How will the Online workshops be? 2020

The format we have chosen for this edition is a webinar, that is, an event in which we give the classes and you see and hear our explanations. In addition, this gives you the possibility to work from home.

Why have we chosen this format and not the video conference format?

It is true that video conference allows us all to see each other and makes Polimeralia more like a classic edition.

We have all done video conferences these months and we know that a call becomes a cricket cage when two people talk at the same time. The microphones mute, you can’t understand what you’re talking about and we end up getting desperate.

Besides, having the camera and the microphone open means that the internet connections at home have to be very powerful so that our connection does not get stopped. We know that not all of you have a webcam or microphone and we don’t want you to have to buy one on purpose for the event.

But the fact that you have a microphone and webcam open all the time at home means that everyone can find out what is going on in your homes. And you know how important your privacy is to us.

For all these reasons we have decided that, although we cannot see you directly, and we lose a little of that warmth, the webinar option is the one that best suits the quality we always want to offer you at Polimeralia.

The total duration of each class will be the same as if it were face-to-face, that is, about 7 or 8 hours. What we want is to keep the general structure of any classroom course, a time for explanation and a time for you to work at home and then start again.

As this is a webinar, you can not talk directly with us as if it were a video conference. But, there will be a chat so that you can leave the questions that arise. While you are working, the teachers will read the questions and we will answer them. The platform that we use to make the courses has channels so that you can show the work that you are doing or to complement the questions that you want to make, sending photos or small videos. We know that many of you do not want to be in more Facebook groups, so the option of having everything centralized in one place seems to us the best. Right after each explanation, and before you go to work, there will also be a time for chat questions.

You know how important quality is to us at Polimeralia, so in order to offer you the best possible service, we have thought of leaving the courses recorded beforehand, so that we can edit them properly, take care of the plans we offer you, the lighting, and avoid unnecessary time. The fact is that it is not easy to show the piece, that everything is framed, that the image does not get out of focus or from the zoom or the questions you ask, and we are sure that the quality of the courses would drop a lot.

So, although this means more previous work for Noelia and me, we think it is much better for you.

However, as we can’t, and don’t want to, separate ourselves from the live performance, the questions you ask will be shown/answered live. We think that this will be the closest thing to a live class. That is, we will be doing the course at the same time as you. And when you ask, instead of showing the video again, we’ll do a live demonstration. We believe this will minimize technical problems and maximize communication with all of you.

And what other advantages do we see in doing it this way? Well, all the people who come to this rare edition of Polimeralia will have a copy of the video that we will show. In addition, we will also record questions and demonstrations as they arise and give you access to those videos.

But how do we know that many of you like to have the tutorials in pdf format that you can print out if you want. At the beginning of each day, you will have access to the document with the tutorial. This will allow you to follow it at home while we are teaching without taking notes.

Another important thing that could not be missed is the language. We know that some people who do not speak Spanish will come to this edition of Polimeralia. So, to make it easier for everyone to understand, we will organize groups according to the language you each speak. That is, we will have, one group for the courses in Spanish and one group for the courses in English. If there are enough people, we will propose a group in French.

All the videos we have proposed above will be subtitled in the corresponding language of the day. This will allow us to understand each other much better and solve any problem that may arise with the audio. Moreover, with the Pdf tutorial that we will give at the opening of each course, you will be able to follow the class perfectly. If time allows, the videos will be spoken in the corresponding language instead of just being subtitled.

The answers to the questions you ask, we will answer, if we can, in the corresponding language and if it is very complicated we will do it in writing in the chat using a translator.

But of course, going to a course with a clay suitcase is much easier than connecting to a webinar platform. No matter how much we are told that it is as easy as opening the browser, we all know that many doubts always arise that can ruin the day, so, to avoid this, a few days before the event we will do some (voluntary) tests of connection to the platform. This will serve as a presentation of the event and will give us enough time to get everything ready for the classes to go perfectly.

There is only one thing left to solve, and that is how we manage the material that is always given to you at the beginning of the course.

The truth is that we have given a lot of thought to how to do it and every step we took in the right direction made us go back many more.

In the end we have chosen not to give you any kind of material in the course and to reduce the cost that this supposed in the presential event.

Surely with the list of materials and tools in hand you realize that you have almost everything in the workshop, but if not, our dear friend Irene, who has the shop Irexartesanía has offered to prepare a list with all the material you may need, all in one place.

When you go to their online shop, you only have to look for the list of materials and tools for each course and check what you are missing. And she will send it all to your home. That way you won’t go crazy going from store to store looking for every single material you are going to use.

Thanks. Ana