Have you ever considered how much technology shapes our lives today?  I often find myself a little too attached to my smart phone these days, considering I can check email, the weather, update my Facebook status, double-check my calendar, jot down to-do lists, take a quick photo and post it almost immediately on the Internet, text with friends that live in other states and countries and the thousands of other applications that are possible, I have not even dared to try and download onto my phone!

Do you remember a time when cell phones first came into the market?  I remember how expensive the minutes were, but I insisted on getting a phone for “emergencies only.”  And nowadays I cannot seem to go more than a few moments without having to check my phone or send a text message to someone.  What about those of us that went to school without the Internet or even a computer?  And with technology advancing so fast every few months, do you often find it difficult to stay abreast of all this new innovation?

>>Click on the link below to see all of the cell phones I have owned since the mid-1990s.  Talk about a history of technology!

CellPhone_Timeline.jpg

So now consider how people must have felt about technology in the early 1800s.  Compared to the early colonies in the 1600s, technology was beginning to make new inroads into American society.

Section A: What exactly is a Market Revolution?  How has technology changed the landscape and attitudes in American in the early 1800s? Tell me at least 3 new things you learned from the American Yawp textbook.  What are three new things you learn from the video?

Section B: Are you familiar with poetry slams?  These are public performances of original poetry and have actually revitalized an interest in poetry, especially among the African-American and Hispanic communities.  After watching Preach perform the poem “Cotton,” what are some of the issues you think Preach struggles with?