| I always tell my friends or students what my | | | | is the "distance learning" value based on |
| father used to tell me "If you want to get | | | | constructivist principles, where you are |
| started in any activity, go where that people | | | | required to invest more mental effort in the |
| get their stuff". If you are into fishing, go | | | | non-automatic processing of information. |
| to a fishing store and look around, ask | | | | |
| questions and look for the "ad wall" and you | | | | For Fly Fishing there is a wide range of |
| will find lots of information and people who | | | | DVD's and most of them are very informative |
| can teach you. | | | | and dynamic. One I like is "Trout Bum |
| | | | Diaries, Volume I: Patagonia". It might not |
| But what if you can't find someone to teach | | | | be a "formal" instructional video but you can |
| you or if you are just curious about it? | | | | learn some things just by watching the |
| There is always a way to start called | | | | expedition to the Patagonia and sharing the |
| "instructional videos". You can find some of | | | | joy for the adventure with these guys. There |
| them in VHS, but now mostly all of them are | | | | are some other more "traditional" videos like |
| now in DVD. | | | | the Bob Nudd's series or "Atlantic Salmon - A |
| | | | Life on the Edge" which are also a great |
| It was in the mid 80's when I was a fairly | | | | DVD's. |
| good playing the bass (the instrument, not | | | | |
| the fish) when these videos started to be | | | | Another way to learn from a video is to watch |
| popular in music instruction. At that time | | | | your favorite fisherman...Yourself! |
| they were fairly cheap. In these videos you | | | | |
| can see some of your favorite players giving | | | | Something you might want to do is this: I |
| one-on-one lessons and watch them as many | | | | started taping my music gigs to show my |
| times as you need to. I have to say my | | | | students how practicing the boring music |
| playing did improve with this practice. | | | | stuff is actually done in real life and for |
| | | | finding weak spots in my playing to fix. |
| For this matter, fishing videos are the same; | | | | Later, I started taping myself while fishing |
| they teach you a new skill or help you | | | | to have some happy memories on video as well |
| improving one that you already have. Sure | | | | as to check out on things I do while fishing. |
| there are boring parts, like in the music | | | | This is a good idea if you want to have a |
| instruction practicing music scales and | | | | record of your own improvement. |
| modes, and on the fishing videos some of the | | | | |
| explanations about things you already know. | | | | So maybe now you'll want to consider getting |
| | | | fishing videos as your first contact with |
| I have to say that there is nothing like in | | | | fishing if you are new to it, for your own |
| person training, but this "new" modality of | | | | amusement if you are an experienced fisher or |
| teaching and learning is also helpful. | | | | just tape yourself to check improvements. Who |
| Consider two things: one is having someone | | | | knows? Maybe you can even start you own |
| you admire tell you his secrets and the other | | | | instructional series! |