using the Spinning Jenny.
http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/cottonpix/jenny1.jpg

 

The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: The Uncovered Truth! (and more..)

Recently, I was given the chance to participate in a group activity known as a Google a Day. This online activity was simply a way to teach me how to effectively search Google and use online resources responsibly. These activities gave me some insight on how I can search for what I need, without having to sift through hundreds of websites.

Now a lot of people may not be familiar with a Google a Day. However, it is very easy to use and fun as well! A Google a Day is a puzzle game provided by Google. The game provides you with a question and you must answer it. Although this seems easy, the majority of the time, the answer is not an obvious one. To answer the question, you use Google to search. Because the question can be a difficult, it may take a handful of searches to find the right answer. Therefore, the game teaches you effect searching and how to responsibly surf the internet. Not all website are reliable and during this activity that becomes clear. After each answered question, there is always a new one. You must use the search bar that Google provides you. This is because, many people have put the answers to the questions already on the internet. While we competed in small groups, I definitely found it to be very fun. I had never done this before and I found it to be interesting. Each person had different ideas and it was interesting to see who came up with a search  that provided the answer. The game was also somewhat frustrating. I remember there was one question that my group spent most of the class trying to find the  answer to. Each website we clicked on had the same information. Also, every search query that we came up with provided most of the same websites. Before, I didn't realize that the way I word a question in Google makes all the difference. It is really important to use effective language so that you can find the answer. Even the way that you place words in a sentence can make a huge difference. Overall, I learned that searching for something specific isn't all that easy. It is the way you word your query that can help you find the answer faster.

When sifting among websites, It is important to remember three significant words: Accuracy, Authenticity, and Reliability. Accuracy is making sure that the website is not only correct, but true. If the website isn't true, then it is useless. Authenticity has to do with whether or not the website is original and does what it says it is going to do. In other words, whether or not the website is genuine. Reliability relates to whether or not the publisher or author of the cite is trustworthy. You can ask yourself the question, "Can I rely on the information given?". In class, we researched a website about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. At first glance, it was evident that this website was basically a lie. The Northwest Tree Octopus is simply a hoax. The last time the website was even updated was in 2012/2013. Now, with something like this it is hard to believe that it wouldn't  be updated often. Although the website gives a name, Lyle Zapato, my group couldn't find any information on this man. Also, the writing on the website was very rude and sarcastic. On the FAQ page, someone asked, "How much of the profits from this website go to supporting and saving the species?" In which the reply was, "Tree Octopuses don't need your money. They need your love and willingness to write angry letters to the editor demanding action." The website is authentic because it is doing what it says its going to, raising awareness for the tree octopus. However, it is not accurate or reliable.

Link to a Google a Day:     http://www.agoogleaday.com/#game=started

Link to The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/



 Citation:  http://quantumbiologist.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/the-fish-that-climb-trees/

My First Blog Post: Who am I?

Hello! My name is Emily and I am a 10th grader at Reading Memorial High School. The sole purpose of this blog is to give you an inside look at my experiences as a student in an honors history class. This blog post is the first post of year. Below, I have given you some insight on what I believe makes a teacher great and some information on my goals, my past experiences, and education in general. 

When I think about a teacher, I believe that they should posses many great qualities. A teacher should be helpful inside and outside of the classroom. Coming from past experiences, a teacher who is willing to offer me help with assignments or give me advice is very important. A lot of times, I find that just a little bit of advice from a teacher can go a long way. Personally, I like being able to email a teacher and ask them questions. Along with being helpful, I think that being a being engaged with the class is what also makes a teacher great. Sometimes there are teachers who only handout worksheets. But, I think that being engaged and teaching through power points and other methods is more effective. Being organized is also a quality that makes a teacher great. Occasionally, there are teachers who aren't organized and I find that when teachers aren't organized it can make the class a lot more chaotic. When a teacher is organized it helps the class to go more smoothly, which I like. When I think of a few of my favorite teachers, it is clear that each of them had personality and were funny. I think this is important because humor and a good personality can make the content easier to remember and more relatable, especially history. My math teacher last year was one of my favorite teachers, simply because she was really good at explaining what we were learning. When a teacher explains the content thoroughly its easier to comprehend. As a result of this, I can do better on the tests or quizzes. This year, to support me, I think that that you can be available to ask questions and help me when I don't fully understand an assignment.

I do agree with John Green's ideas about using education to do great things. I think its important for me and the people around me to use what we have learned to invent and create new ideas. Even though school can be boring sometimes, it is preparing us for the outside world. Education, especially history, shows us what other people have created  so we can do the same. This year, I hope to achieve many goals relating to school and extracurricular activities. I hope to ask more questions and participate more in class. Also, I hope to stay more organized and maintain an A/B average in all my classes. Outside of school, I am a dancer. I have danced since I was four years old and there is always something that I can improve! However, this year, I want to focus on my flexibility and perfecting my turns. Socially, I would like to meet new people, as I did last year! In order to reach my goals, I am going to be hardworking and focused. I think those are some of the most important qualities to achieving my specific goals. In addition, I also want to write some of my goals down so that I don't loose sight of them.

Another piece of John Green's thoughts.
Citation: http://tbms.wpusd.k12.ca.us/subsites/Karina-Sofia/pictures/JohnGreenQuotes.jpg