Online Tutoring is a No-Brainer

A train leaves Spokane at 5 p.m. going 60 mph, another train leaves Seattle at 6 p.m. going 75 mph. What time will it be when they meet?

If one side of a triangle measures 18 cm and the other side measures 20 cm, what is the length of the hypotenuse?

If you're a 9th-grade student sitting at home on a Sunday night and you're stumped by these questions, what can you do?

If you have high speed internet, you can go to Tutor.com, an online tutoring service that launched in 2000. Tutor.com links stumped students with tutors in a variety of subjects and allows them to work out their problems quickly and efficiently through online chats. For science and math problems there's even an online white board.

According to company founder and chief executive, George Cigale, the company was the first to offer live, on-demand tutoring to students. The site was initially available through public libraries and after-school programs that paid a subscription fee for its use. It's now serving kids in 43 states in 1,600 public libraries. For six years, this was the only way to access the service.

Today, however, in response to the growth of high speed internet the company created streamlined software and a service allowing for home use. For either a $26-a-month subscription or a $35-an-hour fee students can access Tutor.com anytime. Whether they need help for just one question or with an entire assignment, students can get the help they need in quickly and hopefully feel better prepared to head into the classroom.

Online education services like Tutor.com are great examples of the importance of high speed internet access. All across the country rising operating costs and shrinking budgets have forced schools to cut back on their own tutoring and after school programs. Without high speed internet, students are left with few options--particularly if they are from low-income families and cannot afford costly personal tutoring services. Those are often the families that also lack high speed internet service, making the need for universal access even more apparent.

Internet access for education purposes is one of the most compelling reasons why high speed internet should be made available to all. A good education is the key to competing in today's global marketplace. All over the world internet access is being promoted as a way for students in remote regions who have extremely limited education resources to teach themselves. If this can work in some of the poorest parts of the world, then why not in our own country?

Through a policy promoting high speed internet access for everyone, we can ensure that every American has equal educational and job opportunities. This is one issue that is definitely a no-brainer.

Online Passes The Test As Avenue For Tutoring

Tutor.com