Category: Audio

Berneray Gaelic Class

~ Gordon Wells ~ 3 Comments

Island Voices Co-ordinator Gordon Wells was in Berneray last night, visiting one of the classes for Gaelic learners run by Archie Campbell. The class is held once a fortnight at Iris and Bob’s “The Lobster Pot” – the perfect community venue – with tea and coffee supplied by Iris, who is also a keen member of the class.

Archie led the group through a range of exercises and games during the evening. They practised talking about their likes and dislikes in food and the weather, and about their favourite time of the year. Telling the time also gave them the opportunity to practise their counting skills.

Archie also floated a suggestion that the group might go out for a walk some time, though he didn’t go as far as asking them to cut his peats for him… At the end of the session a board game from the Early Learning Centre (ages 2-6) took everyone back to their childhood – with Iris taking the winner’s prize!

Here class member Mary McCormick talks about where she’s from, where she lives now, and some of her likes and preferences – showing that some serious learning really was going on, amongst all the fun…

Outdoors Online

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The Outdoors section of the new Island Voices/Guthan nan Eilean series of videos is now complete. The full suite is now online and accessible via its own page – Series Two Outdoors – on this blog. The package includes short documentary footage with voiceovers scripted in simple language which serves to introduce a topic or theme, plus authentic speech interviews with community members who give a more detailed and personal perspective on the subject. Comments are welcome.

Teachdaireachd Ghàidhlig an seo:

Online Dictionary Project

~ Gordon Wells ~ 1 Comment

This week Gordon Wells is attending a POOLS-T Project meeting in Brussels. Here he talks to Kent Andersen, the project co-ordinator who has also developed the Webpage Text Blender tool. Kent explains how the tool works for language learners.

Gordon also talks to Caoimhín Ó Donnaíle who has been responsible for developing the online programs Wordlink and Multidict, which perform a similar function.

Listen to the English conversation with Kent here:

Listen to the Gaelic conversation with Caoimhín here:

The tools are available via this link.

Learning English in the Hebrides

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Following the conversation with Archie Campbell about learning Gaelic, Gordon Wells talks about opportunities for learning English. Some previous projects have been innovative, with learners doing their own filming. There’s an example here. A good contact point to find out about classes running now is Cothrom.

Tha clasaichean anns na h-eileanan airson luchd-ionnsachaidh na Beurla cuideachd. Seo eisimpleir inntinneach – rinn na h-oileanaich film dhaibh fhèin mun dòigh-beatha aca an seo. Ma tha duine sam bith airson fiosrachadh a bharrachd air clasaichean a tha gan ruith an-dràsta faodaidh iad fios a chur dhan bhuidheann-trèanaidh Cothrom.

Listen here in English:

Listen here in Gaelic:

Local Language Teacher

~ Gordon Wells ~ 3 Comments

Bidh video san t-sreath ùr le Eairdsidh Caimbeul a’ sealltainn mar a bhios daoine a’ buain na mònadh.

Tha Eairdsidh an sàs gu mòr ann an teagasg na Gàidhlig. An seo tha e a’ bruidhinn mu na clasaichean a bhios e a’ ruith ann an Uibhist, agus carson a tha an obair seo a’ còrdadh ris. Tha e cuideachd a’ toirt iomradh air cùrsa ùr sònraichte a bhios air a ruith le Stòras Uibhist.

There will be a video in the new series featuring Archie Campbell, showing how people cut peats.  Here Archie talks about his interest in teaching Gaelic in his home community in Uist. He mentions the various classes he’s running at the moment, and highlights an interesting new development – a weeklong immersion course to be run by Stòras Uibhist, which will have strong community links.Listen here to the English interview:

Listen here to the Gaelic interview:

User-friendly Recording – by Phone!

~ Gordon Wells ~ 7 Comments
Eairdsidh ag obair – Archie at work

A new method of recording is being tested out here, which may come in useful for both teachers and learners. All you need is a phone – landline or mobile – and the technology does the rest, right through to publication on the Internet.

Am Pàipear, the Uist community newspaper, will be featuring as one of the topics of the new series of video materials, but here you can hear a couple of very short interviews about their recent award as 2010 Community Newspaper of the Highlands and Islands.

‘S e dòigh ùr a tha seo airson guthan a chlàradh. Nochdaidh iad an uair sin air an eadar-lìon ann am priob na sùla. Dh’fhaodadh seo a bhith gu math feumail do luchd-teagaisg agus luchd-ionnsachaidh.

Bidh an sreath ùr a’ dèanamh bhideo mu dheidhinn Pàipear Uibhist, ach an seo tha dà agallamh le Eairdsidh MacAoidh a’ bruidhinn mun duais a fhuair iad aig toiseach na bliadhna.

Listen here to the Gaelic conversation:


Listen here to the English conversation: