calling india - an interactive whiteboard

In most respects, the scene of the Brod family Beverly Hills home is a classic glimpse into the life of a typical Southern California teenager.
High school sophomore Noah in blueand-
Orange tennis shoes, under the close attention of his math tutor Shani, are calculating a quadratic equation, a petite young woman wearing brown leather sandals, with a textbook in front of her.
"That's right, Noah," said Shani, with a thumbs-up. up sign.
"Cool," replied Noah.
Across the town of Inglewood, a sophomore named Mariana Ibrahimovic is working on a biological assignment with her mentor, Roshan.
They all occasionally heard the roar of the plane over Marianna's home to Los Angeles International Airport, but none of them were distracted from the work at hand. Their twice-a-
The week-long course helped Marianna get her grades to Level B, and Roshan liked her students very much.
In fact, after Luo Shan said, "one day I want to meet my Mariana.
"There is nothing better than this in the village of Earth, where Noah and Mariana get their quest --
The school provides assistance in a virtual classroom, 1/2 time zones apart from their tutors.
Instructors Shani Jose and Roshan Salim work under a buzzing ceiling fan in a sultry port city in India, today is tomorrow.
They connect with their students through a voiceover-
Internet phone and interactive computer "whiteboard", where teachers and students use stylus and pad to write and write on the whiteboard in due course, instructors can add a universally understood electronic symbol to the work done well: thumb-up.
The popularity of outsourcing, especially in India, has frustrated and satisfied millions of Americans.
Our complaint is the responsibility of the customer service agent in Bangalore.
The law firm entered their legal transcript in Mumbai.
Blue chip companies offer high prices
Technical work of Hyderabad engineer.
In the past few years, a small number of companies founded by Indian entrepreneurs have tried a new twist on the subject.
They dug up highly educated groups in India, and by American standards, they had a very low level of education.
Pay men and women to support the new generation of Americans with math, science and even English skills to meet the needs of parents eager to get their children into the best universities.
In Los Angeles, the other side of the outsourcing debate unfolds in the epitome of every weekday afternoon, a quiet moment between students and mentors.
After-sales service in Southern California
The counseling College and the SAT preparatory classes are already covered in the school landscape.
These new businesses offer lower prices, greater convenience and a window to the wider world ---
Even though sometimes there will be the same stimulus, making outsourcing so angry for so many Americans.
Both Noah and Marianna's mentors work at the growth Star Company, which was launched three years ago by Silicon Valley software engineer Biju Mathew. Mathew, a 42-year-
The old father of the three raised the idea when looking for a math tutor for his second child. grade son.
When he first arrived in the United States, he was shocked to find that American tutors were charged $40 to $100 an hour. -
The price is far beyond his financial scope.
"I 've been thinking, if I can take [students]
"With their teachers back in India, it will be much cheaper," said Matthew . ".
"Then I realized there could be thousands of parents like me.
"So, working from home at night and inviting friends in his hometown of Kochin, India, he started developing a computer program to replicate a person's experience --on-one tutoring.
He tested it on his children, worked out a business plan, introduced an Indian-American investor, and rented a small office at one of the top
It is located in the science and technology office park on the 101 highway near San Jose.
Today, the growing stars have 400 students, most of whom are in the United States, and their staff in India have grown to 61, including 49 mentors and 4 academic directors, sales and technical support staff.
More and more stars are the only American. S. -
An Indian-based company whose teachers work together at a college in India.
Competitors in Bangalore
TutorVista, which has 2,000 students, has mentors who work primarily at home in India.
Matthew, the only full-time employee of his company.
Time employees in the United States are still waiting for his big pay day. A slight, soft-
He rented Fremont's house, drove an old Toyota Camry, and the cover was missing.
But he hopes very well.
"If you have a good idea, you can achieve it in the US," he said . ". "The [Silicon]
Unlike India, Silicon Valley fosters entrepreneur spirit.
I don't want to be small anymore.
I want to take it to a new level.
"With the shortage of teachers in the United States and the growth of mentor demand, more foreign companies
These mentors are entering the market.
"We see the globalization of education," said Don Knizek, chief executive of Washington, D. C. C. -
And Eugene and Ray. -
Based on the International Association of Educational Technology.
"Coaching has been an elite activity for the elite for years.
Offshore business is now providing services to the middle class.
It really meets the needs of the country now.
"More and more stars receive an average of 75 inquiries per month from American parents, and Matthew says his biggest challenge is to convince people that online tutoring is really effective.
"Noah Broad's parents treated the novel with a considerable degree of skepticism about the counseling arrangements.
Noah, an amiable self. assured 16-year-
Old, go to the private Wildwood School in West Los Angeles, which promotes a strong academic program in a non-competitive environment.
His father, Michael, runs a consulting firm and is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
His mother Donna works at the Children's Publishing House.
Although Noah's parents like Wild Wood, they worry that the math course is too theoretical.
Noah felt he needed more practice questions to understand the material.
"I am a kinsman and a visual learner," he said . "
They decided Noah needed a tutor but the private tutor was expensive and the couple had 11-year-old Maya and 8-year-
The old Jack at home didn't have time to send Noah to class.
They heard about star growth from a neighbor who had two children in the program.
But Michael's experience in outsourcing is not entirely successful.
His company had tried to save money by outsourcing medical literature search to India, but gave up the experiment after missing the job of contact and poor quality.
However, the broker decided to give it a try.
They paid an initial fee of $50 for the project, invested less than $100 on headphones, stylus and pad, and registered twice a week for $160 a month.
Noah quickly accepted the arrangement and, starting at 7: 45, he negotiated with Shanim. to 8:45 p. m.
Every Monday and Tuesday
His first mentor was hard to understand and he had to adapt to the slight delay in the telephone line.
But there is also a positive side.
"One of the benefits is that they are no longer 'teacher'," he said '. "
"Less pressure.
You can ask a question that you think they might have discussed.
"His parents had some problems communicating with the academic supervisor who called to discuss Noah's progress.
"It's really hard for them to understand," said Michael . ".
"But Noah was from different times.
I hope it won't go deep into his skin like I did.
"No one in the family disagrees with the result.
"It's great.
"It works surprisingly," said Michael . ".
Of course, his grades have improved.
"The truth is," said Noah's mother, "we may not do so if convenience does not matter to us.
But this is definitely a success.
"Mariana does not require any courses in terms of cultural diversity.
Her mother Anna is from Brazil, where Mariana was born.
Her stepfather Keith Laidley is a financial analyst at Northrop Grumman, a native of Los Angeles.
When Marianna moved to the United States five years ago to reunite with her mother, she only spoke Portuguese. Now a tall 16-year-
She is old, with curly hair and black and cascading, speaks English and attends Alexander Hamilton High School, a magnet school that specializes in modern dance.
Marianna's family, including her Brazilian grandmother and her two siblings, 4-year-
Old Giancarlo and 7-year-
Old Isabella lives in a humble bungalow in Inglewood.
A year ago, when Marianna entered high school, she was working hard on her grades.
Keith registered a computer for her.
But they finally decided, he said, "We need something more positive.
"He surveyed professional mentors but they charge $120 an hour.
Even a student tutor at the University of California, Los Angeles, for $60 an hour, is too expensive.
Just then, a friend at home suggested planting stars for only $20 an hour.
Keith admits: "We were nervous at first, but we can say with luxury, 'let's see if that pays off.
"On November, Keith gave Marianna four hours of classes a week ---
Math Monday and Thursday, biology Tuesday and Wednesday.
Marianna easily adapts to the virtual classroom and connects to India via a laptop in her room.
"She's got into the computer," she said --father says.
"Even if she doesn't learn, she will enter that field.
"When she mentioned that her biological performance had risen to Level B, the news surprised her stepfather.
"We don't know!
He said with a smile.
The only problem is technical and logistical.
Although it will usually recover quickly, sometimes the computer link is turned off.
The course had to be rescheduled twice due to a traffic strike in India.
Also, Keith found it difficult to "know exactly where it was and where the date was" at the beginning, he said.
"There is something missing in the translation.
But when we encounter difficulties, we will communicate with them by email. mail.
"This day started very early ---very early--
For the growing stars, the city's mentor, the city is located on the land fingers leading to the Arabian Sea.
Cochin is the largest city in Kerala, with 32 million people living in smaller areas than West Virginia.
This section of the Malabar Coast, 1,600 miles south of Delhi, is the center of the world's Ayurvedic medicine, a holistic treatment of massage and oil that is said to restore physical and mental health.
Driver pick up in advance-
Transfer the tutor from home to two shortly after midnight-
Work story office building starting at 1: 30 in the morning. m. --
Just after school on the east coast of the United States.
Noah and Mariana's mentors, like other mentors catering to West Coast students, are on the "evening shift", starting at 4: 30 a. m. m.
Soon after the evening shift arrived, the sun began to rise in a lush community of houses and apartments, palm trees and banana trees in India.
The temperature is already 88 degrees and is still rising.
Inside, the tutor sits high
The back-to-back tables and chairs in the plywood compartment span the gleaming white tile floor.
The math tutor is on one side and the science is on the other.
Some English tutors and administrators sit in the middle.
The shelves against the wall are filled with American textbooks.
The library is quiet except for air conditioning and fans installed on the ceiling and walls.
The tutors spent about half a day preparing lessons, and the rest of the time wearing headphones for students half the world away.
Most of the mentors are young people in their 20 s, and resumes include teaching, a master's degree, or other graduate jobs in India.
As in all parts of India, women wear dazzling saris, while most men wear jeans.
The early hours were tough, but wages could make up for that.
Mentors here earn from $250 to $400 a month, while teachers in public schools earn less than $200 a month.
The center is run by Bina George, a former banker whose most difficult task is to find a mentor.
"You can find people who speak English, there are a lot of people with a master's degree," she explained . ".
"However, it is difficult to find people with a master's degree in science or mathematics who can also speak fluent English.
"The main language of Kerala is Malaya, and although English is taught at school, few people speak English at home.
There are fewer people in contact with native English speakers.
When Shani Jose came to work here two years ago, she said: "I have never spoken to Americans before.
George overheard what she said, adding: "We don't have it, in fact.
"Bad English is the biggest complaint for parents, so the new tutor took part by 24-year-
Old Gresham Salim, one of the few English instructors to grow up star.
She received her own offshore tutoring in her lower accent ---
A phone call from a language expert in California
She admits it seems ironic to have a non-native English speaker tutor American students in English.
But, she said, "there are a lot of common sayings that come up when you learn English in your native language.
I can treat it like I do with other languages.
"Indian mentors are often amused and sometimes confused by the expressions of some students.
Greeshma tripped over the Jumping Lizard.
"Now I know it's just what you say when you're surprised," she said . ".
When the student of another tutor made a mistake on one issue and declared "I am rough", the Tutor shared this with the group.
All new mentors were told about the informal nature of Americans.
"Initially, it was a shock to hear them call me by name," said Leelabai Nair, one of the academic directors . ".
"But now we are used to it.
"It's tempting to see this virtual bridge connecting California and the Malabar coast as a healthy cross.
The cultural experience created by the combination of business and technology.
But it's just part of the story.
Noah joked that he imagined that Shani and other mentors were beaten by the evil mission master while working hard in the cubicle.
However, he did not know that Shani lived in a small house with her parents and brother, who sent her to work at 3: 30 a. m. every day.
Or her father, who works at a naval base, did not go to college, but was determined to get her daughter to college.
Marianna knew her math tutor was 24. year-
Old Vanessa Vijayan took the national exam at the university on weekends.
However, she did not know that the most difficult part of her biological tutor Luo Shan's day was that the alarm clock sounded at 2: 30 a. m. m.
She stood up and made steamed dal and chapatis for the two children, ready to go to school.
In fact, these new relationships are based on a simple economic principle. -
By paying more Indian tutors than classroom teachers in their country, help American students with homework at a low price.
More and more American parents are learning that in a competitive global economy, the cheapest way to develop the skills young people need to survive is to enter that global village as much as possible.