Authors Live: Celebrate Burns with Scotland's Makar Liz Lochhead, National Poet of Scotland
 |
Event info:
On Thursday 26th January 2011 Scottish Makar, Liz Lochhead, National Poet of Scotland joined us for a very special celebration of Robert Burns. Liz spoke about why Burns means so much to her, as well as treating us to some readings of her own poems featured in her collections Liz Lochhead: Selected Works, Colour of Black and White and Dreaming Frankenstein.
The event is suitable for P6-S4 (age 9-16) pupils and fans of Robert Burns, Liz Lochhead or just poetry in general!
Author biography:
Scottish poet and playwright Liz Lochhead was born in Motherwell in 1947. After studying at Glasgow School of Art she taught at art schools in Glasgow and Bristol while working on her poetry. She is a Fellow of Glasgow School of Art, an Honorary Doctor of Letters of Glasgow University, a Fellow of RSAMD and of Glasgow Institute of Art, and is an Honorary President of the Scottish Poetry Library. She was named as Scotland's Makar in 2011. Liz firmly believes that poetry can transcend age boundaries and enjoys reading her poetry to a wide range of people.
Her poetry collections include Dreaming Frankenstein (Polygon 1984), True Confessions and New Clichés, Bagpipe Muzak, and The Colour of Black and White: Poems 1984–2003. Her plays include Tartuffe, Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off and the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award-winning Medea. Liz Lochhead lives in Glasgow.
Photographs from the Event
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Meet Our Authors on Facebook
We set up a Meet Our Authors Facebook page where you will find back ground information, interviews, video clips and weblinks all about the programme. We also feature a great competition for each of the events which you can enter (Facebook account needed).
www.facebook.com/meetourauthors
Teacher Resources
Liz Lochhead Resource
Liz Lochhead 'If You Only Do One Thing' Resource
Parent Letter - please pass on to the parents of pupils watching
How to View and FAQs
It is a good idea to have a print-out of this information to keep handy for reference on the day of the event.
How to watch the live event – very important information!
- You will be able to view the event at: www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive . Make sure you click on Liz's photo to access the live stream!
Test you can receive the live broadcast before the event:
- A test stream will be broadcast from www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive Details to be confirmed.
- Also if you follow links from www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive to the Learning Zone you will find archive video clips to play which will allow you to test your equipment.
Test your school’s/organisation’s internet connection
You can test the speed your school’s/organisation’s bandwidth at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/diagnostics this will give you an indication of whether you will be able to receive the event on 5th May. Even if only the slowest speed gets a tick you will be OK as the BBC’s webstream will be in two different qualities to take account of slower connection speeds.
On the day of the event:
- On the day of the event live streaming will start 15 minutes before the start of the event to enable you to have time to adjust sound/speakers etc without missing any of Liz's event. Please ensure you tune in by 10.45am.
- BUFFERING: During the actual broadcast the screen may freeze occassionally with a note that it is 'buffering'. This is perfectly normal during a live internet broadcast. Don't try to adjust anything - please just be patient and wait for the broadcast to continue.
Viewing the event after the live broadcast
- You will be able to access the on-demand file of the original broadcast shortly after the live broadcast at the same link. www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive
FAQs
What time does the event start?
The event starts promptly at 11am on Thursday 26th January 2012. Please log in by 10.45 to give time to adjust speakers etc. before the event starts.
How long does the event last?
The event lasts 40 minutes.
I can’t get the link to work
Please check with technical staff in your school – it may be the website is blocked and you need to ask them to unblock it (they may need to pass this request on to your local authority).
I can access the link but couldn’t view the test event
It may be that the school’s internet connection isn’t fast enough to receive the live feed. To test your connection speed, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/diagnostics. If it says it is sufficient then you should be able to receive the broadcast (even if only the slowest speed gets a tick you will be OK as the BBC’s webstream will be in two different qualities to take account of slower connection speeds.) If it still doesn’t work please consult technical staff in your school. It may be that you need to request computer use in the rest of the school is kept to a minimum during the live broadcasts.
I have been trying to register our school for the free Liz Lochhead event on 26th January 2012, but have been unable to make the link work. What can I do about this?
If you cannot access the registration application you can call Chris on 0131 524 0169 or Heather 0131 524 0176 and they will register your group.
Where will the event be shown?
The event will be broadcast on www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive . The event will also be broadcast on Glow (password needed). You will find the required page in 'Scottish Book Trust Events'.
What bandwidth do we need in order to view the events?
You can check your system to see if you have suitable bandwidth to view the event at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/diagnostics .If it says it is sufficient then you should be able to receive the broadcast (even if only the slowest speed gets a tick you will be OK as the BBC’s webstream will be in two different qualities to take account of slower connection speeds.) If it still doesn’t work please consult technical staff in your school. It may be that you need to request computer use in the rest of the school is kept to a minimum during the live broadcasts.
Can we ask Liz Lochhead questions?
You can go to www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive to submit a question. Please bear in mind that many thousands of children will be watching and will have submitted questions. Please don’t be too disappointed if your question doesn’t get asked.
Can we watch it at a later date?
Yes, it will be available to watch on-demand after the live broadcast on this web page. We aim to make the event available 3 days after the live broadcast. If you register we will send you an email to let you know once it is available to watch again.
How do I increase the screen size when watching again from the Scottish Book Trust website?
You need to download the video then play it in Quicktime. Select View at the top of the player and click on Fit To Screen. Go back to View and select Double Size.
Will our school firewalls block the website where the event will be broadcast?
You can check by visiting the link www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive – if you can see this site then it shouldn't be blocked. Also if you follow links to the Learning Zone on this site you will find archive video clips to play which will allow you to test your equipment. If you can’t view this site, please check with technical staff in your school – it may be the website is blocked and you need to ask them to unblock it (they may need to pass this request on to your local authority).
Will the broadcast also be available on GLOW?
Yes. The event will be broadcast on Glow. Just visit the 'Scottish Book Trust Events' page and register there.