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Mantras and Outlines

Sometimes research is peeling the layers to find the essence of a person... or a thesis.  In 3 days I had written what I thought were perfect paragraphs u sing the mantra* ' knowledge claim – reason – warrant – evidence – implications' .     from a Thesis Whisperer post. U nfortunately, despite the length of time for serious writing with no coffee breaks (Vanilla Pod cafe closed) - I'd only managed three! (It could be argued that 3 perfect paragraphs are better than 30 mediocre ones but I'd like to finish this thesis.) I discovered  Scrivener . The Thesis Whisperer  confessed falling in love in 5 minutes and I was sceptical. Any-one can fall in love with an iPad in 1.5 seconds but not a software program! I was wrong... 3 days later I have restructured my thesis outline.  Back to writing!

Hundert Jahre später … inspirieren die Märchen der Gebrüder Grimm eine australische Autorin

Eine australische Kinderbuchautorin deutscher Abstammung Olga Dorothea Ernst, eine frühe australische Kinderbuchautorin, war von der reichen deutschen Kultur ihrer Kindheit geprägt. Deutsche Einwanderer, die ab den 1850er Jahren in Melbourne ankamen, brachten einen hohen Grad technischer Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten mit und leisteten damit ihren Beitrag zum kulturellen Reichtum der Kolonie Victoria. Als Forscher, Künstler, Autoren, Dichter and Wissenschaftler schufen sie die Grundlagen für viele Melbourner Institutionen, als da sind die Sternwarte, der Botanische Garten, der Zoologische Garten und die Königliche Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft von Victoria. In dieser Atmosphäre wuchs Olga Ernst auf. Olga fühlte sich inspiriert, ein australisches Märchenland zu schaffen und schrieb 1904 als Sechzehnjährige das Buch ‘Fairytales from the land of the Wattle’ [‘Märchen aus dem Land der Akazien’]. Sie übernahm sehr geschickt viele der althergebrachten Feengestalten aus den Erzählungen der G

Nicht die Kinder bloß speist man mit Märchen ab

It is not children only that one feeds with fairy tales. [Ger., Nicht die Kinder bloss speist man mit Marchen ab.] - Ephraim Gotthold Lessing , Nathan der Weise  (III, 6)  It has taken me 30 minutes to trawl through various literal translations to understand the meaning of this quote. It seems to be most commonly used to reinforce a subtext of childlike naviety in certain circumstances but I am appropriating it in this instance to mean that adults may enjoy fairytales.  Found at the beginning of Bottighemiers book 'Fairytales and Society' I had the jist of what it meant... but to be accurate is important. Various google translations include:  Not only one feeds the children off with fairy tales or   Not   just   the kids   fed   off   with   fairy tales which translates back to German as  Nicht gerade zogen die Kinder weg mit Märchen ein. Entrapment: new Uni library work space Reading translations is fraught with danger but I need to read the original text of fairytal

eBOOKs in the classroom (ASA e-Conference 2011)

It is now possible to have a library in every classroom or even in your pocket. Terence Cavanaugh , 2006 For those of us who like the feel of turning crisp new pages, physically browsing for a hidden gem in a familiar bookstore and have taught students literacy with a Big Book balanced on the literacy stand and struggled to eke out budgets to buy a new sets of interest based readers, the e-book challenges the our personal notion of what is a reading experience. Yet in the time since I began my PhD (3 years ago) Ernst's books have been digitised and downloadable. http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2486700. By January of this year, e-book sales at Amazon.com had overtaken its paperback sales .   The idea that we can all carry our own miniaturised and personalised library via e-device challenges the old world print access to books. For educators, who are faced with rapid changes in technology, there are new questions to be answered. Will e-books will engage tech-savvy students? Wi

Franticity

Mark Treadwell  encouraged conference participants to use digital technologies during his two days of presentations. An interesting experience for me with my brand new iPad2: permission to play while listening to a presentation.. On the positive side, the ability to instantly access his lecture notes, zoom into diagrams and find the answers to questions posed was useful.  Mark would say that googling for the answers is 'collaborating not cheating'. My table group ' found ' the answers Mark wanted and offered them to the discussion without any need to reflect deeply. It felt like cheating! I am NOT a digital native and found it exhausting. Normally those ideas that 'pop' in a random manner during PDs I jot down to later act on. This time I actioned them as I thought of them! During Mark's presentation: I sent the url to my latest photo book to a colleague who'd introduced me to Blurb.com while Mark was explaining neurons. I recieved a physical thumbs

Cold and wet but chapter one is drafted

Longing for Highland Waters snow and solitude! Study tidied, feel like despite the digital world of research paper continues to pile up and another self of the bookcase is folderised while the filing cabinet has been culled of old papers. At least paper remains while my Time Machine has suddenly decided that backing up is too stressful and has refused to do it. Mild panic but Ross had rescued the thesis until the TM can be repaired or replaced. Have spent the weekend emailing out research findings, following evidence trails and procrastinating on the Methodology chapter.

Girl writing

Writing at the HJ Though ten books is a very small sample, there are a number of differences between those fairy tales written by men and those written by women. Argamona, Koppelb, Fine and Shimonib  (2003) concluded after an extensive study of contemporary works that the writing style of women is ‘involved’ while men’s writing is more ‘informational’. Put simply women’s writing develops relationships between reader and writer while men’s writing references concrete facts such as place and time to build context. Interesting research to be queried and challenged.  Male fairy tale writers do not seem to have the same concerns about the worth of their book while female writers seek approval and acknowledgement and their approach is self-deprecating, perhaps to deflect criticism and also indicate their awareness of social expectations for female writers.  The women writers humbly offer their stories to their audience. Which of these is the male writer? ‘ AUSTRALIA! Hast thou no ench

Snowed in on the Central Highlands

It's tempting to go for a walk around the lake, drive 23 km down the road for a coffee at the Hungry Wombat Cafe or hike around Lake St. Claire rather than write BUT we're snowed in. Kel who visited for the weekend can't get back to Hobart to catch a plane to Melbourne. The roads are closed. It's snowed for 24 hours off and on. The world outside is white and magical and the fire inside is glowing. Nothing to do but eat chocolate cake and write! I should be productive. Monday 8 pm - still snowed in - road closed between Derwent Bridge and Tarraleah - so Kel has borrowed the laptop so she can work!

Cold Conference but some hot tips

T he Australian History Association Conference in the amazing UTAS (University of Tasmania) Academy of Arts building: machinery and space but very cold. Definitely a 'coat' Conference, though the food was definitely warming (soup, hot muffins) - a bit lonely as I am used to people chatting in queues or after leaving presentations. Networking happens in the breaks but I felt a little wallflowerish (Yes, unusual for me!) and probably missed the opportunity to kick start some new thinking patterns. Great artworks on the wall by students and my favorite was 'Berliner Dom' (I was warmer there last winter) and the Teapot style adult 'Polly Pockets'. A couple of good contacts: Research about the movement between Hobart and Dunedin which clarifies why Beatrice Wilcken was there for a couple of years. (exciting!) Research that precipitated thinking about the purpose, motive, impact of writing in margins Research about the use of court records and building individ

Principal or Princess

Trooper Floyd, tired from a 'Day on the Diggings' (1850)  relaxes in a 21st Century Principal's Office. After a term as Acting Principal with the non-stop plethora of challenges that are part of the job: dead rats to bury; technology hiccups - dead photocopiers, dropped laptops; the worry of purchasing furniture/ shelving for our new library-technology space when my degrees are in education NOT design; trucks that smash the water meter 2 hours before 400 children descend on the school and want to use the toilet; dealing with student learning issues to maximise outcomes and coaching staff;  the opportunity to escape to our favourite J & J house in the Great Lakes area of Tassie and do some writing is my idea of bliss. Nestled amongst the gumtrees First I am attending The Australian Historical Society's Conference:  History At The Edge Conference   ash cloud and the demise of Tiger airlines permitting with a paper exploring the similarities between the fair

Another Grimm year!

                                  Olga Ernst wrote Fairytales from the land of the Wattle in 1904 at the age of sixteen. Ernst cleverly placed the old world faerie folk of Europe that she knew from listening to the Grimm brothers fairytales and placed them into the new Australian landscape delighting Australian children. Ernst created a fairyland that Australian children could relate to and she says in her book introduction, "These are written in the hope that they will... win approval of those to whom a loving study of tree and flower, bird and insect, and the association of familiar elements of old world fairy-lore with Australian surroundings, commend themselves. I remember watching videos of Snow White (1937) (Too scary for children when released. My grandparents left my mother with a babysitter), Cinderella (1950)and Sleeping Beauty (1959) but haven't seen The Princess and the Frog (2009), an adapta

Once upon a time, mate.

These are the stories I have defined as the first Australian fairytales. My choice is open to interpretation.  The definition of fairytales for analytical research in my thesis is that a fairytale is usually a short and simple story that features folkloric characters such as elves, trolls, goblins, giants, fairies, witches or other magical beings and the results of their interactions with humans. Talking animals or inanimate objects that speak may also be included. A happy ending is never guaranteed and there may be a moral message. 1.      187 0 Roland, Sarah Anne Charlotte (pseud. Gumsucker), Rosalie's Reward; or The Fairy Treasure, Wreford, Ballarat, Vic. 15 p. 2.      1871 Desda (pseud.), The Rival Fairies, Turner, Sydney, NSW. [From Mason's The Australian Christmas Story Book] 24 p. ; 17 cm. 3.      1871 Lockeyear, J. R, Mr. Bunyip; or Mary Somerville's Ramble: An Australian Story for Child