The Tutor.com Blog

We recently spoke to Britney Bell from Spiro Public Library in Spiro, Oklahoma about her experiences with Tutor.com. Through our conversation, we learned that she had used Tutor.com for her own college courses as well. Here’s what she had to say:

My name is Britney Bell and I am the Assistant / Children’s Librarian at the Spiro Public Library in Spiro, Oklahoma. Spiro is a small rural town in southeast Oklahoma with many of its residents living below the poverty level. Many adults in our area never received a high school education and as a result struggle to give their children adequate help with homework or school projects.

We, at the Spiro Public Library, have done our best to help these children either by assisting them ourselves, or by making sure our library is stocked with the proper materials needed to help them better understand these subjects. Some children still have a problem understanding and need more assistance. Tutor.com has been a great asset to our library and our community. Our library works with the school to make sure that the students and parents know that we offer homework assistance through the Tutor.com website. We have had many students and parents tell us what a difference the service has made in the student’s grades. There is even a high school student that was so amazed by the service that he has done a demonstration for his classmates.

Last year I decided to take a few web classes from a local college. Math has always been my weak subject and I was quickly reminded how much I had forgotten over the years. I was beginning to struggle a little because of the simple things that I had forgotten. One day it occurred to me that I had told countless individuals about the Tutor.com service and they could probably assist me as well. I was connected with a tutor and we discussed the areas I was having problems in. The tutor quickly refreshed my memory and I was able to get back on track with my math class. I now tell the kids and parents about my personal experience with Tutor.com. I believe this makes some of the kids feel better about themselves knowing that even adults need a little help sometimes.

Thanks for sharing Britney and we’re always happy to help!

After years of uniformed service, transitioning to a civilian career can be daunting.  Employers appreciate the integrity and experience that veterans bring to the table, but everything works differently in the civilian world, from writing your resume to landing a job interview.

There’s even a new vocabulary to master—”positions” instead of MOCs, “salary” instead of base pay, and “vacation” instead of leave.

Fortunately, you’re not alone.  Tutor.com’s Career Specialists are available 24/7 to help you through your transition.  They can proofread your resume, brainstorm ideas for a cover letter, or find local job opportunities near you, all in our easy-to-use online classroom.

With Tutor.com for Military Families, eligible service members can work with a Career Specialist anytime.  (We also have free online tutoring for military dependents.)  For instructions to create your Tutor.com military account, just visit www.tutor.com/military and choose your service branch.

Even if your transition is years away, it pays to start your job search now.  Not only will you have access to tools like Tutor.com for Military Families while you’re still active-duty, you may also find your new career before your current term of duty ends—allowing you to pay for relocation to your new job with your military move.  That can save your family money and give you a leg up on civilian applicants, who may require moving expenses from prospective employers.

No matter where your transition takes you, Tutor.com for Military Families can help you get there.  Sign up for a free military account today, or contact us at help@tutor.com if you have more questions.

Finding a new job can be tricky, whether you’re looking for a part-time gig between semesters or the next step in your career.  And in a tough economy, it can be twice as hard.  Fortunately, Tutor.com’s SkillsCenter has hundreds of resources to help you with every step in your job search, including:

• exploring new career paths
• putting together your resume
• writing a cover letter
• finding job listings near you
• preparing for interviews

The SkillsCenter is built into our Learning Suite, so you can access this information anytime if your school or local public library has Tutor.com.  It’s easy—just log into the Adult Education and Career Center and click any of the categories under “Adult Services.”  You can also search the SkillsCenter for career resources in your city.  We have open job listings for the 40 largest metro areas in the U.S. and Canada, which makes it easy to narrow your search:

Once you’ve found a career opportunity near you, you can also download sample resumes, resume templates, and writing guidelines to draft a cover letter, or interview tips to help you help you ace your first meeting with your future boss.

If you need more coaching (or some pointers and advice), our Career Help Specialists are available and ready to help.  They can review your resume or proofread a cover letter to make sure it’s just right before you send it in, or help you find open jobs in your neighborhood.

With a little assistance from Tutor.com, your new career could be a few clicks away.

Chances are that you are reading this blog entry on a computer that uses a high speed “broadband” connection to the Internet.   Broadband connections make it so easy for us to stay connected with friends and family, read the latest news, follow our favorite sports teams, track our finances, build our skills, take classes, organize communities, and do much of our work right here online that it is pretty easy to take it for granted.   Many of us assume that most everyone in our country now has access to high speed Internet service the way that most of us have access to roads, water, and electricity.

Unfortunately, millions of Americans either have no broadband service where they live, or they cannot afford the access.   As a result, they (and their children) are at grave risk at being left behind in an increasingly digital world.  This problem is known as the digital divide.

What we collectively can and should do about the digital divide was the subject of an important event I attended this week, called the 2009 Minority Broadband Summit.

The best news about this event is that I was the least important person in the room.   When I arrived for the opening breakfast I sat down next to a very nice woman.  After a few minutes I realized that I was dining and chatting with the first female physician elected to the U.S. Congress – Assistant Majority Whip Donna Christensen.   I quickly sat up straight and reached for the proper fork.

Also at my table were John Marks (the mayor of Nashville), Dr. Lee Brown (the first black mayor of Houston), and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis.   Other notable attendees included the Chairman of the Alliance for Digital Equality, Julius Hollis, Intel’s head of Public Strategic Initiatives, Rick Herrmann, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, Jim Shelton.    There were many more luminaries and big brains that I don’t have space to list.  (The full list is here for those who may be curious.)   The event was moderated wonderfully by CNN Contributor Roland Martin, who clearly cares deeply about kids reaching their potential.

For the next four hours we collectively discussed what we can and should do about the digital divide.  What should the government do to facilitate broadband connections for those who want them but can’t get them (due to lack of availability) or can’t afford them?   What should schools and libraries do to help?   How can private companies play a role?   Should we focus on wiring up every home across the country or are broadband wireless services such as Wi-Max ready for prime time?

Another interesting question we explored was what to do about the segment of the population that barely knows what the Internet is and doesn’t realize how it can help them?   Professor Soto from Northwestern University told a story about how she was talking with a taco vendor in Chicago about the Internet and the vendor said why should she bother with the Internet since it wasn’t needed to make tacos?   How can we collectively demonstrate to her what the Internet can do for her and her family?

Rick Hermann from Intel asked us to imagine a world in which every kid has the ability to connect instantly to a math tutor for help with homework, through the Internet.   Rick mentioned that Intel is doing this right now for its entire employee base – as a free employee benefit — and suggested that the federal government give all private companies a tax incentive to follow Intel’s lead.   Similarly, Jim Shelton from the U.S. Department of Education talked about the power of using the Internet to connect students to experts around the country.   Why should a student in rural Georgia be limited to the one physics teacher within 50 miles of her school when the Internet can allow her to connect to the very best and brightest physics teachers across the country?

We also heard from NPR analyst and former Baltimore Chief Technology Officer Mario Armstrong about how kids are using video games to learn science and math and how crucially important it is for our country’s future that we retake our previous lead in science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) education.   (You don’t want to know where the U.S. is currently ranked in the top twenty countries worldwide.)

All in all, it was an excellent event, and I am looking forward to working with several of the folks who attended.   Tutor.com is already powering the wonderful Intel program and is excited to be working with the Alliance for Digital Equality to help the kids of Clayton County, Georgia.

Tutor.com, the world’s largest online tutoring and homework help service, works with numerous school districts and non-profit organizations to bring online homework help and tutoring to underserved communities across the country.  For further information, feel free to contact Bart Epstein, Senior Vice President of Tutor.com, at bepstein@tutor.com.

Last week Tutor.com hosted our first Resume Writing Webinar. Over 150 libraries and an estimated 1,000 library customers participated from around the country. Special thanks to our resume guru, Barbara Safani who runs Career Solvers. Barbara spent an hour sharing key tips to help all different types of job seekers. Read our press announcement for more information.

Perhaps the best part of the webinar for our staff was reading all of the wonderful comments that came in from the participating librarians. Here’s a few we wanted to share:

“Thanks, so much! I think you should all be giving each other high-fives for this debut webinar event—great job. And by the way, thank you, for all the pre-publicity materials: THAT really helped. We made posters, fliers, and little ½ sheets as well.” – California Librarian
“Today’s resume webinar proved beneficial for our participants. Positive feedback from Berlin patrons was related to the variety of age-related resume samples.” – Maryland Librarian

“The presenter was excellent. I want to re-do my resume. Her tips were concrete and thought-provoking. Everyone of our attendees took notes. We are going to order her book. The attendees seemed very excited about our library having Tutor.com.” – New Jersey Librarian

“This was an awesome program. The economy in our town is extremely depressed and this filled a huge need. I would love to be able to to host additional helpful programs for our patrons. Thanks a million.” – Kansas Librarian

photo credit: powerbooktrance

Did you know that some online library programs, such as Live Homework Help®, can be accessed wirelessly even at places like your local internet coffee shop? Students can relax, have a cup of chai and get some homework help! Or, maybe your library is wireless. These tips can help your patrons take advantage of free access.

Macs – Most Macs will sense the hot spot and ask you if you’d like to connect.

1. Otherwise, start the program “Airport Utility” in the Utilities folder (in the Applications folder)
2. Use the Network drop-down menu to choose the network you want to connect to.

or

click on the Airpot icon at the top right of the screen and choose the network from the drop down menu.

Windows – Most versions of Windows handle wireless connections without special software.

1. In the lower right-hand corner of your screen, click the Wireless Connection icon and a wireless network management screen will open.
2. Click on the network with the strongest signal and then click Connect
3. If you are asked for a password, but you believe you have free access, ask someone who works there for the password.

Other Tips -  Be extra sensitive to the content you share in a public hot spot –  this is not a secure network.

Turn your computer’s volume down, or mute it, prior to logging on to avoid disturbing other patrons.

If you are a student connecting to an online tutor, let them know you are connecting wirelessly so they understand why you disappeared, if the connection drops suddenly.

Wi-Fi Planet is a good resource for more in-depth wireless information or use the hotspot locator to find a hotspot in your region

Earlier this year, Alabama public libraries participated in our “Wii Love Alabama” raffle.  Staff members told us which features in our Learning Suite would benefit their patrons the most, and we picked one submission at random to decide who would win a brand-new Nintendo Wii.  We got entries from across the state, but the Jacksonville Public Library went home with the console.  Congratulations, guys!

JPL staffers were particularly impressed by our Career Center, where library patrons can get job search tips, download resume and cover letter templates, and even proofread their resumes with a live English tutor.  Here are a few of their responses:

• “Many patrons in our area are desperately trying to locate a job and are in our library day after day looking for ways to support their families in these economically stressed times.”
• “I think the aspect of the new Tutor.com Learning Suite that has the most value for my patrons is Proof Point, because everyone can use another ‘brain’ to test the logic of what they have written, not to mention catch sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.”
• “This is a fantastic tool to have because they are talking to a ‘real-live’ person that can help them the same day and have their resumes done sooner.”
• “I was an English major and I still feel like writing a cover letter is one of the most daunting tasks in communicating with potential employers, so I know that help in that area can really benefit those who are even less confident in their writing skills.”

We’re happy to help, and even happier that JPL is already getting some use out of its new Wii.  Library staffers hosted a teen gaming night at a local church last month, and one staffer told us “It was heartwarming to see kids who did not know each other become friends during the competition.”

A few weeks later, JPL had a Wii Bowling night for patrons 50 and over—and judging from the photos they sent us, the seniors had a great time.  Another bowling event is scheduled for tonight, so be sure to stop by if you’re in the area.  Happy bowling!

Whether someone is unemployed, about to be laid off or just looking for greener pastures, every job seeker has the same difficult task ahead of them: updating the resume and cover letter.

There are a lot of ways to go about this, and whichever one your patrons choose, they are going to need help and another set of qualified eyes.

This is where our ProofPoint ™ Real Time Writing Center comes in. Here’s how it works:

A job seeker uploads a resume or cover letter draft using our new file-sharing tool in the Tutor.com Learning Suite.  Then, he or she is connected to a career specialist to review the resume on screen—in real time! The job-seeker can get help with objectives and phrasing, what to highlight and what information could help them land the job.

We know that other companies offer a service that allows the user to send a resume off, and have it reviewed and eventually sent back with suggested edits– but we can’t imagine anything more frustrating. What if the feedback is unclear? Or, listing technical qualifications is still hazy? With a job market this competitive, time waiting is time wasted.

What’s so great about all the tools that ProofPoint offers is that it happens in real time, while the job seeker is in session with a career specialist. Working together, the user can see any changes being made to the document—like grammar, style, format and word choice—and really feel confident he or she has a  professionally-written cover letter and resume that they can feel proud of using.

We are really excited about the positive feedback about this product, and are thrilled that your community can really take advantage of the convenience without even leaving the house!

Every time we launch a new product or make a change, we get a little excited. But today is a big one! For almost a decade, we’ve been offering one-to-one online tutoring and homework help, but today, we’re announcing the launch of something that will reach even more people in your community to get them the help they need, on demand.

How do you launch a series of products that will help K-12 and college students, adults searching for new jobs, or returning to school, studying for citizenship tests or getting their GEDs? You listen.

We received feedback from millions of students in their post-session comments, and had countless conversations with our clients, librarians, governors, job seekers and our Advisory Council. Then we took all of that information and went to the drawing board. We already have thousands of qualified tutors and lots of happy students. How do we take all of what we learned, and do even more?

After a lot of hard work, revisions, changes and some exhausted developers–we’re proud to unveil our new Tutor.com Learning Suite.  Of course, our award-winning Live Homework Help® is included, for one-to-one, on demand online help, but now students can use our ProofPoint™ Real Time Writing Center, and the SkillsCenter™ Resource Library for thousands of vetted resources that are available 24/7.

We hope you check out more about the Suite, or visit us at ALA (Booth #1848) for a demo–but we wanted to make sure we took the time to say “Thank you.” Without your feedback, and being so open and in-touch with what your community needs, we couldn’t have created the services that we’re so proud to offer.

Last Friday I had the privilege of participating on a panel on the topic of Selling Yourself: Marketing Online Resources at the Connecticut Library Association’s annual meeting in New Haven. I presented along with two dynamic women in Connecticut’s library world, Mary Hogan, director of the Cora J. Belden Library and Maria Miranda of Miranda Creative.

Upon being invited to this panel I started thinking about the keys to a successful Tutor.com Live Homework Help program. When libraries sign up for our service, we provide them with the Tutor.com Getting Started Guide, a checklist for a successful program. Although geared toward launching Tutor.com in the library, these Six Steps can be applied to any online resource.

Step One: Assign a Program Manager
Having a staff member who is passionate about the service manage the resource ensures that someone has ownership and that information is being shared amongst staff. At Tutor.com we call these champions our Raving Fans!

• Acts a liaison to staff and library branches
• Monitors the success of the service
• Champions the service
• Point of contact for the vendor
• Coordinates staff trainings

Step Two: Engage ALL Library Staff
Staff cannot promote or recommend a resource they are not familiar with or don’t understand. Empower staff so everyone in the library can refer patrons to your online resources.

• Make training a priority for everyone that interacts with the public
• Let all staff know about the service in an email or staff newsletter

Step Three: Easy Access for Your Patrons
This is the step that can make or break the success of your online resources. If patrons cannot find it they won’t use it! A New Jersey library director recently told me that her goal is to have patrons thinking about using the library from home. To her, redesigning her small library’s website was a top priority to increase traffic and usage of the library’s online resources.

• Advertise prominently on your library website
• Online resources should be featured prominently on the library homepage
• Spread the links around on your research and reference pages, teen and children’s pages, everywhere patrons might go to look for these resources
• Add links and icons to your library computer desktops

Step Four: Announce and Celebrate
In addition to your well orchestrated press campaign, celebrate with a fun launch event. Invite local dignitaries, the mayor and town council members, school administrators, teachers, and of course invite the local press to cover the event!

• Send a Press Release to local newspapers and magazines
• Put an ad in the paper
• Include an article in the library newsletter
• Contact local TV and radio stations
• Have a party!

Step Five: Effective Outreach
Roll up your sleeves and step out into the community to spread the word about your online resources. Talk to local businesses, attend local community meetings, meet with teachers and school administrators, go to local events with information about your valuable resources! Most importantly, get savvy about cyber outreach and reach your patrons where they are…online.

• Community Outreach to local businesses and civic organizations
• School Outreach to teachers, principals, media specialists, PTAs/PTOs
• Cyber Outreach using social media such as Twitter and Facebook

Step Six: Sustain Your Success
Once you have launched and promoted your online resources, you need to be thinking about your next steps. Tie information about your online resources into promotions you do throughout the year – Summer Reading, Anime Club, Story Time, Quilting Club, Book Club, National Poetry Month, Math Awareness Month. No matter what the program or event, you should always mention your online resources.

• Promote throughout the year
• Share success with library staff
• Continue efforts to garner publicity
• Use reports and statistics, as well as patron feedback, to gain support from local officials and potential financial supporters

Go the Extra Step: Be Creative and Innovative
Get your creative juices flowing, and find different ways to reach your patrons with everything from displays in the library. banners over the local highway, fun promotional items, and more.

• Create a project to decorate the computer areas, library entrance, and bulletin boards with fun facts and information about your online resources
• Design an online survey asking patrons for feedback about the library website and online resources
• Dedicate one or more library computers for use with your online resources

All of these steps will help to generate buzz and getpeople in your community talking about the great resources they have available through your library website. Word of mouth is the rain and nutrients that will grow usage of your online resources.

by Here’s Kate

You know the stats. Library usage is up. Way up. According to a recent New York Times article libraries across the nation are seeing 10-30% more patrons over last year. The reason of course is the dismal economy. Libraries are answering this call with innovative and timely programs even as their own budgets are cut. Here’s a few that we think deserve special attention.

After surveying public library directors, the Washington State Library created a new website -Hard Times in Washington Libraries. This online destination includes Resources for Library Users and Resources for Library Staff. For users there are links for resume and job skills and help finding jobs as well as information for making ends meet, filing for unemployment and much more. For library staff, the resources focus on how to find funding during this difficult time.

The New Jersey State Library offers residents employment and career resources online, in print and from their catalog. Resources include everything from how to write a resume and conduct a job search to finding civil service positions and exploring new occupations.

Individual libraries are also creating new resources and tools for job seekers such as Benicia Public Library in California which prominently features it’s job resources right on the library’s home page. In the “Looking for a Job?” section the library has listed a variety of national and local online resources and they also have a in-library help including a new job binder at the customer service desk and one-to-one resume help.

Tutor.com is doing our part to help libraries and patrons too. As noted in a former post, Tutor.com is launching a new Learning Suite including an Adult Center which was covered recently in Library Journal and InfoToday. Our services will help adults write a resume or cover letter with real-time writing guidance, provide vetted job search resources in our new 24/7 SkillsCenter™ Resource Library and also support adults going back to school or preparing for the GED.

How is your library answering the needs of your community?

With little fanfare, DC Public Library has created an iPhone App that allows patrons to search their catalog and reserve a book. More than 3500 patrons have already downloaded it. DC may well be the first library system in the country to do an iPhone App. Plans are already underway to create a Facebook App: Hey iPhoners: Download the D.C. Public Library App!

The app was dreamed up by Chris Tonjes, chief information officer and IT Director at DCPL. Check out dclibrarylabs.org to see some innovative things he’s doing with his team, including their content creation stations, bridging the participation gap in Web 2.0.