As students return to school, parents aim to provide the best educational resources to support their children’s learning and development.
In today’s digital age, the Hillsborough County Public Library offers two outstanding tools that can significantly enhance your child’s academic journey: Brainfuse-Help Now and the World Book Online . Both databases and others are free of charge to Hillsborough County residents with a current library card.
Help Now is an online tutoring platform that offers students assistance and support with their academic needs. Within Help Now, students can interact with live tutors from 2-11 p.m.
Outside of these hours, students can submit questions and receive a response from a tutor within 24 hours. Tutors assist students with various topics, including reading, writing, math, social studies and science.
Help Now also includes a writing lab, where students can submit samples of their written work for detailed feedback on everything from content to reference resources.
The SkillSurfer feature includes skill-building lessons, videos, practice tests and more.
Another notable feature of Help Now is “MEET,” which allows students to schedule collaborative sessions with peers by sending email invitations for group assignments or projects.
Alongside Help Now, the Hillsborough County Library offers access to World Book Online . This resource enables students to explore primary sources and learn about various topics to support their academic pursuits.
World Book Online is tailored to kids of all ages and learning styles, featuring articles, pictures, videos, activities, maps and games. It is invaluable for research projects, homework assignments and general knowledge enhancement.
Additionally, it includes features like “My Research,” which allows users to save and organize articles, and “Citation Builder,” which assists in generating proper citations for academic work.
Together, Help Now and the World Book Encyclopedia Online offer a comprehensive educational support system for grade school students.
Here’s how your child can benefit:
- Integrated Research and Tutoring : Your child can use the World Book Encyclopedia Online to gather reliable information for school projects and bring their findings to Help Now tutors for further clarification and analysis.
- Enhanced Homework Help : If your child is struggling with a homework assignment, they can look up relevant information in World Book and then consult a Help Now tutor to help gather and apply it effectively.
- Skill Building and Knowledge Application : While SkillSurfer helps your child practice and improve specific skills, World Book provides the contextual knowledge needed to understand and apply these skills.
- Writing and Research Projects : Your child can use World Book to gather sources and data for research projects and then utilize Help Now’s writing lab to refine their papers.
- Exam Preparation : For standardized test prep, your child can review concepts and background information in World Book and practice with Help Now’s test prep resources. Tutors can help explain complex concepts and provide strategies for effective studying.
By combining personalized tutoring with research tools, your child can achieve a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of their studies. These tools can enhance academic performance, build confidence and foster a lifelong love of learning, ensuring your child’s success in and out of the classroom.
Originally published in the August 2024 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine .
Local News
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