SFN for GCSE Revision

[jimmydasaint]

Please correct me if I am wrong here but I think that this Science Forum has huge potential for the GCSE Revision 'market' in the UK. Potentially thousands of school children can be switched on to this site to look for revision podcasts or animations which can excite their interest in science, and educate them as well. It would need some pretty hefty input from some of the solid contributors here, but the level of knowledge shown here is phenomenal (and this is coming from an ex-postdoc in Biology). The homework may have to be opened up for direct answers though.

 

You are so good, but you can reach out to so many without compromising your standards. What about it guys...?

[insane_alien]

while an excelent idea in theory, in practise its going to result in a bunch of people asking the same thing over and over and over and over and over ....

 

you get the point? it would swamp out anything interesting with cries of 'how do you do question 2?'

 

there are forums dedicated to helping people with various examinations, they would definitely be better set up to deal with them as that is their specific purpose. study help is just something we do on the side.

 

not to mention, this is an international forum and not everybody here undergoes the same educations system. even with GCSE's thats just england and wales. not even the whole UK.

[jimmydasaint]

I take the point i-a, but I still think there is room for podcasts which are mildly humorous and interesting and which can fulfil the specifications for criteria worldwide. For example something on cells which sticks in the mind and mnemonics etc... For homework, you can always refer to previous answers. Moreover, you can also have links to animated topics or topics of interest on other websites. The whole point is that Science is FUN and at the same time we are contributing to the science education of future citizens.

 

This community can spread the word about science to thousands. I am sure of it. It should not restrict itself.

[mooeypoo]

Sorry to be slightly off-topic here, but I gotta ask-

(and this is coming from an ex-postdoc in Biology).

How can one be an "ex-postdoc" ? I thought it's like a PhD.. you can't be an "ex-PhD", once you have it, you have it. Once a post-doc, always a post-doc. No?

 

Sorry, it just struck me as odd, that's all.

[CharonY]

A postdoc is a transient position between PhD and whatever comes afterwards (usually some kind of professor in academia or company position in the real world).

It is a bit of a limbo between having a degree and finally making a career. In other words one does not only become an ex-postdoc eventually (depending on country and system this may take anywhere from 6 months to several years), but one really wants to leave that part behind and work on a career instead.

[Dave]

This is something that's been bouncing around the mod forum for some time now. I'm starting to be swayed in the direction of 'this would be a good idea'. I mean, yes, there's the repetition argument, but that can be cured by improving the search functionality, and closing duplicate threads when they pop up. And yes, whilst other sites out there do this, I don't see why we can't do both this AND just our usual science discussions.