Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Chapter Six

Chapter Six Podcast
Chapter Six PDF

Hello!
I managed to get this chapter recorded and edited and up in less than a month this time, hurrah! I've been getting some wonderful feedback from all over the world, so thank you so very much. If you've not said hello to me yet, please, please do! If you want to e-mail the feedback through you can use this address: vix[@]ultralab.net you'll need to remove the square brackets!

This month it's more gracenotes, strikes (or blaps as I've affectionately labelled them). Again the chapter is really long weighing in at 46Mb, this is 1Mb smaller than last month though. No-one complained that it was too long, so I've left it at this length again. If you think it is too long though, do drop me a line and let me know!

I hope I've not screwed up on any numbering this time, I've exported the pdf from the version I was reading and not taken the shot cut of using the pdf I created earlier. I've hopefully exported it ok for PC users to read.

I've been contemplating what I am trying to do and ultimately what actually is my research question. It occurred to me that this sums it up:

"How can I reach and help students improve the quality of their learning using the internet and podcasting?"

This is my action research quest if you like. How can I help you improve the quality of your learning? I know that some movies would ultimately help, but the size of file would be immense, so maybe I need to intersperse the tutor podcasts with some video casts of smaller chunks of technique learning? What do you think? Would that be useful?

I'd love to hear any reflections of learning remotely like this, things like: how did you find this podcast? Are you finding it helpful? What's it like as a remote learner? Do you like the anonymity? Is it easier to learn when you like and at home? Any thoughts at all!

I would love to hear any recordings that you make of any of these podcasts, so please send any though, that would be so fantastic!!!!
Thanks!

Enjoy!

(^_^)
Vx

PS oh yes, the server that the files are held on get backed up from time to time, so if they're not available, it could be that a backup is in progress and they'll work again in a couple of hours.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Chapter Five

Chapter Five Podcast
Chapter Five PDF

Hello!
I figured a month was long enough in between posts! I've had some nice feedback, but I know that more people are downloading the files than are saying hello! So please, even if it's just a a hello, please let me know you're out there! Even if it's a negative comment, like what you're doing is no good, I'd like to hear it!

This month it's the turn of grace notes. This can be controversial, so I just want to point out that some of the gracenotes that I've included are there to give you the facility to use them. What I am teaching isn't gospel! So do the exercises, learn the gracenotes and then apply them as you see fit!

This chapter is also really long. I was going to cut it into two halves, but I really want to publish it today and it would mean going back and re-recording a new ending and a new start. It would be interesting to hear if you think this is too long! I know I prefer to listen to podcasts that are around the half hour mark, but I guess that this is a learning/teaching tool and slightly different maybe. Anyway, let me know! If you want to e-mail the feedback through you can use this address: vix[@]ultralab.net you'll need to remove the square brackets!

Please have a look at the questions in the last post and mail me or leave a comment here!
I would so love to hear any recordings that you make of any of these podcasts, so please send any though, that would be so fantastic!!!!
Thanks!

Enjoy!
Laters
(^_^)
Vx

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Chapter Four and some questions!

Chapter Four Podcast
Chapter Four PDF

Hello!
Sorry it's been a few too many weeks since my last post! I've been fretting over my research questions and trying to make sure that what I am doing is valid. I'm struggling along with the research methodology of my study and just about everything really. Mostly I'm trying to answer the question, what am I trying to achieve. I'm having a hard time putting it into words really. My background is that of a peripatetic instrumental music teacher (flute mainly) and I'm trying to combine my online work with the concept of being a "peri". I've been getting feedback via e-mails which is fantastic, so please keep that up. I've got some questions for other people too, the people that haven't mailed me!

So here is the next chapter of the tutor book. What I'd like to know is this.

1. Is the tutor book working as a podcast teaching tool. Not so much the pedagogy side of the actual book, but the medium by which I'm teaching with it? No is a perfectly good answer!

2. Did you prefer it when I was just doing tunes? I'm more than happy to go back to that. Obviously I will when the tutor is done with anyway!

3. What is the experience like? What is good about taking the tunes from here (or bad!) I'd like to know a bit about what is good about online learning. Is it essentially a lonesome thing, ie a personal and private thing, to remain anonymous or would you like some personal feedback?

4. Does this whole thing work for you, I guess people that feedback on the whole will be positive, but I'd like to hear negative stuff too!

5. If you're a teacher, are you managing to use any of this material?

Anyway, I'm posting this podcast now. So let me know how you all get on with it! I hope that the pdf works first time this time! In fact I just hope I have all the links correct. Sigh! I'll have better questions next time, I just didn't want you to think I'd abandoned you all! Thanks!!!!

Enjoy!
Laters
(^_^)
Vx

Thursday, February 23, 2006

SSP tutor podcast No. 2

Hello!
Welcome back! I've had some wonderful comments from people about the first podcast, so here at last is the second. I'm making a couple of alterations to the chapter one, especially the tuning of the drones. It was pointed out that the 'throbbing' of the drones gets slower not faster, so sorry!!!! That'll change!!! (Then I'll re-put the file!)

I hope you're getting used to my 'colloquial' speak. I'm going to post up some questions for you to answer for me very very soon, but to keep you going here is the next file!!!! As always, please e-mail me with feedback. Absolutely anything, from this works, to this doesn't. Even if the tutor just makes you feel good about playing, anything that springs to your mind! Please, please, please! Right, enough chatter, on with the tutor!

Enjoy!
Laters
(^_^)
Vx

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

SSP Beginner Tutorial 1 & 2

Tutorial 1 and 2
PDF file of book
Hello!
Welcome back! It's been a while, I've been busy (organising a wedding mostly, but that's a different story!). Anyway my plan now is to podcast the tutor book that I wrote. Now, I know that most of you guys already play the smallpipes, but what I'd find really useful is for you to have a look and a listen and let me know your thoughts. I'd love it if you took the materials and give it a go with any of your students. It is in A, maybe I'll do a D version if there is lots of demand, but it is quite time consuming, so here is the A version. I'm going to work my way through the entire book, but as this is for total beginners the first two chapters deal with the complete basics.

If you're a new person looking at this blog/podcast welcome, great to have you on board. If you don't have a set of pipes, then a practise chanter would do, in fact, I think would be better! So get to your local folkie shop and get a really cheap one. (Hobgoblin do them). I'll give more info laters, but please, please, loads of feedback. Use this tutor and let me know how it goes. Drop me a line and say hi too!!!!
laters!
Vicki

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

RadioBritfolk...

Podcast No. 9
Hello!

At long last I've posted here again! I've been working hard creating workshops for an internet radio station: Radio Britfolk. I've been making a show a week since the start of July and it's been hard work. So I've rather neglected my podcasts. I'm going to make a really big effort to do some more and also to make more than one festival podcast! I hope to have another done by the end of the month. Anyway, back to this podcast. As a result of making shows for Radio Britfolk I recycled some tunes I've done here already and recorded some new arrangements, so that is what I have here, three old tunes with new backings, no more GarageBand loops. I hope you like them!
Dusty Pipes
Lullaby
Tsunami

I'm now in the home straight and am going to have to make a final desision on my Masters dissertation, so let me know if you have any requests. If you've started to podcast too, let me know, post the link. If you've had fun teaching these tunes to other people, let me know too, I'd love to hear!

Anyway, enough babble! Havea good summer. Catch you again soon!
:-))
Vicki

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Assignment Written

Hello!
I have just finished and handed in the assignment that I wrote as a result of this podcasting. I only handed it in today, so it's not marked, but I have put it up online for you guys to see.

I'd really like to continue the podcasting for my dissertation, so bear with me whilst I contemplate dissertation stuff. As I mentioned in the last podcast I've been asked to make some podcast style radio broadcasts for a new internet radio station. It goes live (fingers crossed) on the 1st July, so I'll keep you informed about that. I'm hoping to be able to include that in the dissertation research too.

Anyway, thanks for all your feedback for this module, I couldn't have done it without you guys! Here's the link to what I wrote. (Please bare in mind that I'm a piper attempting to do academic stuff, I'm not that great at the writing bit!)

Assignment!

I'll be back with another podcast soon!
:-))
Vicki

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Pipe Tune: The Damson Tree

The Damson Tree - A
The Damson Tree - D
Dots in A
Dots in A

Hello!
Here is another pipe tune for you. I'm sorry it's been a few weeks! This has been for a couple of reasons. Part of it was trying to think about doing a tune with extra notes in it, I wanted to do a tune from our repertoire, but they all have high Bs in them. If you'd like to see some of our tunes, the dots for all of them are on our website. I've also been trying to get my head around writing the assignment up for the podcasting. (Not doing very well there at the momet, sigh!) I've also been asked to do some internet radio broadcasts based on these podcasts. The station isn't live yet, but I'll be recording some in advance. I've decided to use the first tune that I did for it here, so this podcast is a mix of audio that I recorded today and that I recorded for the radio.

Some news is that our new album is due out in about two weeks time, so there are audio files on our website if you'd like to have a listen. I've also included one track on this podcast for you to listen to. We're running a pre-release deal if you're interested in the album.

Finally I hope I haven't compressed this podcast too much. I suspect I was a little heavy handed on the compression, sorry about that! I hope it's ok and please, all feedback is gratefully received!
:-)
Vicki