Here’s an excerpt from yesterday’s article:

His low-tech, conversational tutorials — Khan’s face never appears, and viewers see only his unadorned step-by-step doodles and diagrams on an electronic blackboard — are more than merely another example of viral media distributed at negligible cost to the universe. Khan Academy holds the promise of a virtual school: an educational transformation that de-emphasizes classrooms, campus and administrative infrastructure, and even brand-name instructors.

Of course, if your school or local public library offers the Tutor.com Learning Suite, you may already be familiar with Sal Khan.  His videos are some of the most popular and highly-rated educational resources in our SkillsCenter Resource Library, where Tutor.com users have viewed them thousands of times.  You can also find Khan Academy videos free of charge at our website if the Learning Suite isn’t available in your area.

To get you started, here are some of our users’ favorites:

• Quadratic Formula (proof)
• Introduction to Magnetism
• Statistics: Binomial Distribution
• Sex-Linked Traits
• Introduction to Limits

Their answer is worth reading. They are suggesting we take a step back from the debate about what should be included in a textbook, and propose we reconsider using textbooks at all. They ask us to imagine us using available technology to create a classroom where students, teachers and parents are empowered simply due to the access of more information.

For a student that means using e-books and having the choice to click through to additional materials when they come to a homework problem that stumps them.  Students can connect to an online tutor for concepts they don’t understand, or watch videos

For teachers, new technology could mean having a report every evening that shares what students’ understood and where they stumbled.  It frees them from grading homework or repeating information the next day.

For parents, it could mean knowing that their child’s homework is done via an email, and avoiding fights about textbooks left at home, and handling student frustration.

Tutor.com fully supports this idea. We have been offering students a path towards empowerment for over a decade.  When our “Johnny” or “Jane” gets stuck he/she clicks through to a professional tutor who is available to help them overcome that night’s learning obstacle.   We do this several thousand times a night and over 5.6 million times over the past several years.  And it works.

Students learn.  They build their confidence. They go to school prepared.  Adding more ways for students to have access to the individual help they need through e-books and video lessons encourages students to actively engage in their learning process.  The reports and real-time tools integrate teachers and parents into the experience to continue to support and guide the learning process.

So why aren’t technologies like e-books and real-time online tutoring standard tools in the 21^st Century Classroom?  Our founder and CEO George Cigale posted some possible reasons in How to Deliver High Quality Education.

But the good news is that change is possible and it is happening.  Often it’s outside the classroom.  In states like Alabama that have offered online tutoring to every child with a library card for the past several years;  in the U.S Military where the Department of Defense offers families around-the-clock access to online tutors.

We predict that more schools will make this change too. Innovative, forward-thinking teachers, principals and superintendents are ready to take the next step.  They’re ready to extend the learning day into children’s homes with technologies that prepare “Johnny” and “Jane” for a global, competitive work force.

How do you envision technology and broadband access changing our classrooms and homework routines?

The other day I was flying my favorite plane 8,000 feet above the ground, slicing across the sky at about 200 miles an hour, when I realized that I needed to whip out the old slope formula from algebra:  Y = MX + B.

Flying a plane isn’t like driving a car.   When you’re up high, going fast, your plane is loaded with “potential energy” that needs to be dissipated during the approach to landing.    Part of being a good pilot is about managing that energy wisely by descending at a rate that is efficient in terms of lift/drag ratio, fuel usage, passenger comfort, and of course safety.   (Flying along at 8,000 feet until you get to your airport and then spiraling down to a landing would be inefficient, wasteful, and weird for the passengers, who prefer smooth descents.)

As I did my math I realized that I wanted to stay up relatively high that day because the winds were in my favor and also because the temperature at 8,000 feet was about 20 degrees cooler than on the ground on a hot day. I settled on a 500 foot-per-minute descent rate (slope) and then got out my pencil to do the math to figure out how far away I should begin my decent.

I calculated that flying at a speed of three miles per minute, while descending 500 feet per minute would mean that I would get six miles closer to the airport for every 1,000 feet of altitude that I descended.    Being 8,000 feet above the ground therefore meant that I would need to start my descent forty two miles before my destination for a nice glide right to my home runway.

Lucky for me, the air traffic controller that day was able to give me the exact descent rate (slope) that I wanted.   But it doesn’t always work out that way, usually because there are lots of other planes up there, and the air traffic controllers must make sure we all land safely.   It’s times like these that I am glad I paid attention in algebra class.

Bart Epstein is the Senior VP, Corporate Development and General Counsel at Tutor.com. He has previously written about his love of flying and volunteer Angel Flights.

Last year, I was invited by recently retired Dean Ralph Fessler to join the Johns Hopkins University School of Education National Advisory Council. The mutually investigative conversations with Dean Fessler were compelling, touching on various underlying problems of the US education system and the role that JHU and other schools of education can and should play in driving desperately needed fixes. These intellectually honest and provocative talks made it easy to accept the invitation.

This past Saturday, I drove down to Baltimore for our second council meeting, where I took over as Chair of the National Advisory Council from Maryland Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Grasmick. I was also asked to present to the council about Tutor.com and how we operate. After getting through a quick history of the company and business facts (customer, tutors, students…), I tried to summarize the underlying concepts that drive the way we deliver a high quality educational experience in a way that engages students. I humbly propose that these concepts can and should drive the way our public schools educate our students. Here are the five points I spoke about that Tutor.com focuses on every day:

1. Student feedback and ratings. Regardless of who is paying for our services (Schools, Libraries, Parents, Corporations…), we treat the student, who is connecting to one of our tutors, as the customer. We strive to provide every customer with a great learning experience. The customer may not always be right (like when one of them wants our tutors to do their homework for them), but their post-tutoring-session feedback is critical and drives everything we do.
2. Complete Transparency. Every interaction between a student and tutor is recorded. We know exactly what happens in every tutoring session (chat log, whiteboard drawings, resources used…). These sessions are available for students to print out and share with their teachers, for parents to see what they’re spending money on, and for our tutors and mentors to review for quality control and continuous improvement.
3. Regular and Frequent Quality Control Review and Mentoring. Not just to make promotion, suspension, and termination decisions (which we do), but primarily to make sure that we are doing as much as we can to keep our tutors great and our students happy. Tutors, especially ones who also have day jobs as teachers in public schools or universities, are thrilled with the level of feedback and support our mentors provide, and tell us it has made them better educators in general.
4. High Standards.  When we first started providing on-demand live one-to-one help years ago, post-session satisfaction reviews from students were at about a 75% rate (got the help needed and would recommend to friend). We didn’t feel that was good enough. Now we are consistently at 95% after lots of hard work and investment in our tutors, our systems, and our technologies. Every student that comes to us is a motivated learner who is stuck at some point, and looking for help. It’s at those points that they either fall behind and lose confidence or get critical timely help to keep them on the right path. We have have high expectations for our tutors, as well as our students.
5. The Authority and Ability to Make Changes. We have all the data and feedback we need to know what needs improvement (e.g. new classroom tools) or which tutors aren’t doing as well as others. We, unlike most school principals, actually have the authority and the will to take action when necessary. Features get added to our online classroom and learning tools within weeks. Tutors are provided mentoring and professional development daily, and if no improvement is seen, they are no longer allowed to tutor our students. Because the student is the customer and the customer should not have to suffer through an inadequate learning experience.

5.5 Million one-to-one students sessions, and counting — about 100,000 more each month, with a 95% recommend rate. Mostly from Teens! Teens who’d much rather be doing a long list of other things than working on their homework or test prep with an online tutor.

You might read this and say, “well, that’s nice for Tutor.com, but I don’t see how our public schools could ever operate this way.” And then you would rattle off a dozen excuses for how there isn’t political will to change, or there isn’t enough money, or the system is too big and entrenched, or the tests aren’t good enough to truly understand our students, or it’s unfair to judge teachers by how well their students are performing, or we shouldn’t be teaching to tests… There are lots of excuses. I can list many more and I used to believe in them.

Now I get excited about the pace of change and how many people in powerful roles are no longer willing to accept the excuses, including Secretary Duncan’s rhetoric yesterday: “I think we are lying to children and families when we tell children that they are meeting standards and, in fact, they are woefully unprepared to be successful in high school and have almost no chance of going to a good university and being successful”.

In my next post, I’ll share some of the material I’m reading to get myself informed and knowledgeable about school/education reform movements, so I can make even a small difference when I can. You can start with these couple of recent NY Times Magazine front cover articles about what makes a great teacher and the role of teacher unions:

Building a Better Teacher

and

The Teachers’ Unions’ Last Stand

Thanks for reading,

George Cigale, gcigale@tutor.com

Previous CEO posts can be found at http://ceotutor.blogspot.com/

Use math together whenever you can

For example:

• Clothes Shopping – “If this his dress is 40% off, how much do you think it will cost?”
• Food Shopping – “This brand of soda is 1 liter for $1.00, that one is 6 cans for $2, which do you think is the better buy?”
• Allowance calculations – “I will pay you x% interest on your allowance if you ….. Or to help you save for that ….”
• Cooking – “We need to double this recipe; it calls for 2/3 cup of flour; how much should we put in?”

Watch math and science programs on television

Nova, Nature, Planet Earth, Life and more! There are many truly excellent programs on television about science and scientists that encourage young people to become interested and perhaps get involved.  Watch these programs with your kids and discuss them.

Point out articles in the newspaper about recent discoveries in science.

You can sign up for digital delivery of breaking news from sites like Discovery, or even your local papers.

Get outside and ask questions

• “Do you think that is a star or planet?”  “What kind of tree is that?”  “Can we fry an egg on the sidewalk?”   “Can it be too cold to snow?”

Encourage kids to enter science fairs and to try something new and different.

The old “baking soda volcano” is a thing of the past! There are lots of great resources at your local library with science fair ideas, and if you need help – Tutor.com can offer suggestions.

Buy science books and do kitchen experiments together. Encourage older kids to read biographies of scientists.

Kids do not always follow the interests of their parents but when parents are interested in math and science and share their enthusiasm with their kids, it will be contagious!

Rebecca Miller-Webster

Rebecca Miller-Webster is Tutor.com Developer who “works on the website to make it awesome” and creates and updates internal tools, and works on R&D projects. She holds a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and a M.S. in Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis where she graduated with honors. In her spare time, Rebecca volunteers as the Website/IT Coordinator for the Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA and is working on her own iPhone application. Rebecca is also passionate about encouraging girls in math and science and is a member of various organizations for women in Computer Science. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar, snowboarding, reading, and playing with her black pug, Maverick.

What got you interested in computer science?
Because I liked messing around on the internet, I took the introduction to Computer Science class my second semester at Smith College.  I enjoyed the challenge of the class and seemed to have a hang of things.  My professor, Dr. Judy Franklin, asked me to work on a research project with her (we used machine learning/AI to create Charlie Parker-esque sequences of musical notes) and that’s when I learned that I liked programming but not research! J  I ended up leaving Smith College and taking a year off school.  By chance an old friend’s husband owned a small consulting firm and hired me despite the fact that I had no experience or knowledge of the programming language they were using.  It was a great experience and gave me the motivation to keep going with Computer Science in college (which is much different than working as a programmer).

Do we have a female hero in your field?
Grace Hopper is generally regarded as downright awesome.  She was a naval officer in the 1920s and a real pioneer in computer programming languages, including basically leading the way to one of the first modern programming languages (COBOL).  According to legend, she found an insect in her computer which was causing the program to fail and that’s where the term “debugging” comes from!

Other notable women in the field are Ada Lovelace (obviously) and Anita Borg.

I’d also add my female professors/advisors for encouraging me: Dr. Judy Franklin at Smith College  and Dr. Sally Goldman at Washington University in St. Louis.

And lastly, I’d add my mom, Josephine Miller, to this list.  She has a Ph.D. in physiology and spent 30 or so years doing research on female reproductive endocrinology.  After retiring, she got a Master’s degree in health informatics (and learned a little bit of programming!) and is now planning on starting school for a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy.

Jen Boller

Jen Boller is Tutor.com’s Director of Mentoring and Quality Control for our over 1,000 tutors.

Jen in her own words:
While growing up in Michigan, throughout my youth I experienced the joy of being exposed to a number of living creatures, from those found around the dunes of the big lakes, to those in the wooded landscapes of the national forests.  I grew with an awe and a respect for nature that stays with me today.  With my love of animals and science, I devoted 15 years of my life to the study of potential new medications for disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.  As my life progressed, I found that what was missing was being able to share this passion for science with others.  After researching my options, I found Tutor.com and have been here ever since sharing my knowledge with the eager young minds with the next generation of scientists.

What got you interested in science? What do you find most interesting?
For as long as I can remember I have had a passion for the natural world, but more specifically, the animals that inhabit it.  This love of animals has dictated many choices in my life, from my college courses and degree, to the 15 years of my life spent working in Research and Development.

Do you have a female hero in your field? Who and why?
Dian Fossey, one of the three most prominent researchers of primates, devoted 18 years of her life in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda, Africa, studying and passionately advocating the research and conservation of the mountain gorillas and their natural habitat.  While some may have thought her eccentric to an extreme and perhaps even mad, I choose to believe that she was driven by insatiable passion for and admirable courage to defend and speak up for the creatures who in our ever-changing world dominated by humans could not speak for themselves.

What would you say to aspiring female scientists?
I would share three simple words that Jane Goodall once said to me when I had the honor of meeting her and shaking her hand, which were simply “Follow your dreams.”  There is so much we don’t know, and so much wonder in the world yet to discover.  Don’t let anything stand in your way in reaching for your dreams

Lynne Robinson

Lynne Robinson’s hometown is Silver Spring, MD and has been living in NYC for 5 years.  She attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and received a Computer Science degree.  At Tutor.com, she is a Quality Assurance tester.  In her free time, Lynne likes to cook, eat, travel, practice yoga, daydream, and read.  At the moment, she is addicted to Dexter and is working her way through Season 4.

What got you interested in computer science?
Ever since I was little, I feel like my parents guided me towards science.  For birthdays, they would get me things like rock tumblers, microscopes, and build your own rocket kits!  Then when I started high school, I took a programming course by chance to fulfill an elective and I got hooked.  To me, computer science is all about creative problem solving.  You have a goal and the tools – it’s up to you to figure out how to get there.

Do we have a female hero in your field?
Although they are not well-known (yet!) – my female heroes are the women from my CS graduating class.  It’s great to see how we used our background to do different things, I have friend who works with robotics for Lockheed Martin and another friend who is completing a PhD working with how technology can impact language learning.

Tell us something unusual about yourself?
I have a twin sister who HATES computers!

Captain Crow addressing the parents and students interested in online tutoring.

Stressing the importance of education in his remarks, Captain Crow encouraged everyone in the room to take their studies seriously. And to take advantage of Tutor.com to get help with homework and studying—especially valuable when a parent is deployed and can’t help with math homework. The online tutoring program from Tutor.com is provided by the Department of Defense and gives Navy families (as well as military service families in the Army, Marines and Air Force) access to a professional tutor online 24/7 at no charge.

Mr. Dan Barnthouse, MWR Director at JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, was also on hand to speak to the families and Tutor.com’s Kara Froman led the group through a demonstration of how the online classroom works.

Parents and military spouses came to the event to see how this program can help their families.

Navy members must sign in to Navy Knowledge Online to access the service. Once on the NKO site, click on the REFERENCE tab in the navigation bar. Look for the Tutor.com box in the right column and click on the links Kids and Teens or Adults to get a tutor.

The good news is that there are ways proactive steps parents can take to help decrease stress from homework. Not surprisingly, it’s similar to how parents manage stress in their own work and personal lives: schedule, prioritize and get help when you get stuck.

Schedule homework time. Just like you schedule time for soccer practice or dance lessons, schedule in homework time for your child every night to form a routine. It should be at a time that fits both of your schedules. The best time is right before or after dinner—early enough to stay focused on tackling tough subjects like algebra or chemistry.

Create a homework zone. Set aside a space in your home where your child can work on homework without major distractions (i.e. TV, video games and siblings who may already be done with their homework.) A comfortable spot for both of you is best, that way you can catch up on your own reading or work and still be available to answer questions your child may have.

Set goals and prioritize. Your child probably has assignments in different subjects from different teachers each night. Have your son or daughter review their list of assignments (if they don’t usually write them down, now is a good time to start) and estimate how long each will take. Then, help them prioritize which ones to do first. There’s no right or wrong order to completing homework assignments, but having an action plan can help your child stay focused.

Know when to get help. If your child is taking longer than expected to finish one problem or is getting frustrated, encourage them to take a break by working on something else for a while. If they come back to the problem and still can’t figure things out, don’t stay confused–Tutor.com can help get them back on track in just a few minutes.

Wrap things up each night. At the end of each homework session, have your child walk you through their completed assignments. Acknowledge the small accomplishments they made to keep them motivated.

Homework is supposed to reinforce what your child has worked on in school, and challenge them to apply what they’ve learned to new problems. That means homework is sometimes going to be frustrating, but knowing that help is available anytime your child gets stuck can keep him or her from giving up and falling behind.