Let's Go See the MOSI

Earlier this week, my class participated in a video chat with a museum in England that focuses on the textile aspect of the Industrial Revolution. To prepare for our MOSI Google Chat, we read through the museum's website and recorded three new things we learned. We then watched a video that was made by our soon-to-be explainer, Jamie. Throughout the movie we kept a running list of the terminology we heard. We then worked in groups to come up with a definition for each of the words. When searching for the definitions, we had to be smart about the key words we used. Some of the new vocabulary were words that had picked up different meanings over the years and we had to be sure we were getting accurate definitions. Once we had all our definitions, we worked in groups to create questions so we’d be prepared with things to ask Jamie. We were told to write eight questions. Two about the textile process, two about the evolution of textile technology, two about the negative impact of industrialization on families, and two about Jamie’s experiences as a real life historian.

In this very poor quality picture, Jamie is showing
us a "shuttle" which was a part of the paraloom. 

This chat gave me an insight into the transition from the cotton industry to the factory system. Cloth used to be made at home by the men of the house. It was a really physical job because the hand loom was powered by the men’s bodies. The women and children of the house would prepare the cotton or weaving. The children would use brushes to brush the fibers and the moms would spin the thread on the pedal powered spinning wheel. The factory system was worse for workers than the cotton industry. Since it required everyone moving into the cities to be near the factories, houses had to be built quickly and close together. Due to the little time allotted to build these houses, they weren’t in very good condition. Sanitation wasn’t a main concern at this time. There was one toilet for every 125 people. With all those people sharing one toilet, there was almost always a long line. Rather than waiting, people would relieve themselves in bedpans and then chuck it out the window. Their “waste” would seep into the water supply and people would drink it. Jamie also gave us a tour of the machines. I was shocked when he told us he didn’t know anything about it before he started working there. I always assumed people working in museums had known the information the museums were displaying before they were hired to help others understand it.

I really enjoyed learning from someone who’s an expert in what my class is currently studying. Before the google chat, I was afraid that I’d be in such a hurry trying to type up everything he’s saying that I wouldn’t be able to understand my notes afterwards. I had no problem following along with Jamie. He had all of his thoughts collected and he presented the information to us in a very organized way. Not only did we get good notes on the subject, but it was nice to see the relevancy of our studies in the world today. I know we’re learning about the history of our country, and it’s all very important to know, but sometimes I wonder why I’ll ever need to know, say, who invented the paraloom. Maybe I won’t ever need to know it, but it’s nice to be reminded that there are people out there who are affected by this information every day.