Remote Learning & Tutoring
March 2020 Topic: Distance Learning
UPDATE: 4/3/2020 — I am looking into using bitpaper.io as a stand alone piece of technology instead of Zoom mirroring. bitpaper allows for video conferencing and a very nice whiteboard, all in one! bitpaper is switching to a paid format, but it seems as though this will absolutely be worth it.
My plan for the March blog post was to write about the SAT Subject Tests and to suggest to students and families to use this time of year to start planning out a strategy for taking these tests. With the escalating pandemic and SAT tests being postponed, it seems like this might be a better time to write about learning online. Specifically, I want to describe the process that I use when working with individual students in an online environment for math tutoring.
In our current state, students and teachers are being asked to learn and teach in ways that they have never done before, in a very short period of time. This inevitably leads to an increase in anxiety and to lots of questions and, seemingly, few answers. I highly recommend that if you are a student and if you are feeling anxious, please reach out to your teacher directly. I know that one thing that has consistently made me feel good during this time has been to help my own classroom students -- your teacher wants to help you!
The goal of one-on-one tutoring, as it has always been, is to help you (the student) build your confidence in math and to help you improve your understanding of the concept at hand and your grades. Although I would prefer to be in the room with my clients, we can accomplish quite a bit using technology to reach this goal.
Technology: I have used a combination of the following tools to help make this happen.
Zoom -- probably the fastest growing company right now, it seems! Zoom provides a simple way of seeing and hearing each other. I can also use Zoom to mirror the screen of my device (iPhone, iPad, Desktop). The student needs to have the Zoom app installed prior to a session beginning. I have been running a “technology check in” with my clients independent of our actual tutoring session, just to make sure everyone is comfortable with the tools.
Bitpaper.io -- this service is an online whiteboard. Both the tutor and the student can write on the same “paper” and see the results in real time. This works great on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. I have not tried this with a stylus pen, yet, but that could be useful tool. Another option is to use a USB or Bluetooth connected writing tablet such as the XP-Pen or Wacom line of devices. This system works best when both the tutor and the student have access to “writing” technology and the Bitpaper.io website. So far, I have only used the free version of Bitpaper.io, but with the social distancing on the rise, Bitpaper is switching to paid only versions. I may switch to their paid service because their product is versatile and of high quality.
I want to make sure that I continue to provide my clients with a high quality experience, a means to connect in a stress free way, and a way to learn efficiently.
Please feel free to reach out via email/phone with any questions. We are happy to provide answers to anyone out there seeking solutions to your academic needs.