Learning from Experts Across the Pond

 MOSI Live Chat

In class on Tuesday, our class Skyped with the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), of Manchester, England. During the live chat, our class was given a tour of the museum, and we were given a view of what it was like to work in the Manchester mills. To be familiar with the information given to us, our class prepared for the chat in various ways. The very first thing we did to prepare was view the MOSI website, to see what the museum was like. We viewed the textile gallery, which focused more specifically on the textile industry. After this, we watched a video from our “explainer” Jamie (who gave the Skype museum tour), and while watching the video, we made a list of the terminology that Jamie used. Then, we looked up the definitions of the words, using key words to make sure they were related to textiles. Finally, we made questions to ask Jamie during the chat.

During the chat, I learned a few new things about the textile process and how it works. One thing I learned was that the loom was usually at the top of the house, where a skylight was built. During the day, they could capitalize on the sunlight. Another thing I learned was that kids would actually be sucked into machines. When this happened, all the machines had to be shut down so that the victim would avoid injury and be able to continue working. Jamie talked not only about the textile process, but also the mill workers. One interesting fact he mentioned was that orphans were sold from orphanages to work at mills. The orphans would work at the mill during the day and then return to the orphanage at night. The mill owners didn’t want their own children working in the mill, so their solution was to buy orphans. He also spoke about how the hard physical work could lead to things like arthritis. However, even though they could get arthritis, workers still worked in the mills as long as they could in an attempt to escape poverty. A last thing that Jamie mentioned was that Richard Arkwright, the “inventor” of the water frame, didn’t actually come up with the original idea for the machine. He stole somebody else’s idea, made a patent, and then got all of the credit.

Overall, I thought the live chat was a positive experience. It was cool to see the machines being described while a live visual was on the screen. And, it was interesting to hear all of the information coming from an expert. However, at times it felt like there was too much information being thrown at us at one time, but that was understandable due to the limited time we had to do the chat. I would like to do something similar later in the year for a different topic, because it was a more interesting way to learn about the material.

Making Money, Destroying Neighborhoods

Our exhibit on the living conditions during the Industrial Revolution.

As part of the Industrial Revolution unit, our class recently made a “museum” of sorts. In groups, we made museum exhibits, each with a specific theme that related to the revolution in some way. The themes of the exhibits came from different documents and pictures that were given to each group to be analyzed. The analysis process was integral in creating the exhibit, due to the fact that it was during this step that we chose what information was truly necessary and needed to be conveyed to the viewer. It was also during this step that the theme of our exhibit began to become more apparent. Our exhibit (shown above) shows the effects that the Industrial Revolution had on the people and their living conditions. The documents and pictures show that people lived in poverty due to low wages and high cost of living, while pieces of nature, such as the Thames River, were being polluted by the steam engines that were heavily prominent during that time. Our title, “Making Money, Destroying Neighborhoods” came from the obsession with money during the Industrial Revolution, which came with poverty in the streets and pollution in the surrounding nature. When viewers see our exhibit, I hope they walk away knowing that the Industrial Revolution may have had positive effects on the economy, but that it also had many negative effects on the people that had to live through it.

In the museum, there were four other exhibits. One, about weaving, showed the various inventions that helped to improve the weaving process and make it more efficient. Also, it was shown that weaving was the most appealing job for children and women. Another, on transportation, showed how a steam engine was composed and what materials it ran on. Many positive effects, such as the fact that it was easier to get from place to place, were shown. An exhibit on child labor showed just how young children began working during this period, and about 50% began working before age 10. The exhibit also showed the poor conditions that the children had to work in. The last exhibit, on slavery, showed that slaves led to higher production of cotton, which led to more income. If slaves had not been employed, the amount of money being made would have been considerably lower.

Ingredients Needed in the Recipe of Revolution

Recently in class, we began a unit on the Industrial Revolution. In order to introduce the new unit, we completed an activity called “Ingredients to Industrialization”. In this activity, the class was split up into groups, and each group was assigned a specific topic which contributed to the Industrial Revolution. The topics varied from people and resources to technology and transportation. In these four topics, the Industrial Revolution was revolutionary, and many changes occurred in these fields while the Revolution was taking the world by storm.

Fein, Eric. Land of Beauty, Prosperity, and Climate Change… Vimeo.com. 

Digital image. Wondergressive. N.p., 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.

People were one aspect that helped to push forward the Industrial Revolution. Without the people behind it, the revolution would never have spread so much throughout the world. One way in which the people were an ingredient in the Industrial Revolution was that they helped to improve farming. Agriculture was important in those times due to it being the main source of food and one of the main options for an occupation. Due to the improvements in farming, the population was able to grow. The risk of starving to death decreased, while grew stronger and were able to give birth to stronger babies. Also, not as many farmers were needed to get the job done. These workers who were not needed anymore could move on to factories and other jobs that advanced the revolution. One individual in particular who improved farming, Lord Charles Townsend, advocated the growth of turnips, which in turn helped to make the soil arable again after being exhausted by other crops. Also, Jethro Tull invented the seed drill, which set seeds in rows. The seed drill helped farmers to not have to do so much physical labor (and saved them time), as they did not have to scatter the seeds across the fields themselves. Another way that people helped to advance the revolution was through the act of enclosure. Enclosure is the process of farmer peasants being forced off of their land, which was shared by many, by rich landowners, who take over what was previously the peasants’. By being forced out of their land, the peasants had no choice but to work in factories, who produced technology necessary for other aspects of the revolution.

Technology was also important in pushing the revolution forward.  One aspect of technology that was improved during the Industrial Revolution was in the textile industry. One invention by John Kay, the flying shuttle, allowed for faster weaving for workers, who then worked faster than spinners. James Hargreaves’ invented the spinning jenny, which made it possible for multiple threads to be spun at the same time. The water frame, which was invented by Richard Arkwright, used water power to make for faster spinning. All three of these inventions helped to speed up the process of spinning, which allowed for more product, and the demand for cloth products was supplied for. Unrelated to speed, long sheds to house machines and workers were built, which also helped to make more product. Another important piece of technology, the steam engine , was invented (by Thomas Newcomen) in order to pump water out of mines. Later on, it took on a bigger and more important role. It was used in many machines, including the steam ship, which was an important part of transportation in that time. A last piece of technology that was revolutionized was the improvement of iron. As coal plays an important role in the production of iron, a way to take the impurities out of iron was discovered, which resulted in cheaper, higher quality iron. This high-quality iron was used throughout the world, in building textile machines and railroads along with other ways.

How to Avoid Tree Octopus Websites

In class on Wednesday, September 3, our class completed various activities that involved finding reliable information on the internet. By doing these, we were taught what we should and should not do when looking for information on the web.

One of these activities that I alluded to above was A Google a Day. This activity involves obscure questions which can be answered by doing google searches. These questions can span many different topics, and can also be very obscure. There was one question regarding biological classification, while another asked for John Waters’ inspiration for Divine’s makeup in his films. It was fun tackling these obscurities, but eventually it became frustrating how difficult it was to find the answers. In doing this exercise, the most valuable piece of information I learned is that finding answers to your questions is not always as simple as typing a question into the search bar. Sometimes, you have to use other information that is related to what you’re researching to find what you are actually looking for. In addition to that, I also learned 3 obscure facts which could (or could not) come in handy in the future.

Rare photo of the elusive tree octopus
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

In the second activity, we were told to decide whether or not the website for the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus could be used as a source for research. In doing this, we were given three words to apply to what we were reading: accuracy, authenticity, and reliability. Accuracy is whether or not the information on a website is actually true, and does not include false data. If a site is authentic, it says what it claims to be saying, while also not copying another site. And, in order to be reliable, a site has to have been written by a credible author, who is a master in his/her field. The website for the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus passes just one of these three criteria. First, there is no such thing as a Tree Octopus, so the website is definitely not accurate. The site is also not reliable, as the author, Lyle Zapato, has no college degree (however, he claims to have a degree from “Kelvinic University”, which does not exist). However, the site is authentic, because it delivers on what it says it is: a site about how to save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Due to not being accurate and reliable, the site would not be a source fitting for a research assignment.

Image Citation: 
Zapato, Lyle. Rare Photo of the Elusive Tree Octopus. Digital image. Help Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus from Extinction!N.p., 3 Aug. 1998. Web. 7 Sept. 2014.

My Sophomore Year Survival Plan

I am Eric, a 10th grader at Reading Memorial High School. For my History 10 class, I will be keeping a blog that chronicles what I am learning throughout my sophomore year. This is the first of many blog posts that will be posted on a regular basis.

World History Classroom http://www.prweb.com/releases/innovativemodular/awardwinningmodulars/prweb5197124.htm

In the past, the thing that has made a teacher great, better than the rest, is his/her ability to keep a fun class environment while also teaching the material in an interesting and appealing way. There have been too many cases where the teacher has simply put notes on the board and told the class to memorize them for a test. That has not worked particularly well, because memorization is not the same as actually learning and remembering. My favorite teachers of past years have been funny and approachable, but they were still a little bit strict when they needed to be. They have supported me by reinforcing various concepts multiple times so that they truly stuck in my mind, and they have also been there to answer any questions I had about the material.

I agree with John Green that education should be used for a greater good. By living on Planet Earth and using its vital resources, civilians have an obligation to leave the world a better place than how it was when they were born. This year specifically, one of my goals is to get no semester grade lower than a B. To reach this goal, I will hand in all of my assignments on time, make sure to study for all tests and quizzes, and most importantly, I will put forward my best effort in school. A second, non-academic goal that I have for this year is to make the basketball team. There is a lot of tough competition, but it is definitely attainable. In order to give myself the best possible chance of making the team, I will prepare for tryouts by getting in better shape and improving my skills.