MyStudyHall

May 6, 2007<= o:p>

An Interview with Donna Garner: About “MyStudyHall.com”=

Tammy Lynne Moore

Michael F. Shaughnessy

Eastern New Mexico University

Portales<= /st1:City>, New Mexico

QUESTION: First of al= l, how did you get interested in education and what is your background?=

ANSWER: I knew from t= he age of five years old that I was meant to be a teacher. I started teaching English in the = public schools in the mid-60's, took about ten years out to have two children, and then came back to the public schools where I substitute taught regularly for three years. I started teachi= ng full-time in the late 70's and taught for twenty-seven years in public scho= ols and for two and a half years in a private school. I am still teaching English both directly to a classroom of teenagers in a course entitled Secondary Grammar 7-12 and also to students in an online site called MyStudyHall.com.

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QUESTION: What exactl= y did you teach?

ANSWER: Having moved = around a great deal with a husband who coached for thirty-six years, I have taught almost every subject in Grades 5 - 12 at some time or another. My actual field of expertise is secondary English.

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QUESTION: Where did y= ou get the idea for “MyStudyHall.com”?

ANSWER: The idea to p= roduce MyStudyHall.com was not mine. Two wonderful gentlemen, Tim Thomasson and Grant Endicott, first approached me = with the idea in January 2005. Aft= er much discussion, we formulated a plan and started writing the materials for= the site. We went online about th= ree weeks ago.

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QUESTION: What types = of English language skills can MyStudyHall.com assist students in learning?

ANSWER: MyStudyHall.com is a unique online tutorial site because it focuses on the particular English / Language Arts / Reading (ELAR) skills w= hich seem to be the most difficult for students to master. The site actually has two separate parts: (1) ELAR units for upper-elementary through junior-high students and (2) grammar modules for t= eens through adults. Because of the breadth of the materials, we can honestly say that our site helps students learn English all the way from 10 to 100 years of age!

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QUESTION: Does the program help students imp= rove their skills for standardized tests?

ANSWER: The philosoph= y of our site is unique. We believ= e that the unit/module explanations should be written the way people think and not= the way "textbook jargon" is worded.= We personalized all the materials and tried to word them as if we we= re talking directly to the student; we explained the content as if we were hav= ing a two-way conversation. Becau= se each unit/module contains what we call "deep content," the studen= ts should be able to connect ideas together and build upon those connections.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Therefore, when the students are required to take any type of tests, the students should be able to apply the well-learned concepts to new material, thus raising their scores.

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QUESTION: What are th= e main advantages of using MyStudyHall.com in comparison with parents and/or educa= tors just relying on the routine Grammar and Language Arts curriculum?

ANSWER: MyStudyHall.c= om is not intended to take the place of a teacher. In fact, we believe very strongly = that direct teaching is the very best model of instruction. What we hope is that our online si= te will assist teachers by helping their students to deepen their knowledge levels. Some students need mo= re practice on various concepts; our site offers that because students can wor= k at their own pace. Some students simply need to hear concepts explained a different way; we believe the uniq= ue explanations in our materials will capture students' interest and imaginati= on. What we are hoping is that teacher= s will encourage their students to use MyStudyHall.com to gain more practice and to deepen their foundational knowledge. =

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QUESTION: For which skill-level(s) and grade-level(s) are the English, Language Arts, and Reading (ELAR) units/modules designed?

ANSWER: MyStudyHall.c= om offers three levels of ELAR units -- Levels 1, 2,= and 3. {Levels 4,5, and 6} We decided not to designate actual grade levels for the ELAR units after a sen= ior English teacher friend of mine looked at our site and commented, "I ha= ve many Advanced Placement students who do not know this material." Therefore, we decided to use the t= erm "Levels" so that if a person happens to be in high school or is older, he/she will not be embarrassed to work on the ELAR units which best fit. The ELAR units are not sequential; each one is a stand-alone unit and can be learned in any order.=

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QUESTION: For which skill-level(s) and grade-level(s) are the Grammar modules designed?

ANSWER: The grammar m= odules are targeted at high-school students and at adults. We have three modules -- Modules 1= , 2, and 3. The grammar modules are written very sequentially. A student must start out with Module 1 and work all the way through that modu= le before trying to tackle Module 2. The same holds true for Module 3.&n= bsp; Each module contains units on the eight parts of speech, and each un= it contains numerous lessons with frequent practice quizzes and level quizzes = to test for mastery. The concepts within a module are linked to previous concepts. The three modules increase in dept= h and complexity. This means that M= odule 1 starts out at a very basic level, and the difficulty level increases appropriately as the student gains both knowledge and confidence.

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QUESTION: The term EL= AR units (English, Language Arts, and Reading )= seems to be a new one. From w= here did this terminology originate, and does this have any kind of theoretical foundation?

ANSWER: I served on t= he team which wrote the English standards for the state of Texas in the mid-9= 0's. These standards formed the basis f= or the current state-mandated tests in Texas. The term "ELAR" was adop= ted, and many other states also used that same terminology in their standards. If readers want to see what is con= tained in the ELAR units on MyStudyHall.com, all a person needs to do is to go to = our site (www.mystudyhall.com) and = click on the link which contains a description of the content of each unit and module. Also on our site is a= free Interactive Tour which contains numerous sample lessons. It is a pet pe= eve of ours that many educational sites require people to pay up-front befo= re getting to see actual samples. We want consumers to know what they are purchasing before they choose to make their purchase. <= o:p>

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QUESTION: How does MyStudyHall.com help those students who need to learn English as a second language?

ANSWER: Because the grammar modules start out at a very basic level= and then get more complex, a Limited-English Proficient (LEP) person can learn = the material one concept at a time. The problem with many textbooks is that they assume the students have much prior knowledge. Our grammar module= s are written in such a sequential way that they build skill-knowledge one step a= t a time. We also have included colorful graphics, flash technology, animation, charts, and audio clips. These are not just added to the we= bsite to entertain. Besides adding variety, each has a definite academic purpose. In fact, we have deliberately trie= d to keep distractors {my = Spell Check is flagging “distractors”} out of our materials so that learners can focus their undivided attention on the text.

{Should we say that a basic knowledge of English is required before a student would benefit from MyStudyHall.com?}

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QUESTION: Can student= s work at their own pace, or are they required to compl= ete each section within a certain amount of time?

ANSWER: Each grammar = module and each ELAR unit costs the user $49.95.

This payment gives the user 24-hours-a-day access to the unit or mo= dule for one year. The wonderful t= hing about MyStudyHall.com is that students can work at thei= r own pace. My only fear is = that when consumers see the inexpensive pricing of MyStudyHall.com, they may thi= nk that "cheap means inferior."&nbs= p; This is not the case at all. The deep content on our site offers an unbelievable bargain; and bec= ause MyStudyHall.com is not a "get rich quick scheme" but is truly mea= nt to help people become better educated, Tim has established a low price to h= elp the average person of moderate means. I would personally be amazed if there is an online tutorial site whi= ch has more knowledge-based depth than does MyStudyHall.com. We do not just teach surface recognition; we teach deep cognitive knowledge.

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QUESTION: Are parents notified of their children’s progress and if so, how often?

ANSWER: (I do not know how to answer this= .)

{How about = this? “We = offer the capability to email parents, teachers, or any other interested party a notification of the student’s progress and performance.” Chuck = has the reporting finalized now and we should be able to implement it in about a week. We can send the email after the final test for each lesson or after t= he Unit Test is completed for each Subject. Which to you think is best?}<= /o:p>

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QUESTION: Who actually developed “MyStudyHall.com,” and how long has this product been= available?

ANSWER: The idea orig= inated with Tim and Grant but grew when a small group of experienced teachers, programmers, graphic artists, and Internet experts worked to produce the si= te. We launched MyStudyHall.com about = three weeks ago.

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QUESTION: How do pare= nts or educators purchase access to MyStudyHall.com’s modules/units?

ANSWER: Consumers can use their major credit cards or PayPal to purchase MyStudyHall.com online. The registration process is simple and straight-forward.<= /b>

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QUESTION: For student= s who do not have regular access to a computer, does MyStudyHall.com print out the lessons?

ANSWER: MyStudyHall.c= om is an online tutorial. Consumers mu= st have Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher to utilize the site.

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QUESTION: Do you have special offers for educational institutions or home-school educators who are purchasing multiple units/modules?

ANSWER: (I do not know how to answer this.) <= /b>

{We do have special pricing for education= al institutions and organizations. Pricing is dependent on several factors, including the total number of students enrolled.}

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QUESTION: What questi= on have we neglected to ask?

MY QUESTION: Why shou= ld a person spend valuable time learning grammar and studying ELAR units?

ANSWER: Ultimately, no matter where people go or what they do, they have to be able to read and communicate with others. If p= eople do not know the basic rules and concepts of the English language, they will= not be able to communicate effectively, either verbally or in writing.

Learning the basic skills of English will help students:

·         To = make better grades in school.

·         To improve their chances of getting into the college or other school of their choice.

·         To = get and keep the job or position they desire.

·         To improve the image they present to other people as well as the image they ha= ve of themselves.

Knowing and practicing correct English and developing sophisticated reading skills is a gift that people can give to themselves. MyStudyHall.com can be a partner in helping them both give and receive this gift.