Wednesday, May 22nd

8:00 – 9:15pm

The Little Mule

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What’s it all about?

Who will be teaching the class?

Melanie C Fawcett is a passionate Media Educator, Writer and Speaker currently living in Melbourne. Aregistered secondary teacher in Victoria, she has also taught in education institutions in Queensland, the UK and Thailand over the last ten years. She delivers media lectures and workshops at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and has founded her own business, “The Media Teacher,” which writes and delivers media education programs with an edge.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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Wednesday, May 22nd

6:15 – 7:30pm

The Little Mule

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What’s it all about?

Finding Your Style – a renter’s guide to a gorgeous “temporary” home will give you an introduction into finding your decorating style with tips and tricks to transform your rental home, without painting the walls or changing the carpet, to make it feel more ‘you’.

What will we cover?

Inspiration is everywhere: nature, artwork, your favourite cafe or restaurant… we will learn how to draw on and incorporate these elements into your home.

Learn how to create a mood board to help kick start your decorating project and find your style and Melissa will share some of her simple DIY ideas that will beautify your home, without spending a fortune.

Who will be teaching the class?

Melissa Lunardon is an interior decorator who works on display home fit outs for a volume builder. She has started her own blog (designtalk.blogspot.com) to share her inspiration on interior decoration and design, DIY ideas and love of furniture restoration.

Questions about the class? Please email
lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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The image above was borrowed, with thanks, from Garry Knight under a Creative Commons license.

($12 + $5 manicure set)

Tuesday, May 21st

8:00 – 9:15pm

The Little Mule

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What’s it all about?

Who will be teaching the class?

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

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($12 + $3 for materials)

Tuesday, May 21st

6:15 – 7:30pm

The Little Mule

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What’s it all about?

Ever wondered how 3D animations are created, or how physics simulations can be used to create stunning visual effects? This class will introduce Blender, a free 3D graphics application that can be used for anything from creating photo-realistic art to your very own video game.

A wealth of resources are available online including tutorials and user forums. This class is intended to familiarise you with the basics of the software enabling you to continue discovering exciting new features and techniques independently.

What will we cover?

The class is intended to be highly practical. A laptop with a numpad and a 3 button mouse will be required (if possible).

We will be looking at:
- Interface and navigation
- Building 3D models
- Creating a scene
- Texturing and lighting
- Rendering methods

… and if there is time, we will touch on the game engine and physics simulations.

Who will be teaching the class?

Casey Morter is an electronic engineer who was initially drawn to Blender for a cheap (as in, free) way to render electronic enclosures and devices for clients.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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Monday, May 20th

8:00 – 9:15pm

Ferdydurke

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What’s it all about?

How to change the world with Facebook, Twitter, Google and other social media… hmmm.

Well in his experiences with the Global Poverty Project the teacher of this class has been lucky to utilise social media for social change to see great effects in awareness, advocacy, policy change and commitment.

This lesson is not a debate about ‘clicktivism’, it is about the practical application of social media for social change.

Come see what has worked for the Global Poverty Project and think about how you can utilise social media tools to put forth your passions and ‘be the change you want to see in the world.’ (cred Ghandi for that one).

Who will be teaching the class?

d’Arcy Lunn is not a social media expert, nor does he spend his life on social media. He has been fortunate to use social media to grow a movement working towards seeing the end of extreme poverty.

In the past 4 years he has worked with the Global Poverty Project as well as enacted a lot of his own personal campaigns – not forcing people to do things but using a mix of information and inspiration to engage and give people opportunities to act upon the topics and issues of extreme poverty.

d’Arcy is a teacher by trade but lives and breathes activism, advocacy and social justice. In the past year he has built and grown The End of Polio campaign in Canada, the US, Pakistan, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.

He gave a version of this class at the Internet at Liberty conference hosted by Google in Washington DC last year. Check out more on Global Citizen for the latest ways we try to engage people with social justice -http://globalcitizen.org/

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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Monday, May 20th

6:15 – 7:30pm

Ferdydurke

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What’s it all about?

This class will explore the idea that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, and be lead by a man who tries to live what he preaches.

d’Arcy Lunn will talk about his own project ‘Happy, simply’, while also asking participants to comment and participate along the way. ‘Happy, simply’ is a lifestyle model and education project with the promotion of simplicity, sustainability and self-sufficiency. It is about being more connected – to people and places, producing a ‘richer’ life for individuals, the community and globally, and has lead d’Arcy to build his own ‘tiny house’ for less than $10,000.

Who will be teaching the class?

d’Arcy Lunn is fanatical about simple living. ‘Happy, simply’ came after 12 years and 58 countries of learning and experiencing that less can be more (when you get to choose it). For him this project and these workshops are about how he can implement the learning he has received from his experiences with the world’s poorest and apply them in the developed world, where we can choose sustainability, self-sufficiency and simplicity and be richer for it. Check out his blog for more - http://happysimply.wordpress.com/

By day d’Arcy works as an educator and advocate in the aid and development sector.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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Wednesday, May 15th

The Little Mule

8:00 – 9:15pm

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What’s it all about?

Light painting is fun photographic technique that involves long exposure photography, dark spaces and light (created by anything from a professional torch to a kid’s toy) to create all sorts of artistic compositions. Whether you own a camera or you are just curious about the images, come and learn the secrets of painting with light!

What will we cover?

You will learn the basics of long exposure photography, night photography and light painting such as the different camera settings and how to use them. We will show you the basic tools for light painting (warning: it involves Star Wars light sabres!) as well as explaining and demonstrating some basic techniques such as silhouetting, space writing, steel wool and stencils.

If you own a DSLR camera and a tripod bring them along (point and shoot cameras that allow the user to manually change the shutter speed and aperture settings of the camera are also fine).

Who will be teaching the class?

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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Wednesday, May 15th

The Little Mule

6:15 – 7:30pm

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What’s it all about?

Come and embark on a physical journey of explorative movement!

In this class we will explore the basic principles of movement found in various disciplines from sport, dance, martial arts, self defense and recreational meditation. We invite you to learn some of the fundamentals of balance, motion, power, centeredness and flow that span all types of movement, in a relaxed and ‘learning intensive’ atmosphere.

What will we cover?

In the class you will learn synchronised motion that will engage both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. In particular, we will cover:

-  breath and crisis control

-  practical relaxation techniques

-  efficient circular methods to maximise results whilst minimising effort

-  the harnessing of presence and awareness of self

The idea is that you will be able to apply these techniques to dance, sport and martial arts – indeed, any kind of movement. You should wear comfy shoes and clothing to the class, but it will be a blend of theory and practice, not a high-tempo dance session or workout!

Who will be teaching the class?

Zac Jones has 16 years professional experience as a dancer, choreographer and martial artist. He is currently undertaking a Masters of Choreography by Research at VCA with a special emphasis on the intersection of martial arts and dance.

Tuan Deres is the founder of Infinite System (http://infinitesystem.org), a dynamic approach to universal movement that incorporates Kung Fu, Self Defence and Movement Exploration. Tuan has a wealth of knowledge in the Combat Martial Arts principles and philosophies derived from 3 complete martial combat systems spanning 19 years of training.

In the Infinite Movement Lab, Zac and Tuan collaborate to run classes that fuse martial arts movement principles with contemporary dance and somatic practices. If you would like to see an advanced version of Infinite Movement you can watch this video: http://infinitesystem.org/movement/

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

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($12 + $8 for materials)

Tuesday, May 14th

The Little Mule

8:00 – 9:15pm

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What’s it all about?

So simple to create yet stunning to wear, glass and paper can be created into wonderful pieces of jewellery, who would have thought? With the limitless bounds of print media (think books, old maps, sheet music, photographs, etc…) you can take almost anything flat and make it into your very own piece of one-of-a-kind jewel.

What will we cover?

In this class we will take you through the simple steps of how to create your very own glass jewellery, starting with what kinds of material and where to find them, all the way through to how to make the final settings. At the end of the lesson you will not only take home the fruits of your labour but the knowledge of how to create more of these wonderful pieces at home.

Who will be teaching the class?

Jenny is a gift shop owner who has been creating her own pieces of jewellery for the past 5-odd years with paper being one of her favourite mediums to work with. Apart from jewellery making, she also has a background in interior design, merchandising and origami.

Questions about the class? Please email
lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

register here

Tuesday, May 14th

The Little Mule

6:15 – 7:30pm

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What’s it all about?

Electronics can be delicate, difficult work, and it can be hard to know where to even start. Enter the Arduino, a hardware platform that’s given thousands of artists, experimenters and amateurs around the world the opportunity to bridge the gap between software and hardware to build novel technologically enabled creations. The Arduino platform encapsulates everything you need to realize your electronic fantasies.

What will we cover?

• The basics – what an Arduino is, and why you’d want one

• The setup – the Arduino, the programming computer, the cables, the power source, and your choice of electronic madness

• Programming the board – there is a bit of code, but don’t let that scare you We can take baby steps or big steps to show you how your hardware interacts with your software.

• Getting some action – we’ll provide a few different avenues for you to try out the Arduino’s capabilities, but all of them have a real-world element. It’s the transformation from virtual into the physical that is the real excitement of working with this platform.

• Once we’ve experienced some Arduino magic, we’d love to do a bit of Q&A on the remarkable international Maker community (something that, as newly minted Arduino experts, you’ve taken a big step to joining.)

**Please note: You won’t need to own an Arduino to participate in this class, although if you have one you are more than welcome to bring it along. We will be working in pairs, and although we will be supplying some computers, there will not be enough for all students. Please bring along your laptop if you are able, and we will install the softwar on your computer (for free!). This is compatible with both PC’s and Mac’s. If you plan to bring your own computer please show up to the class at least 20mins earlier, so we have the time to upload everything we need!

Who will be teaching the class?

The workshop is presented by Toolbox, a design/electronics company working out of St Kilda. More specifically it’s presented by Bruno Herfst, Matthew Sullivan and Rhys Sullivan, a trio of technology aficionados who love teaching technology almost as much as they like using technology.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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The above image was borrowed, with thanks, from Arkadiusz Sikorski under a Creative Commons license.

We started with Emotional Intelligence Uncovered with Peter McKay. We covered some really fascinating stuff regarding psychology, emotions and empathy, including a discussion on ‘how emotionally intelligent is your manager?’

Then, just to mix it up a bit, we learnt about Zombie Movies! Yes, zombie movies, thanks to Halo Jones. With chats about the history and development of the genre and iconic scenes acted out with finger puppets (!) we had a lot of fun. We even found out about super tasty zombie chews from Pakistan!

For another Monday at Ferdydurke we had a session on Italian for Beginners with our Penguins and Chess teacher Alisdair Horgen. Despite not being a native speaker of Italian, Alisdair teamed up his natural teaching ability with his high school and uni knowledge, and one person from the night suggested that she had learnt more in those 75 minutes that in a full on four-week course! Result!

Following on Alisdair’s heels we had Oliver Woods and The Underside of the Internet. We talked about hackers, cybercrime and that dark side of the internet that Google doesn’t reach – cool stuff.

Back in The Little Mule, Scottish expat Lindy Berkerman talked all about Edible Beauty. We made coffee scrubs and chocolate and coconut masks, and found out that there is scientific backing to Cleopatra’s sour mil baths – the lactic acid in off-milk removes dead skin cells, revealing that shiny fresh skin underneath.

Then, in Wine: A One Night Palate Trainer with our resident wine connoisseur Clare Burder, we talked about sugar, acid, tannin and all the other things that feature in the wine making process. And of course, we got to sip on some of the good stuff throughout!

We also learnt how to give our clothes some much needed TLC in Some Basic Clothes Repair with one of the Laneway Learning Team, Lucie Bradley. Whether it was missing buttons, holes or rips we worked some needle and thread magic to put life back into our favourite garments.

For some sibling rivalry we also hosted Ronan Burder and his class on Origami: The Ancient Papercraft. Just like Clare, Ronan ran a great class and there were cranes everywhere, as well as a whole menagerie of other papery animals.

Finally, to get us up to date, last night we had Anthropology and Tequila.

In anthropology our teacher for the night, Simone Anesich, gave us a whistle stop tour covering what anthropology actually is and then everything from tribal life in far off places to the London Riots of 2012. Wow.

And then, in our tequila class, Nick Reid taught us all about, well, tequila! Did you know that legally tequila can only be made from the blue weber agave plants grown in five Mexican states? Or that this plant takes seven years to grow? We also got to taste some different tequilas and realise that, just like wine, it’s actually pretty sophisticated stuff.

Check back soon for some more photos, or head over to our Facebook page.

It’s a great overview of some of the culture that Melbourne has to offer, and touches on some of the things that really define Melbourne and makes it great. What’s more, you can even see our very own Tom Ding talking about Laneway Learning!

If you’re looking for a way to big up Melbourne to some of your Sydneysider mates, or you just fancy procrastinating, the video can be found on YouTube.

Monday, May 13th

Ferdydurke

6:15 – 7:30pm

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What’s it all about?

What will we cover?

Who will be teaching the class?

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

register here

($12 + $3 for Tequila tasting)

Monday, May 13th

Ferdydurke

8:00 – 9:15pm

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What’s it all about?

Did you know tequila can only be produced from a particular type of agave plant which takes at least seven years to grow and can only be sourced from 5 states of Mexico?

Tequila is one of the most misunderstood spirits going around and this course aims to dispel tequila’s 5 major misconceptions, provide a snapshot of the amazing place tequila is produced and give you a try of how tequila is supposed to taste.

What will we cover?

The course will cover a brief history of tequila and a snapshot of an industry that still harvests its raw material the same way they did centuries ago. We will also discuss the different categories of tequila (eg. 51% agave vs 100% agave tequilas), the difference in characteristics between the major regions and we’ll finish with a tasting of 100% agave blanco, reposado and anejo tequilas.

Who will be teaching the class?

Nick Reid is one of the co-founders of Tequila Tromba, an independent label produced in the highlands of Jalisco. A Melbournian who fell in love with tequila and Mexico after marrying a Mexican girl and parking himself in Guadalajara for a number of years, he’s returned to his home town to change Melbourne’s perception of tequila one drinker at a time.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

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The above image was borrowed, with thanks, from Celso Flores under a Creative Commons license.

$12

Monday, May 27th

6:15 – 7:30pm

Ferdydurke

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What’s it all about?

What will we cover?

This class will cover:

• What is steampunk, its beginnings, styles and symbols,
• Steampunk literature, series, comics, websites
• How you can participate in the steampunk scene in Melbourne including events, artists, exhibitions
• Tips to build a steampunk inspired costume in Melbourne (best places for clothing, props, metal scrappers, etc)

Who will be teaching the class?

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

register here

.

P.s. The photo above was pinched from Carlie M A Cullen

$12

Monday, May 27th

8:00 – 9:15pm

Ferdydurke

What’s it all about?

Ever wondered how comedians think of new jokes? What makes some things funny and others not?

In this class we’ll be covering examples of great comedy and working towards writing our own. From the basic theory to structuring your own comical classics.

There’ll be some good jokes along the way, and some cheap ones, and no doubt some bad ones too.

What will we cover?

We’ll look at a the basic theories of comedy and screen some side-splitting examples; covering a broad range of genres and methods.

We’ll learn a few techniques for writing jokes, both structured and more improvised, and then we will try to apply the techniques to writing jokes for different occasions. If time allows you may even create a small routine to entertain friends with!

The class is mainly for novices, but people with a bit of experience are more than welcome.

Who will be teaching the class?

Max is currently studying “People and Organisation” at Melbourne University. A comedy buff, and reasonably funny guy, his interest in the subject grows from coming across academic sower on the topic, and seeing it play out the comedy that surrounds him.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

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The image above was borrowed, with thanks, from Keith under a Creative Commons license.

$25

($12 plus $13 for ingredients)

Tuesday, May 28th

6:15 – 7:30pm

The Little Mule

What’s it all about?

Raw food is fast becoming a foodie and health sensation, but what the fork is raw food?!

Raw foods are made from organic wholefoods and are prepared in a multitude of creative ways to produce delicious and nutritious dishes. The food is kept below the temperature at which most enzymes are lost (approximately 40 – 46°C) and so raw foods are consumed the way nature intended, without diminishing essential nutrients such as the vitamins, minerals and other proteins that degrade or become destroyed when heated at higher temperatures.

What can you make as a raw food dish? How does a guilt-free blueberry lemon cheesecake, mango sorbet, chocolate truffles and pasta Alfredo sound?

Satisfy your curiosity, cultivate health and vitality and taste what all the fuss is about.

What will we cover?

This class will provide an introduction into how to integrate ridiculously tasty and nutritious raw foods into even the busiest lifestyles. We will cover:

- Why raw foods are so good for you
- Introduction to superfoods
- Pantry and kitchen essentials
- How to easily prepare delicious raw dishes
- Raw food demo and tasting

Who will be teaching the class?

Maz is an avid raw food, yoga and Star Wars enthusiast. She is the founder and director of Sadhana Kitchen and author of The Raw Food Adventure: A 14 Day Guide. Maz’s passion for food has always been apparent to her friends and family. It was only natural then, that she would trade in her corporate career for a chance to open one of Sydney’s first cafe’s specialising in living foods and wholefoods. Check out all the amazing dishes coming out of her kitchen at Sadhana Kitchen and get social with her on Facebook & Twitter.

Questions about the class? Please email
lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

register here

Tuesday, May 28th

8:00 – 9:15pm

The Little Mule

What’s it all about?

Ever wondered how screens actually work? Or how we managed to progress so quickly to today’s impressive technology?

From the humble black-and-white TV sets to the 100-inch flat screens of today, the display technology inside your screens has come a very long way since the first commercial products of the 1930s. So just what are the differences between CRTs, LCDs and LEDs? In this class all will be revealed.

What will we cover

We will take a whistle stop tour of all the advances made throughout the history of screen technology, the differences between all the modern day options (and where the future is heading) as well as all the smaller details (contrast, resolution, size, viewing angle, power consumption) and how they have changed over time.

The class will finish with discussions about where the field is heading and the development of flexible technologies.

Who will be teaching the class?

Wallace Wong is a research fellow at the University of Melbourne working in the area of organic electronics. In his spare time he enjoys cooking (in the laboratory as well as at home), running, cycling, swimming and a variety of racquet sports.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

register here

The above image was borrowed, with thanks, from Sudhee under a Creative Commons license.

($12 plus $3 for materials)

Wednesday, May 29th

6:15 – 7:30pm

The Little Mule

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What’s it all about?

How many times have you been stuck cold and hungry in Melbourne, and thought to yourself “Gee, if I had a piece of cord I would make myself a lean-to shelter and snare myself a rabbit for supper?” Yep, me too; every day! Well now you can always be ready for such a situation by having a piece of paracord ready and waiting, in the shape of a survival bracelet.

These bracelets are a standard piece of equipment for deployed service personnel and campers alike; and are fast becoming a must have fashion accessory for Melbournians. They are simple to make; and make a great gift for yourself, your favourite returned serviceman, or friends of all ages.

What will we cover?

We will look at:

• How to make a basic survival bracelet
• How to make a basic key fob
• Ideas for other paracord items
• Tools to use
• Best places to find supplies

Who will be teaching the class?

John Wonnacott is a frequent metro commuter; who taught himself to make survival bracelets, in order to the pass time in a relaxing productive manner.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

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The image above was borrowed, with thanks, from CarriageHouse2011 under a Creative Commons license.

Wednesday, May 29th

8:00 – 9:15pm

The Little Mule

register here

What’s it all about?

Do you dream of wooing a beautiful Italian but get stuck unless you need to say ‘pizza’ or ‘ciao’? Have no fear, this class will give you some basic Italian language skills and prepare you for impressing that person of your dreams.

And if your romance fails at least you’ll still be able to order your favourite food and coffee like a pro!

What will we cover?

We will cover the basics of Italian to get you confidently wandering the streets of Rome, including:

• Greetings
• Basic phrases
• Numbers
• Asking for directions
• A few hand signs
• Helpful vocabulary

You’ll be ready to travel to Italy, or at least an Italian restaurant, in just one 75 minute class.

Who will be teaching the class?

Alistair has studied Italian since primary school, majored in it in his arts degree and is a qualified teacher. This will be his fourth Laneway Learning class, having already shared his passion for Penguins, Chess and with a very successful Italian class already under his belt.

Questions about the class? Please email lanewaylearning@gmail.com

Sound like fun? -

register here

The image above was borrowed, with thanks, from Pizzodisevo under a Creative Commons license.