Getting students offline and onto their books can be tough, but Ontario's Ministry of Education is now encouraging kids to go online for a new math tutoring program called Homework Help.
Alex Kost, is a Grade 8 student who wants to work in the music industry when he grows up, for him the visual aids on Homework Help really, well, help.
"Usually [it's] someone talking or it's a hand-drawn tutorial where it literally goes step-by-step through what you're doing."
The live online tutoring program operates five days a week helping students in Grades 7-10 with math questions. It's completely anonymous and free of charge.
"There are students who are having trouble with the subject or just don't get it. The online tutoring helps them. It'll be one on one, and they can learn from someone that has the experience with the subject," Kost says.
Once they log in the student has access to video tutorials 24/7. The tutoring features whiteboard interaction and a chat dialogue.
Teacher Mike Dlouhy "The uniqueness is also in knowing that students can be anywhere in the province, learning from a teacher who is in a completely different part of the province, but has a good feel for what they're learning and what they're doing."
Dlouhy believes this is just the beginning of online-based tutoring and says that both parties benefit from the program.
"We have to, not only keep pace with students in taking advantages of the technology that they have, but we can also learn from them."
