10. Who Was Cyrus of Persia, and Why Was He So Important to the Israelites?

                The “Cyrus of Persia” mentioned in Ezra is none other than the famous Persian king, Cyrus the Great. Born in around 600 BC, Cyrus inherited his father’s kingdom in 559. Soon after, he began knitting the loose tribes of his father into something more unified and tangible. After establishing a base of power in the city of Pasargadae, he began laying claim to more surrounding territories (1). He would go on to build the first world empire (2).

                But why exactly is  a Persian emperor so important to the Israelites?

                He was important because he conquered Babylon, where the tribes of Israel had been held captive for seventy years. After discovering the two remaining displaced tribes living in the city, he allowed them to return to their homeland. According to Biblical text, he also gave them money to rebuild their Temple (3). According to Ezra, he did so at the command of Yahweh, who “[gave him] all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed [him] to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah” (Ezra 1). Whether or not Cyrus followed the teachings of Yahweh is unconfirmed. It is likely that he was a Zoroastrian—the religion common to Persia at the time—and that the Hebrew people simply attributed his generous actions to a faith in their god (2).

There is no historical doubt of the events that transpired in Ezra, however. We know for a fact that Cyrus freed the Hebrews, as there are extra-Biblical sources to confirm it. During excavations of Babylon in 1887, a small barrel with an inscription from Cyrus was discovered, detailing his decree that all captive peoples be returned to their homelands (4). 

Whether or not he was truly divinely inspired by Yahweh, there can be no doubt of Cyrus’ integral role to the continuation of Judaism. He freed the people from a captivity that ten tribes had been lost to and restored their land to them. Under his long reign, the various peoples in his empire were allowed to flourish in peace, free to carry out their own traditions and keep their own religions. Later, Cyrus’ wise doctrine of religious and cultural tolerance would be adopted by the Roman Empire and become greatly important to the flourishing of early Christianity as well.

(1)    http://www.livius.org/ct-cz/cyrus_I/cyrus.html

(2)    http://www.cyrusthegreat.net/

(3)    http://www.gotquestions.org/Cyrus-Bible.html

(4)    http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=13&article=288

9. Technology in the Classroom

There are certainly many different uses for our grant money, but the one I would like to focus on has to do with technology. The grant may not allow us to spend money on technology, but I hope that we can use it to better integrate our current technology into the classroom.

                In today’s world, technology has become a vital part of our lives, both outside the classroom and in it. Students frequently utilize it in the classroom. In 2010, a survey of UM students showed that 50% of them bring laptops to their classes (1). I conducted a similar survey in the TMB, asking random students whether or not they frequently take notes on their computers or other mobile devices in the classroom. Nearly a third of students said that they carry their mobile devices to class in order to use them for note-taking.

                In addition to allowing students to take better notes, laptops—when used correctly in the classroom—can help students be more engaged in the lecture and promotes collaborative activity between students. One study even showed that students who use laptops in class get better grades (2).

When conducting my survey, I also asked students who answered “no” why they decide not to use their laptops in class. Here, the answers were varied—ranging from “they are too heavy to carry” to “I prefer writing by hand”—but many students also said that there weren’t enough power outlets. As a student who uses a laptop for note-taking in almost every class, this is an important issue for me.

It was also an important issue for Dr. Reed during my interview with her. Most of her suggestions involved ways to better integrate technology into the classroom and encourage group collaboration.

I would like to see a portion of our grant money go towards making it easier for students with laptops to becomes more integrated into  the classroom. In order to get them off of the fringes of the class, I would love to see the addition of furniture with built-in power outlets. Something like this table would be a great addition to classroom seating.

(1)    http://www.crlt.umich.edu/sites/default/files/resource_files/CRLT_no30.pdf

(2)    http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ983985.pdf

(3)    http://myturnstone.com/products/campfire-big-table/?kwid=productads-plaid^83820197889-sku^CAMPFIRE+BIG+TABLE-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^53932719878