Downloading Exam Success; Business Releases Podcasts to Help Students Learning
Byline: NICOLA WEATHERALL
IT'S a nail-biting time for thousands of students across the North East as they cram in last-minute revision for their GCSE exams.
However, a Newcastlebased business says it's possible for students to ditch the mountain of textbooks and carry all the information they need in their pocket.
Anthony Coxon and Ian Thompson who run the company, Soundbite Learning, launched a revision aid called "GCSEPod", which allows pupils to download bite-size chunks of information onto their mobile phones or MP3 players.
Piloted in North East schools last year, including Longbenton Community College in North Tyneside and Heworth Grange Comprehensive in Gateshead, it is now being used by schools across the country.
The podcasts have been created by qualified teachers and are supported by exam boards, including AQA and Edexcel.
They cover a wide range of national curriculum subjects and are specifically tailored to support students in Years 10 and 11.
Mr Coxon says schools that have adopted GCSEPod have reported a significant increase in their exam success rates, some as much as 20%.
"Students today absorb information in a very different way to previous generations, which is why GCSEPod works," he said. …