1/05/2007

Rounding Up The Weeklies

It's Friday, and that means that The Gadfly, the NewsBlast, and the Equity Express are all just out and full of week-end reading. The Express reminds us to read these stories about teacher quality (When a Teacher of the Year takes on a failing school Christian Science Monitor, and Group targets ineffective teachers San Antonio Express-News). The Gadfly asks Is No Child Left Behind's birthday worth celebrating?. The NewsBlast points to (and summarizes) articles on topics like enlisting students in reform, Waldorf, and more.

1 Comments:

Blogger Alex Gutman said...

A little known company based out of Bangalore, India is changing that one student at a time. By utilizing the latest in elearning technology, TutorVista (.com) is making waves across oceans with their personalized and affordable technology-driven tutoring service.

In yet another shifting paradigm, I feel that teachers must keep abreast of the latest technologies that will assist their students throughout their schooling years.

They have a great business model that satisfies the needs of their tutors and students. It's a win-win situation. Here is a recent Time article about TutorVista:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1226166,00.html

and some excerpts from the FAQs on their website which you'll find highly informative:

How hard is it to use?
TutorVista is as easy to use as Skype, Yahoo Messenger with Voice or Google Talk. The student logs in, initiates a tutoring session and talks naturally with the tutor using a headphone with an attached microphone. Both student and tutor communicate using a whiteboard that is easy and intuitive to use - they can write or draw on it, with both seeing what is being written or drawn.

How good are the tutors?
TutorVista only hires experienced tutors - all have graduate degrees and teaching credentials. The tutors undergo weeks of intensive training and pass stringent certification exams. Our tutors adhere to national and state academic standards and curricula. Our competitive exam tutors for SAT, GRE, GMAT and other exams are all top scorers in that exam.

Is the instruction personalized for every student?
Absolutely! TutorVista's tutoring process begins with the student taking an assessment test that calibrates the student's proficiency in various topics. We then develop a comprehensive learning plan for the student focusing on the topics that need more attention, to help the student achieve his or her academic goals. One student per tutor ensures that every student receives 100% attention of the tutor. The student typically uses the same tutor every time thus ensuring continuity.

4:31 PM  

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