Lots of information to pass along today… The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for me!
First of all, I’ve decided to stop offering physical classes…
There were several reasons for this decision – mainly because of the COVID pandemic that continues to plague us. But, I’ve also noticed a lack of interest in scheduled classes that started around the end of 2019. I’ve always had a loyal, core group of beaders who encouraged me to work on new designs for classes (thank you!). Sadly, my beginner classes were not attracting new students, and I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a limited base when teaching locally.
There is a lot of work and expense needed to produce a class – writing instructions and creating samples take up most of the time. Then, printing handouts and advertising come next. After all the effort, it’s disheartening to have only 1-2 students willing to commit to taking a class.
So, I’m in the process of converting my classes to self-paced online courses through my Teachable school. Hopefully, this will reach a broader base of beaders who are interested in classes that were only offered locally for many years. I also intend to create new classes to keep my existing base of students engaged!
Why Teachable?
I still believe that beading in a classroom with other beaders and an instructor (who can give direction and demos) is the best way for most people to learn. But, I think the COVID lockdowns taught us that we can learn online! I’m not able to sustain a Zoom class because of a spotty internet connection, but I am able to put my courses together for self-paced learning.
The Teachable platform gives me the ability to offer videos for the trickier parts of a project, which is invaluable for students. As a result, there are many videos in my course curriculum to help students along. Since I have the advantage of teaching most of the classes I’m converting, I’m aware of questions and problems that came up in class and I can address them in the videos.
The other benefit is that the course is available any time you want to refer to it! You have demos at your fingertips just by turning on your computer. In some ways, it’s better than a physical class…
“Stella Goes Baroque” – Heart of Texas Fall 2021 Zoom Retreat…
Due to COVID, the retreat will once again be a Zoom retreat… Take a look at the HoT website for more info…
What does that mean for students who signed up for my Bonus Workshop? It means they will have exclusive access to “Stella Goes Baroque” in my Teachable School! This course will not be released for purchase until 2022, so it will only be open to my HoT students. Remember! you must be attending the HoT retreat, and enroll and pay through their website.
Enrollees – look for an email with details about how to access the course as the retreat dates get closer. All students will be given access by end of day, Wednesday, September 29th. There is a possibility of a one-hour Q&A Zoom session, probably on the second weekend of the retreat. Again, that information will be included in the email.
Last but not least… Menu changes…
Did you notice some of the menu changes on this website? I’ve streamlined some of the dropdown menus to make them easier to access on your phones. I think this will make it easier to navigate the site as you look for items in the Student Gallery or Class Descriptions. Changes to individual pages are ongoing…
Since, I don’t have as many events to show, I’ve moved the Upcoming Events to the footer area. And, the links to Subscribe to the website and to Follow Me on Facebook are now in the sidebar area under the Search function. This means that on your phone, they will follow the post on the Home page.
I hope you enjoy the changes, and would love to hear any comments you might have… You can add them by clicking on the LEAVE A COMMENT link at the top of the post. Please note that all comments are moderated to help avoid spam comments, so they need to be approved by me before they appear (usually, within 24 hours).
Karen Long Designs 