Rugby and rugby league

Beneath the Maori Moon : An illustrated history of Maori Rugby

Here is a link to the publisher's website - Huia Books : http://www.huia.co.nz/shop&item_id=927




There is also a history of rugby league in Auckland : Auckland 100 Years of Rugby League
http://www.huia.co.nz/shop&item_id=926

Hautipua Rererangi

This fantastic brand new book in "graphic novel" format tells the story of John Porokoru Pohe, a World War II pilot from Taihape who was captured and held prisoner at Stalag Luft III where he was part of the attempt to escape by digging tunnels ( "The Great Escape"). Although he and others did escape, John Pohe was one of the escapees who was recaptured and shot...

Here is the link to the Down the back of the chair website about ordering it :
http://thechair.minedu.govt.nz/servlet/Srv.Ecos_Signon?CN=12587&UC=MOEVIEW&AC=A877804567019987

And you can read more here about John Pohe at the Auckland Museum website :

http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/18989.detail

The book is published by Huia, and was written by Julian Arahanga, translated by Hareruia Aperahama, and illustrated by Andrew Burdan.

Te Puna brings together essays about the art of Te Tai Tokerau / Northland, including carving, painting, weaving, architecture, moko (tattoo) and waka building. It discusses how Northland Maori art was collected by museums and missionaries; and argues that Tai Tokerau was the cradle for contemporary Maori art. Shorter essays highlight artists such as Ralph Hotere, Shane Cotton, Hec Busby and Kura Te Waru Rewiri. The essays are by leading art historians and curators. Raupo Publishing, 2007

I love the opening of the essay by Chanel Clarke - Nga taonga tuitui tangata.

"There is a certain point on the road north, just before you come upon the settlement of Pakaraka, that for the unknowing may seem like an ordinary bend on the journey. But when you round it the vast, glorious expanse of the Taiamai landscape suddenly opens up before you. You get a glimpse of the past life of our ancestors as the majestic pa of Pouerua rises in the distance with Maungaturoto tucked in behind. The puriri trees that dot the landscape are a reminder of the dense native forest that once clothed this land. It is a brief moment, followed only a minute later by a completely different vision as Holy Trinity Church presents itself, tucked into a leafy glade, in a scene reminiscent of the English countryside. This sharp contrast is characteristic of this part of the North."

Wordle

Wordle is a great tool for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide.

Simply go to http://www.wordle.net/

• and then to Create - type your words - eg a piece of text, a list, a poem... into the box and then Go...
• Randomize will give you many different options
  
• You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and colour schemes.
  
• To keep words connected to each other use the tilde to link them (the tilde is the(the wavy line ~ at the top of the key on the far top left of your keyboard - next to the number 1) .
  
• The images you create with Wordle are yours to print, or save to the Gallery... I've made cover sheets for course booklets, thank-you notes and birthday cards, pictures from poems...

The more often a word appears, the more prominent it will be in the resulting word cloud which can be used for artistic effect but also can help analyse text to find the predominant words or themes...

Here is a link to a great blog with information on how teachers might use wordle for in the classroom...
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/07/more-wordle-in-classroom-ideas.html

Patuhi for macrons

Some of you may have installed Patuhi for macrons from the CD... Here is how it works - once you open a word document, to put a macron on a letter, you press the Control key then let it go- don't hold it down, then press the letter you want to put a macron on...

PhotoStory

At the end of the day yesterday I showed you PhotoStory... Just google the name and it will come up or here is the link to the website http://tiny.cc/Photostory610

PhotoStory is wonderful free software which enables you to turn a collection of digital photos into a "video" complete with your own narration, text and music background.
It is lots of fun and very easy to use...

It could be a great tool for the classroom with students of all ages for a variety of purposes, and in the library maybe for doing book reviews ? It could be a good resource to promote to families in the school newsletter too perhaps ?

There is a guide to making a video using a single photo which is also very effective, if a bit more complex ! http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/tips/create.mspx

Netsafe and The Grid

Check out the Netsafe website for great resources on being connected, safe and responsible when on the net - information for students, teachers, parents and more... www.netsafe.org.nz
Here is the link to The Grid http://www.thegrid.org.nz/ and to Hector's World http://www.hectorsworld.co.nz/island/index.html#HOMEPAGE

Borrowing resources from National Library CIS

Here is the link to the online order form for Curriculum Information Service at National Library
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/cis-online-request
or for the Auckland Centre you can call 0800 356 000 or fax 0800 356 001.

Digital NZ / A-tihi o Aotearoa

Here is a link to an introductory video on Youtube about DigitalNZ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXLDS5JLyR4

Newspapers in Education te reo resources

Here is a link to the Newspapers in Education website http://www.newszone.co.nz/tereoresources.php where you can order some resources in te reo.

Te Marae is a photokit ($25) of 24 pages, with colour photos on one side and information, questions and activities on the back, focussing on the protocol, people, artwork and taonga of a marae.
He Korero mo te kai ($2.50) is a colourful poster featuring 18 food items and their names in te reo Maori.

Maori blessing

kia hora te marino,
kia tere te karohirohi,
kia papapounamu te moana

may peace and calmness surround you,
may you reside in the warmth of a summer's haze,
may the ocean of your travels be as smooth as the polished greenstone

From the website of NZ Digital Library
http://nzdl.sadl.uleth.ca/cgi-bin/library

Hot Topics on NLNZ website

Check out the hot topics on the National Library website - here is the link to the Matariki resources listed there...
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/services/get-advice/school-libraries/hot-topics/matariki

There is also a Hot topic on Pre-European Maori with "information about Māori culture, technology (including travel) and settlement before the arrival of Europeans in New Zealand."

Maori language week 2009

This post about Maori Language week is from Bridget Schaumann at Kings College.

The Māori Language Week theme for 2009 was "Te Reo i te Hapori - Māori Language in the Community." Check out this website http://www.korero.maori.nz/forlearners which has lots of useful information for New Zealand students whether they are studying Maori or just interested in gaining some more skills.
Other useful websites are:
Maorilanguage.net
Maori.Org
Te Wiki o te Reo (Maori Language Blog for kids)

Insects and spiders website

This is a good website on insects and spiders, good junior level, in English or te reo Maori.

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/education/insects_spiders/

100 Maori words every NZer should know !

For Maori language week NZ History online put together this resource - a good starting point for non-speakers of te reo Maori...
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/maori-language-week/100-maori-words