| It's a hi-tech homework haven-where the | | | | need help with a particular homework |
| blackboards are chalk-free, students receive | | | | assignment until they begin their homework at |
| one-on-one attention, and the classroom is | | | | 7 p.m. If they encounter trouble, they will |
| actually your living room. Welcome to the | | | | not be able to immediately access a tutor |
| world of online tutoring and | | | | immediately the conventional way. can offer |
| | | | that student immediate assistance with that |
| may sound like an academic utopia, but it's | | | | homework problem as quickly as 7:05 p.m. |
| one of the latest, online meeting places for | | | | Online tutoring makes sense in this day and |
| high-school students, and parents need not | | | | age." |
| worry: this Connecticut-based website is | | | | |
| populated by licensed educators and savvy | | | | And returning Tutapoint students may continue |
| students seeking assistance in | | | | to work with the tutor of their choice, based |
| high-school-level math and science courses. | | | | on his or her availability. "If a student had |
| | | | a great experience with a particular tutor, |
| "Students are already exceptionally busy, and | | | | they simply need to make a note of the |
| accessing tutoring help via the Internet | | | | tutor's username and they can enter that |
| makes a lot of sense to a busy family," says | | | | username into the session screen. This sends |
| Executive Director Beth Kelly. | | | | out an immediate request to that particular |
| | | | tutor," Kelly notes. |
| was somewhat of a natural fit for Kelly, a | | | | |
| computer technology teacher at Madison's | | | | Tutapoint is designed to be student- and |
| Walter C. Polson Middle School and Daniel | | | | parent-friendly, which is why the set-up and |
| Hand High School. | | | | sign-in process is kept simple. All it takes |
| | | | is a high-speed Internet connection and a |
| offered me a chance to mix two of my passions | | | | parent's permission for a student to log in |
| together: education and technology," she | | | | and get help. There's a special section for |
| says. | | | | parents on the site, too, where they can get |
| | | | to know the site's staff and read up on the |
| And while online tutoring, offered in the | | | | professional requirements for Tutapoint's |
| wide open spaces of the Internet might seem | | | | tutors. |
| impersonal, Kelly and founders Ryan Duques | | | | |
| and Michael Callaghan strive to provide a | | | | Kelly states, "The screening process includes |
| personalized approach to modern learning by | | | | criminal background checks following a round |
| using local, Northeast-based tutors who | | | | of extensive phone interviews and e-mail |
| communicate with their students live and in | | | | correspondence. prides itself on employing |
| real time. | | | | certified teachers and college professors. We |
| | | | also offer tutors currently attending Ivy |
| "All of our tutors are required to use a | | | | League colleges such as Yale, who are |
| webcam while tutoring," Kelly explains. "This | | | | majoring in high levels of math and science." |
| feature allows the session to take on a more | | | | |
| personal [approach]. The student and tutor | | | | And Tutapoint's staffers are already talking |
| can converse in a manner similar to that of a | | | | about expanding the sites services, to offer |
| real, in-person tutoring session." | | | | tutoring in English grammar and foreign |
| | | | languages, an accredited certification |
| Plus, online tutoring offers students one | | | | process for tutors, and assistance for |
| thing a library or learning center can't: | | | | students who need help meeting No Child Left |
| complete privacy in the comfort of one's own | | | | Behind requirements. |
| home. | | | | |
| | | | Launched on Oct. 15, Kelly says students are |
| "What I like about Tutapoint is...it | | | | already taking advantage of Tutapoint's |
| eliminates the awkwardness of face-to-face | | | | services and returning with enthusiastic |
| tutoring where it takes weeks to feel | | | | feedback. Lamothe notes, "I have been |
| comfortable with your tutor," says Alison | | | | recommending the site to my friends since the |
| Lamothe, an 11th-grader from Madison. Lamothe | | | | day after my first session. It is a great |
| recently sought help with her Algebra II | | | | program!" |
| homework. "The tutor I had...was very helpful | | | | |
| because he presented different topics in many | | | | Recently featured on WCBS radio, is also |
| ways and then we worked on which way was best | | | | garnering an adult fanbase. Kelly says |
| for me." | | | | parents have already visited the site to |
| | | | comment on its affordability ($24 an hour, |
| The length of the session time is | | | | and the first session is free) and how much |
| customizable, too, according to the student's | | | | it has helped their children. |
| needs, whether it's an on-demand quick fix | | | | |
| for a trig problem (at a minimum of 15 | | | | Lamothe concurs. "My math grades increased |
| minutes), or a scheduled session, after | | | | significantly, probably about seven points," |
| dinner, to prepare for a biology mid-term | | | | she says. "Math just made more sense to |
| (with a maximum of two hours). | | | | me...There is not a doubt in my mind that I |
| | | | will most definitely use the site again. |
| Kelly says, "A student may not realize they | | | | |