Requested Features
July 9th, 2007 by Robert EinspruchWe want to hear from you. Let us know which features are missing and which features should be enhanced.
We want to hear from you. Let us know which features are missing and which features should be enhanced.
July 9th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Our initial list of toolbars includes:
* physics
* chemistry
* algebra
* geometry
* calculus
* spanish
* french
* german
* latin
July 9th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Functions / buttons on the toolbars will include:
* geometry: pi, area, perimeter, volume equations for shapes (circle, triangle, etc)
* chemistry: draw molecules, periodic table
* spanish: accents & punctuation
July 10th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
I teach LSAT, and nothing else.
When I search ziizoo for “LSAT”, I get 65 hits, but very few actually teach LSAT at all, but rather the search engine picks up “SAT” or something, and presents them as matches.
I suspect that this would be quite frustrating to any potential student.
July 10th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Nick has hit on a very valid point. We are working hard to improve our search algorith and plan to have it be part of our beta release.
July 10th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Calculus: integral symbol, differentiation dy/dx (dy, dx, dt, etc) button, summation button, lim x-> button where you can designate the variable (ie: something other than x) and what it is approaching, infinity symbol, equations (and pictures if possible) of cone, cube, cylinder, triangle.
Also: trig identities would be super helpful. Pythagorean theorem (though I seriously hope someone in Calculus would have that memorized by now).
Also the plus/minus symbol would be super helpful. The one with a plus on top and a minus on the bottom denoting some irrational or imaginary numbers.
Root symbol where you can change the root to the nth root (ie: square root, cube root, 4th root, etc), exponent to nth term (squared, cubed, 4th, etc).
July 10th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
This is exactly the kind of feedback we need. Thank you!
July 10th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Superscripts and subscripts (this is useful for exponents in Algebra as well as elements in Chemistry).
Also for Math (in addition to Michael’s excellent list above):
greater than or equal to
less than or equal to
does not equal
pi
equals approximately (wavy equals)
times
division
degree
empty set
greek symbols (especially theta)
ability to do fractions
ability to make number lines easily (template?)
I’m sure I’ll think of more…
July 10th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
The category of “English As a Second Language” would be good with subcategories “writing college papers”
July 10th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
After experimenting with the tutoring interface today, I noticed that it was impossible to copy and paste images and objects (such as from MS Equation Editor) onto the text chat or whiteboard. This is quite limiting because I usually depend on these tools when tutoring online. If an MS Equation Editor-type toolbar can be added, that would help a bit, since it offers the versatility and flexibility to tutor pre-calculus and calculus-based subjects. It would be preferable, however, to be able to copy-and-paste images and objects onto the whiteboard, if that can be done. Without these tools, it seems the best way to maneuver through the whiteboard is through a tablet device.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
It would be very helpful to be able to see how many potential clients (is that what we’re calling them?) are online, just as they can see how many tutors are online. Otherwise we all have to sit by the computer not knowing if anyone is even on. Also, I have not yet actually had a session, so I’m not sure how the white board works, but is there a way for clients to send a file of their whole paper, etc.?
July 19th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Eventually we would like to have a meter that tells people how many users are online. Check out my blog (http://blog.ziizoo.com/category/roberts-blog) for more of my thoughts on the matter. As for test sessions, we will have some new feature announcements shortly that relate to sessions, whiteboards and documents. And we will make it possible to test them in advance of live sessions.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
If it was at all possible to draw circles with total certainty about their center that would be fantastic. The way it currently works in all drawing utilities I have seen you have to guess on the final position of the circle, and it may end up being an ellipse. What I am thinking is a point-and-click-twice mouse procedure where you click on a point, then on another one, and the program draws the circle with center on the first point you chose, and passing through your second point, without you having to drag a growing circle with the mouse. Those growing circles are not precise because their center changes all the time you are dragging the mouse.
September 10th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Chat room for the tutors
While we wait for students to log on, so we can just chat with each other and say hi 
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:47 am
Yah it’s me again. Maybe the front page could “feature” a couple of online tutors off to the side, so students who come on and maybe don’t do a search right can still find a tutor.
(Or at least someone to ask about the page, etc 
October 10th, 2007 at 3:22 am
A few more suggestions:
Somewhere in the help page, describe the time increment thing (I couldn’t remember if you use 1 min or 5 min, and couldn’t seem to find it). Also, a FAQ/help page might be helpful for new students. I think they are used to looking for faq or help in the link on the front page. Some of the topics are not explained fully either, the http://blog.ziizoo.com/about/students-parents/ page (which could be linked to a help link) could go more in depth about some things (I explained them to this student in an email, hopefully I’ll have my first real student Thursday evening).
Maybe a printable pdf file (1 page) for students that goes over how to do some common things would be helpful I think. That way, once they are going, they have it in front of them to help them.
Also, if someone initiates a session while we’re away from our computer, perhaps that can have a time stamp so we know how recent it was.
I think that’s it for now.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:45 am
I would like to see an appointment option. The student could go on line and start a session with a tutor. After working with the tutor, the student could set up a weekly appointment time with the tutor. The student would be more comfortable because the tutor already knows their strengths and weaknesses.
This would be a good way for the tutor to build up a student base.
October 29th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
An automatically refreshing messages page. While waiting for clients I can get side tracked and not realize a new message has come in.
Also, as I have not yet had a client, it would be great to have a demo run of what the actual environment looks like. That way I can prepare my tutoring strategies for different types of categories.
thanx!
December 12th, 2007 at 8:36 am
A way to message someone trying to initiate a tutoring session. It’d be great to say “I’m finishing my soup, I’ll tutor you in 5 min” or “My bladder is bursting but I’ll be right back.” I hate to just “decline” and seem rude, so instead I find myself agreeing to very inconvenient sessions. I’ve tried several times to search for the person by name so I can message them, but I never can find them.
Also, a more obvious link to the blogs–I had totally forgotten about them until Robert reminded me, and it took some looking to get to the links. I bet more people would visit them if they had a more constant reminder.
Finally, an IM-ish way that tutors can talk, like Michelle suggested!
Thanks!
December 12th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
These are all great suggestions. A quick response to each:
1) Next year we would like to add a “Twitter” like feature where students and tutors can set their own status messages.
2) Thanks for the comment about blog links - we will feature them more prominently.
3) This is a feature we debated releasing in late 2007. Instead it will come in 2008. We want to make it easy for students and tutors to informally communicate before launching a session. The Message Center is the proxy, so that is why we delayed this feature.
Thanks!
Robert
December 13th, 2007 at 9:51 am
These comments come from Jennifer West (http://www.ziizoo.com/profile/jwest), a tutor on the platform:
“It would be nice to have all the geometric objects ready to go, i.e. triangles, squares, circles, and even 3-dimensional objects would be great (perhaps too difficult), but cubes and spheres and cylinders and cones and pyramids would have helped.
Also, any mathematical symbols that could be added to the whiteboard would be great, I’m anticipating any calculus tutoring or physics tutoring I might do - integral signs, exponentials, things like this.”
January 18th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
It would be nice if when initiating a tutoring session there was something that told you what the other person wants to be tutored in.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I would like to be able to see which tutors are online. I can tell that 5 tutors are online but I can’t see which ones they are or what they tutor in.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
We should have this feature ready in a few weeks. Stay tuned!