Helpful Hangout with Jamie

This week in Honors History, we got to speak with an expert on the industrial revolution, Jamie, who works at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England.  Before live chatting with him, our class got into smaller groups and did some background research.  We looked around the museum's website, and watched a video.  There were many words that we did not understand, but would need to in order to learn from Jamie.  We found definitions for the terms carding engine, hopper feeder scutcher, draw frame, sliver, speed frame, slubbing, roving, and power loom.  We also thought of interesting questions to ask Jamie about the industrial machines and his work.

The chat with Jamie helped me earn a lot and see a lot of the machines involved in the industrial revolution.  Before the industry, families had to make their own cloth using machines like the hand loom and spinning wheel.  In 1775, Richard Arkwright and John Kay invented the water frame, a machine powered by water that has rollers of different speeds to turn cotton and wool into a sheet for the next process.  We also learned about the power loom, a shuttle that could travel up to 45 mph, which were handled by women.  The machines were extremely loud, so many women ended up going deaf from work.  Women also lost teeth from out of control shuttles and contracted diseases from inhaling cotton dust.  All of the work in English mills was dangerous, and hurt many people.  Over time, conditions got worse with urbanization.  Many people would be living in one house and using the same toilet, so the sanitation deteriorated.  Since our class had just set up our own museum exhibits and acted as curators, we asked Jamie why he chose this profession.  He said that he was brought up in England and went to college there, and decided to further his knowledge on the industrial revolution, since it is a part of his history.

I really enjoyed the google hangout, because I learned a lot more and it was a lot more interesting than reading about something to learn.  I liked being able to see the machines up close,it made me feel like I was actually at the museum.  I also liked being able to ask questions and have them be answered right away, especially when I needed something cleared up.  I would definitely like to do things like this in class more often.

Jamie showing our class one of the many shuttles.