XL Online – More Info

More Info

Downloading and Using Zoom

Zoom is a third-party application that works on Windows, Mac and all smart phones. To download zoom you can either follow the prompt on the email invitation we send you; download it from your app store or you can go directly to the zoom website.

For tutorials on how to use zoom please click here.

Connecting at Home

The benefit is that you’ll be able to tap into some of the XL awesome that you’re used to, from the comfort of your home. In order to do that, we need to make sure you’re getting the most out of your internet connection.

• If you’re using wi-fi, try to sit as close to your router as possible so you get the best connection.
• You may have a repeater installed in your house – a device that takes the signal from your wi-fi router and sends it out again. The repeater might get a weak signal from the router, even though you’re getting a strong signal from the repeater. Try to sit close to your router rather than a repeater.
• Thanks to the internet, being at home is not as boring as it used to be. If you’re experiencing slow connectivity, it might be because everyone in the house is using the internet at the same time. You might have to ask a member of your household to watch Netflix or YouTube videos after your lesson… just ask nicely!

If you’re unsure about your internet speed, just type “Internet Speed Test” into Google. Look for the run speed test button and click on it. If you’re below 5mbps, we might have to adapt.

Making the Most of Working at Home

If you’re a science student, you might have heard of inertia. For humans, inertia means that if we sit on the couch and watch TV for 5 days, it’s really hard to suddenly have a productive day 6. With this in mind, it’s going to be easiest for you to keep the engine running! Dedicate some time to getting work done every day.

Luckily XL is around to help you out with that – we’ll be getting your additional practise to you via e-mail. It’s going to work best if you attempt the worksheets before you connect with your tutor. This way, the whole lesson can be spent working on concepts you might need help with. You might also be doing schoolwork at home – your tutor can help you with those concepts that are a bit harder to learn from home.

Laptop or Cellphone?

You can use either your laptop or your cellphone to connect with your tutor on Zoom. There are going to be advantages and disadvantages to the use of either. We recommend that you use your cellphone if it has a front and rear camera. This way you can switch between cameras to show your tutor the work that is in front of you. You can even minimize the Zoom app, take a picture of your work, and then use the “share a file” functionality to screenshare that picture. Nifty!

If you prefer to use your laptop, no problem. Just be aware that you might have to hold your notepad up to the webcam every now and then to show your tutor the work you’ve done.

Scheduling Your Lesson

We’ll schedule the best time to have your lesson the same way we’ve always done our scheduling. All you’ve got to do is hop onto Zoom and enter the meeting code to join the stream at the start of your lesson. Your tutor is going to get the meeting code to you via e-mail or Whatsapp. Easy as that.

Why 30 minute lessons?

Group lessons at XL occur between one tutor and three students. At this time, we have not yet found a satisfactory solution that allows group lessons to occur online. If we apply crude assumptions, a single student will receive 20 minutes of direct contact time with the tutor in a group lesson – the rest is devoted to the all important practise, practise, practise.

The current solution will see XL providing the student with the worksheets to practise well before the lesson occurs. The student should then have a good idea of what concepts they may need additional help with. The student will then also have some completed work that they can review with the tutor. By doing some practise beforehand, we can achieve a more effective 30-minute interaction between the student and the tutor. After the lesson, the tutor can then send through practise that relates to work covered in the lesson, as well as any notes that may have been written during the lesson.