With the pandemic continuing, especially in some parts of the world, things like classes or other gatherings are being put on hold.
It is very upsetting for a lot of people as their course of study, be it elementary/high school or college/university or other avenues of learning are so completely up in the air. Many teachers are being forced by circumstance to convert their classes to on-line, with all the upheaval that entails.
If someone has never taught a course of study, there is little understanding of the kind of preparation that is required. To then pivot and put that class on-line requires a further investment of time, expertise and technology that might be completely beyond an individual, never mind an institution that might have tech support but is overwhelmed with ALL the teachers needing to do the same at the same time.
Do teachers invest perhaps a hundred hours of prep time creating an on-line class that then becomes redundant in a year because the pandemic is over? Or do they sit tight and hope that things will be able to return to some semblance of normality?
On the other hand, in the textile community a number of people had begun the shift to on-line learning, so they were already prepared with camera crews, appropriate physical space and on-line presence.
Others, like myself, had produced DVDs and with the break up of Interweave and the creation of Long Thread Media, those DVDs were turned into on-line ‘workshops’.
As for classes like the Olds master weaving/spinning classes, much of the value of those classes are the in person aspect where the instructor can view how the student is working (ergonomically) and give in person ‘correction’ plus answer questions in real time from which the entire class benefits.
There are other instructors who are presently working on on-line resources. Some are beginning to roll out on-line data bases and classes. Others are working on them and will launch as soon as they finish their production.
Some have Patreon accounts and may have on-line mini-classes for subscribers.
I can recommend the following:
Jane Stafford’s on-line guild
Tien Chiu Warp and Weave classes
Janet Dawson – Craftsy class, turned into bluprint, now bought out by another company
Long Thread Media’s catalogue of DVDs now on-line workshops
Daryl Lancaster
As other efforts go live I will announce/share the info as it comes available.
For myself, there are still the level two and four Olds classes scheduled for Nova Scotia in September. Whether or not it will be advisable for people to travel to Cape Breton remains to be seen.