[lace] lace, Virtual lace classes
Some of my random thoughts on virtual lace classes: Having both taught and taken several virtual lace classes, I think they are here to stay. There are both positives and negatives as with most things in life. I like that people can join from anywhere in the world without the expense and time of travel. It is a way to learn new lace techniques while being forced to be apart due to the Coronavirus. Quite a number of people have some extra time on their hands due to the lack of commuting and travel and are eager to learn something new. It is great to be able to socialize virtually until we are able to do so again in person. Many of us have an abundance of supplies that we don't have to pack up and hope we can get on board a plane. We just have to pull them out and get ready for class. As a teacher, I prefer teaching in-person and being able to demonstrate new techniques in front of the students and helping them on their pillow, but demonstrating under a good camera works quite well and can be repeated as many times as needed. Also as a teacher, I prefer the students having a camera mounted over their lace pillow so I can see what they are doing and give real-time feedback. We have had several successful classes for total beginners in bobbin lace and many of them have communicated that they are continuing to make lace. I feel the class sessions should be 2-3 hours long with a break. It seems more tiring to be sitting in front of a computer screen than being in a classroom. The price of virtual classes can be much lower as there is no travel, hotel, and room rental cost. -Karen - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] Lace, Virtual lace classes
Hello all, I realize I need to clarify my response to the virtual lace classes. As a student, I have a large monitor, such as a desktop, laptop, or iPad in front of me to watch the demonstrations, and for the teacher to see me. Then I have a second camera, such as a phone, mounted over my lace pillow so the teacher can follow what I am doing, and give instant feedback. Hope this helps. -Karen - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] lace, Virtual lace classes
Thank you very much Karen for sharing your experience. It is of great help. I am trying to organize lessons via the Internet, and am finding some difficulties. I would like to make it as easy as possible for the students, and that means that they should not have to buy extra technology nor install new programs on their computers. So... I am using MEET, as it is associated with Gmail, which most of us use... But it is a bit too essential. Anybody else is using this program? And then comes the camera problem: if the students have a normal computer, how can they focus on their pillow and show where they meet a problem? Do you think it is necessary that they buy an extra camera? How do you do it? Thank you very much for talking about this issue, which is really necessary now with our general situation. Have a nice week, Greetings from Antje González, Spain - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] lace, Virtual lace classes
Dear Karen, I too am curious at how you're making out. Like Antje, the balance of a camera, computer, etc etc seems costly. I have been working with someone on very basic beginner things and it seems to be going ok but I can't imagine trying to teach finer laces via this process. Thanks for the thoughts so far. If any one else has thoughts or has come up with things that work without a lot of extra devices I would love to hear about them. Thanks! bobbi - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] lace, Virtual lace classes
Antje, MEET is a Google product and some people will refuse to allow Google products on their phones or computers for security reasons. MEET would have to be downloaded and installed to their computer just like any other meeting software. We use ZOOM at all of our organizations. Both products are free to download and use. For the host/teacher Zoom limits free meetings in meeting length, about 40 minutes each session, but you can schedule several 40 minute meetings sequentially. A paid account (150$ US per year) allows unlimited class time per session. Deborah > On Sep 28, 2020, at 4:41 AM, AGlez wrote: > > Thank you very much Karen for sharing your experience. It is of great help. > > I am trying to organize lessons via the Internet, and am finding some > difficulties. I would like to make it as easy as possible for the students, > and that means that they should not have to buy extra technology nor > install new programs on their computers. So... I am using MEET, as it is > associated with Gmail, which most of us use... But it is a bit too > essential. Anybody else is using this program? > > And then comes the camera problem: if the students have a normal computer, > how can they focus on their pillow and show where they meet a problem? Do > you think it is necessary that they buy an extra camera? How do you do it? > > Thank you very much for talking about this issue, which is really necessary > now with our general situation. > > Have a nice week, > > Greetings from Antje González, Spain > > - > To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: > unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to > arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] lace, Virtual lace classes
Deborah, thank you very much for your advice! I will take note of it. In fact, I like Zoom much better, it has more possibilities, even the free version of 40 minutes. But it had some security problems at the beginning of the pandemic, and some of my students do not want to use it. Anyway, I think Zoom solved the problem. Antje El lun., 28 sept. 2020 a las 16:08, DJ () escribió: > Antje, > > MEET is a Google product and some people will refuse to allow Google > products on their phones or computers for security reasons. MEET would have > to be downloaded and installed to their computer just like any other > meeting software. We use ZOOM at all of our organizations. Both products > are free to download and use. For the host/teacher Zoom limits free > meetings in meeting length, about 40 minutes each session, but you can > schedule several 40 minute meetings sequentially. A paid account (150$ US > per year) allows unlimited class time per session. > > Deborah > > > On Sep 28, 2020, at 4:41 AM, AGlez wrote: > > > > Thank you very much Karen for sharing your experience. It is of great > help. > > > > I am trying to organize lessons via the Internet, and am finding some > > difficulties. I would like to make it as easy as possible for the > students, > > and that means that they should not have to buy extra technology nor > > install new programs on their computers. So... I am using MEET, as it is > > associated with Gmail, which most of us use... But it is a bit too > > essential. Anybody else is using this program? > > > > And then comes the camera problem: if the students have a normal > computer, > > how can they focus on their pillow and show where they meet a problem? Do > > you think it is necessary that they buy an extra camera? How do you do > it? > > > > Thank you very much for talking about this issue, which is really > necessary > > now with our general situation. > > > > Have a nice week, > > > > Greetings from Antje González, Spain > > > > - > > To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: > > unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to > > arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/ > > -- Antje González, Spain www.vueltaycruz.es - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] lace, Virtual lace classes
We began with Meet. It worked well until we tried to mount a second camera to show bobbin lace pillows. It is challenging to get a second camera mounted without the issue of feedback on Meet. It can be done, but adds an extra layer of frustration for the students. Zoom seems to have addressed the issue of security. It is possible to lock the meeting once everyone is in, now, also. Only the host needs to have a paid account, so no one else has to pay to use Zoom. We have been having people use their smartphone as the second camera to hold over the pillow. This works very well. Kim - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Lace, Virtual lace classes
I think there are a couple of other advantages to online classes. It might be possible to get teachers from far away to give classes in the Americas. Also, in Europe and Britain, where there are many more lace makers, weekly classes are common. Zoom plus a phone camera makes that relatively easy. I have often looks at Kantcentrum classes and wished I could take them, but when they are given once a week/month this is just too expensive. In person classes should never go away, but this is a new technology that could work to our advantage, especially in the Americas, where students are frequently very far apart. Lyn from Lancaster, PA, where the weather has been cloudier than I would like, but the temperatures comfortable. Good weather for lacemaking with a pot of tea. "My email sends out an automatic message. Arachne members, please ignore it. I read your emails." >Hello all, >I realize I need to clarify my response to the virtual lace classes. > As a student, I have a large monitor, such as a desktop, laptop, or iPad >in front of me to watch the demonstrations, and for the teacher to see me. >Then I have a second camera, such as a phone, mounted over my lace >pillow so the teacher can follow what I am doing, and give >instant feedback. >Hope this helps. >-Karen > >- - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Lace, Virtual lace classes
Thank you very much, Karen. But how do you do as a teacher? imagine you have 8 students making the lace you are teaching, and that each of them has a different difficulty or are doing something wrong. But you cannot take their pillow... They have good diagrams, and pictures of the finished lace, but... how do you explain how to work it correctly? With words: "take the second pair on the left and pull very slightly to the left... no, not so strong... a bit further up!!..." Crazy, isn't it? I will be in this situation in a month or so, and would like to have solutions to all possible problems. All your answers are helping me get ideas. Thank you very much! Greetings from Antje, in Spain - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Lace, Virtual lace classes
Antje and other potential virtual teachers, I like to keep the virtual classes very small, 4-6 depending on their level of lacemaking skills. You can have the students send photos or have them scare their screen. Then you can annotate but that all takes extra time. I teach on Zoom and use "spotlight" to watch each student in turn, like walking around the classroom. For the beginners, I have them use bright colored threads, so I can say "the red pair, etc." which helps a lot. If the threads are all the same color, it is pretty much as you say "take the second pair on the left and pull very slightly to the left... no, not so strong... a bit further up!!..." It is a bit crazy. Having good, clear diagrams helps a lot, and demonstrating with large threads and pins also helps. Virtual teaching is different from in-person teaching but a lot better than no teaching at all as far as I am concerned. I practice by logging into a second device from a different email account so I can see what the students see. In Zoom I have bought a subscription so I can stay on for more than 40 minutes at a time. Some lace guilds here have invested in that, so their members can use the account for teaching. Since we are all interested in promoting lacemaking, we need to adapt. The virtual classroom is especially good for introducing younger students to lace. -Karen on the Atlantic coast in Delaware, USA. > > > > - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
RE: [lace] lace, Virtual lace classes
I'm following this thread with great interest and am about to start my first virtual lace class as a student. It is needle lace instead of bobbin lace, so it will be interesting to see what challenges are unique to lace made in the hand vs on a pillow. Somehow students will need to arrange a camera to show what is happening in their hands. I'm going to clamp my phone in a goose-neck stand like Kathy Draves described and face the camera down over my shoulder. I'd love to hear more constructive criticism of virtual learning experiences - successful and unsuccessful practices - from more students and teachers of "hands-on" classes! -- Carolyn M. Wetzel Massachusetts, USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Lace, Virtual lace classes
Karen, You described using brightly colored threads for your beginners so that you can reference which pair of bobbins to address. A technique I used when I was working a very complex pattern was to trace the pathways of my pattern using colored pencils. Then I placed color matched elastics onto the corresponding bobbins. I found it very easy to determine which bobbin pairs were associated with each portion of my pattern. I also had glass head pins in matching colors when I needed to use dividers. Deborah > On Sep 29, 2020, at 1:27 PM, Karen Thompson wrote: > > Antje and other potential virtual teachers, > I like to keep the virtual classes very small, 4-6 depending on their level > of lacemaking skills. You can have the students send photos or have them > scare their screen. Then you can annotate but that all takes extra time. I > teach on Zoom and use "spotlight" to watch each student in turn, like > walking around the classroom. For the beginners, I have them use bright > colored threads, so I can say "the red pair, etc." which helps a lot. If > the threads are all the same color, it is pretty much as you say "take the > second pair on the left and pull very slightly to the left... no, not so > strong... a bit further up!!..." It is a bit crazy. Having good, clear > diagrams helps a lot, and demonstrating with large threads and pins also > helps. Virtual teaching is different from in-person teaching but a lot > better than no teaching at all as far as I am concerned. I practice by > logging into a second device from a different email account so I can see > what the students see. In Zoom I have bought a subscription so I can stay > on for more than 40 minutes at a time. Some lace guilds here have invested > in that, so their members can use the account for teaching. Since we are > all interested in promoting lacemaking, we need to adapt. The virtual > classroom is especially good for introducing younger students to lace. > > > -Karen on the Atlantic coast in Delaware, USA. > > >> >> >> >> > > - > To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: > unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to > arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re[2]: [lace] Lace, Virtual lace classes
And the cost of $150 for a year of Zoom seems very reasonable for the teacher to pay and share out over all the classes they teach in that year - much less than the costs of transportation, room hire etc Sue suebabbs...@gmail.com - - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/