Week 13 Tech Tip:

I decided to finally add a picture to my google profile. Now it will be easier to put a face with the name. I can't believe it's taken me so long to do this. Well here's my new profile with a picture of me and my son on bedlam,

Week 13 Curation Spaces

This is the first week I have checked out the class Known page. I know, shame on me! I just have so much trouble keeping up as it is. I read the article about the inspiration for the statue of liberty and was very surprised. #OU3043curation

I also found the Dante's Inferno meme on the class announcements page very entertaining. I plan to read the Divine Comedy this week and maybe my storytelling could take on a more light-hearted tone like the meme. Probably not though. My stories are rarely funny. I should push out of my comfort zone!

With football at the forefront this week, I found many of my personal conversations and internet searches turning to the issue of traumatic brain injury. With the new movie Concussion coming out everyone is talking about it. How do you feel about the risks involved in such sports. Is it something they signed up for? What about children playing in youth league? What types of risks are they taking with their developing brains? There was a lot of interesting discussion on Digg this week.

Growth Mindset Week 13

(Meme on From The Left Field blog)

This week, I chose to read a critique of the growth mindset ideology.  In an August 2015 article in the Salon, Alfie Kohn outline some of the perils arising from growth mindset. Particularly, he addresses how growth mindset can shift the focus away from the inherent value of educational material. The idea that anyone can succeed with the proper amount of effort ignores the fact that many schools are not providing quality curriculum. Sure anyone can memorize countless facts and regurgitate them on an exam provided sufficient effort, but should they?

 Kohn also critiques the patronizing effect of praising effort. Praising for effort can communicate that a child is not really capable succeeding at a task, nullifying the reason for the praise. Constantly praising for effort becomes the verbal equivalent of a participation trophy.  Kohn also points out that even praise is an extrinsic reward, which studies have shown to be less effective at inspiring motivation.  Kohn also goes as far as saying, "praise communicates that our acceptance of a child comes with strings attached."

Ultimately there are more benefits to the growth mindset method than drawbacks for most learners, but it is important to always be critical of the message we are sending. I think that everyone can agree  with Kohn when he says that students should be more interested in what they are learning then how they are rewarded for learning.

I invite you to read the article yourself and form your own opinion. What do you think?

The perils of “Growth Mindset” education: Why we’re trying to fix our kids when we should be fixing the system

By Alfie Kohn

Storytelling Week 13: The Metal Forests

There once was a metal worker named Alexander, who was renowned all over the land for his wonderful skill. But there were rumors that the finest gems trusted to Alexander ended up in his pockets instead of the jewelry.

One day the queen of the land traveled to his shop to ask that he make a small figure from lead and decorate the eyes with two small jewels.

Alexander was delighted to receive a commission from the queen and such a simple one at that. The lead would be easy to shape and the two small pieces of amber she provided were perfectly matched. In fact, they were so perfectly matched that Alexander couldn't bear to put them in the simple piece and decided to replace them with some of his own instead.

When the queen returned to pick up the figurine, she seemed pleased with his work and asked that you make another item for her. This time she wanted Alexander to make a ring of tin for one of her ladies -in-waiting and to place within it a beautiful amethyst stone.

Alexander gladly accepted the new task but could not bear to see the beautiful stone decorate the hand of a low-born lady. He wrought the tin with extra care but placed a different stone within the ring, keeping the precious stone for himself.

The queen was so pleased with the delicate work that she asked him to work a piece for herself. She presented him with a faultless ruby of the most gorgeous color and asked that he create an amulet for her.

Alexander's eyes lit up at the sight of the priceless jewel. He told the queen that this project would take many weeks but he would be honored to make the piece for his queen. 

(Ruby, Source: Wikipedia)

Alexander worked for countless hours shaping an intricate amulet of silver. The filigree was so fine that no one could believe it was wrought by human hands. The chain had links were so dainty that they could barely be seen with the naked eye.

When the time came to place the ruby, Alexander faltered. The gem was so gorgeous he could not bear to part with it but he had nothing of similar value to replace it with. Every other stone Alexander had laid eyes on was of inferior value. He wrestled with the issue for days.

Finally, the queen came to collect her necklace. Alexander pulled a ruby from his hoard and placed it within the amulet. He hoped that his superior workmanship would distract the queen from the imposter jewel.

The queen appeared pleased by his work and requested that he come to the palace and become her private jeweler. Alexander was ecstatic and quickly gathered his tools and boarded the queen's coach.

They traveled for a long time before the carriage rolled to a stop. Alexander peeked out the window but could not see a palace. They had stopped in the middle of a vast plain.

The queen exited the coach and urged Alexander out as well. She fixed him with a glare and the hairs on the back of Alexander's neck stood on end.

"Did you take me for a fool, metalworker?"

Alexander twitched and looked down at his feet. He had been found out.

"How dare you steal from me and take my precious jewels. You have swindled with the wrong customer this time." With those words fire erupted around the queen and wreathed her face in flames.

Alexander cowered in fear. "With the power of the devil I will punish you for your crimes! For all of eternity you will labor on these planes, creating forest of lead, tin and silver. Your work will not cease, for whenever a branch snaps you will replace it.”

The magic in the Queen's words forced Alexander's limbs to move. The tools from his pack floated into his hands and everything he touched with them turned to metal.

From that day on, Alexander work ceaselessly, creating first of forest of lead. He crafted each trunk with curling bark and every limb out to the smallest twig. Next he was compelled to create a forest of tin, each delicate branch reaching towards the heavens. Finally, Alexander created a forest of silver. He worked night and day until his fingers bled and muscles screamed in agony.  But his work was never done.  

Every evening the queen came riding through the woods on the back of a giant dragon. The wings would with chip away and shatter all of Alexander's hard work. Each night he toiled to repair the damage before the morning came. And so he continued until the end of time.

(Silver Forest, Source: Flickr)

Author’s Note: When I read “Sleepy John,” I was most impressed by the description of the leaden, tin, and silver forests. I wondered where they came from and who could have created them. I decided to write a story that answered my question. The queen from my story is the same queen from “Sleepy John,” but Alexander is from my own imagination. I wanted his punishment to fit his crime so that is why Alexander had three pieces of metalwork to create for the queen. In the end the queen evoked the power form the devil to punish him for stealing from her. Ultimately, Alexander will be freed from his punishment when Sleepy John exposes the queen.  I limited the dialogue in this story to make it feel more like a classic fairy tale.

Story source: The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).

Reading Diary B: Czech Folktales

Reading Diary B



1. The Man Who Met Misery

2. Nine At A Blow

3. A Clever Lass

4. The Soldier and the Devil

5. Old Nick and Kitty

6. The Knight Bambus

7. Francis and Martin

8. Three Supernatural Stories


I think “The Man Who Met Misery,” has a lot of interesting details in it. Francis finally learned what sacrifice meant when he gave up his finger to save his life. One of the Kelpie tales I read described how to escape a kelpie, the victim may have to cut off a finger magically attached to the creature’s mane. I was surprised to see a similar scenario in a Czech Fairy Tale.

I found a lot of inspiration in “Nine at a Blow.” In this story, a tailor outsmarts a giant and is ultimately rewarded by the king. I like the way the challenges are presented and I may use a similar format when Jamie meets the giant in my final story.

“The Clever Lass” has been one of my favorite stories this semester. I love to see intelligent heroines in folklore.

(Vodyanoy, similar to a waternick. Source:Wikipedia)

I was glad to see another mention of Waternicks in the last story. It seems like these creatures are relatively benign. The waternicks in the first unit stole souls but treated the children they captured fairly well. The waternick is this story seems a bit rude but the bear took care of him nicely.

Story source: The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).

Reading Diary A: Czech Folklore

Reading Diary A

1. Sleepy John
2. Silly Jura
3. The Bear, the Eagle, and the Fish
4. Kojata
5. The Three Roses
6. The Twin Brothers
7. The Waternick

I wanted to read something a little different this week and I chose the Czech fairy tales because I read “The Clever Lass” earlier in the semester and really enjoyed it. This unit is also available on Librivox and I like to listen to the stories during my long commute to campus. 

I enjoyed Sleepy John but I had a lot of questions during the story. Why did the farmers decide to drop him in the woods? Why wasn’t he sleepy at any other time during the story? I was also enchanted by the idea of the Leaden, Tin, and Silver forest.

(Russian Winter or Silver Forest? Source: Flickr)

Silly Jura was also an interesting tale. I like the idea of the cat who turns into a princess. It seems to be a common theme in the Czech unit that once transformed, the animal form must be destroyed to free the ensorcelled individual. Although this didn’t happen with the princes in The Bear, the Eagle, and the Fish.

Kojata was a fun story as well. I like that the youngest daughter fell in love with the doomed prince. During the escape scene, I was reminded of one of my favorite books that I read to my son: The Runaway Bunny. She became a church and the prince, a monk. It’s a little like that story where the mother bunny becomes something else to be with her son.

I read the Waternick to search for details for my upcoming Kelpie story. Although the creatures are very different, I hoped to use some characteristics from the Czech water monster for my Irish one. I like the idea of trapped human souls but I’m not sure if I want to make my monster that evil.

Story source: The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).

Week 12: Review

When browsing through the class announcements, I saw the Sanskrit Word of the Day:Punch. It's the holiday season and one of the best times of the year to serve punch. I love making mulled wine, apple cider, hot toddies, hot-buttered rum, and hot chocolate during the holidays. So naturally, I was interested in the history of punch. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be making traditional punch anytime soon. The 5 ingredients in punch were originally milk, curd, butter, honey, and molasses.

Milk-okay
butter-maybe, works in hot buttered rum!
honey-good
molasses-okay

but

curd??? No thanks!

If anyone is brave enough to give this a try, please let me know how it is. Until then, I'm going to stick with something a little more familiar.

(Hot Buttered Rum, Source: Flickr)

Growth Mindset Week 12: Stories About Growth

“Billy Duffy and the Devil” was one of my favorite stories this week and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to write something about him. I chose a growth mindset post for Billy’s story because he is very innovative and thinks outside of the box. More importantly, he never gives up. Many people would abandon hope in Billy’s situation, out bargained by the devil and out of time, but Billy doesn’t. He remains calm and formulates a plan. Although Billy is a wastrel and a drunkard, we can all learning something from him about ingenuity and perseverance.

(Motivational Quote from Picturequotes.com)

In “Short Tales of Wonder” there is a story about giants, called “The Giantess' Apron-Full.” In this story, two giants, husband and wife, decide to travel to the island and Mona with the intention of building a bridge across the narrow channel. On the way there, they meet a man carrying a large number of worn out shoes. When asked the man tells the giant’s that he wore out all of the shoes walking form the isle of Mona. Overwhelmed by the enormity of the distance, the giants drop their stones and give up.

The giants demonstrate a classic fixed mindset. Instead of considering alternatives or devising strategies to accomplish the lofty goal, they give up. They do not even consider the difference in stride-length between themselves and the man but give up and abandon all their hard work thus far.

Storytelling Week 12: Jezebel's Story

(Brown Hare, Source: Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society)

Her velvety soft nose twitched against his hand and he could feel her heart fluttering like a frightened bird in a cage. She leapt from his arms and landed as a handsome woman.

“Owen, you should have seen it!” she gushed, breathless with excitement. “I led them on a merry chase this time.” Nearby a hunting horn cut through the cold morning air.

“Jezebel, you must stop this foolishness. I am afraid one day they will catch your old bones!” he chided.

Jezebel drew herself up, displaying every inch of her modest height, and glared at Owen fiercely. “Did you just call me old?” she asked incredulously.

Without the distraction of her brilliant smile, Owen could see the delicate lines around her eyes and silver strands that peppered her dark hair. “No my love. You are as beautiful as the day I met you,” he whispered earnestly.

Her anger was extinguished as quickly as it sparked and she moved into his arms.  “Now quickly,” he said, pushing the sack of flour into her arms.

Jezebel straightened her dress and pulled up her hood. “Thank you, sir,” she warbled as she affected a shuffling gate to the door.

"Thank you, Ms. O'Hara," replied Owen. Just as Jezebel opened the door, a large man barged inside.

"I've lost her again," he roared, pushing the old woman out of the way and rattling the door on its hinges. "Every time I get close, the hare slips through my fingers." Jezebel winced at the man's harsh words and left with a parting glance at Owen.

“What's the problem sir?” asked Owen.

“If you'll spare some hospitality, I'll share my story, Miller.”

"But of course, neighbor," replied Owen. "Saorise please go fetch the men some ale and bread." Owen's beautiful niece, who had been sitting in the corner, went to the kitchen.

After taking a long draught from his mug, the Huntsman spoke. “For the last three years I've been plagued by this hare. The creature plunders the fields and is too quick for my arrow.”

“How do you know it's the same hare?" asked Owen.

“Oh, I know,” he said the Huntsman. “She is a wily creature, zigzagging through thickets where the hounds can't follow and doubling back. Often leading us in circles. This is no natural beast. I've even used Lord John’s best hounds with no luck.”

Owen thought that Jezebel had finally gone too far.

Wiping breadcrumbs from his jerkin the huntsman pushed away from the table and turned to go. “The bread is dry. Surely a miller could provide better fare.” With that the large man stalked out the door with the other hunters.

Moments later there came at tap on the back window and Owen quickly moved to throw up the sash. “Jezebel what are you still doing here?” said Owen in a hushed whisper. “You should be far away by now. They're already suspicious enough.”

Jezebel ignored his concerns. “How can you let him talk to you like that? Just because he's the King’s man does not make it right for him to disrespect you. I have half a mind to teach him a lesson.”

“Please don't do anything rash, Jezebel. He's not worth it.”

“But you are,” she replied and she leaned forward and kissed him sweetly. She replaced her lips with a finger to hush his protests. “You are the only one who as ever loved me for who I am.”

(Shylock and Jessica (1876) by Maurycy Gottlieb, Source: Wikipedia)

~ 

Jezebel O'Hara returned to her croft that evening prepared for powerful magic. First she lit a fire with the green limbs of an oak treeand grabbed twine from a basket by the hearth. Then she withdrew the small hunting knife she pilfered from the Huntsman as he rudely pushed passed her. She spoke some magic words and then began her curse.

“With this smoke I choke thee,

And may no vile words pass you lips.

With this twine I bind thee,

So that your limbs may cause no harm.

With this knife I wound thee,

So that you may know the pain you bring others.”

Exhausted Jezebel threw the knife and twine into the fire and stoked it so that it would burn all night. Satisfied that justice was done, she crawled into her cold bed and slept.

~

The next morning the huntsman woke in terrible pain. A racking cough, pounding head, and heavy limbs kept him in his bed but his moans filled the cottage.

Just when he thought he could bear no more, a beautiful bluebird alighted on his windowsill. Miraculously it spoke. “What ails you, huntsman?” the bird asked in a musical voice.

“I have been cursed,” wheezed the Huntsman before dissolving in a fit of coughing.

Alarmed the small bird flew away to tell her mother, the Queen of the Dell.

The queen quickly divined that the Huntsman was cursed by a local witch. The next day she and her fairies traveled to the Huntsman's cottage and cured him.

“What can I do to repay you?” asked the Huntsman.

"I have no use for gold," replied the Faerie Queen. “But there is one thing you can do. Meet me on the hill above the mill three days hence, and you and I will both have revenge.”

~

A few days later, Jezebel awoke with a tinge of regret. She knew she shouldn't use powerful magic for something so petty but she had always been impulsive.  She decided that a dash through the meadow would ease her mind. She shifted into the small brown hare and set off at a rapid clip. No sooner than she crested the first hill, she heard horns and the baying of hounds.

Jezebel was surprised that the huntsman was up and about so soon. Maybe her magic didn't work after all. So she set off through the woods carving an erratic trail through the trees. When she thought she had toyed with them enough she headed to the old mill.

Just before she reached safety, a stone struck her temple. The world went black and she struggled to stay conscious. Losing control, she shifted back into her human form and heard the triumphant laughter of her nemesis the Huntsman.

“I knew you were no normal hare. I have caught a witch this day!” he exclaimed.

Jezebel tried to pull away but pain tore through her body. She heard him call to the men of the hunt who bound her, hand and foot. They attached the ropes to a horse and drug her down the rocky hillside. Before long, she succumbed to darkness.

That night they burned the witch's body and the handsome Jezebel O'Hara was no more. For her petty deeds she paid the ultimate price. For the Faerie Queen did not take kindly to anyone other than herself performing powerful magic.

The next morning Saorise brought the news to the miller, Owen. He was so overcome with grief that his heart gave out. He fell to the floor and spent his last moments remembering her brilliant smile and mischievous laugh.

The End

Author’s Note: The Fairies of Caragonan was the inspiration for my story, but I strayed from the original plot quite a lot. I wanted to tell the story from the witch’s point of view. In the original, the miser drops dead from grief when he hears of her death. I wanted to explore this tragic love story. 

I combined a few of the characters to simplify the storyline. The gentleman and the farmer’s son became the huntsman and the miller and the miser became Owen.   At one point in the story, the fairy Queen of the Dell calls the witch, Jezebel, so I adopted that as her name.  I chose O’Hara as a play on her shape shifting form. 

In the original story, the farmer fails to salute the miser when he passes him in town. In return, the witch curses his cows.  In my story, the huntsman is a rude, brutish man who insults Owen’s hospitality. 

I elaborated on the witch’s curse and skipped over the fairy rituals of healing. I ended the story with Jezebel and Owen’s deaths instead of continuing to the niece’s marriage.  I hope you enjoyed a new perspective on this story!

Story source: Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories by Peter H. Emerson (1894).