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gcsecomputing.org.uk is an independent subscription site run by Mike Coley. It hosts resources aimed at the OCR Computing GCSE (although AQA is also planned) and covers unit A451 as well as a few tips for the coursework modules (A452 and A453).
The site is full of content for students and covers all the required topics in some depth. Sometimes the information on offer goes beyond what is needed at GCSE level, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as finding resources to push the more able students is not always easy.
Many of the pages contain animations which at times are useful and others are a little distracting when trying to read the text. The animations that are used to explain a point or topic are very useful, but there are a few too many which add little other than a distraction. It would be nice to allow the user to start the animation with a click rather than have them playing automatically. Even better, it would be great to be able to play them at your own rate – similar to a slide show.
When you sign up you have two logins – student and teacher. Whilst the student login gives pupils access to the main information pages, the teacher login offers materials to help deliver the topics to the class. A presentation and worksheet(s) are available to download for each topic and again the quality and a good depth of information are present. The worksheets are excellent and will save teachers preparation time, but the presentations are a little text heavy for my liking.
Currently it costs £35 a year to access the resources and this represents excellent value for money. Mike Coley is constantly looking at improving and updating the site so it will keep up to date with any changes in the GCSE.
For the price, it is impossible not to recommend signing up. As a classroom resource, a time saving way of accessing worksheets and presentations or just for a student revision guide, gcsecomputing.org.uk is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to deliver the OCR GCSE Computing course this academic year.
Links:
www.gcsecomputing.org.uk
