Craftsy Class: How To Teach It

I love Craftsy classes. For those of you who haven't tried them, they're video classes that are accessible all of the time. I've been watching classes on a PC, but you can also watch them on any device with a high-speed internet connection. More information about that is here. It's something to consider if you ever end up waiting a long time in an airport or something like that.

I ran into Gwen Bortner of Knitability at TNNA this year and she told me about her How To Teach It class. (I took a class from her, last year, on knitting back backwards.) Gwen said that her class would be good for anyone thinking of teaching at any level. I agree.

I have taught knitting, informally. I have taught photography and bellydance for money, and those have been awesome experiences. I wanted to take her Craftsy class because I'm thinking about trying to teach knitting in a more structured environment.

I'm on lesson 4 (out of 10), and so far I've already learned a lot. Gwen made great handouts with things like sample contracts for teachers. When you buy the class, you can download them and print them for future reference. As a photographer, I have purchased entire books to get the rights to use one model release form, so having a solid contract template is important to me.

Here's the breakdown of lessons within this particular class:
1) Meet Gwen (she's awesome!)
2) The Business of Teaching
3) Class Development
4) Project Development
5) Marketing
6) Teaching Logistics
7) Personal Best Practices
8) Best Practices in the Classroom
9) Going National
10) Tips for Shop Owners

One feature I haven't used before on Craftsy is video notes. Basically, you can add bookmarks with your comments anywhere you want during a class's video. This is great for keeping track of points you want to revisit later. I've been using it a lot on this class.

I don't always take full advantage of class chat rooms. You can ask and answer questions from other students or ask the teacher for help. It's nice to know that help and suggestions are just a few keystrokes away.

If you haven't tried a Craftsy class before, I encourage you to try one. They are always full of good information and well worth the cost.

P.S. - All of the Craftsy online classes are on sale right now (through 12/2) for $19.99 or less. That's up to 66% off.

P.P.S. - The random number generator chose ikkinlala as the winner of Head to Toe. Thanks for commenting!