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Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:31:40 -0600

Managing inbox clutter efficiently is essential for productivity, and learning how to archive messages using just the keyboard can make email handling much faster. Instead of manually selecting and moving emails to folders, archiving with shortcuts allows users to clear their inbox while keeping important conversations accessible for future…Read more

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Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:27:25 -0600

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Thu, 09 Nov 2023 06:26:03 -0600

Laura Berlage started the topic Cultivating Coziness in the forum Resources

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 23:33:52 -0500

Here’s a fun and friendly read to help you learn the pearls of making a space feel cozy, or what the Danish call “Hygge” (said hoo-gah). “The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living” by Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.

Laura Berlage started the topic Test Zoom with a Friend in the forum Exercises

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 23:30:50 -0500

Pick a friend you can trust and invite them to Zoom with you. It doesn’t need to be long, and chats with folks we haven’t seen in a while can be fun. You can even do this with one other person on a free Zoom account without needing anything more than you’ve been using to sign into class.

Attend your private Zoom from your new teaching s…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic A Permaculture Model for Classroom Setup in the forum Exercises

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 23:22:49 -0500

Permaculture is a style of agrarian philosophy that seeks to make systems that will sustain over long periods of time, rather than quick solutions with equally flash-in-the-pan rewards that quickly dwindle and become unsustainable. While this philosophy is primarily aimed at agriculture, it has some keen takeaways that are helpful when thinking…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Mocking Up Your Space in the forum Exercises

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 23:08:24 -0500

Even if it isn’t the official camera you plan to use yet, find a camera where you can control its location AND see what it sees in realtime. This might be a little webcam in or on your laptop or any number of devices that can talk to your computer or tablet, so you can see what it sees.

Begin setting up the space you would like to use…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Concepts for Lighting in the forum Pearls

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 22:58:34 -0500

While your background setup and your off-camera stash of all the supplies and materials you need can be constantly evolving with you, needing to get your lighting right should be a top of the list priority. It can be the difference between students enjoying their time with you or being frustrated, or whether or not you come across as polished…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Utilizing the "Off Frame" Space in the forum Pearls

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 22:22:20 -0500

What your camera can see when it points at you or at your hands working is what students will see. These should be the “staged” and well-lit spaces.

Anything that is beyond this is “off frame” and available for other purposes.

It can be difficult to guess what is off frame, so set up your camera, point it as desired (see more tips in the…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Finding Your Signature Look in the forum Preparing Your Virtual Classroom

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 22:01:50 -0500

Your teaching space is your students’ “home away from home.” The parts that they can see can be considered your stage backdrop. What should be in this backdrop to help share the story of you and what you offer?

Maybe it’s examples of your work, an arranged stash of the materials you use, or objects that help to tell the story of your j…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic What's Behind You: Why Zoom Backgrounds Matter in the forum Pearls

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 23:33:17 -0500

Having hosted Zoom classes with well over 1,000 students and numerous hosting staff, as well as taken many classes from other instructors, I’ve seen all kinds of backgrounds! They certainly make a difference towards creating the environment of the class, especially when it’s the instructor.

Here are the ones that make me cringe:

There is…

Laura Berlage started the topic Embracing Teaching Online in the forum The Benefits and Challenges of Teaching Online

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:25:10 -0500

Welcome to the world being your classroom! At least the world where there is internet.

Excited? Daunted? I was too when I began my journey, trying my very first test run in June of 2020. But since then, I’ve learned that what can feel like doors closing are actually other doors opening, and through this transition my teaching practice has…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Being Real About Challenges in the forum Exercises

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:18:04 -0500

Let’s be honest: teaching online is no cakewalk. It’s so much more than just turning on a camera and doing what you’ve always done in your classroom.

Throughout this course, I’ll be focusing on numerous facets of what can turn confusion into success, questions into strategies, and obstacles into solutions. However, it is important for you to…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Finding Your Unique Slant in the forum Exercises

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 21:09:59 -0500

Every educator brings something special to the table, something that is uniquely theirs.

Perhaps you love travel and can speak to the backstory of your medium and where it comes from.

Perhaps you love history and folklore and can spin tales that have influenced or infuse their way into your medium.

Perhaps you love plants and animals and…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Let's Get Organized! in the forum Exercises

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 20:53:54 -0500

Your online opportunities will flourish with a little bit of organization. Here are some of the ways I “hold it all together,” but I’m also eager to hear your ideas and questions!

I love using binders. I have binders fill with pages that have all the contact information for the host organizations I use, as well as another binder where I k…

Laura Berlage started the topic Student Feedback: Why Online Classes Matter in the forum Pearls

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:42:45 -0500

Student feedback in your teaching practice is essential. Sometimes students will submit their thought to you directly, some through an evaluation form sent out by the host organization. Now and then you’ll get that off-the-wall comment that was someone’s personal “bee in the bonnet” moment (which says more about them than it does about you), b…Read more

Laura Berlage started the topic Variety of Pay Structures for Teaching Online in the forum Pearls

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:24:36 -0500

While I wish there was a unified way that getting paid for my educational services works with host organizations, I’ve found that each has their own twist. Here is an outline of how that tends to break down, as well as fee considerations when hosting your own classes individually.

Payment is based on an hourly rate for your “live”…

Laura Berlage started the topic Scheduling Classes--Lessons Learned in the forum Pearls

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 18:54:26 -0500

When I was teaching in-person classes, especially when these involved travel, a whole day could be spent preparing for, arriving at, setting up, and then teaching one clas, plus tear-down and driving home time. With teaching online, I could cut out all the driving time plus a vast amount of setup and teardown, freeing up more space for…Read more

Steve Barnes started the topic How to Participate in the Forums in the forum Community Rules

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 22:25:54 -0500

House Rules for participating in Erindale Tapestry Studio Forums:

Be Kind. Everyone is on a journey, each journey is unique, and everyone is valued. Negative energy should be pointed elsewhere, please.

Be Honest, but also be kind. We’re not here for flattery, but there’s plenty of criticism in this world already. Let’s uplift each oth…Read more