ARTICLE: New York Public Library's homework program goes online!

[Ryan Goble]

From the Feb/March 2010 Issue of Edutopia.

Guided Homework Help Goes Online

The New York Public Library's homework program pioneers new ways to connect students with teachers after class is dismissed.

by Jennifer Hillner

Credit: Jude Buffman

Homework help is just a few clicks away, thanks to the New York Public Library's (NYPL) groundbreaking new interactive Dial-A-Teacher Whiteboard. Four nights a week, the online program connects students and teachers in real time through a secure digital whiteboard, where they can chat about assignments and draw their responses on the shared board.

It's the first program of its kind in the United States, and here's how it works.

1. A student logs on to the free, online Dial-A-Teacher service by providing some basic background information and is connected with a certified teacher logged on to the Web site.

2. The student types her question and uses a mouse or a stylus to draw her math problem on the screen, or she imports documents, such as a scanned page of homework, to the whiteboard.

3. The teacher instantly sees the problem and provides feedback by typing a suggestion, adding to the drawing, or pointing the student to other Web sites where she can go for more practice. Students can also call Dial-A-Teacher's hotline, at [phone], and talk directly with the teacher.

Since the pilot program's inception this past September, almost a dozen teachers on the roster have been participating in up to ten or so whiteboard sessions Monday through Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (EST). The typical wait time is anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes, and both whiteboard sessions and phone calls can last up to 15 minutes. (Expansion of the service, initially funded by the Wallace Foundation and HSBC in the Community, depends on grants and available hardware.)

Read the full article here.