Technology 1900 for Teachers and Parents
Visitors to this site are introduced to some of the new technologies that were introduced just over 100 years ago. Kids learn about the precursor to the music video, the challenges of early automobile travel, and what it was like for telephone operators before the days of direct dial.
An interview with historian/entertainer Max Morath reveals what technologies were available to kids in 1900 and what they were most excited about. Finally, visitors can read predictions for the next century made in 1900, to see how people thought life would change during the 20th century.
For Teachers:
- As a class, make a list of mechanical devices and technologies that people use every day, including electricity and lights, telephones, cell phones, personal computers, faxes, pagers, automobiles, subways, airplanes, video games, electric toothbrushes, etc. Then split the items up among groups of students and have them find out when each item was invented and what was used to perform the same or similar functions before it was widely available. Share findings with the class and then discuss what an average day might look like for their peers living 100 years ago.
- The entertainment industry has always tried to innovate in order to attract customers to the latest and greatest. Have students read Music Video 1900 Style and check out the illustrated songs. Then have them work in pairs to create their own illustrated songs, using a CD player and an overhead projector or a computer and PowerPoint. As an extension, have students read the interview with Max Morath and then do further research about contemporary reactions to ragtime, jazz, and rap music.
- After reading Built for Speed about early automobiles, you can find more articles about the automobile in the Summer Vacation issue of WayBack, which includes information about the history of car camping and the role the automobile played in the development of Miami Beach. Also check out the companion Web site for Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip, Ken Burns' documentary about the first transcontinental road trip, made in 1903 by Horatio Jackson. As a class, make an illustrated timeline that describes the history of the automobile in American culture.
- Number Please describes the low wages and difficult working conditions that female telephone operators experienced in the early years of the telephone. It also describes how employers unfairly discriminated against people from certain ethnic groups and races. After reading the article, discuss students' reactions. Then have students do research so they can write two journal entries, one as a woman working in 1900 and one as a woman working today. Their entries should cover available jobs, working conditions, and what their ambitions are (and whether they think they can achieve them). You could also broaden the assignment and have some students research working conditions or available opportunities for women while other students research other groups like African Americans, Jews, Asian Americans, and recent immigrants.
For Parents:
- Explore popular culture turn-of-the-century style -- the 20th, that is. At the library, look for some recordings of ragtime and early jazz music as well as silent films. You could also read some children's books of that period, like L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz (originally published in 1900), and talk about the inventions and innovations that Baum dreams up in the first book and any of the many sequels.
- So how did the century really shape up? After you read the predictions people made for the future in 1900, check out The Century for Young People by Peter Jennings, Todd Brewster, Jennifer Armstrong, and Katherine Bourbeau. Or for a more creative approach, read Imagine That! by Janet Wilson, in which Auntie Violet reminisces about her life to her great-grandniece on the occasion of her 100th birthday, or Ghosts of the 20th Century by Cheryl Harness. What do your children think will happen during the next 100 years?
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