This year I recorded a short video clip of me completing each kind of stitch. The video can be accessed through a QR code and the viewer can choose to watch any portion of the video. I tested it this morning with seven ipads, and I think this has seriously changed my thinking about teaching some art skills that are best seen up close and personal.
After students got over the initial shock (unfamiliarity? novelty?) of having to invest their time into actively watching and absorbing information from the video, they jumped right in. Students were able to replay the demonstration as many times as they needed to see it, move forward to new stiches, or go backward in the process if things weren't working right.
I was free from repeating the same knot tying instruction to be more active in helping students that were struggling with more complex skills.
I have so many ideas for ways to use this in future lessons.