An Innovative Tutoring Program Given By Students, to Students, over the Internet
NSTEP Study Buddy is a student to student internet tutoring program designed to address low math scores of underperforming middle and high school students. Study Buddy uses the latest internet technology to offer tutoring solely over the internet. This one-on-one internet homework help session will be a connection between students who have already proven their success in math, and students struggling in math who may not otherwise have access to math tutors. Because the tutoring sessions are online, the tutor and student being tutored do not have to be in the same location. Now, geographic location, economic status and scheduling conflicts do not have to be an obstacle to student success in math. Our tutors are volunteers who have achieved a high level of success in their own classes and have been recommended by their teachers to share that success with other students. And best of all, there is NO CHARGE to students who have been qualified through their school or after school program to receive our tutoring services at no cost, or who qualify under the national school lunch program or whose households receive food stamps.
To find out how your school, club or child can qualify to receive Study Buddy for free, contact us at studybuddy@nstep-online.org.
Subjects
How It Works?
SUBJECTS
Study Buddy currently offers student tutors for thefollowing math subjects:
- Pre-Algebra
- Algebra 1
- Algebra 2
- Geometry
We are growing every day and will be adding more subjects in math and science. Check back again if you do not see your subject of interest offered.
Study Buddy Vyewbooks require Flash.
If you do not have Flash on your computer, please click here to download it.
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HOW IT WORKS – STUDENTS WHO NEED TUTORS
If a student in your class or after school club needs a tutor and has access to the internet either at home, at school or at an after school club, the student can register HERE. The student will be given a unique user name, which is a URL taking the student directly into his or her own VyewBook. The student will SAVE THIS URL IN A SAFE PLACE. IT IS A UNIQUE WEB ADDRESS. A VyewBook is like a virtual whiteboard or virtual blank notebook. Once the student is registered, it’s as easy as 1 2 3!
- TRAINING The student’s VyewBook will have information on how to use the VyewBook software. The teacher will be able to guide the student as the student becomes familiar with the VyewBook.
- SCHEDULING The student will check the tutor schedule to confirm that tutors will be online when the student needs a tutor.
- TUTORING The student will log into his or her own VyewBook by going to the student’s own URL. The student will then click to request a tutor. The tutor will come into the student’s VyewBook automatically, to begin the tutoring session.
If you need a tutor and think that you qualify to receive Study Buddy’s services for free, contact us at studybuddy@nstep-online.org.
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HOW IT WORKS – STUDENTS WHO WANT TO BE TUTORS
You can be a Study Buddy Tutor if :
- You are currently enrolled in Pre Calculus/Trigonometry or higher, maintaining a B+ average or better in all of your math classes AND
- Your math teacher recommends you to be a tutor by contacting us at studybuddy@nstep-online.org.
The tutor’s teacher will give the tutor a registration code to use to register HERE (or the teacher will register the tutor).
The tutor will be given a unique user name which also is also a unique URL address taking the tutor directly to his or her own tutor VyewBook. The tutor will SAVE THIS URL IN A SAFE PLACE. IT IS A UNIQUE WEB ADDRESS. The VyewBook has tutoring information preloaded onto it and has links to subject matter worksheets which the tutor can use as a resource during tutoring sessions, and even download into the student’s workbook.
Study Buddy will be able to track the tutor’s hours so that the tutor can receive the appropriate amount of community service credit, as required by the tutor’s honor society, IB program, or scouting program. Study Buddy will send bi-weekly reports of tutoring hours to the tutor’s sponsoring teacher.
Once the tutor is registered, it’s as easy as 1 2 3!
- TRAINING The tutor will familiarize him or herself with how to use the VyewBook to tutor over the internet. The materials to do this are loaded directly into the tutor’s own VyewBook which he or she accesses directly with his or her own URL. The teacher will be able to assist the student as the student becomes familiar with the VyewBook software.
- SCHEDULING The tutor will schedule a block of time when he or she will be available and online using Study Buddy’s schedule software by following the direct link on the Tools page. The Tutor’s screen name to schedule his or her sessions is the same as the student’s URL address. The tutor can be at home, at school, or anywhere he or she has access to the internet.
- TUTORING At the scheduled time, the tutor will log into the Study Buddy lobby at www.vyew.com/nstep ,enter his or her unique URL, and wait in the online queue for a student who needs a tutor to bring him or her into an online tutoring session. While the tutor is waiting in the queue, he or she can be doing other homework. The tutor can simply stay logged onto the Study Buddy website and do other tasks (although if the tutor roams into Study Buddy’s public VyewBooks while waiting, the tutor will go to the end of the tutor queue). The tutor’s computer will notify the tutor when a student needs a tutor.
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HOW IT WORKS – PARENTS, TEACHERS, CLUB MONITORS, MENTORS
It’s as easy as 1 2 3!
- REGISTRATION The sponsoring teacher or after school club monitor will receive a code. The teacher or club monitor can then register the student or give the code to the student and have the student register him or herself HERE.
- TRAINING The sponsoring teacher or after school club leader will receive a short training session via webinar on how to use VyewBook, and will then be able assist students as they familiarize themselves with the VyewBook software.
- MONITORING Students who are being tutored have their own personal online notebook or VyewBook. The student can share access to the VyewBook with a parent, teacher, club monitor or mentor by giving them the unique URL. The adult can log into the student’s online VyewBook at any time by going to the student’s unique URL and can directly monitor the student’s progress and activity in the VyewBook. Teachers can award extra credit based on the student’s use of Study Buddy. Study Buddy administrators will randomly spot-check students’ VyewBooks to monitor content, but the primary responsibility to monitor students’ VyewBook content rests with the student’s teacher, club monitor, mentor or parent.
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