I think Ancient Pharaohs created monuments because they wanted to mark their land with something of theirs, some kind of accomplishment. They were very powerful and needed to show that somehow, and place something on their land as a sign of just how much control they have over the area. In years to come, people would look at those monuments and know how powerful the pharaoh was, and it also helps us find out what kind of person they were. Cleopatra made a temple for the Egyptian goddess Isis, which tells us that she was important to her in some way, and that she believed in the gods.
What monuments in our society are similar?
Some monuments are just copies of the Great Pyramid, the original in Egypt. There's the Transamerica Pyramid in San Fransisco, the Summum Pyramid in Salt Lake City (Utah), and the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. These are all in shapes of pyramids, like the Great Pyramid in Giza made by one of the pharaohs Khufu (he lived before Cleopatra). None nearly as great, though! Also, the uses are much different... the ancient Egyptians used pyramids as tombs and burial chambers for pharaohs who have passed away. A pyramid today, like the Luxor Hotel, is very simply, a hotel!
The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, NevadaHow did the using google docs as the main portal for collaboration help you with this assignment?
Using google docs to work with a partner helped by being able to work on one document together, and seeing how what we both submitted worked out together. If we both worked on separate documents and then put it together later, it wouldn't work out so well. To make it the best we can, my partner and I both worked on on script together, so we could see each other's ideas and mistakes, and either add on to it or fix it.
What did you learn from this assignment?
I had always been fascinated by Cleopatra, but I didn't really know her until I did this project. I had a book about her, which was interesting but didn't have a lot of information about her. I also had a video about her, but it was extremely repetitive and boring. I didn't learn too much about her from either of those sources, so this assignment seemed like the perfect chance to see just who Cleopatra really was. I knew Cleopatra was very seductive, but I didn't know this helped her make Egypt some powerful allies! Who knew charm could be a weapon and a tool to help you gain power?
5. What was challenging?
The challenging parts of this assignment was probably the recording of my partner and I stating the information. We couldn't make the individual recordings too long or one mistake will affect the entire thing, but making them short made it harder to put it together in a way that seemed natural. In the end, it turned out okay, but after we uploaded it to YouTube, there seemed to be a problem. Near the end of the video there was the music we chose for the ending, then a long period of empty silence. Then music again! I'm not so sure what happened but that's not what was intended.
Which school-wide learning results were evident in this assignment?
I think the school-wide learning results I had to use in this assignment were Collaborate Constructively, Communicate Effectively, Learn Enthusiastically, and Think Creatively. We have to collaborate constructively to work with a partner, and make sure you get some work done together. I had to communicate effectively to do this, so I know how my partner wanted things done. I also had to show what I wanted. I learned enthusiastically by researching the Egyptian pharaoh we were assigned, in my case, Cleopatra. I know much more about her than I did before the project (That's what was supposed to happen, I think....). Thinking creatively was important to make the project interesting and, well, more creative!
