Digital fly tying class

[Byron haugh]

It will probably be soon that a tier can take a fly tying class via the web with a highly recognized tier.

I, for one, would really like to do that.

A tier, like AlanB, for example, could do a demo video of a series of flies - one each week or so. The students, would either do a video or step-by-step still photos of the fly and submit that for critique. After the critique, the students would re-do the "assignment" to demonstrate their improvement.

The instructor would be reimbursed for his time through an enrollment fee.

Sure, you could find a local club or a shop with fly tying lessons, but the instructor might not be well qualified. He/she might just know a little more than the student.
Or, you can watch excellent videos by great tiers, but you don't get feedback on how you are doing in trying to follow their demos.


If systems like Skype evolve to the point of being able to stream good quality close-up video, I think this will come to pass.


AlanB,
Any suggestions???

[cannonx4]

Don't they have that now, called Youtube? At least that is how I learn.

[AlanB]

It is something I have been considering for a while Byron. To the point that I have looked at how to use multiple cameras at once on Skype. The current problem I have with doing something like this is I just don't have the computer power to run it... yet. I like the idea of doing it as a Hangout on Google+. After the lesson the Hangout remains available to view, getting around time differences. The problem there is not having a way to restrict viewing. The concept does fit well with other plans I am making so it may happen.

Cheers,
A.

[Whitewolf]

bugman ( his handle on faol) does that on skype. we have been tying for some time live via skype. he has offered faol'ers before but no one takes him up on it. He can tie anything and make it look exactly like a book would show it. he has isp problems for now. his entire area having isp tble. but we will be on again this sunday night at 7pm east texas time....

i realize it is not everything proposed above...but it's free and he is such a good teacher.......

just fyi

[Curtis Fry]

Hehe, yeah, someday.

So flashforward to 2013/2014....Youtube via Google Hangouts works well for this and we've been doing it now for a while on our Fly Fish Food channel/website (www.flyfishfood.com) . We call it the "Virtual Vise". Free o' charge and you can tie along, ask questions, let us see what you're doing (assuming you have a webcam hooked up) and get advice on how to change things up etc. 100% fully interactive video & audio both ways. We have ways to restrict viewing if needed (no plans to monetize the big sessions really though, so it doesn't matter). And with the Youtube live event and you can have a lot of people viewing live at one time. I think our highest attended event had over 500 people at the same time. All the computing power is on Google, not us. Must have a special web cam though and a few other things to help enable it all, but it's good stuff. We will ramp back up with more sessions this fall and possibly begin some more restricted private lessons as there have been a ton of people requesting that.

We also will likely feature guest tyers this next time around, so I'd like to get someone from across the pond for that....

[jszymczyk]

We used to do this at least 6 or 7 years ago on Fly Tying Forum. It was interesting but I guess it didn't hold enough enthusiasm to keep going. In today's day and age of information overload, no way I would pay for it. Too much available at no extra cost, and too many great people willing to share just because they want to, not to be "reimbursed" for their time...

[whatfly]

Of course it can be done with today's technology, albeit it requires a much higher level of IT savvy and hardware than the average fly tier is going to have. The bigger question is, will it be an effective way to learn? While it might be a nice substitute to the demo fly tying of the shows (youtube.com is already filled with some excellent examples, as well as some really bad ones), it would be an inferior teaching/learning environment in my mind unless it were very close to being there. Perhaps virtual reality technology will get to the point eventually, but while distance learning has the advantage of getting access to remote expertise, it is NOT a suitable replacement for a real classroom environment with current technology. Check coursera.org or udacity.com if you want to get an idea of universities are doing in this area, and you should get a better appreciate of the advantages and the drawbacks of these programs.

[Ed_D]

Alan,
Your local ISP or a value-added Internet company could probably set you up with a scalable solution. SharePoint (TM) is a package which can be set up and configured on their servers to allow them to parcel out computer power to different users in a secure, segregated manner. This would allow an ISP or value added company with a few servers to service many customers. With SharePoint 2013 you can have access to all sorts of features which will allow you to provide test, pictures,and video. You can set up polls and tests. All of it can be protected by accounts. The problem is likely to be the expense of development and, to a lesser extent, hosting. And no, I am not a SharePoint developer. There are other packages which can do similar things.

But if there is a local, value-added Internet provider, they might be able t help you at a reasonable cost.

I wonder if your local school board or a local college would set up such a course. They could do all of the technical side and you might get either a flat fee or a per-student fee.


Regards,
Ed

[Byron haugh]

Curtis,
What cameras do you use in the homes of those taking the class?
As I said, the one on my computer via Skype really isn't high enough quality yet for this.
As to great YouTube (and other video sources, I.e vimeo) I use them all the time. But, there is no interaction. And, there is no way to have your attempt to replicate the fly critiqued.
I would like to fast forward to your high quality computer camera. I just have the one on my new iMac desktop.

[NJTroutbum]

I don't think the question is whether or not it can be done. It certainly can be done. The question is....can it be done securely to insure it remains a profitable expense of time and effort. Unless you are using a universities system, it's tough to manage your content and keep both secure and easy to use.