Teachers attending SETT, the Scottish Learning Festival in Glasgow this week, will learn about a revolutionary Gaelic course being developed for Highland 2007, the year in which Scotland celebrates Highland culture.

‘Air Splaoid!’, translating as ‘on the adventure!’, is an animated, online course that will open up Gaelic in a new way to upper primary and secondary level pupils, as well as non-Gaelic speaking teachers who are interested in language. The course will be available from January 2007 and will run for the twelve months of Highland 2007.

From January 2007 the Air Splaoid! website will introduce simple Gaelic phrases in a fun and interactive way. The course also aims to dispel myths about Gaelic language and culture, and increase numbers of people speaking Gaelic in the long-term. The colourful and fun environment will help those not associated with the language to familiarise themselves with Gaelic.

People can sign up for the course by attending the Air Splaoid! presentation at SETT or going to the promotional website www.airsplaoid.co.uk

The on-line course will focus on six very different characters taking a virtual journey around Scotland. They will visit Highland 2007 events and send e-newsletters to course participants. The lesson content will be aimed at beginners, and each character will have differentiated learning styles, meaning that there is something for all age groups and ability levels.

Air Splaoid! is supported by Learning and Teaching Scotland who view it as a great tool for teachers without Gaelic to introduce the language into the classroom and curriculum.

Air Splaoid! is being developed by Cànan, the award-winning multiple-media company from the Isle of Skye, with multi-agency support from Gaelic Media Service, learndirect Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

Further information is available from Rachel Alcorn, Marketing Manager for ‘Air Splaoid!’. Tel: 01471 888 500
Email: enquiries@airsplaoid.co.uk