How does BookAnyone’s Remote/Online Tutoring Tool work?

With BookAnyone’s remote tutoring service, you have access to the best tutors from top universities across USA. You get more choices, more experienced tutors at cost effect hourly rates with no long term commitment.

BookAnyone’s remote tool has a variety of features that allow tutors and their students to interact. Both the tutor and the student have access to the BookAnyone Remote Tool, and are able to share their webcam, upload documents, draw, type, and share their screens.

Screen activity on the BookAnyone Remote Tool is completely shared. This means that if the student moves the screen, it pans for the tutor as well, and vice-virsa. This makes it easy to sync up what is being worked on and collaborate effectively.

Remote Tool Demo

You can try out a 5-minute demo of the whiteboard software here: https://wb.bookanyone.com/demo

This demo url cannot be tested with others, but rest assured when a booking takes place, you’ll have 2-way video and audio.

Sharing Files

You can use the remote tool to share files between students and tutors, for example, for proofreading. Learn how here.

Remote Tool Feature Guide

	Whiteboard Canvas
	Press and hold the left mouse button to draw on the whiteboard (or use your finger if using a touch-screen device). You can also plug a graphics tablet into your computer, which makes it easier to draw freehand. Click the right-button for undo/select context menu, and use the mouse wheel or trackpad to scroll and zoom.
	Menu options
	Uploads an image or document to the server and displays the first page on the whiteboard. Use the previous and next page buttons (at the bottom of the whiteboard) to move between pages of a multi-page document.
	Loads a saved picture
	Saves the current whiteboard state. Also allows you to save all pages to your local computer as a pdf.
	Clears the whiteboard.
	Undo.
	Redo.
	Allows you to select items on the whiteboard (to move/resize/copy/paste/delete). Images which have been pasted or dropped onto the whiteboard can also be rotated and resized.
	Copy selected item(s) to clipboard.
	Cut selected item(s) to clipboard.
	Paste copied items into whiteboard.
	Delete selected item(s).
	Crops the whiteboard to the selected area.
	Prints the current whiteboard state.
	Displays a grid on the whiteboard.
	Share a YouTube video. Video playback is synchronized, except on iOS Safari.
	Opens the shared rich-text / code editor, for synchronized text editing.
	Share your screen.
	Displays this help page.
	Drawing Tools
	Draws freehand lines.
	Eraser tool (white color/large size).
	Draws straight lines.
	Draws ovals and circles.
	Draws text.
	Draws filled ovals and circles.
	Draws squares and rectangles.
	Draws filled squares and rectangles.
	Fills an area with the current color (click on the whiteboard to fill from that point).
	Select tool: allows you to select a single object or range of objects. Either click with the mouse on the object you wish to select or click and hold the mouse button and a rectangle will appear. All objects will be selected that fall within the rectangle when you release the mouse button.
	Laser pointer: allows you to highlight areas on the whiteboard without making any permanent marks.
	Pan tool: allows you to scroll around the screen.
	Polygon tool: click on the whiteboard to place each vertex, then double-click (or long-touch) to finish.
	Filled polygon tool: click on the whiteboard to place each vertex, then double-click (or long-touch) to finish.
	Transparent polygon tool: click on the whiteboard to place each vertex, then double-click (or long-touch) to finish.
	Highlighter tool: draws using a semi-transparent brush.
	Colors
	Brings up an extended color palette.
Text/line size
	Drag the slider to change the current text/pen size.
Page 1
	Changes the current whiteboard page.
	Chat
	Brings up the chat window. Click the icon to display the list of other users in the room.
	Zoom Controls
	Allows you to zoom in or out.
	Video windows
	If video is enabled, you should see your video preview window at the top, and other users’ video below it. Click on the X below the video window to stop sending your video to other users. Below the video window is the audio recording meter: the circle lights up red when your voice is being transmitted to other users, and the red bar shows the current recording signal level of your microphone. You will see a green triangle underneath other users’ video windows when they are transmitting audio.
	Audio controls Move the slider to the right to increase your headphones/loudspeaker volume (the volume that you will hear other users speaking). Click the speaker icon to mute/unmute incoming audio. Move the slider to the right to increase your microphone volume. Click the microphone icon to mute/unmute your microphone.
	Math features – Brings up a library of math symbols which can be placed on the whiteboard. – Brings up a function graph plotter. – Displays a graph paper background on the whiteboard. – Lets you temporarily place a ruler onto the whiteboard (just click the mouse button and hold on the whiteboard to temporarily place the ruler). – Lets you temporarily place a protractor onto the whiteboard (just click the mouse button and hold on the whiteboard to temporarily place the protractor). – Brings up an equation editor, allowing you to type in equations and copy them to the whiteboard.
	Keyboard shortcuts Cursor keys: Moves between pages, or moves a selected object (use shift key to move object more quickly). Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z: Undo. Ctrl+Y or Cmd+Y: Redo. Ctrl+C or Cmd+C: Copy. Ctrl+V or Cmd+V: Paste. Ctrl+X or Cmd+X: Cut. +/-: Increase or decrease size of selected object. Del: Delete currently selected object(s).

Graphing Equations

In order to plot equations on a graph, use the graph plotter. To open it, click on the top symbol in the bottom left of the whiteboard, and click on the graph (second from the left) as shown below.

This will open a window with full graphing-calculator functionality. You can plot multiple equations, view intersections, and more.

For additional options, (for example, to adjust x and y axis) click the wrench icon in the top right. To use exponents, functions, and more in your equations, click the keyboard icon in the bottom left.

Audio/Video Troubleshooting

General Audio Troubleshooting

• Start by following our article on troubleshooting your connection with tests.
• If you experience echos, make sure both users are using headphones or a headset. (Bear in mind that iphone earphones are not fully compatible with Macs, so you may still experience echos). Alternatively you can use the Firefox browser, which includes built-in echo cancellation.
• Make sure you plug in your headset before logging into the remote tool. (If you plug in your headset in after connecting to the remote tool and it isn’t working, try reloading the remote tool web page).
• Make sure your headset is properly plugged in, and that you have given permission to the browser to use your microphone (see below for more details).
• Try reloading the remote tool web page, or using a different browser if you have problems. Chrome and Firefox work best.
• When you speak, you should see a horizontal red bar move underneath your video window. You will also see a red circle light up under your video. If you don’t see these, it means that the Remote Tool is not picking up your microphone.
• When the other user speaks, you should see a green triangle light up under their video window. If you see the green triangle light up but don’t hear anything, it means that your headphones aren’t working. Try reloading the page and check your headphones are set up correctly. (Check to see if you can listen to a youtube video through them).
• If the other user reports that your voice is breaking up, check your microphone volume. You will see the volume controls underneath the video windows. When you speak, the red bar should fill at least 50% of the rectangle. If that does not happen, try increasing your microphone volume.

Chrome microphone/webcam permissions
Chrome will pop up a permissions window when you log into the BookAnyone Remote Tool:

Simply click “Allow” to give permission to use your microphone. You only need to do this once, and Chrome will remember in future.

To change your microphone settings in Chrome (assuming you have already given or denied permission to use your microphone), click on the little icon at the right-hand side of the url bar that looks like a video camera:

If you previously denied permission to allow microphone/webcam access, you can reset the chrome audio/video permissions.

Firefox microphone/webcam permissions

Firefox will pop up a permissions window when you log into the BookAnyone Remote Tool:

Simply click “Share selected devices” to give the BookAnyone Remote Tool permission to use your microphone and/or camera. You can choose “Always share” from the drop-down menu (to the right of the “Share selected devices” button) if you always want to give permission.

To change your microphone settings in Firefox (assuming you have already given or denied permission to use your microphone), click on the little icon at the left-hand side of the url bar that looks like a video camera.

This will allow you to select a different microphone (if your computer has more than one), or give permission if you previously didn’t give permission.

Safari microphone/webcam permissions

Safari will pop up a permissions window when you log into the BookAnyone Remote Tool.

Simply click on “Allow” to give the BookAnyone Remote Tool permission to use your microphone and/or camera. If you don’t see this popup, go to “Safari->Settings for this website” and check the Camera and Microphone permissions.

Tablet Troubleshooting

BookAnyone’s Remote Tool works great with most graphics tablets including Wacom and Huion brands. If you have a tablet but are having trouble drawing, please make sure to uncheck “Support TabletPC” (for Huion), and uncheck “Use Windows Ink” (for Wacom).

For Huion:

For Wacom: