Janee's Online Photoshop Classes Taking a class independently

How do myJanee.com Independent classes work?

If you can't stand the idea of waiting for the next class session to start, you may take a class independently. Much of the class works just as it does for an in-session class:

• Same sign-up procedure
• Same cost
• Same Certification for completion

You do not have the Classroom Message Board for support. And you do not get ongoing feedback from instructors.

Rather, you work through the projects and save them. Then, when you're finished with all of the lessons, the questions, and the projects, you post your assignment projects and send me their URL. You send me your answers to the questions along with this.

I then review your work, offer feedback, and then, if your work is complete and satisfactory, I award your Certificate.

You also get a little bonus – a double Tips listing. This has to be seen to be appreciated. During the class sessions, I compile a listing of tips that the other teachers, the other students and I have posted on the Classroom Message Board. As an Independent student, you don't get the Board, but you will get a Tips listing from the past TWO sessions of classes.

On your own time. You complete the assignments on your own time. There are no times that you have to "be somewhere," no 4am chat sessions, and no having to find a place to park!

The lessons will come to you via email and they will be in PDF format. This will enable you to read them on your computer or to print them -- your choice! I will send these attached to emails. Be sure that you give me an email address that can take 3MB attachments.

How to work through the lessons. When you get the lesson, I suggest that you read quickly through it, just to get an idea of the projects that we'll be doing. This will enable you to be thinking ahead a little and to be sure that you have assembled the right sort of images, as well.

Then go back and carefully work through the lesson. If you get stuck on something, don't fret over it for too long. Put it aside and then come back to it later. It's amazing how many problems clear themselves up by our doing this.

Use your Help files. In the lessons, I'm using Adobe's terms, so you can find them easily in your Help files. The lesson explanations should be clear, but sometimes it helps to see it written in different words.

And if you're still in a muddle, please drop me an email. You can find my current email address on the Sign-up page or on my Contact page. Be as specific as you can with your question and I'll be able to answer you quickly.

As you complete a project, save it to a folder where you can find it easily. You'll be uploading your assignments to the internet, either to your own website or web space, or to a photo sharing community.

Turning in assignments.

Posting assignments.

A website of your own.

If you want to have your own website, your own personal URL, like www.yourname.com, you'll need a Web Host. You will have to find a web hosting company, or use your ISP's "free" web space. With a paid host, you can get your own domain name like "yourname.com." You'll find that they offer great service and very reasonable prices.

By setting up your own site, you can keep all your assignments up there as you move on from this course, and this can serve as a sort of learning journal.
Photo-Sharing Community Account. You can set up an account with one of the many online photo-sharing communities. By opening an account on a photo sharing community, you can keep all your assignments up there as you move on from this course, and this can serve as a sort of learning journal.

I recommend Smugmug for its features, no advertising, reasonable price, and good service.
A Blogging Account. These are easy and fun to work with, and you can post your work and your comments. Oh.. and these are mostly free. I like Blogger, myself.

The importance of keeping up.

We all understand the intervening of "real life," and the impact that this can have on your class. With an Independent Study class, it is particularly important for you to be diligent, or you'll let this fall into your growing "to do" pile.

Teachers. I'm a real teacher. I'm not a hobbyist doing this "just for fun," although I do have a tremendous amount of fun doing what I do. I am a certified teacher, and an accomplished and certified Photoshop instructor.

Upon your successful completion of the requirements of the course, you'll receive a Certificate displaying the Adobe Certified Instructor logo. Only an instructor who has passed a rigorous set of criteria can put this logo onto your Certificate.

I'm not a "presenter," like those you find in "seminars." I don't send you the materials and leave you to say, "Wow, how'd she do that?" My goal is not to show off MY work, but to see YOU make wonderful things. There are lots of people who claim to be teachers, but who don't do much real teaching.

Value. You're going to be pleased with the value offered by your myJanee.com class. While you may find a less expensive PS class elsewhere, you're not likely to find a better one. Besides giving you 15-30 printed pages worth of material per lesson, you'll also get two big TIPS listings. These are listings that I've compiled from past in-session classes' Message Boards. Here you will find many extra tidbits which will help you even more!

No games. My classes are different in that you're not boxed into rigorous requirements. Yes, there are certain things that you must do to get your Certificate, but you have plenty of latitude within the assignments. NEVER will I say that you can't display work that uses techniques that are beyond this week's lesson.

Nor will I say that something is "easy." We understand that it's NOT easy, and that's why you're in a class. Surely it's easier once you know how to do it, but till then, it's often quite difficult! These may sound like small things, but add them up, and you'll see that this is going to be a seriously fun place to take a class.