Live Homework Help
Accessed: Through Los Angeles Public Library
Provided by: www.tutor.com
Brief Description: Live tutor site that is available to library card holders, from home or from libraries. For the Los Angeles Public Library, it can be accessed from 3 PM to 10 PM PST, and is available to children, teens, and adults.
Services: Live Homework Help is a service provided by www.tutor.com. While price information is not available for libraries without submitting information for a quote, the service is available to library patrons for free, using home computers, library computers, or even through apps on iPod, iPad, and Android. To log in and request a tutor through the Los Angeles Public Library, you only need your library card bar code and the last four digits of the phone number associated with the account. No account is necessary with tutor.com to begin a session, but you can create a free account to access more features. You need this free account to use the apps, and you can also save favorite tutors, store assignments in lockers, and review and share previous sessions. To request a session, you answer some questions using drop-down menus: language (English or Spanish), grade, topic, subject, zip code, and how you are accessing the site. Then you write in a more specific question. After submitting, a separate screen pops up that tells you a tutor is being found. Once the tutor is found, a whiteboard window pops up and you use IM chat to talk with the tutor. The whiteboard includes options for sharing files, writing on the board, sharing pictures, and the tutor can share websites with the student.
The tutor is not allowed to give any personal information, and sessions last 20-25 minutes. Tutors try to get students to a place in their work that will be a good stopping point, so if they need to start again with a new tutor, they can do so. For example, if writing a paper, they might try to get the student to compose a thesis statement in one session, and then a second session might be for an introduction. If a student shares a file, the document is shared with both tutor and student, and the tutor can visibly edit in front of the student and then send the edited document (with all of the tutor’s notes) back to the student. The website is also clear that it does not do homework for the students, but helps them to do homework. Students can request help with numerous subjects, including test prep.
Evaluation: When I logged on and tried the service through the Los Angeles Public Library , at about 9:30 PM one evening, I found the interface very easy to use and within minutes was told a tutor was being found. Unfortunately, that started at 9:28, and by 9:34, no tutor had been found. There is no information about wait time, or whether the site is actually being contacted, which is frustrating. However, when I canceled that session and started a new one at 9:35, by 9:39 I had a tutor. He was very friendly and took me on a tour of the site. I’d initially said that I wanted to discuss The Fault in Our Stars, but then revealed I was also checking out the site. He had read the book, though, and indicated that if he had not, he could have transferred me to a different tutor, putting out a request for someone who had read it. One flaw with the service was that I couldn’t find an audio component, which seems important for the visually impaired. My tutor informed me there was a way to do voice tutoring, but I didn’t see it immediately, so that is probably something the site should make apparent. Despite that, I found it an easy, quick service, and I can imagine it is very helpful to students who are aware of it.
Company Information: From www.tutor.com: “Who we are and what we do
Tutor.com offers one-to-one learning solutions for students and professionals. All of our services are live, on demand and online. Homework help, tutoring, peer coaching, professional development, training, career help –we do it all. But it really comes down to our core philosophy that when someone needs help the best way to get it is right away from an experienced expert. Our experts are online 24/7 ready to help. The results: 8 million one-to-one sessions completed. 90% of the students, teachers and professionals who use Tutor.com’s services would recommend us to a friend.
How Tutor.com started:
In 1998, a small group of passionate education and tech professionals led by George Cigale, our founder and CEO, had a terrific URL and a big idea—use the Internet to connect students to tutors for tutoring at anytime from anywhere. So, they recruited about a hundred tutors and created one of the first online, interactive classrooms. Today, we have thousands of experts teaching and coaching in more than 30 different subjects. And we still have that interactive, online classroom. But now, you can access it from your iPad.”
Why This Service: A free way to get help with homework that is easy and does not cast judgment? This seems like a great service for teens!
Accessed: Through Los Angeles Public Library
Provided by: www.tutor.com
Brief Description: Live tutor site that is available to library card holders, from home or from libraries. For the Los Angeles Public Library, it can be accessed from 3 PM to 10 PM PST, and is available to children, teens, and adults.
Services: Live Homework Help is a service provided by www.tutor.com. While price information is not available for libraries without submitting information for a quote, the service is available to library patrons for free, using home computers, library computers, or even through apps on iPod, iPad, and Android. To log in and request a tutor through the Los Angeles Public Library, you only need your library card bar code and the last four digits of the phone number associated with the account. No account is necessary with tutor.com to begin a session, but you can create a free account to access more features. You need this free account to use the apps, and you can also save favorite tutors, store assignments in lockers, and review and share previous sessions. To request a session, you answer some questions using drop-down menus: language (English or Spanish), grade, topic, subject, zip code, and how you are accessing the site. Then you write in a more specific question. After submitting, a separate screen pops up that tells you a tutor is being found. Once the tutor is found, a whiteboard window pops up and you use IM chat to talk with the tutor. The whiteboard includes options for sharing files, writing on the board, sharing pictures, and the tutor can share websites with the student.
The tutor is not allowed to give any personal information, and sessions last 20-25 minutes. Tutors try to get students to a place in their work that will be a good stopping point, so if they need to start again with a new tutor, they can do so. For example, if writing a paper, they might try to get the student to compose a thesis statement in one session, and then a second session might be for an introduction. If a student shares a file, the document is shared with both tutor and student, and the tutor can visibly edit in front of the student and then send the edited document (with all of the tutor’s notes) back to the student. The website is also clear that it does not do homework for the students, but helps them to do homework. Students can request help with numerous subjects, including test prep.
Evaluation: When I logged on and tried the service through the Los Angeles Public Library , at about 9:30 PM one evening, I found the interface very easy to use and within minutes was told a tutor was being found. Unfortunately, that started at 9:28, and by 9:34, no tutor had been found. There is no information about wait time, or whether the site is actually being contacted, which is frustrating. However, when I canceled that session and started a new one at 9:35, by 9:39 I had a tutor. He was very friendly and took me on a tour of the site. I’d initially said that I wanted to discuss The Fault in Our Stars, but then revealed I was also checking out the site. He had read the book, though, and indicated that if he had not, he could have transferred me to a different tutor, putting out a request for someone who had read it. One flaw with the service was that I couldn’t find an audio component, which seems important for the visually impaired. My tutor informed me there was a way to do voice tutoring, but I didn’t see it immediately, so that is probably something the site should make apparent. Despite that, I found it an easy, quick service, and I can imagine it is very helpful to students who are aware of it.
Company Information: From www.tutor.com: “Who we are and what we do
Tutor.com offers one-to-one learning solutions for students and professionals. All of our services are live, on demand and online. Homework help, tutoring, peer coaching, professional development, training, career help –we do it all. But it really comes down to our core philosophy that when someone needs help the best way to get it is right away from an experienced expert. Our experts are online 24/7 ready to help. The results: 8 million one-to-one sessions completed. 90% of the students, teachers and professionals who use Tutor.com’s services would recommend us to a friend.
How Tutor.com started:
In 1998, a small group of passionate education and tech professionals led by George Cigale, our founder and CEO, had a terrific URL and a big idea—use the Internet to connect students to tutors for tutoring at anytime from anywhere. So, they recruited about a hundred tutors and created one of the first online, interactive classrooms. Today, we have thousands of experts teaching and coaching in more than 30 different subjects. And we still have that interactive, online classroom. But now, you can access it from your iPad.”
Why This Service: A free way to get help with homework that is easy and does not cast judgment? This seems like a great service for teens!