The Tutor.com Blog

February 5^th is Digital Learning Day – a day that celebrates effectively using technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience and provide opportunities for individualized instruction.  We asked one of our expert instructional math coaches, Ed L., to share a fun lesson idea to celebrate! Check out his suggestions to teach abstract concepts using a free resource that empowers students to create and share simulations. You can also check out Ed’s Game Based Learning series for more ways to engage students.

This sample Netlogo simulation lets students explores the stability of a predator-prey ecosystems

Students often have difficulty with theoretical or abstract concepts. Many benefit from being able to play with the concepts in a simulated environment. Netlogo is a free resource with a supportive community that allows creation and sharing of learning simulations that teach by experimentation and play.

You can use simulation environments in many ways. Netlogo offers wonderful opportunities to either create your own simulation or use an existing one.

Existing simulations  on Netlogo  are listed by academic concentrations. Each model offers suggested uses with students including instructions, a list of inquiry questions to guide student learning, and suggestions on how to extend learning.
Models are designed to be used by individuals, small groups or as full classroom experiences. Teachers  I work with have found success using the following sequence:

1. Demonstrate how the model works.
2. Propose an inquiry question and students record their predictions.
3. Students share predictions with peers and then modify as desired.
4. The simulation is run to test the hypothesis.
5. Students individually reflect on their prediction and the observed results.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 with each question or challenge increasing the depth of learning and exploration

Even if you have no programming background, it is easy and fun to create a simulation with Netlogo. Just follow these steps:

1. Clarify the field of exploration to specifically highlight objectives of the simulation.
2. List key variables and the range of values that should be allowed.
3. Creation of the sliders and interface for those values.
4. Setting up the programming flow for the simulation (this step may need to be broken into planning stage then actual programming stage for some learners).
5. Test the simulation.
6. Document resources for how others use the model, questions or challenges, and extensions or variations.

Regardless if teachers choose to use existing models or encourage the creation of new models, the depth of learning is extensive in Netlogo. Student motivation is increased while still maintaining structured purpose to the playful environments available.  Share your experiences with others and join the community of those learning with simulations through Netlogo!

This post originally appeared on the MyLivePD professional development blog, Let’s Prep.

By Rachel Vessey Gibson and David DeSchryver, Whiteboard Advisors

We see a lot of great ideas and groundbreaking instructional solutions in our role at Whiteboard Advisors, working with education innovators, non-profit organizations, and investors in the education arena. At the same time, we all live in a hurried, multi-tasking culture. It is far too easy to make mistakes. When it comes time to submit your Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) application, slow down and avoid the simple mistakes. Here are three that you must avoid.

First, review all of the guidance the U.S. Department of Education (ED) puts out on its RTT-D website. The guidance changes over time. For example, it has been updating the FAQs on a regular basis. ED also just published a useful Application Tips document. It contains valuable advice such as:

• Do ensure your application is received on time.
• Do include a detailed table of contents at the front of your application.
• Do not scan the application to create a .PDF file. Instead, create the file electronically.
• Do not use color in your application (including charts).

Second, don’t get lost in the weeds. The personalized learning narrative is paramount. This must be woven throughout the entire documents and clearly described under Absolut Priority 1.* At the same time, don’t lose sight of the other program priorities. The Notice Inviting Applications is a key document here; if you read it you’ll notice that there is a focus not only on personalized learning but also on the four “core educational assurance areas,” which include (a) Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy; (b) Building data systems that measure student growth and success and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction; (c) Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and (d) Turning around the Nation’s lowest-achieving schools.

Third, be realistic when you estimate time and monetary amounts for the budget section of the application. Your budget document should clarify and support the narrative. Do not inject confusion into the process by introducing suspect (or incorrectly calculated) numbers.

Finally (and this is bonus tip four), number your pages! Seriously. Number your pages. No joking. The little things matter!

* A personalized learning environment is one that, according to the application, “will use collaborative, data-based strategies and 21st century tools such as online learning platforms, computers, mobile devices, and learning algorithms, to deliver instruction and supports tailored to the needs and goals of each student, with the aim of enabling all students to graduate college- and career-ready.”

School Districts working on Race to the Top District (RTTT-D) applications know that a key component is personalized learning environments that prepare students for college and careers. As a leader in personalized, one-to-one learning that improves student achievement and teacher learning, Tutor.com is a strong partner that can give your school district’s plan a distinct edge.

Districts that work with Tutor.com get custom, personalized learning environments specific to their students’ needs and instructional tools and support for teachers. Here’s how we support the RTTT-D requirements:

• College and Career Readiness: Tutor.com custom programs provide individual student data that tracks each student’s progress. We supplement reporting with training and ongoing program support for students.

• Pursue Rigorous Coursework: Several schools have selected Tutor.com to customize an AP program for their students. Students find that access to individual support focused on their needs throughout the school year help them learn faster and be successful in the most challenging courses. In a survey of 1,000 high school students, 86% said they’d be more likely to take AP courses if they had access to Tutor.com.

• Improve teaching and leading: Tutor.com com offers MyLivePD™ Online Coaching Service. This is the only live, online professional development program that has been proven to make an immediate impact on student learning. 90% of teachers connecting to Tutor.com’s instructional coaches reported they used the information within one week in their classrooms. This level of support accelerates teachers’ learning allowing them to implement new practices successfully and adapt content for different student learning styles.

Tutor.com has been creating customized learning programs for more than a decade for school districts,  statewide after-school homework help programs and 24/7 academic support for U.S. Military Families through the  Department of Defense.

Learn more about how we can support our RTTT-D application by joining a free webinar on Wednesday, October 3^rd from 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET. Rachel Vessey Gibson, Whiteboard Advisors will address how districts can best position themselves to win Race to the Top for Districts grants. Ms. Gibson served as the Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education where she developed and implemented Race to the Top policies.

If you are interested in speaking with Tutor.com about how we can be your partner in personalized learning for your RTTT-D application, contact us today at educate@tutor.com.

We are pleased to introduce you to Jim Barnes, a new member of our K-12 team.  Jim is already out traveling the country to meet with schools interested in Tutor.com™ Online Tutoring and MyLive PD™ Online Coaching.  Passionate about education technology, Jim has worked in the industry for most of his 25+ year career. He is excited about having more of a direct effect on student achievement with Tutor.com services.

Jim worked for the University of Alabama in Birmingham straight out of college and a dozen years later was the chief business officer at Gallaudet University. Early on he recognized the cost-effective opportunities virtual education programs were offering states and students.  He spent several years at eCollege helping states, school districts and charter schools deliver high quality online education programs.

When he isn’t working you’ll find Jim out on the golf course. He just came back from his third trip to St Andrews, Scotland – the birthplace of golf. And while his passion is strong, the all star course records remain safe to those that hold them.

Jim works from his remote Annapolis, MD office. He is married and has three grown children. Once the children left the house, Jim and his wife welcomed in Chloe the Dachshund, Coors the Lab mix and Binks the cat. You can contact Jim at jbarnes@tutor.com.

Online tutoring is about people. And the technology is cool too.

Education technology has taken on many different forms in the classroom. Over the past year more schools have adopted iPad programs and more teachers have experimented with social media tools to engage their students. Video is taking on a larger role too especially with the introduction of Kahn Academy. Interactive content is great, but oftentimes you need real help from a real, live person.

The Internet helped us change the medium, but the ancient practice of one-to-one tutoring remains the same. With Tutor.com, your tutor doesn’t have to live close by or come to your house every week—geography and time don’t matter. Our community of 2,500 tutors working online means that whenever students are stuck on a problem or concept they can use Tutor.com technology to get a live tutor, 24/7. And, students do this more than a million times a year.

Providing access to tutors for that intense one-to-one help outside the classroom helps students:

• Get the individualized help they need tailored to their learning style and specific area of struggle (Our tutors don’t end a session until the student has grasped the concept)
• Come to the classroom prepared and ready to learn
• Be more confident and engaged learners who ask better questions

Technology alone can’t guarantee these results. If you’re interested in learning more about online tutoring provided by real tutors helps make classrooms better, visit our website: www.tutor.com/schools.

Welcome Linda Gordon, K-12 Trainer to Tutor.com! Linda joined the Tutor.com team a month ago and has already been busy traveling to schools to help make their Tutor.com online tutoring or professional development programs a success.

Linda is a teacher, curriculum specialist, and technology expert who has spent the last five years helping school districts and teachers integrate technology into diverse settings. She is passionate about using technology in education as a transformative experience for teachers and students.

Linda has  implemented many exciting cross curricular projects including the “This I Believe Project”, a multimedia representation of 10th grade English students’ personal belief statements; and the “Faulkes Telescope Project” that allowed gifted and talented students grades 3-5 to control telescopes in Australia and Hawaii via the internet enabling them to take pictures of the cosmos.

Other projects included introducing iPod Touches into an elementary ESL classroom and successfully delivering professional development to middle school and high school teachers who have severely disabled students in their classrooms to help them add podcasting, and SMART Board technology into their teaching.

No matter what technology Linda was helping introduce into the classroom, she also produced outreach materials to educate parents in the community. Linda brings all of this rich experience to Tutor.com’s clients who are learning how to integrate online tutoring and online professional development into their schools , classrooms and communities.

Linda earned her Masters of Education degree from Long Island University and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Child Study. She also has professional certifications in early childhood learning and children with disabilities.

In her spare time, Linda loves to travel, go to the beach or simply spend time at home with her husband and daughter.

The buzz in 1-to-1 right now is about BYOD – Bring Your Own Device – and it’s not a fad and it’s not going away. There’s a convergence of factors causing it including:

• Hardware is diverse and at price points that are more affordable
• Schools are hyper budget conscious
• The “cloud” (previously called The Internet, the Web and the Information Superhighway) is ideal for core apps which are free or inexpensive with such as Google (although be sure to use GAFE), and Zoho
• Parents are realizing that a digital device is necessary for learning
• Schools want to be sure students possess 21st Century skills

But BYOD upsets apple carts right and left. We’ve been building school infrastructures for a long time that have supported a data-centric model in that IT directors allow or disallow devices on the school network according to a set model which is partly about good design and support, partly about supporting what already exists and partly about not taking on new projects or approaches that require more work, resources, and skill sets. And I’ve been a tech director in schools so know firsthand that opening a can of worms when it impacts the network, the laptop/desktop standardization, and the hardware replacement plan is not something many people will relish.

But then there are the students. They grow and develop and move to the next grade level and out the door to college and to life. They need to be empowered and learn in an environment that encourages them to think and write and research and publish and present and analyze and create new ideas and solutions to problems. They also need to own and understand the vehicles used for learning. So this might mean BYOD.

In order for BYOD to work well there must be a strong partnership between administration, Board members, teachers, technology, students, and parents. Everyone is going to be impacted by 1-to-1 no matter how it is implemented, whether BYOD or a standard hardware platform either provided or specified by the school or district. But with BYOD it’s likely you are going to see some pushback from technology people because of the complexity, change, work, planning and resources required. So here are some questions to consider:

• Have you visited a BYOD school or district?
• If not a team with representative stakeholders should do so armed with lots of questions
• Are you already using Google or Zoho or some cloud solution?
• Without cloud apps BYOD is going to be nearly impossible to implement in a meaningful way
• You need the entire school/district community to be able to communicate, publish, present and share centrally
• How will you define BYOD?
• Will there be a minimum device or specification?
• Will smartphones be one of the devices?
• How’s your network – is it ready for
• Wifi everywhere with multiple roaming wireless devices
• Centralized data security (Barracuda, Lightspeed, etc.)
• How will you address logistics?
• Will students be charged with keeping their devices charged, ready and safe/secure?
• Will you have “loaner” devices?
• Will devices be locked up somewhere/somehow during lunch, tests, sports?
• How’s your curriculum?
• Are teachers already used to assignments in Google and in using online social media tools so that student work is already free of hardware requirements – and happening in “the cloud”?
• How’s your digital citizenship education?
• Do students already know how to keep a respectful appropriate digital footprint?
• In my book I talk about L.A.R.K. – technology use by students should be L – Legal, A – Appropriate, R – Responsible, K – Kind
• How’s your communication channel with parents, students?
• If the device is purchased, maintained, repaired and managed by parents and students, it’s going to be important to communicate often and well
• How’s your budget?
• Unless you have planned fully for the changes of BYOD you might be blindsided by some upgrades or unexpected costs so make sure to ask these questions when you are visiting BYOD schools

There are terrific schools that have been BYOD for years, The Harker School in San Jose comes to mind for instance. Many people I respect have been writing about BYOD including William Stites who posted this blog post for Educational Collaborators early this year, Lisa Nielsen who wrote about debunking BYOD for T.H.E. Journal and a recent article in District Administrator starts with a quote from Lucy Gray who I respect very much -this entire article by the way is an important read. The Laptop Institute which is highly recommended will have threads this summer in Memphis on BYOD.

BYOD can be a solution if you do your planning and homework and try to figure out up front exactly what you’re getting into and plan carefully. You’ll want to be ready to rethink your network as not being about enabling a few models of specific controllable devices but instead as a pathway to the cloud where your school/district-wide learning community resides.

If you teach or work in the K-12 environment, you are reading and hearing daily about personalized learning. In a recent T.H.E. Journal article Karen Cator, the United States Department of Education’s director of technology cited personalized learning as one of the five top ed tech trends for 2012. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to personalize learning environments–to make learning more efficient and effective because it’s more personal and it’s more closely related to who you are as a learner,” said Cator in the article.

Personalized learning is certainly not a new concept, but with the introduction of technology tools there’s new ways to implement this style of learning for students at every level of their education.

Tutor.com has been delivering personalized learning for the last decade. More than 7.5 million times a student has connected to a tutor for a one-to-one learning session. We take our cues directly from the students who come with a specific question or problem.

Learning with a Tutor; Not a Computer

While most personalized learning solutions focus on adaptive technologies, we rely on real, live human beings to give students something they rarely get in or out of school – individualized, personal attention focused on their specific question.

An experienced tutor works in real-time with a student in the online classroom to understand their problem, assess their knowledge and then provide a learning experience that helps them reach the “I get it” moment.   Our goal is to ensure that a student who has completed a Tutor.com 1:1:1 session has mastered the concept at hand and is ready to tackle a similar problem on their own.

Engaged, Confident Students

Students who get this personalized attention report that they are more confident in their academic abilities, better able to complete school assignments and see an improvement in their grades. Even better, students report a higher level of engagement in school. With engagement comes motivation and a propensity to stick out challenging courses such as algebra, chemistry, calculus and physics.

A survey we conducted with 1,000 students from across the country found that 86% were more likely to take an AP class if they knew an online tutor would be there to support them throughout the course.

Over the coming months, Tutor.com will be working with school districts to not only deliver personalized learning solutions to their students, but also provide analytics and insights that give teachers and instructors a better understanding of where students are falling behind and what additional support could best help these students stay on track.

As a fierce debate continues around the pros and cons of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), we’re also hearing more about supplemental educational services or SES. This is the tutoring component of NCLB. Tutor.com is often mistaken as an SES provider by K-12 administrators and teachers. Tutor.com is NOT an SES provider. Many years ago, the company took a hard look at SES and seeing a flawed approach to supporting student learning, we focused our efforts elsewhere. Instead we created customized online tutoring programs for libraries, communities, the U.S Military and K-12 schools. Along the way, our tutors delivered 7.5 million one-to-one, online tutoring sessions.

Here’s what Tutor.com provides K-12 students and how it’s different from SES.

• High Quality Online Tutoring –  While SES actually bans states from requiring tutors to be highly qualified, Tutor.com has spent the last decade creating the highest quality tutoring experience for students. All of our tutors pass subject-specific exams, writing exams, mock sessions and a third-party security check. Tutors are assigned a mentor who regularly reviews their teaching. The results? More than 90% of students report they complete more homework assignments, have more confidence in school and improve their grades thanks to Tutor.com.
• Driven by the School’s Curriculum – While it is hard for districts to know what curriculum is being followed in SES programs, Tutor.com Online Tutoring is driven by students’ homework questions. Students bring their assignments and questions from the classroom to the tutoring session–tightly aligning tutoring with the classroom curriculum.
• Easy Implementations – We’ve read the horror stories too. Tutoring programs that “launch” in September, yet students don’t see a tutor until December. Tutor.com’s implementation team can get an after-school online tutoring program up in running in seven business days. Students get online from school or home and get help when they need it, on their own schedule.
• Robust Monthly Reporting – Teachers and school administrators get an in-depth look of the online tutoring program every month. Tutor.com tracks student usage patterns and the subjects they’re struggling with each month. We also provide student feedback about their experience including detailed student comments. Ever need to review a tutoring session? No problem, we can share that too since every interaction is saved and available for review.

We agree. You probably don’t want an SES provider. Try Tutor.com Online Tutoring instead. Thousands of schools, libraries and the U.S. Military are successfully increasing student achievement with this personalized, one-to-one help. Learn more by emailing educate@tutor.com.

The majority of the million online tutoring sessions Tutor.com provides each year are in math and more specifically in algebra. Over the last decade, students take algebra earlier and earlier. Today, we find most middle school students are enrolled in pre-algebra or algebra classes. So we were interested in reviewing a new study from Harvard University that found students moving from grade 5 into middle school show a “sharp drop” in math and language arts achievement. This persists through 10^th grade and may even hurt their ability to graduate high school and attend college.

While the study focuses on grade configuration and school transition, we see trends too with middle school students. For the first time in their academic lives, students hit the wall – the pre-algebra and algebra wall. That wall is hard and it leaves marks on the best of students.

Research shows that while approximately 16 percent of all U.S. 13-year-olds (the age at which many students are in eighth grade) were enrolled in algebra in 1986, this figure rose to 22 percent in 1999 and to 29 percent in 2004 (Perie, Moran, and Lutkus 2005). Over the past decade, we find more students are taking algebra even earlier, some beginning in sixth grade.

When kids hit that wall, many come to us and here’s what they say:

“No one can help me”: Many good students have informal academic support systems consisting of parents, older siblings or cousins and sometimes friends. That support system tends to fall apart with algebra. Parents don’t remember it and many say they were never that good at math to begin with. Students have less people to turn to and they start to see their grades drop.

“I don’t even know where to start”: We talk to students and read comments all the time that say they sit at home staring at the algebra homework and truly have no idea what they are doing or if they are headed in the right or wrong direction. They get frustrated and some simply give up.

“The teacher moves too fast”: As teachers tackle the problem of completing many concepts with a room of diverse learners, some students can’t keep up. Some students say they don’t understand the examples and techniques used in class. If they miss mastering a few concepts, soon they fall further and further behind.

“I don’t want to look dumb”: While third graders may bolster their raised hands and beg to be called upon, 7th graders tend to sit in the back and hope to go unnoticed. No one wants to ask a dumb or embarrassing question in front of their peers and friends.

What helps students get over these challenges? Immediate, differentiated and private support. When students use online tutoring for help they can tackle one question and one concept at a time and never feel embarrassed. By nature of the one-to-one relationship with a tutor, they can try different explanations and techniques until the content clicks for the student. And that’s all many students really need—the opportunity to have an “I get it” moment. And suddenly a door opens in the wall and they walk through.

“At first I had no idea where to start, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just confused with my algebra, but after I had help from Tutor.com, I knew exactly what I was doing. Thanks tutor.com, you saved my life.” – 8th Grade Algebra student

Want to learn more about how Tutor.com helps students struggling with algebra?  Read Melissa and Kennedy’s math stories.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute grabbed headlines a few weeks back when the organization released a new study that showed that the highest-achieving  or “high flyer” middle school students lose ground in high school.

About 30 percent of students who scored in the 90th percentile or higher on a math exam in sixth grade fell below that threshold by 10th grade.   Almost half of the high flyers in middle school reading fell below the 90th percentile by 10th grade.

While many factors may contribute to the descent of high flyers, the study’s authors cite NCLB and its focus on the poorest performing students as one potential problem.   Yet, there was also some good news. There were 4.3 percent more students who were high-achievers in high school math compared to the number who reached that mark in middle school.

The question for school administrators and teachers is how to bring up the poorest performing students while nurturing and challenging the high flyers.  To date, the answer has been to spend a majority of time and resources focused on the low achievers and hope the high flyers maintain their altitude.   Teachers may find themselves spending proportionately more time working with the struggling students, leaving little time to challenge the best students.

But, what if teachers could add one-to-one teaching and learning opportunities for every student, every day?

This is one of the services Tutor.com offers teachers and students to make classrooms better.  Adding a network of 2,500 professional online tutors into the school day allows teachers to create flexible, dynamic classrooms that serve all students’ needs.  Low performers may work one-to-one with a tutor until they master basic skills.  High achievers can work on more challenging concepts that push them to deeper subject mastery.  Every student gets individualized attention and there is a record of their questions and progress because each session is saved.

Even more telling is that the introduction of ongoing support from an expert tutor online in middle school may help create additional high flyers by high school.

Take a look at Melissa S.  who failed a math class only to re-take it with help from Tutor.com and receive the highest grade in the class.  Melissa is now in college and has completed college-level calculus, thanks to having ongoing support from professional tutors, ready to help with any challenge.  And Melissa’s grade in that college level calculus class?  A solid B-.   We’d put her in the high flyer category.

Not too long ago, the full extent of back to school must-haves were all available at your local office supplies shop. You could head to the store and pick up a bundle of pens or pencils and a few stacks of loose leaf paper and your student was good to go for the year.  However, as schools begin to utilize technology in the classroom and create blended and online learning programs, school shopping lists are beginning to change.

Below, we took a quick look at some items that may be new to your back-to-school shopping list this year and how they can help contribute to your child’s school day.

•  USB drives (aka flash drives, junk drives, jump drives, thumb drives…) Computers are becoming a classroom staple. Whether they are for individual use or shared between students, the amount of work done on the computer is quickly growing. This shift has students moving away from saving work on loose leaf and towards saving work on hard drives, which is why USB drives are key. Quite affordable and offered in a variety of storage sizes, USB drives allow students to easily transport a document from one computer to another.
• Earphones Remember a few lines above when we said how computers are becoming a classroom staple? Well, that same reasoning belongs in this section as well. Computer programs that aid in blended/digital/online learning approaches are often interactive and require sound. These programs allow students to move at their own pace and earphones help to keep lessons engaging and keep kids focused on their work as opposed to their neighbors.
• Printer paper & ink cartridges Long gone are the days of handing in hand-written cursive essays – most schools now require papers to be typed up in a specific font and size. In order to keep up with essay assignments, some schools recommend families stock up on printer paper and ink at home for students to utilize throughout the school year. 

What new items are showing up on your BTS shopping list this year?

And for some exciting and innovative back to school items, check out Mario Armstrong on the Today Show here! They have great tips for your tech-savvy kid!