An organization dedicated to using technology to help students with their homework will be holding an introductory seminar at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30 at the Avenue Diner, located at 91-06 Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven.
The group, Homework Help Heroes, aims to provide Internet-based help through the use of a tablet or touch enabled computer to any student who needs help and has access to the Internet. This help is to be provided free of charge to anyone who needs it.
Homework Help Heroes’ goal is to recruit teachers to log on to their tablets on a volunteer basis from the comfort of their homes to provide free assistance to students in need, regardless of their physical location.
“Our hope is to be able to recruit enough teachers with varying skills and availability to be able to provide help in over a dozen different subjects each day after school when kids need it,” spokesman Richard Fogal said.
The group says that the biggest obstacle they have to overcome, aside from recruiting volunteers, is the idea of using a tablet for instruction. But they believe that their approach has several important advantages over traditional face-to-face instruction.
“It is very convenient,” Fogal said. “Teachers may be reluctant to travel far beyond where they live to help a student out, so logging on to a tablet and helping someone from the comfort of their living room makes it easier to volunteer. It also means the supply of volunteers should be evenly distributed, making talented teachers available in places where they would not normally be.”
“Not having to travel is also a big consideration given this winter’s harsh weather conditions. The fact that gas is upwards of $3.60 per gallon offers an additional incentive,” he added.
Another advantage is that any time spent volunteering with Homework Help Heroes will be tax deductible because of the group’s status as a nonprofit.
Homework Help Heroes is currently recruiting volunteers and encourages those with an interest in becoming involved to contact them via email at info@homeworkhelpheroes.org or by telephone at (347) 693-8308.
Anyone wishing to attend the seminar is requested to RSVP at www.homeworkhelpheroes.org. They want to make sure they have enough refreshments.
