MA questioner's corner

I am still here!

2008-04-19T13:32:00.003+01:00

I thought I'd see if there was anyone out there still. I see Dr Joolz has moved and my link to Kate is not correct. Watch this space to see if I change the links!!
This is Hastings where my daughter is studying at the moment.

I did it!

2008-01-22T21:21:00.001Z

Well, I finally made it. I am officially an MA. The questions won't stop, however. I don't think I will ever stop asking questions. So this blog will remain and may be updated from time to time. All you other distance learners out there keep on persevering - it is worth it in the end and when you look back the time will have gone really quickly.

2007-12-28T14:36:00.000Z

I just thought I'd let anyone who reads this know that I have got my masters degree. I can hardly believe that 2 years has gone by and that I have been successful! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the graduation ceremony.
This is where we were in Sweden this Summer. We had a great relaxing time time then it was back home to write. Can't wait to go back again.

2007-03-06T12:27:00.000Z

Just thought I'd say 'Hi' to everyone out there!
This is a picture of the back garden of our friend's summer house in Sweden

Circle or Spiral?

2006-11-16T11:44:00.000Z

Is Action Research a circle or a spiral? "

Like a circle in circle like a wheel wit hin a wheel?"

Action Research

2006-11-15T13:08:00.000Z

Is this what is called Action Research? Seeing which is the best place at this time of year to get the sun and have a snooze?

Trying to get my mind around this subject.
I keep getting really excited about it which is probably very sad. I've now found this site which is directing me to loads of others which look very interesting. I don't think I'm ever going to stop wanting to read and get on to writing!

Dr Joolz directs us here which I think could be a useful site for our research. Get in touch if you're out there................

2006-09-28T10:15:00.000+01:00

Another year has passed and I am not 18 - just 21 and a bit ; the bit just keeps getting bigger. Where has this month gone? Will I ever know what I want to do when I grow up? Will the MA help me get a 'proper job?' I wanted to do lots of reading but have spent the last two weeks trying to find a new university course for my daughter as Bedford closed her course a fortnight ago due to lack of numbers. How can they do this when she was virtually packed and ready to go?
Looking forward to next weekend when I have some time for myself here.

2006-09-14T09:14:00.000+01:00

Doesn't the summer holiday seem years away when you get back to work? Here is our pique nique we had on the banks of the river Cher. We also visited this place and went on a boat ride under its walls. I managed to get the last assignment off in time and I am looking forward to my next weekend here.

2006-08-04T12:28:00.000+01:00

Here we are playing an outside concert in Germany at this place. We had a very successful tour, but I am exhausted now and ready for a holiday here. Looking forward to good food and wine and relaxation!

Football!!

2006-07-19T14:42:00.000+01:00

I thought you all would like to see the posters I put up for my World Cup unit of work. I have sent off the draft now and can think about the end of term and packing to go off with the Youth Orchestra. I now have a draft timetable and it is messy - year 7 English, year 7 and 9 German and year 8 French. What do you think about literacy across the curriculum with a special reference to MFL and ICT?

HELP!!!

2006-07-13T21:48:00.000+01:00

I haven't had my timetable for next term yet, but I know I have only one year 7 class of English and I think the rest of my timetable is going to be Modern Languages - French and German. Can I still do my Masters? What can I do for my dissertation? Shoud I do a cross curricular theme tying it in with new literacies? What books should I read? I am ready for a holiday NOW.

Going here next week with the youth orchestra - can't wait to get away. Then it's off to this country with the family.

2006-07-04T21:23:00.000+01:00

I resigned as a governor for this school and attended my last governor's meeting last week. I have been associated with the school since 1989 when my son started there and have been a governor for 7 years. I was very touched when I was presented with this lovely bunch of flowers and a book token. I will miss them all, but will not miss all the evenings I have had to give up, plus the visits during my days off......and the interviews for new staff......etc, etc.

Elder daughter has gone off to Kentwell this week to be a tudor. I was up two nights until midnight doing this and mending a pair of these.

Meanwhile my son went to Bayeux dressed like this and was part of a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings with this group plus a group of French and a group or German re-enacters!! He made all his outfit himself including the chain mail.
Life is never boring in our household! Meanwhile, back at the computer I am desperately trying to write 6,000 words in the next two weeks - do you think it will be complete drivel? Hopefully some of it will make sense.

Affordances

2006-06-21T17:43:00.000+01:00

This week I shall be mainly thinking about affordances - what does it mean? How can I bring this into my assignment? Haven't got very far reading this person's views on the matter as yet, but have started writing which makes me feel better even if it is drivel! It's been an eventful week, but more on that at another time.

Food, Drink, Music and a Book

2006-06-17T23:14:00.000+01:00

Had a great afternoon here tasting lots of food and sampling wine and beer. Wrestling with one of these tomorrow - I must be mad as I really play the piano and not the organ.

On a more serious note, I collected my copy of this book today - just got to read it now!

I recommend this book

2006-06-12T22:34:00.000+01:00

I have just finished reading this book. I like to read other things as well as the reading for this course.

Poplur Kulcher

2006-06-06T19:51:00.001+01:00

This week I am trying to get my mind round popular culture. What makes culture popular? What is culture? Will reading this help? Is culture just the Arts or has it a wider meaning. Does all the street art other bloggers have been commenting on count as popular culture or is it just an art gallery which has come outside to try and reach the populace in general? this corner is becoming full of questions - but are there any answers? Is a sand castle art???
Does this pose even more questions?

2006-06-01T22:47:00.000+01:00

Today I think I am entering the world of Linguascapes.

I have been reading Appaduri today and feel at times as if I have been reading a foreign language. Some of it made sense, but I have had to gloss over a whole load of words which I have never come across before. Here they are - if anyone is interested out there!
ecumenes, accretions, prolegomena, diaspora, fissparousness - my husband thinks fizzy drinks come into this! synopticon, nonisomorphic, asymtotically, concatenations

Have a look at Jules Blog - she has some interesting stuff on semiotics - which fellow students will know was bugging me at the last weekend in Sheffield.

2006-05-26T19:53:00.000+01:00

For those who want to know more details of the murder here they are.

2006-05-26T18:07:00.000+01:00

Thank you all for your supportive comments. At last it is half term and I can catch up on some sleep and chill out! Is this me chilling out? No, it's a jelly fish on a beach in Wales!

Digigran on her blog brought back memories of school. I enjoyed my schooldays, but they feel like another world and another life now. I was reminded of another rhyme we all learned about little Johnny the scientist which was quoted wrongly on the recent TV programme "That'll Teach 'em". And before you ask, no, I did not go to school in the 1950s, but it was BC - Before Computers.

Where are the rest of you MA students? Are you blogging yet? Only seen Anon's blog so far. Anyway, I have some more words for you all - here they are: hermeneutics, bifurcation, immanent critique, systemic.

2006-05-23T16:37:00.000+01:00

One of my mother's friends was murdered on Sunday night - hard to think about anything else.

This is sunset on Lake Siljan.

2006-05-21T17:42:00.000+01:00

Came across some lovely words in my reading - why do people use words I don't understand? Is it good for me to learn all these words; will I ever use any of them? Can anyone help me understand them?
Here they are: historicity, epistemological, polysemic, panglossian.

Dr Kate - here is a picture of daughter's cello for you to see - hope you like it. It's a new instrument, but has quite a good sound. She is studying for grade 6 at the moment, so needs something that will 'sing'.
P.S. my daughter took the photo - it is called "My Cello".

2006-05-20T12:39:00.000+01:00

I sorted out my problem with the blog myself! It is because I was using mozilla firefox to blog - I am now using internet explorer. Firefox is good for blocking pop-ups but can be problematic sometimes: I found I could not access e books and journals with firefox, Anyway I did not have to call on 13 year old daughter to help.

Here is a picture of Sweden - a lovely calm place where I would like to be now.

2006-05-19T22:43:00.001+01:00

I have got really cross with this blog. Hoping this posting will materialise on the blog.

2006-05-19T11:31:00.000+01:00

I tried to blog yesterday, but it doesn't want to be published! I was talking about semiotics and how I though Elaine explained the term and its usage well during the weekend.
Had a cultural evening yesterday accompanying my youngest daughter playing her cello at an art exhibitiona at school. She is proving to be a great help with this blog - I hope she can sort out yesterdays!!! It just goes to sho the difference between 'insiders ' and 'outsiders' as Lankshear and Knobel call us all.

2006-05-18T17:37:00.000+01:00

It's great that some of you have written comments - thank you.
I thought I'd start with what I meant to do in the first place which is to try and understand some of the terms we come across in the course. As everyone knows, I was trying to wrestle with the term semiotics. I found some sites which give definitions: try this one
You could also try this one

I thought Elaine gave us some good ideas as to how the word semiotics works in context.

2006-05-17T20:32:00.000+01:00

I have sent the details to most of the group, but some of the e-mail addresses were wrong - sorry if you didn't get mail from me.

I am hoping this blog will become a forum for discussing issues/words/ or anything else we are having difficulties with. So far I have done nothing for the course but fiddle about with this blog and a few minor things like teaching!!!

It strikes me that this could rapidly turn into a diary - is this what happens to everyone who starts a blog with good intentions??

2006-05-16T23:01:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow I will let the other course members know where to find this blog.

I have been told to create a blog!!

2006-05-13T23:32:00.000+01:00

am doing a blog as part of this course

Tomorrow I will let the other course members know where to find this blog