The Official VN Newspaper Article Thread.

[misskaraleah]

Just an update for all those interested in the prospective VN newspaper article.

So far, i'm 75% through completing the first draft, however im still short on some information. 

At the moment, the artcile features information about:
* Both the notes forum sections.
* Stats regarding average ENTER/ SS for the forum.
* Quotes from Daniel.
* How the site originated.

Suggested information to include in the piece.
* How VN is not only a VCE related site, yet is a community which has brough like minded people together.
* VN BBQ's/ Bowling days and meetups.
* Can deter students from stress in final years (through random lighthearted threads)
* Kevin Rudd and his aim to provide primary and high school students with technology to help them through their schooling. Could mention something along the lines of 'VN encourages students to achieve their personal best through interaction with like minded high achievers.'

* Possibly mention VN Dux?

Other than that, im pretty much open to any ideas people have regarding the article.

Later i will post a series of questions for people to answer, so i can quote and use in the piece.

Thanks again 

PS: Mods, could you please delete the other thread in General VN discussion. It seemed more appropriate here

[misskaraleah]

Finally i have completed it!

However, i still feel that there a few minor things that need to be corrected or altered for the piece to sound more like a news report than an advertisement blatantly promoting VN.

These are the parts of the article- that in my opinion- need to be altered.

*The headline- I think its a bit boring, however it could help persuade the audience into believing the article is actually a report, rather than a plea to gain more members to the site.

*The lead- could be more witty?

*The conclusion- seems a bit rushed.

Other than that, i would like to thank those that helped contribute to the piece providing quotes and what not.

Also, appoligies go out to those who werent mentioned or quoted in the piece. In the end, i was basically trying to include as many quotes as possible and had to remove some as it seemd a bit over the top. So sorry to those who werent mentioned.

Finally, could you please provide as much constructive critisism as possible- it would be much appreciated.





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Students find success story online.

KARA IRVING

SOME of Victoria’s brightest students are turning to the Internet to gain an edge during their final years of schooling.
 
Updated daily, the website and Internet forum ‘VCE Notes’, provides students that are aiming  for their Victorian Certificate of Education with a series of  free A grade study materials, practice exams and lecture notes, which are free to upload from an Internet Database.

Since late 2007 potential high achievers have been able to upload their own notes, as well as browse through a selection of high scoring school based assessment tasks, lecture notes and practice exams provided by some of the states previous top scorers.

‘What started out as a procrastination exercise during my exam period has grown into a fully fledged online VCE community of which I am most proud’, admits website and forum creator Daniel Levy.

My aim for VN is for it to be the ultimate companion for any student doing VCE, no matter which subject they undertake, and currently, I believe the site is well on its way to this target’.

And with 7,000 secondary and university students logging on each month, as well as an average of 9 new members joining daily, it’s no surprise this independent out-of-school resource spawns many success stories.

In 2008, the average ENTER score for VCE notes members was 92.75 and the median individual subject score 39 out of a potential 50.
15 members also achieved an ENTER scores over 99 and over 60 registered members scored within the 90’s.

‘It's not always an easy task to extract the necessary information from teachers and books. The notes on the site have already done the extraction work for the student, such that all the necessary exam information is there in summarised form’ adds Levy.

High end private schools already do this for their students. VCE Notes- is bringing these resources to those who cannot afford a high-end private school’
Despite having accessibility to an array of highly regarded revision papers, members seem to be gaining more benefit from interaction within the sites’ moderated forums.

Upon registering students are able to access over 30 specialised boards catering for a range of VCE subjects including English, Mathematics, Science, and even a selection of Vocational and Education Training (VET) and University Enhancement studies, with each being moderated by students who performed highly in that subject in previous years.

Former student and 2008 dux of Kambrya College in Berwick, Mao Yuan Liu agrees that social interaction upon an educational related Internet forum can actually improve a student’s overall performance during both years 11 and 12.  ‘Discussion on both a social and intellectual level is mentally stimulating, and it is this environment that is most beneficial to achieving a high score. We had a chance to share with other members what we knew, and taught each other much more than any single school could offer. At the same time, there was also constructive competition, as we helped each other to beat the state and ourselves.’

However aside from the sites advantages, St John's Regional College graduate and Business Management board moderator, Costa Vasili urges future members not to become too dependent upon accessing the sites note system. ‘It's important not to “over-resource” yourself with notes and supplementary material, I think that may be an area where VCE Notes needs reform. With so many free resources being available, it’s hard to distinguish between the best notes and the mediocre notes.’

To apply for membership and to access the interactive forums visit: www.vcenotes.com

[clinton_09]

Ir's very good, well done!!

[username]

Awesome. (y)

[squance]

I like it.

[costargh]

(Y) A+

[misskaraleah]

So it doesnt sound too 'promtional' or too much like an advertisement...?

[clinton_09]

I don't think so

[kurrymuncher]

Its great

[Eriny]

Just a little thing:

In 2008, the average ENTER score for VCE notes members was 92.75 and the median individual subject score 39 out of a potential 50.
15 members also achieved an ENTER scores over 99 and over 60 registered members scored within the 90’s.

Some of the scores could have been lied about and some people chose not to disclose their results. So, this part may not necessarily be true. You can say stuff like 'the median was estimated to be...' or 'of students who disclosed their scores, the average was...', but as it is it's a bit misleading. I know newspapers don't tend to care about that stuff, but discerning readers will probably guess that the stats may be inaccurate which could undermine the rest of your good article.

[AppleXY]

Wow that was a great article, excellent work

[misskaraleah]

Just a little thing:

In 2008, the average ENTER score for VCE notes members was 92.75 and the median individual subject score 39 out of a potential 50.
15 members also achieved an ENTER scores over 99 and over 60 registered members scored within the 90’s.

Some of the scores could have been lied about and some people chose not to disclose their results. So, this part may not necessarily be true. You can say stuff like 'the median was estimated to be...' or 'of students who disclosed their scores, the average was...', but as it is it's a bit misleading. I know newspapers don't tend to care about that stuff, but discerning readers will probably guess that the stats may be inaccurate which could undermine the rest of your good article.

Thanks for suggesting that. I'll change the wording a little to make sure it sounds legitimate.

[mtwtfss]

Where's this article being published?

[lacoste]

Nice work, thats fantastic work!

[kurrymuncher]

Where's this article being published?

The Age