MOSI chat with experts from Manchester!

          In class we did MOSI live chat with an expert who worked at a museum in Manchester. But, before we did the chat we had to do some preparation. First, we did some investigating on a website about their museum. During the investigation we took three or more notes on things we learned or found interesting. The one fact that caught my attention was 7 of the machines were made by Platt Bros. of Oldham, once the leading textile company in Manchester. I'll leave a link to the website below. Next we watched an intro video that the expert sent our class. In the video he showed us the machines in the museum and how they worked. Also he told us about some vocab that was used with cotton mills. We used our Google key word searching skills that we gained from using Google a day to find the definitions of these words. Finally, in groups or alone we came up with questions that we could ask our expert during the chat the next day. After doing the investigation, video, and coming up with questions I was very excited for the chat the next class.

           The video chat was amazing! It was so cool how we were talking to two guys from Manchester and they taught us things just over video chat. The first thing he showed us were the looms and machines that single families used before the factories. I found it interesting that the heir loom got the name because it was passed down from one generation to the next. Another thing that he taught us that was gruesome were the injuries that happened in the factory. The work that girls had to do was so dangerous and they had to be so precise at such a young age and the consequences were awful. I liked how he showed us how they cleaned the machines while they ran and how easy it could be to get hurt. Individually I learned that as the textile industry revolutionized it got less safe and much louder. However, it was much more productive. Which brings me to the negatives and positives. The faster and more production of quality cotton was a positive. But there were so many more negatives. People's lives were more at risk and the workers had to live with so many injuries for the rest of their lives from the factory. Overall the video was great and it would be appreciated if we did more things like this.

          I loved this chat and way of learning about the factories. I learned a lot and I think I learned more from doing this than I would have if we just read websites and took notes on it. I liked how it was taught to us by an expert and I like how we got to see the actual machines and how they worked. If we were able to do things like this again in my class it would be amazing. I feel that it was a lot more interactive than just reading would have been. This chat was a great idea that our teacher came up with.

http://www.mosi.org.uk/explore-mosi/explore-galleries/textiles-gallery.aspx

Trip to the "Museum"

          In class we got into groups. Each group was given a specific part of the industrial revolution. The groups were given pictures, quotes, diagrams,or papers about their topic and they had to curate all there sources. With your sources and knowledge you made a poster about your topic. This activity was done in multiple classes and all groups from all classes hung up their posters in a hallway to create a "museum".

          Above is my group's poster. Our topic was about steam engines an how they made transporting goods easier. The analyzing part of the poster was one of the most important parts. In the analyzing part  Without analyzing you know nothing about your exhibit, so you won't be able to put any information for people who will observe your poster. In our exhibit we had a diagram (farthest left) about the history of the steam engine and the advancements it made through the years. The map in the pink border shows a  map of England and the railroad tracks and navigation routes. The picture in the top right is a diagram of the steam engine and how it works. Below the diagram are two QR readers. They are about a letter Robert Fulton, the man who invented the first steam engine-powered boat, that advertised the steam engine and about how great of an invention it was. Below that is a picture of a railroad. This was supposed to advertise the efficiency of the steam engine and railroads. Finally, the single QR reader is a debate that talks about the positives and negatives of the steam engine. Our title is "American and Great Britain Run On Steam Engine", we came up with this because once the steam engine was invented trains and boats powered by the steam engine were the main way of transporting goods used in everyday life from one place to another. Our poster should teach the people who see it that the steam engine was a revolutionary invention for transportation of people and goods.

          Now I'll talk about the other exhibits. The first one I saw was titled "Prosperity at Cost of People". It talked about how the building of textile mills in the United States led to the demand of workers. To meet the demands slaves were brought in to help in the cotton industry. The second exhibit was named "Broken Children". This is about how young girls under the age of 18 were hired to work in the factories, which were very poorly conditioned places. These events led to the Factory Act would prohibited the hire of children under the age of 18. The third poster was called "Not So Great Britain". This talked about how the construction of factories in England led to the pollution of the air and water. It also led to people having to live in slums. The last exhibit was called "Spinning into the Future". This talked about how the spinning wheel made the making of cotton clothes easier and a good jobs for house wives because they could get quality spinning wheels for home. All exhibits were very interesting and knowledgeable.

The Most Important Revolution Ever?

          This week we started learning about the industrial revolution. We broke up into groups and took notes on certain aspects of the revolution. the question we were trying to answer was: What was 'revolutionary' about the industrial revolution? I'll talk about the two aspects that effected the world the most during this revolution.

          First, the advancements in technology were helpful in all sorts of areas. One of the most influential pieces of technology was the steam engine. The steam engine was invented in 1712 by Thomas Newcomen to pump water out of mines so miners could get resources that were lower. It was later used in locomotives and boats which made transporting goods easier across land and sea. Next, was the new found uses for iron. Coal was an important part in the improvements of iron. The coal separated the iron from the ore better which led to the production of higher quality iron. Iron was used all over the world, but especially in the building of railroads and building textile machines. Finally, there was the innovation of Textiles. The flying shuttle made by John Kay allowed weaving to be faster than spinning. In 1764, James Hargreaves created the spinning Jenny allowed many threads to spin at the same time. Later, machines used steam engines which made them even faster. Soon single buildings were producing as much as an entire industry district used to produce. The improvements in technology made goods more accessible and allowed us to get many more raw materials.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~belghist/Flanders/Pages/textiles.htm

          Second, the improvements actual people had were revolutionary. First, there advancements in agriculture. Roy Charles Townsend proposed the idea of growing turnips which restored the exhausted soil. Jethro Tull invented the seed drill which helped farmers. Another thing that helped was enclosure. Rich landowners started to use enclosure and force peasants off their land which forced the peasants to work n factories. This allowed the factories to produce goods faster. Finally, the life expectancy for humans increased. The improvements of agriculture led to less famines. Also it kept women well fed which made them healthier which led to healthier babies. With better food production and people living longer life became a lot easier and not many people had to work on farms and work more in the factories. Healthier humans means a better world and during the industrial revolution, humans were getting a lot healthier.

Helpful Activities for Learning Responsible Searching and Website use

          In my history class we did two activities. One was Google a Day where and the other was an activity on Accuracy, Authenticity, and Reliability. Both activities were supposed to teach how we can use search engines responsibly and how to use websites for research responsibly. Now I'll inform you about the two activities a little bit more.

          First, we did the Google a Day activity. Google a Day is an activity on the internet where it gives you three questions. The three questions get progressively harder and you can use google to help find your answers. The catch is you can't just search the question and have the answer show up. You have to search certain parts of the question and then progressively get closer to answer until you get the answer. What made this activity fun was being able to work in groups and being able to have multiple separate brains try to think of a good phrase to search. I also liked it because it was a fun way to learn interesting facts. Some things that I didn't like were the score and timer because it was a little distracting. Also sometimes when I went to back out of a website that I got or tried to get information from it sometimes backed me out of the whole activity. This activity helped me learn that just because google can't find nothing for one certain phrase doesn't mean there isn't an alternative phrase or phrases that will get me the answer. Google a Day is a great activity and I highly recommend it for everyone.

          Second, we did an activity on the accuracy, authenticity and reliability of websites. The website we did was a website about the rare Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. The website is supposed to raise awareness of the endangered octopus species and explains how you can help support the octopus. However, this is not a good website for students to use because it is not authentic. The author is not authentic and there are no other websites about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus besides websites that call the original website a hoax. Also the pictures just look very fake. It looks like a stuffed octopus thrown in a tree. The website about the "rare" octopus was very helpful in being able to identify a fake website                

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

Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/sightings.html

The Importance of Our Education

          Welcome to my blog. My name is Kevin and I am a sophomore at Reading Memorial High School. The purpose of this blog is to show what we have learned throughout this year. In this blog I will be talking about what makes a teacher great and what the purpose of public education. I hope you enjoy this blog.

          First, what makes a teacher great? I think what makes a teacher great is if he/she gets involved with their class. Not just during the lesson, but before and after class. I like it when the teacher just has  regular conversation with their students (to a certain limit of course).  When i remember my past favorite teachers I would go after school, not for extra help all the time, but to just talk with them because I enjoyed how they interacted with the class. My history teacher, or any teacher of mine in general, can support me by just being themselves around the class I'm in and if I need their help I would appreciate them always being available. I rarely dislike a teacher and I'm looking forward to having all new teachers this year.

          Second, what is the purpose of education? In class we watched a video based on this question and it really got me thinking about my education. If you want to watch the video I will have a link at the bottom. In the video the man speaking is a you tuber named John Green. He said it is the duty of us students to use our education to do great things and I agree with him. We are getting privileged to have a free education and we shouldn't waste it. I want to use my education to positively affect the world as much as I can. For this year, academically, I want to do the best I can and receive the highest grades I deserve. Athletically, Im hoping to stay healthy all year because for the last couple of years I have gotten hurt and I  want that to stop. Im going to reach these goals by studying and paying attention in class. For the sports I will train and take care of myself making sure I don't get hurt again. I can't wait for this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x78PnPd-V-A&feature=youtu.be