SANFORD — Adult education students, like others engaged in learning, tend to have much in common, wherever they live. Adult students may be looking to finish their high school equivalency after a long absence, take classes toward a career or a degree ”“ or take advantage of any number of enrichment classes to learn something new and have fun.
And for one night, a month ago, students in Sanford and Newport were learning together, through a video conferencing system that allowed instructor Michelle Wilson to show students in the room ”“ and those 140 miles away at Nokomis High School ”“ how to make bead jewelry.
And it worked.
“Everyone took home a necklace and a pair of earrings,” said Wilson. “So I’m happy about that.”
She has another class set for May 6.
The long distance workshop taught by Wilson is believed to be the first in Maine for enrichment classes using a video conferencing system, which allows viewers a wide overview of the class, but also close-ups of Wilson’s hands so they can see how she works with the beads.
Wilson, who teaches a number of adult education courses around Maine and farther afield, attended an adult education conference a year ago and talked to another instructor engaged in online learning. At the same time, said enrichment coordinator Sue Colley, Sanford Community Adult Education was looking to put their video conferencing system to use for more than meetings and conferences.
SCAE Director Allen Lampert said offering enrichment programs from Sanford to other parts of the state, whether it be beading or some other program, “opens new possibilities.”
His Newport counterpart, RSU 19 Adult Education Director Suzanne Nowinski, agreed.
“I was very excited” when the Sanford offering materialized, she said. Seven adults signed up ”“ more than Nowinski expected.
RSU 19 Adult Education, like other programs, uses a variety of ways to offer adult education classes at area schools and at other locations, like a fly casting course at the University of Maine in Orono.
Video conferencing, she said, “allows us to offer a lot more.”
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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