Friday, May 6, 2011

On line classes

When Carol Miller, Dean of quiltuniversity.com first contacted me a couple of years ago about teaching an online class I must admit I thought oh that would be boring!  I’d never get to meet the people or travel to the places.  I wouldn’t be able to judge exactly how to respond by how a person presented themselves and their questions, I certainly wouldn’t be able to assess the strengths and difficulties of a proposed design.  and sitting at the computer to write 4 lessons of 10-20 pages each would be deadly!  Plus my awful jokes look even lamer on paper than they do in real life peg legging their way around the classroom.
Well I was totally wrong.  it’s amazing how well you can get to know someone virtually, their words and their phrasing, their manner of presenting their questions definitely convey a sense of the person.  The designs, value sketches, color choices, fabric mock-ups and finished quilts all speak very loudly.  And it’s so much fun firing up the computer in the morning and having conversations with people all over the world.  While most students are in English speaking countries, I’ve had people in class from every continent (except Antarctica – please sign up next time!), all the European countries, most South American ones, Africa, the Far East and several places I’ve had to look up on the map.  
And online classes are so much more egalitarian; let’s face it you do need a substantial income to attend an actual workshop even if you seek out the most economical way, sleeping in a  12 bed dorm room with 11 people snoring, 10 people going to the bathroom at 4 am, 9 people talking in their sleep, 8 people setting off early alarms, 7 people having exciting dreams (“Yes, oh yes”….or “No, No No!”), 6 people farting, 5 people forgetting to switch off phones, 4 people singing (or rather crowing!) at dawn, 3 people arguing together, 2 people cooing and a partridge in a pear tree.   Oh yes, I’ve been there.  Actually the last dorm room like that I slept in had no air conditioning and all the heavy breathing led to so much condensation the walls and windows were streaming!!  ah, the joys of economical living.  But an online class costs little more than a new quilting book, you’ll get just as many pictures, lots of chat from other students and one on one questions with the author.  Now how many authors of actual books can you email with a question?
Another positive of online classes is that you don’t feel like you must make a quilt or quilts to justify having taken the class.  I’ve heard people leave workshops from major seminars and conferences saying “my thousand dollar quilt” holding up some tiny piece!  Actually these days probably nearer a two thousand dollar quilt.  With an online class you can do as much or as little as you feel like and not feel guilty at all!!   Definitely Innocent till proven guilty.
I’ve heard people criticize online classes in general but I can only think that they haven’t actually taken one.  As well as being much much less expensive, you don’t have to worry about lugging equipment, tusselling with traffic, parking and the security people, eating food you don’t like etc.  All the many negatives of travel these days.
  Of course there are cons: I think the biggest one for the student  is actually time management.  It’s hard when you’re at home and surrounded by all the Usual Suspects and Chores to give yourself time to take a course.  But I think if you say: “I’m going to dedicate these 2 specific hours each day to it” that would work.  The con for me is that I don’t get to visit places I’ve not been before.  But next year I have gigs in a couple of places I’ve not visited, and I’m still hoping for an invitation from coastal Maine (in summer!), from British Columbia, or the Maritimes in Canada, and from Hawaii!!  You never know!
I’ve just finished teaching two online classes: Inspired to Design, and Working in Series and each of these is going to start up again soon (see sidebar for details).  Inspired to Design covers all the basic steps of designing a strong composition, from the first inspiration, through to the final quilting.  It is best to take this class first.   Working in Series is for people who are fairly confident in their ability to pull a design together but want to find their own voice, develop a strong artistic identity and a sense of direction and purpose.  This class also addresses some advanced concerns in composition and design in a Master Class approach.
People tell me that as well as the lessons and the ability to see the work of many other students in the class, they really appreciate the individual critiques I give at every stage of the process.  They like it that I’m not too warm and fuzzy!!  Well, I reckon, most people want honesty and those that don’t can’t hit me over the head when they’re hundreds if not thousands of miles away!! Another distinct advantage to the virtual classroom!
So, if you have been, thanks for reading! and if you can’t take an actual class, think about a virtual one.
Elizabeth
PS If the classes are already closed or full, don't worry - they'll be offered again in a month or so.  I'll put them up on the side bar when the dates are known.  Thank you!

10 comments:

magsramsay said...

Just booked for the 'Working in series'. Having been in the doldrums since your class at FoQ I need a jump start!
I've done a couple of online courses before and they've worked well for me although I notice a tendency to run out of steam towards the end.

Nina Marie said...

since I'm officially a Barton junkie - I'll be taking working in series - again LOL! I swear it will help me get back to my series. E - you've helped my work termendously - and I'm sure this will be great fun doing it online! Plus what a great way to start my summer off!!

Malik Imran Awan said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Kay said...

I took Inspired to Design last summer, and enjoyed it thoroughly. You did a wonderful job with the comments; they were helpful without being too critical or with too much empty encouragement. I also liked the way you approached the subject: gather lots of ideas by brainstorming and narrow to a main idea. I used to teach English composition that way, so it feels right to me.

As you say, the drawback is that these classes have to compete with life. I had to take a trip the last two weeks and wasn't able to post anything. And, again, as you say, I have no finished quilt. But I have a sketch I plan to return to soon, and learned a lot about simplifying.

Elsie Montgomery said...

I took your design class live in Canmore, AB a few years ago and got so much out of it that I haven't had much interest in taking the "usual" classes since... Wow, it was wonderful. If I decided to go online, I'm thinking I should take the design class again, but want to know if there is a significant difference between the online version and the in-person version, besides being able to see you!?

Liz said...

Oh, I am so glad you did this post. I went to QU a couple of days ago to see if Working in Series was up yet and it wasn't so now I've booked to do it before it sold out!! I've been keeping my eye open for it since you mentioned it on here before...

Michele/TextileTraveler said...

Thanks for the reminder, Elizabeth; I've been wanting to take your "series" class but it's always full. I just registered for the next session, tho, so I'm looking forward to it!

Unknown said...

Having done both classes with Elizabeth I can guarantee you are in for a great experience. Because of various personal problems I lagged behind but have signed up again. You do make 'virtual' friends and, as Elizabeth says, the biggest plus is seeing other students' work,and reading their posts. I am a great fan of online classes now but I have to get more disciplined and organised with my time

Yes Mam! Fiber Art said...

When I first discovered art quilting, the way that I learned was primarily from classes at quilt university--it was wonderful and a true voyage of joy. I took so many over the course of that first year,I burned out. But am now ready to start taking classes again! I'm glad you're enjoying teaching!

Karen said...

I have only recently found your blog. thankyou for such interesting postings, and I love your art quilts!