The Tools of the Trade

 Hi guys, this week I watched the video on online STEM tutoring.  There were a lot of helpful websites and such for online demos and visuals for STEM subjects.  The one tip that I appreciated the most was to keep commonly used materials saved on my computer.  This includes charts, tables, or textbooks in file formats that can easily be shared digitally.  The presenters shared their combined experiences of problems that took way longer to fix than expected.  I think this is definitely a fear I and many others have.  Sometimes a software can just stop working and all our plans can be spoiled as a result.  The trick one of the presenters listed is simply to be patient.  Prepare half an hour or an hour ahead of time and in the worst case scenario, reassure the students that these things take time.

An online session should start with an introduction just like any other tutoring session.  In fact, it's even more important to introduce yourself in this type of environment since there's an added layer of separation between the tutor and the tutee.  Again, being comfortable with each other is a big component to a positive learning environment.  Next is setting an agenda.  This is much easier to manage digitally since you can always switch to a page with the schedule or even have it on an overlay.  Another way to set an agenda for online tutoring is for the student to provide beforehand which subjects to go over.  This allows the tutor to then prepare materials and organize them accordingly.  Another benefit to digital tutoring is the ease of sharing media.  You have the entire internet at your fingertips and makes things very convenient.  

In the event things go wrong and technology doesn't work out, it's good to have contingencies in place.  For example, our tutoring center uses both Google Meet and Zoom.  I have personally had trouble using Zoom and my app has crashed repeatedly.  I got around this by opening Zoom in my browser rather than in its designated app.  In the event that my wifi goes out, I also have data from my phone to use.  File sharing is very hard to mess up since you can always just email files.  Planning ahead involves testing to make sure everything needed before the session is in working order.  Making considerations and adapting to new circumstances is one of the key takeaways of this course on tutoring.  Preparation is key in keeping a session productive.

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