Time flies

I didn't realise that I had not posed for a while here.  The good news, and it was days later than announced, the uni results were posted.  Imagine my thrill to have my results confirmed - two distinctions and one credit.  It was enough for me just to pass, so I feel particularly blessed. 

Before the results were posted I was well underway with another two subjects, and am working my way through it.  We had a fabulous tutor for one subject but after three weeks it was announced that he was offered a full time position with the university, so I have the same tutor for both subjects.  We were all devastated as the original lecturer was so inspiring.  And to add insult to injury, the tutor has not responded to our posts for two weeks now. 

I have kept up with all the assignments, and today should be working on two more plus my major assignments.  Hopefully I will manage to get them all done.

I have now downloaded all my lectures, which are on a CD (one of which was not sent to me - had to ask for it to be sent a couple of weeks into the course, onto my MP3 player, so I can easily listen to them without being in front of the computer.

It is strange doing all the course online.  Some benefits of course, but I'd love to chat with the tutor and other students.

I've read quite a few books in the last couple of weeks - some are suggested readings, some are my own choice - including one Christmas gift, the Di Fingleton story. 

Work, work, work.....

Actually I've not got much to do at the moment - but I received some of my information about the next two subjects at Swinburne, and on Monday I should be able to access the material on the website and get started.

I did go to the cricket at the Gabba yesterday - you can read about it here.   

Today my tasks include preparing for the next semester.  I've read through the suggested reading and will go to the Brisane City Council Library, to collect some of the books there, and I'll go onto Amazon.com to get a couple of others.  I will in the next week visit some of the University Libraries to see if other books are available there.  

Because I am an external student, I do not get a student card unless I go to Melbourne to get it.  Strange isn't it???  Next semester (starting in February) I will be enrolled via Open University and I will get my student card then.  It will enable me to borrow more from the university libraries without paying.

I admit that iin the last semester I did take on too much, though in retrospect, it didn't really become a big issue until the end of the semester when I had three major assignments to do.  This coming semester I will only do two subjects and I am excited about both of them.

The first one is Journalism which I am really looking forward to.  Not that I intend being a journalist - it is too late for me.  Perhaps something I could have explored many years ago.  I think about my school days and there was no information on careers - nothing like the career expo's and other information which is available to students in these times. 

The second one which really excites me - Writing History - People, Places and Times.  I can't wait to get going on this one, as it really is what I like writing about.  I am very excited about doing the subject and it is books for this subject that I have located at the Brisbane City Square Library.  

I have spent time reading some of Colin Thiele's work.  He died on the same day as Steve Irwin - and you can imagine that his death was not the BIG news story of that day.  He was such an amazing author, so prolific and so wonderful a writer for children.  He wrote over 100 books.

The student website was not working earlier - but today is the day when we get feedback from our tutors.  Some will do it today, but others will not do it until early next week.  I'm not worried.  I just need to know I passed.  Anything above a pass will be thrilling.  


Meanwhile I wait.

Studying again

While I was in China, I learned that another teacher from Brisbane had started to do her Master of Arts (Writing) through Swinburne University in Victoria. I've been writing for a long time - a very long time without getting anything published.  

I thought that if I focused on writing, as one will have to do, studying for a Masters in Writing, it may get me through the invisible barrier that seems to stop me from finishing, or submitting work.

And so it was that some 14 weeks ago, I completed the documentation, had copies of my Griffith University results and posted them off to Swinburne.  Soon after I received the letter advising me that I had been accepted.

My friend CD, who had told me about the course, had not made it clear to me that it would be best to enrol through Open University - I found out about that later, and have now enrolled via Open University, but that will not come into effect until the new semester in 2011.  

As I write this, I have all but completed the first three subjects (and I don't recommend doing three at a time, but somehow I enrolled in three - I thought I'd only enrolled in two!) but luckily I've managed to do them all.

I still have one major assignment to complete and three smaller ones to do and all is over for the semester.

The three subjects this semester are Critical Friends, Research to Publication, and Real Life Writing.

Results are due out around December 11th.  

The students doing the course are from Australia and other parts of the world - easy to do as it is all online.  I did get a parcel of information (mainly CD's) at the beginning of the semester, but most of the material is all accessible from my computer - it is all online, which means students from all around the world can participate in real time. 

I've studied online before - and as I did my degree via distance education.  I don't mind working this way, but I do enjoy meeting up with other students.  On this course it is via weekly only discussions.  We post and comment at times to suit ourselves.