Labor Project
Essential Question: How can our knowledge of historical labor movements inform us on how to solve current and future labor issues?
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During this project we looked at the United States during the Industrial Revolution. We read and analyzed documents from the time related to labor. We had a timed writing about labor issues from this period. Then we shifted gears and gave presentations on current issues and potential solutions. Finally we took all the information we collected from past and present labor issues and created podcasts based on the current labor situation in the United States.
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Timed Writing
Presentation
Reflection
1. What was the greatest challenge you faced in the project and what did you do to overcome that challenge?
The greatest challenge I faced during the project was being behind all my peers due to post concussive syndrome. At the very beginning of this project, I got a concussion which resulted in me missing a lot of the background information that all my peers received. I missed a whole week of class in the deepest part of research and then when I returned I really wasn’t back. I had a hard time understanding what we were doing and had trouble comprehending anything that I was reading. When it came to making our podcasts I was lacking on the background information. Thankfully because we were working in groups I was able to rely upon my team for help in this area.
2. If you could go back and do the project again what would you do differently and why?
If I were to do this project again I would spend more time editing the audio quality of our podcast. I had to use several different mics throughout the process which caused some inconsistencies in our audio. I feel that these inconsistencies took away from our main goal and distracted listeners. I plan to go back and re-record it with a consistent mic so that this problem can be avoided.
3. What is the greatest insight you gained about the state of labor issues today? Think back through the entire project, historical context, the presentations, globalization, and your podcast production.
The greatest insight I gained from this project about labor issues is the reality of child labor. Before this project, I knew that child labor existed, but I didn’t fully understand how or why it was a problem. Through this project and researching about child labor in the United States during the industrial revolution, I grasped the dangerous reality of it. I now understand how I as a consumer have a voice in the child labor problems of today and that little changes in my lifestyle have the potential to save the lives of children.
4.What are you most proud of in your project? This could be something very small and not visible to me or the audience. Help me understand why you are so proud of this piece.
The piece of this project that I am the proudest of is my cover art for our podcast. I love photography, but I have a really hard time showing others my art. For our cover art, I used one of my original photos. This was a huge step for me and caused lots of anxiety and stress. I realized that showing other people my art isn’t as bad as I thought it was and that people couldn’t even tell that I had taken it. As small as this may seem it was a huge step for me because it was the first time I was personally choosing to show people and not because somebody told me to show it.
5. Explain 1 way you grew as a student during this project. It is not when we are comfortable and know how to do a task that we grow, it is often when we are the most challenged or have struggled through something that we grow. So what will you be better at now?
My biggest growth during this project was my advocacy. Before coming to Animas I didn’t even know that advocacy was a word let alone something I could do. Having a concussion during this project called for a lot of communication between me and my teacher. This is something in the past I have not been very good at. I still did not do a perfect job of this. However, on assignments that I missed, I made alternative plans to earn credit for them. As well as asked for support on the things that I didn’t understand throughout the project from not only my teacher but also my peers which is a really new thing for me.
The greatest challenge I faced during the project was being behind all my peers due to post concussive syndrome. At the very beginning of this project, I got a concussion which resulted in me missing a lot of the background information that all my peers received. I missed a whole week of class in the deepest part of research and then when I returned I really wasn’t back. I had a hard time understanding what we were doing and had trouble comprehending anything that I was reading. When it came to making our podcasts I was lacking on the background information. Thankfully because we were working in groups I was able to rely upon my team for help in this area.
2. If you could go back and do the project again what would you do differently and why?
If I were to do this project again I would spend more time editing the audio quality of our podcast. I had to use several different mics throughout the process which caused some inconsistencies in our audio. I feel that these inconsistencies took away from our main goal and distracted listeners. I plan to go back and re-record it with a consistent mic so that this problem can be avoided.
3. What is the greatest insight you gained about the state of labor issues today? Think back through the entire project, historical context, the presentations, globalization, and your podcast production.
The greatest insight I gained from this project about labor issues is the reality of child labor. Before this project, I knew that child labor existed, but I didn’t fully understand how or why it was a problem. Through this project and researching about child labor in the United States during the industrial revolution, I grasped the dangerous reality of it. I now understand how I as a consumer have a voice in the child labor problems of today and that little changes in my lifestyle have the potential to save the lives of children.
4.What are you most proud of in your project? This could be something very small and not visible to me or the audience. Help me understand why you are so proud of this piece.
The piece of this project that I am the proudest of is my cover art for our podcast. I love photography, but I have a really hard time showing others my art. For our cover art, I used one of my original photos. This was a huge step for me and caused lots of anxiety and stress. I realized that showing other people my art isn’t as bad as I thought it was and that people couldn’t even tell that I had taken it. As small as this may seem it was a huge step for me because it was the first time I was personally choosing to show people and not because somebody told me to show it.
5. Explain 1 way you grew as a student during this project. It is not when we are comfortable and know how to do a task that we grow, it is often when we are the most challenged or have struggled through something that we grow. So what will you be better at now?
My biggest growth during this project was my advocacy. Before coming to Animas I didn’t even know that advocacy was a word let alone something I could do. Having a concussion during this project called for a lot of communication between me and my teacher. This is something in the past I have not been very good at. I still did not do a perfect job of this. However, on assignments that I missed, I made alternative plans to earn credit for them. As well as asked for support on the things that I didn’t understand throughout the project from not only my teacher but also my peers which is a really new thing for me.
