MathFax.com

atlanta online tutoring :

Online tutoring refers to the process of tutoring within an online virtual environment or networked environment where teachers and learners are separated by time and space.

Background and definitions

Online environments applied in education usually involve the use of learning management systems or Virtual Learning Environments such as Moodle, Sakai, WebCT, Blackboard. Online tutors often determine the culture and tone of the online learning environment.

Tutoring is also referred to as e-moderation and facilitation to achieve goals of independent learning, learner autonomy, self-reflection, knowledge construction, collaborative or group-based learning, online discussion, transformative learning and communities of practice (Salmon, 2004;Benson, 2001; Mezirow, 2000; Schon, 1987; Wenger, 1998). These goals of moderation are based on principles of constructivist or social-constructivist principles of learning. E-moderation is a term synonymous with tutoring online. Peer tutoring involves peers within a course/subject tutoring each other for the mutual benefit of learning an area of study.

From the very beginning of online tutoring, researchers recognised that there is a pedagogical (educational) role, a social support/group development role, a managerial role and, usually to a lesser extent a technical support role to be fulfilled by someone.

Within Higher Education, tutoring is considered to be adult-to-adult guidance within a specific course/subject for the clear purpose of advancing learning competence in an area of study. Generally a tutor is an academic, lecturer or professor who has responsibility for teaching in a degree/diploma programme in a university or vocational teaching and learning setting. In distance learning, tutors may be recruited specifically for the role of teaching and supporting students through online tutoring. In this instance the tutor requires excellent online communication skills to guide students who may study totally online without face-to-face contact with the tutor.

Current state of the art

Online tutoring assumes a self-motivated and independent learner. Learning is a key focus of the process as opposed to teaching. E-moderating usually refers to group online or web based learning that

• Is based on constructivist and social-constructivist principles
• Focuses on utilizing online dialogue and peer learning to enrich learning within the online environment
• Focuses is on achieving goals of independent learning, learner autonomy, self-reflection, knowledge construction, collaborative or group based learning, online discussion, transformative learning and communities of learning as opposed to delivering online content via a transmission mode.

The practice of online tutoring

Differences between online and face-to-face tutoring

Tutoring online has both similarities to and differences from tutoring in a face-to-face setting. Similarities lie in the areas of group dynamics, need for roles within the group and design to encourage in-group interaction. Differences include the need for more facilitation to help structure discussions, with groups roles emerging more slowly online.

Tactical and strategic online tutoring

There is a spectrum of intervention in online discussions from occasional guidance to full scale design and support of learning groups and tasks.

Tactical tutors may respond to online interaction at critical moments where skill is needed in recovery if things go wrong and display sensitivity to group interactions and progress (or lack thereof).

Strategic tutors do more prior planning including, determining tutee group size (See Jacques and Salmon 2007 pages 159-67), where the smaller the group size the greater likelihood of trust, but with small group sizes leading to less variety and mix. Six is the smallest size that leads to good online work, and fifteen is the maximum for full participation. Strategic tutors may determine group membership, bearing in mind that a heterogeneous mix provides for interaction and task achievement.

Academic online tutors are available to answer real time specific student questions on such sites like Student of Fortune. This type of tutoring service is meant to provide help on specific subject matter, essays, research and technical questions where tutors can offer tutorials to answer the student's questions.

Design for group learning

The prior design of activities (e-tivities) is strategic and promotes peer group learning and results in less online tutoring time. Online tutors need to optimise student engagement through authentic and relevant learning activities. E-tivities are structured participative group work online. They are based on one key topic, activity or question to make online e-moderating easy and effective and learning motivating, engaging and purposeful

Key features for use of e-tivities asynchronous bulletin boards are an illustrative title, a stimulus or challenge, invitations to tutees to post messages, a plan of timings, postings to which others can add, and summaries, critiques or feedback from the e-moderator.

Similar approaches can be taken using podcasts (Salmon and Edirisingha 2008).

Scaffolding

Online tutors need to be aware of the stages learners usually move through in the online environment; these stages determine the kinds of scaffolding (help) that is appropriate for learners at each stage. Salmon (2004) suggests five stages for learning and therefore appropriate scaffolding:

1. Access and motivation,
2. Online socialization,
3. Information exchange,
4. Knowledge construction,
5. Development.

Comparison Table: In Home vs. Online Tutoring

Critical success factors in online tutoring

Training and development

Staff who are inexperienced online will inevitably try and transfer what works for them, or what they believe is the only way for their discipline.

Further, the values embedded in many commonly used VLEs leave a residue that is transmissive rather than constructive and adds to the banality, confusion, disappointment, in online learning and teaching experiences. Thus online tutors must be trained and developed in their role as they otherwise waste a great deal of time and their students’ satisfaction is low.

The key competencies needed by tutors are:

• Supporting group learning within the technology without the need for face to face meetings or pictures
• Understanding scaffolding
• Understanding online behaviors
• Weaving
• Summarizing
• Giving feedback
• Classifying participants knowledge
• Adding knowledge and correcting misconceptions in a timely manner where necessary
• Closing off discussions and moving on

In the above summarizing means:

• Acknowledging the variety of ideas and contributions
• Refocusing discussion, especially where postings are numerous or straying
• Signaling closure
• Providing fresh starting points
• Reinforcing important contributions or ideas
• Providing an archive

And weaving means:

• Emphasizing a point to show wider application
• Collecting snippets up from different message and/or present in new way
• Highlighting a contribution that links with others that the group hasn’t noticed
• Agreeing or disagreeing
• Correcting misunderstandings or insufficiency

Key features for staff development are:

• Train online for online working
• Model the posting behaviors expected of participants/students
• Focus on online tutoring/e-moderating role and communication (not technology)
• Use scaffolding to demonstrate moving from directed instruction to networked learning
• Focus on peer dialogue around transferable models
• Provide practice especially in weaving, summarizing and feedback

Dealing with characteristics of online environments

Online, some cues that are important to learners are missing. For example in the most common medium, text based asynchronous conferencing, facial expressions, body movements and eye contact are missing. Both tutors and tutees may need time to get use to this. Compensation via face-to-face meetings is not essential. Instead tutors may exploit features of the environment that do add value, e.g. time to reflect, opportunity to prepare a message in advance, choice of log-on time (See Garrison and Anderson 2003).

Self-led teams

As students become more experienced at working together online, some of the online facilitation roles can be handed over to the students. However the students will need advice and training in order to become successful collaborators.

Advice and training for self-led teams should include:

• Establishing ground rules
• Developing a shared sense of vision and purpose
• Allocating roles, task and responsibilities
• Communicating openly and frequently
• Offering support
• Meeting deadlines
• Reviewing their performance and reflecting on contributions

(See Jacques and Salmon 2007; Salmon and Lawless 2006)

Current developments

Online tutoring environments are moving beyond those offered by synchronous and asynchronous discussion technology, as often offered by VLEs. New opportunites for online tutoring are offered by Web 2.0 systems and multi-user virtual environments.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 encompasses the use of the web in increasingly more interactive ways, with social networking and user-generated content being two critical benefits (O’Reilly 2005). Social networks can be used to connect tutors and students, as well as allow students to help each other on a peer-to-peer basis. User-generated content can be created by and used by both on-line tutors and students.

Online tutors may use many applications of Web 2.0 to enhance their online tutoring in more flexible and up to date ways. E.g. podcasts provide the advantage of the human voice, ease of use and mobility (Salmon and Edisiringha 2008), and blogs may provide access to newly developed topics that can spur debate.

Multi-user virtual environments

Research is just beginning on the use of multi-user virtual environments (e.g. Second Life) and the role of avatars as Second Life tutors and tutees (Salmon 2006).

&nbsp www.tcyonline.com The concepts of Algebra quadratic equations are explained in very easy way by the expert online tutor of tcyonline.com which is an authority in providing online tutoring, math homework help, SAT, GRE, GMAT test preparations. Please visit http for more exciting videos, free math worksheets, online tests, math games, puzzels and free trial sessions with our expert online tutors.

&nbsp Tutorial: Online tutoring with Skype and TalkAndWrite (TAW)

atlas maps online : Web mapping is the process of designing, implementing, generating and delivering maps on the World Wide Web and its product. While web mapping primarily deals with technological issues, web cartography additionally studies theoretic aspects: the use of web maps, the evaluation and optimization

&nbsp A video around a map i found. I didnt really capture the map, so go to www.endlessreport.xm.com *Wikedfrosts* and click DHex's map (DHex made it, i claim No ownership) :DI made it in like 45 minutes and the quality isnt very good, but enjoy :D

Question : Where can see online Atlas maps of the political world from past few hundred years?

e.g. a map of world in 1800 1900,etc So I can see which countries were ruled and their boundaries,etc Thanks

Answer : Perry-Casta eda Library Map Collection Historical Maps http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/index.html

Question : Where can see online Atlas maps of the political world from past few hundred years?

e.g. a map of world in 1800 1900,etc So I can see which countries were ruled and their boundaries,etc Thanks

Answer : Perry-Casta eda Library Map Collection Historical Maps http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/index.html

&nbsp WATCH THE HOW-TO: www.youtube.com www.xsparkage.com http use coupon code 'xsparkage' for 20% off and free shipping on orders over $20!! :) more on konad: www.xsparkage.com tweet tweet tweet! www.twitter.com

&nbsp - 24 MORE Questions & Answers not discussed here: bit.ly VERY DETAILED Fan-created Wiki on the show: bit.ly Join host Jonathan Paula as he takes you behind the scenes of "Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This?" to ONCE AGAIN answer some of your most frequently asked questions, on location from beautiful Hollywood, California! Updated for 2009! ++++++++++++++++++++++++ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS! *As of June 15, 2010* Q: What have you already microwaved? A: bit.ly Q: Who are you guys? A: I am Jonathan Paula - I produce, edit, direct, co-host, film, and control this YouTube account; Jory Caron is the host & writer, Riley McIlwain is the sidekick, and still-photographer. Q: Age, location, education? A: I'm 24, I live in Quincy MA. I graduated Emerson College in 2008 with a degree in Television Production & Radio Broadcasting. Jory is 22, he lives in Roxbury, he dropped out of Emerson in 2008. Riley is 18 and lives in Lynn, MA - he's a HS graduate, and is attending Salem State College this fall. Q: Where did you all meet? A: Jory and I met at Emerson College in 2006. Riley and I met when he was just a few months old, as our parents are close friends with each other. Q: What's the history behind the show? A: Jory found a bunch of microwaves... and wanted to "test" one of them. I decided to film the results. Q: Where do you get the microwaves, how do you afford them? A: I buy them used on Craigslist.com for around $30 each - the show's budget pays for them. Q: Where do you film ...

Question : 20 questions about atmosphere?

Could someone please give me 20 questions about atmosphere with answers? Uh . . . minimum is 5 and maximum is 20 questions. I need answers for those questions!

Answer : Why does the temperature sinks with altitude? Because of the adiabatic cooling of a lesser pressure aloft. What do we call the top of the troposphere where all weather happens? The tropopause. What is called an inversion? When the air is warmer aloft than on the surface. What is called a convection? When the air rises, either because warmer or because of the terrain. What is the average atmospheric pressure at sea level? 1013 hPa or 29.9 Mg In. What affects the direction of the wind around a low or a high pressure? The Coriolis force. What is a polar front? The separation between polar cold air and temperature mild air. What is unstable air masses? Air masses with a great difference of temperature between the surface and the tropopause. What are the Westerlies? Prevailing west wind on the south side of the the polar front in the northern hemisphere. (north of the front, in the southern hemisphere!) Why are there more storms at mid-latitudes, during fall and winter than spring and summer? Because during fall and winter, the difference between tropical and polar air is much greater. In which direction does the Coriolis force divert any slow moving fluid? To the right, in the northern hemisphere and to the left, in the southern. What is hail? Hail is rain that is taken upward by a very strong convection and it freezes before it falls back to the surface of the earth. Can a thunderstorm happen with snow? A thunderstorm can happen in any condition; snow and even fog. But it happens mostly during the summer when the sun is high and warms the surface. What is the average adiabatic lapse rate on earth? It is 6.5 C per km, or 3 F per 1,000 ft. What is an occlusion front? A cold front, being steeper, moves faster than a warm one and when they merge, they form what is called an occlusion front. What are the jet streams? Those are strong winds on the top of the troposphere that are caused by the sharp altitude change in the tropopause and the Coriolis force. What are the main types of clouds? Cumuliform: Clouds formed by rising air in a convection. Stratiform: Clouds formed in layers from an inversion. Cirriform: Clouds made of ice crystals at high altitude. What is a cumulonimbus? A large cumulus cloud formed from a strong convection of humid air. It causes rain and, sometimes, thunderstorms. What is the dew point temperature? The temperature at which a parcel of air can't contain more moisture without condensing. At that temperature, the relative humidity is 100 percent. What is the difference between absolute and relative humidity? The absolute humidity is the actual volume of water per volume of air. The relative humidity is how close to dew point a parcel of air is, for a given temperature. Does the absolute humidity changes with temperature? No, only the relative humidity does. How deep is the troposphere? From about 10 km at the poles, to about 17 km at the equator. What is the difference between a hurricane, a cyclone and a typhoon? Those name are given to strong tropical cyclones at different places on earth but they are, in principle, the same. --------------------------- Those are "easy" and fundamental questions about meteorology.

Question : How does life get so boring that ou have to ask questions on Y!A instead of interacting with real people?

Don't get me wrong I love this site. But why we here having simulated converstations instead of being down the pub enjoying ourselves in an amicable atmosphere asking the same questions getting answers face to face, not waiting for an email to tell us that someone wants to converse with us and having a drink at the same time. THE WORLD IS FUCKED UP Dear Kayla - Brilliant answer.

Answer : Hi Ian. I never find life boring and I think Y/A is great because it enables me to bring the outside world into my home while retaining my privacy all at the same time. Isn't that fantastic? It's something none of us could have done a few years ago. My life is better for the internet and q&a.