Revision Time Goes Online
by Tim Ewington
Home learning is critical to exam success and the computer industry is strengthening links between family and school. Free internet access at home is a huge step in making online education accessible to everybody. As students start to sweat in the run-up to their exams, many of them are turning to the web to supplement their knowledge. The following text is a description of some websites of this in Britain.
The tension is rising in the Kelly household. Two dates are ingrained in the family's collective consciousness: May 22 and June 19. They mark the first and the last of Paula's written GCSE1 exams. “All the time I feel that I need to do a lot more revision. I know I must get down to it,” says 15-year-old Paula, who is a student at Victoria College in Belfast. “It's not so much my parents who are putting pressure on me, though I know my mum's a bit uptight, but I have two older brothers and a sister and they all say that they were doing a lot more revision at this stage than I am.”
Across the country, 700 000 students and their families will heave a collective sigh of relief when the exam season comes to an end. “Even my granny is telling me to do more revision,” says another 15-year-old, Steve Burgess from West Yorkshire, who is sitting nine GCSEs. “The dog seems to be the only one who doesn't use the dreaded ‘R' word every time he sees me.”
When exams were invented so too was revision, but two inventions have transformed the way we prepare. A generation ago, revision notes became a lucrative industry, published under such imprints as Brodie's and York. The second, to which Paula and Steve's generation is turning, is the internet.
The leading exam revision site is GCSE Bitesize, from the BBC. It received almost 750 000 hits each week in mid-March, and expects to double that number this month. Channel 4's more broadly based service, Homework High, which helps students aged 9 － 16 with their homework, is claiming up to 1.3m hits2 per week.
The demand has put tremendous pressures on both services. “Every day we have more than 3 000 kids trying to ask our teachers a question online,” says Paul Ashton, the commissioning editor for special projects at Channel 4, “but the most we can manage is 300 answers. We also had to close the chat rooms because they were far too successful. As more students joined in, new chat rooms automatically opened, and at one stage we had 30 chat rooms supervised by only one moderator.
There are good reasons for this phenomenal demand. Students are one of the groups most likely to have access to the internet in Britain. Research recently conducted by NOP Kidsnet shows that 57% of school-age children can now access to the internet either at home or school, up from 51% just six months ago. Internet penetration rises to more than 70% for 15- and 16-year-olds who are studying for GCSEs, in contrast to less than 30% of the population as a whole.
Feedback shows that important student needs are being satisfied by the internet. Websites provide information, support and encouragement when parents aren't around; students having difficulties in particular subjects can choose their own pace, away from the classroom, to study examples, tests and explanations on the web; students who are missing school through illness can keep up. Of most concern, many students say that websites provide better resources and support in the lead-up to exams than their weaker teachers.
Paula Kelly is sanguine about online revision. “I have used the sites a bit, but not that often. They have really helped in specific areas, such as science － it is so useful to see exam questions and ideal responses as a guide, particularly when you are less confident in that area. I do get frustrated, though, when I know what I want is out there but it takes a long time to find.”
Judith Addley, one of Paula's teachers, reflects the views of many professionals. “Revision sites don't replace traditional approaches such as note-taking and practicing exam papers － nothing can do that － and they certainly aren't a substitute for hard work. But Bitesize and the rest are a really good part of the mix and I am sure that they will become better in the future.”
We all know that revision is boring, but because the online approach can be quite different from that of a teacher, studying alone can break a mental log jam. Steve Burgess, who is finding the revision of factual subjects such as history and geography hard to face, says: “After reading and writing notes for a few hours, it's great to revise on the computer. The sites are more interactive, with tests that the computer marks and perfect answers so you know what you're aiming for.”
He is far more effusive about revising online than Paula. “I found it so difficult to start revising, but I have used the websites most days. When I sit with books and notes and try to learn them, my mind starts wandering after 10 minutes, but I like computers and because I have to move around the site and fill in the answers, it keeps me going. If I haven't touched the keyboard or the mouse after 60 seconds, I can't hide from the fact that I'm doing nothing.”
In surveys, helping their child's education is the most important reason parents give for buying computers with net capability, so demand for online revision and homework services is set to grow. With the government's information-technology initiatives taking effect, the number of students with net access at school has now overtaken those with access at home, and, one way or another, three quarters of school-age children are expected to be online within the next year.
Though only two years old, the BBC's GCSE Bitesize is the daddy of internet sites for schools. As the name suggests, it provides revision in chunks that are easy to digest, covering 11 key subjects closely matched to the national curriculum.
“Bitesize was initially targeted to help every student using the service to gain at least a grade C,” says Frank Flynn, the head of commissioning for schools and colleges at the BBC. “Since the launch, we have added more stretching material. Our long-term aim is to raise the standards achieved. We have a proven ability to do so.”
Among educators, there is much debate about the effectiveness of learning with a computer. What is clear is that the quality of the content and the nature of the interactivity involved is critical. Simply sitting in front of a PC － surprise, surprise － does not help a student learn, but certain types of computer-based interactive exercises are particularly effective, especially for students who find it difficult to acquire knowledge through reading and listening.
The BBC has already extended its service to help Key Stages 2 and 3 students facing exams this month and has ambitious plans for the future. In four years' time, BBC Online's content will cover most of the national curric_ulum, from the age of five through to GCSEs. Flynn explains: “We want to provide comprehensive, integrated learning packages that will build a bridge between home － and school-based activities. We want our online materials to draw in students who are in danger of being turned off learning but also to allow more ambitious students to approach the whole curriculum at their own pace.”
Channel 4's Homework High is more funky. Five cartoon-style characters inhabit the school, representing English, maths, science, geography and history. The site shows no lack of confidence, describing itself as the world's best homework website. It is very good. Students can ask questions at the end of school, between 4pm and 5.30pm, or at home between 6.30pm and 9pm Monday to Thursday. If your question is accepted, it will be answered within 24 hours, faster than on other free sites, and the quality of the answers is high. The level of demand means you have only a one in 10 chance of receiving a reply, but the reserve of 10 000 answers that has already been built up means that there should be solid, if less specific, help in most areas.
“We are very careful about the answers given,” says Paul Ashton of Channel 4. “We provide colloquial advice so that students receive immediately useful help but can't simply copy the answer into an essay. They have to think about the response, what it means, and then mould it into their work.”
Homework High is expanding to catch up with demand. New teachers are on their way, the service is being extended to Sundays and students' questions will be answered by star guests as diverse as poets and scientists, to offer a contrasting style of answer to those of teachers. The chat rooms will be more controlled and there will be rooms for both students and parents － separate, of course.

In the meantime, let's wish every success to Paula, Steve and all those students and their families facing their final weeks of revision leading up to GCSEs.
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课文一
网上复习时间
蒂姆·埃云顿
    课后学习对考试的成功十分关键，而电脑业正加强家庭与学校之间的联系。在家免费上网是使人人都可获得网上教育 方面的一大进展。当学生紧张地准备考试时，他们中很多人转向网络，来补充他们的知识，以下课文描述英国一些这样的网址。
　
    凯利家中的气氛渐渐紧张起来。5月22日和6月19日这两个日子深深根植在一家人集体意识之中。这两个日子标志着波拉的普通教育证书第一门和最后一门考试。 贝尔法斯特维多利亚学院的15岁学生波拉说，“我一直觉得我需要更多的复习。我知道我必须着手复习。”“并不是我父母给我施加压力，尽管我知道妈妈有点紧张，但我有两个哥哥和一个，他们都说他们以前在这一阶段比我的复习要多得多。”
　
　

    在考试季节结束时，全国上下七十万名学生及家长都会一起松一口气。西约克郡的斯狄弗·波格斯，15岁，正参加普通教育证书的九门考试，他说，“连我奶奶也在叫我多复习。”“每次见到我时不用 可怕的‘复习’这个词的，似乎只有这条狗。”
　
　
    自从有了考试，就有了复习，但两项发明改变了我们准备考试的方法。以前的一代，复习资料是有利可图的产业，出版时印有 布罗狄和约克这样的字 样。波拉与斯狄弗这一代人采用的是第二项发明，国际互联网。


    最主要的复习网址是英国广播公司的普通教育证书比特塞斯（GCSE Bitesize）。3月中旬该网址每周接受750000次点击，而且本月有望该数字加倍。电视4频道的家庭作业（Homework High）的服务范围更加广泛，帮助9至16岁的学生做家庭作业，每周点击次数达到1.3m次。

    这样的需求给两项服务施加了很大压力。“每天有3000名孩子在网上向我们的教师提一个问题，”4频道特别节目责任编辑保罗·阿失顿说，“但是我们最多只能解答300个问题。同时我们不得不关闭那些聊天室，因为它们太成功。随着更多的学生参 与，新的聊天室自动开辟，有一段时间我们有30个聊天室，却仅由一名监管员来监管。”
　


    这一巨大的要求事出有因。在英国，学生是最有可能使用国际互联网的体之一。最近，由诺普儿童网站（NOP Kids）进行的研究表明，57%的学龄儿童既可在家里也可在学校上互联网。而就在6个月前，是51%。正在准备普通教育证书考试的15至16岁学生上互联网的比例上升到了70%，相比之下，总人口的上网率不到30%。

    信息反馈表明，互联网正在满足重要的学生需求。父母不在时，网络给学生提供信息、支持与鼓励；某门功课有困难的学生离开课堂后，可在网上按照自己的进度学习实例、测试及讲解；因生病而缺课的学生，可以通过网上学习而跟上进度。最受人关注的是，许多学生说，在准备考试时网络能比那些不太称职的教师提供更好的资源和支持。
　
　

    波拉·凯利对网上复习持乐观态度。“我用过一些网址,但不那么频繁。在具体的科目，比如科学，这些网站的确能提供帮助,——在网上看考题及理想的解答作为指导，非常有用，特别是你对那门功课把握不大时,。不过，我也感到沮丧，因为尽管我知道我所需要的东西就在那儿，但必须花很长时间才能到。”
　

    波拉的老师朱迪斯·艾得利的话反映了许多教育工作者的观点，“复习网址替代不了传统的方法，如记笔记和做模拟试卷练习等——没有东西能代替这些——并且，网上复习肯定不能代替努力学习。但是， 比特塞斯以及其他一些网站确是各种因素混合体中挺不错的一部分，而且我确信它们在将来会变得更加完善。”
　

    我们都知道复习是乏味的，但是因为网上的方法与教师的方法之间可以有很大差异，独自学习就可以打破头脑中的信息堵塞。斯狄弗·波格斯发现历史与地理这种以事实为主的课程很难复习 。他说，“几个小时的阅读和记笔记后，在电脑上复习太好了。这些网站有更多的交互作用，配有测试题、电脑批阅、还有完整的答案，因此你知道你的目标是什么。”
　
　

    他比波拉更热衷于网上复习。“我过去觉得很难着手复习，但现在我大多数日子都使用网络。当我拿起书和笔记坐下来学习时，10分钟后我就开始走神。可我喜欢电脑 。因为我必须在网上浏览，填出答案，这样就使我学下去。如果60秒钟后我还没摸键盘或鼠标，我就不能回避自己什么事情也没干这个事实。”
　


    据调查，帮助孩子的教育是父母购买能上网的电脑的重要原因，因此网上复习与家庭作业服务的要求将会增多。随着政府信息技术启动计划实施，能在学校上网的学生数目超过了在家的数目，不管怎样，明年将有3/4的学龄儿童可望上网。
　
　
　
   
    尽管成立只有两周年，英国广播公司普通教育证书比特塞斯网站，已成为为学校建立的互联网站之父。正如它的名字显示的，它提供的一块块复习内容易于消化，涵盖了与全国教学计划紧密匹配的11个主要科目。


“比特塞斯（Bitesize）最初的目标，是要让使用这一服务的每一位学生起码获得 C 等成绩，”英国广播公司负责学校与学院的弗兰克·弗林说。“自从开创这一网址以来，我们已增加了更多的补充资料。我们的远期目标是提高现有水平，我们已证明有这样做的能力。”
　

    教育者在用电脑学习的效果问题上有很大分歧。人们清楚的是，内容的质量及涉及的互动性的性质非常重要。简单地坐在一台个人电脑前面——惊奇、惊奇——并不能帮助学生学习，但某些基于电脑的交互式练习特别有效，对那些感到通过阅读和听讲难以获得知识的学生尤其是如此。
　
　
　
    英国广播公司已经拓展了服务范围，帮助处于第二和第三关键阶段的学生面对这个月的考试，并且对未来的计划抱有雄心。四年之后，英国广播公司网上内容将覆盖大部分国家开设的课程，从5岁到普通教育证书的考试。弗林解释说：“我们想提供范围广泛，有机结合的整套内容，在家庭活动与学校活动之间建立一座桥梁。我们希望网上的资料能吸引那些有对学习失去兴趣的危险的学生，也能让较有抱负的学生根据自己的速度接触全部课程。”
　
　

    4频道的家庭作业网站（Homework High）更加引人入胜。5位卡通式人物住在学校，代表英语、数学、科学、地理及历史。这一网站满怀信心，把自己描绘成世界上最好的家庭作业网址。它的确很好。学生可以周一至周四放学后的4点至5点半，或者在家中下午6点半到9点之间提问。如果你的问题被接受，就会在24小时内得到回答，比其他免费网站来得快，答案的质量也高。需求程度意味着你只有1/10的机会获得一个答复，但是已经建立的一万个答案储备意味着许多领域会有实实在在的帮助，虽然针对性欠缺了一点。
　
　
　
　
    “我们对所提供的答案特别谨慎，” 4频道的保罗·阿什顿说。“我们提供口头建议，以便学生马上可以获得有益的帮助，但不能简单地抄进论文。他们必须对答案进行思考，它的意思是什么，然后把它融进自己的作业。”


    家庭作业网站（Homework High）正在发展，以跟上需求。会来新的老师，网上服务时间正延长到星期天，回答学生问题的将是不同类型的嘉宾如诗人和科学家， 回答问题的风格与教师的形成对照。聊天室将得到进一步控制，将会有对学生与家长都开放的聊天室——当然是分开的。
reactions to the online manage　


    同时，让我们祝波拉、斯狄弗和所有面临普通教育证书考试最后几周复习的学生及家长们获得圆满成功！
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