Arts and Humanities - OU Community Online

Sean’s startling claim comes from his research into medieval records chronicling the deeds of one William of Kensham, a real-life 13th century freedom fighter also known as Willikin of the Weald.

William and his 1,000 men took to the Kentish forests in the wake of a French invasion in 1216, to harry the occupying forces with their longbows.

Sean came across William while carrying out research for his book Blood cries afar, about this little-known French invasion.

“I learned more about a band of common men dwelling as outlaws in an English forest and using their bows to fight against tyranny and oppression under the charismatic leadership of a longbow-wielding folk hero.

“Not only has this individual never been identified as a possible origin of the Robin Hood stories, he was no mythical figure but a real man of flesh and blood and a genuine English champion.”

Other candidates have been put forward as the inspiration for Robin Hood. Sean (pictured left) has analysed their claims and believes William’s is the strongest.

William would also probably have had links with Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle, which was effectively the headquarters of the English king’s forces.

Tales of Robin Hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor may originate from William’s raids on the French invaders to repossess pillaged English property.

“It is quite easy to envisage that when William attacked the French, their goods were returned to the local community – especially as this would encourage locals to help William,” says Sean.

William was eventually made Warden of the Seven Hundreds of the Weald, as a reward for his services to King John, and settled in Kensham, near Tunbridge Wells.

Over the centuries, tales of his exploits would have been changed in the telling, and elements from other sources added.

“If you want to find the source of the Robin Hood stories, it’s most likely to be William,” says Sean. “We don’t find anyone else who comes remotely close."

Sean’s research, first published in the March issue of History Today magazine, sparked media interest as far afield as the Times of India, the Sydney Herald and New Zealand Radio.

Posted: 19 March 2013

Useful links

• A200 Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900
• Daily Telegraph: 'Robin from Kent, not Sherwood Forest, historian claims'
• History Today  

Top: Image of Robin Hood statute, Nottingham.Thinkstock

"This is wonderful news,’ said Dr Derek Neale, OU’s Chair of Advanced Creative Writing and Director of English Teaching, when he heard about the project, ‘encapsulating the aims, ideals and spirit of the course and OU CW teaching…your project offers evidence of imaginative adventure and writing output, but also testifies to the collaborative and interactive spirit of the OU writing courses."

The anthology took around nine months from the initial idea to production. After the assignments were written, the authors put them away, as writers are so often advised, to be able to see them through fresh eyes at a later date.

The editors commented that the authors have shown dedication to produce a published eBook in five weeks whilst juggling busy lives.

Find out more:

• The anthology is available from Amazon for Kindle
• Details to view non-Kindle versions

For centuries, composers created music that sang with beautiful melody and harmony. Then suddenly, just over a hundred years ago, a battle began for the very soul of music.  

The series tells the story of a revolution in sound as avant-garde composers broke from the melodic mainstream.

Tonight's episode
Tonight’s episode at 9.00pm  looks at the shift in the language and sound of music from the beautiful melodies and harmonies of the giants of classical music such as Mozart, Haydn and Brahms into the fragmented, abstract, discordant sound of the most radical composers of the new century – Schoenberg, Webern, Stravinsky among others.

Following episodes
Following episodes look at how the freewheeling modernism that had shocked, scandalised and titillated audiences in the twentieth century’s first two decades then came under state control. Arguably the most notorious work of 20th century classical music, John Cage’s ‘silent’ composition 4’33”, is examined.

OpenLearn
There's extensive content on OpenLearn in connection with the series subject areas including a new interactive called 20th Century Composers: making the connections, as well as information about hundreds of concerts and events taking place at London’s Southbank Centre in the year-long festival The Rest is Noise, in partnership with the OU.

Find out more on OpenLearn.

Dr Aarón Alzola-Romero used evidence collected in a study of students on the World Archaeology (A251) module for his article 'One Laptop per College Student? Exploring the Links between Access to IT Hardware and Academic Performance in Higher Education e-Learning Programs', which has won the 2012 Journal of Distance Education Editor's Award. 

The study finds that simply providing students with ICT hardware (laptops and/or internet access) for one course leads to no consistent improvement in their academic performance.

But students who have adequate long-term access to ICT do perform better, consistently achieving higher final marks.

The conclusion is that bcoming familiar with ICT and developing efficient study skills in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) is a long-term process.

The study also reflects that fact that there is still a considerable 'digital divide' in the UK, between those who have adequate ICT access and those who do not.

"Uncritical blanket policies in the provision of ICT hardware, motivated by market pressures and promises of quick-fix solutions, are unlikely to solve the digital divide problem in education," concludes Dr Alzola-Romero.

"In contrast, by selectively investing in physical access to ICT equipment and approaching digital integration as a long-term strategy, higher education institutions will help to bridge, not only the digital divide itself, but also the broader socio-economic divides that lie at the root of the achievement gap."

Dr Alzola-Romero is a tutor on World Archaeology and on Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds (A330).

He was the academic behind the Ancient Olympics: Bridging Past and Present which won an Award for OpenCourseWare Excellence at the OpenCourseWare Consortium’s OER12 Conference.

You can read the award-winning article 'One Laptop per College Student?' in full here.

Image:Thinkstock

Hone your online storymaking skills in a free multimedia story-making walk. It takes place around Leeds on Friday 15 February, 10 am to 1 pm.

From pitching ideas in the office to posting holiday snaps to your favourite social places, we use stories in every area of our lives. To entertain, explain, educate and engage. We are made of stories.

This is one of a series of FREE workshops being hosted by The Open University in a number of cities across the UK. Think of it as a chance to sharpen your story-making skills for home, for fun or for professional use. We will be using today's tools and platforms for documenting and sharing, connecting and curating. 

Bring your mobile (smartphone) or tablet and join us on a story-making walk where you'll get the chance to make and share a story of your own. We'll show you how to:

· Use a range of story-making tools and apps

· Take better photos with your mobile device

· Record and share audio

· Capture and share video

· Geotag your location

· Integrate all the elements into your story

· Use tags to make your story visible

· Curate and Share your content online.

The workshop will be led by Christian Payne, aka Documentally, a mobile media maker specialising in social technology and connected platforms, and Jane Matthews, former head of stakeholder engagement at the OU.

There will be a limited number of 18 places and slots will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Bring your own snacks or a packed lunch but hot drinks will be provided at the end.

Please note, we'll be spending a large proportion of the session outside so do come prepared for the February weather!

To register, click  here.

Image: Thinkstock

We are pleased to announce the OU’s partnership with London’s Southbank Centre and the BBC for a year long festival of events celebrating 20th century classical music. “The Rest Is Noise” festival is one of The Southbank's most ambitious classical music undertakings to date, a cultural and musical history of the 20th century told through 250 events, concerts, films, talks and debates spread over 12 months in 2013. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Four and The Open University are major partners of the festival.

If you love classical concerts but feel you need some help with contemporary music, this festival is for you. It’s also a guided way in for those just beginning to discover classical music.

The festival features events, including talks, films, performances, participation events and concerts, all exploring 20th century classical music in the context of historical, political and cultural upheavals.

OU subject specialists will be contributing to the programme of events, and audiences will be encouraged to visit the OU’s Open Learn “Rest is Noise” website. The site offers links through to the Southbank’s festival website to review and book Festival events, as well as offering extensive free OU learning resources covering many topics around 20th century music and culture. There is also a new, specially created, online interactive which explores the sometimes surprising connections that exists between 20th century composers. You can also find out about study pathways for OU modules and qualifications related to the music and the festival topics. (note: the site may not contain the full extent of content until middle of January).

The OU is also co-producing a forthcoming three part series for BBC Four “The Sound and the Fury, to be shown early in 2013. Through interviews with leading composers and musicians, specially staged performances of 20th century works and the use of archive footage, this series tells the story of a revolution in sound – of how classical music was catapulted from beauty to chaos.

Please note: 
Students currently studying with the OU are eligible for student concessionary rates, where available, when purchasing tickets for The Rest is Noise Festival events. Please note however when concessionary tickets have been purchased, students must carry ID for collection and when entering events – ID can be an OUSA card, NUS card or OU student registration letter.