This day in History

One of the activities I timetable children to do each day before school is to find out what happened on this day in History. Some of the sites I had been using were American (and were the day before, because of time difference).

Sometimes the information on those sites were not really appropriate for children in New Zealand. I came across this site New Zealand History online. What a great way to teach our students New Zealand history.

How to use in the Classroom
IWB
Make a file using the notebook software of the IWB you are using. Add the links to the first page.

I also link to a weather site and current news site.

Students are timetabled (3 a day) to click on a link, read the page, decide which item they are going to copy and take a screen capture to a new page.
This becomes part of our oral language time in the morning where all 3 students have a chance to report back to the class what they have found out. They particularly like using the IWB to navigate to their pages and we always take the opportunity to use the highlighter pens to identify key words, nouns, great adjectives etc( what ever happens to be our focus at that time.)

Projector only

Make these links in a PowerPoint and hyperlink to the address or the pictures. When presenting back students click on the link and find the item they want to talk about.

No Projector or IWB

This still works well without a projector, students take notes of what they have found out and report back to the classroom. This is great activity for making sure that all children get hands on time using the computer and the internet every two weeks.

Ancestral Seafarers

I have written a series of technology units that have an ICT focus and I am going to share them over the next few weeks.
The first one is Ancestral Seafarers. Students will use Google Sketchup, Digital Lego and Paint as some of the ICT tools.
This unit is designed to integrate into the main Science and Social studies focus.
Setting: We have been looking at how the early Maori people migrated to New Zealand. They used many forms of navigation tools such as the stars, migrating birds and tidal flow.
Brief: It is the year 2010; we have sophisticated technology available to use. If we were going to make the same trip and were able to use the technology available today to navigate, then what and how would we use it? Plan a model using Sketchup, Digital Lego or Paint and identify all of the technologies you have used.
Specifications:

• The boat you travel in can be no longer than 20 metres
• You must justify the use of each technological item

Follow the slideshow and complete the tasks.

Ancestral Seafarers

View more presentations from Jacqui Sharp.

Discuss this

'So canoe traditions do not only explain origins. They also express authority and identity, and define tribal boundaries and relationships. They merge poetry and politics, history and myth, fact and legend' (retrieved from TeAra)

What does this mean? How can it relate to your own design?

Try out the tutorials in either Sketchup or Digital Lego
Draw your plan itemising all of the technological improvements that you will use for navigation.
Level 1: Describe your plan itemising all of the technological improvements that you will use for navigation.
Level 2: Present your plan to the class explaining the outcome you are developoing and describing the technological improvements
Level 3: Describe your outcome explaining how it will suit what you plan to do with it, identify the technological improvements and describe in detail how they will assist with the final outcome
Level 4: Identify what the need or opportunity was, describe the technological improvement and how it will benefit the stakeholders.

TeAra the The online Encyclopedia of New Zealand is a wonderful resource to start with when researching anything to do with New Zealand.
TVNZ on demand is another valuable resource and Waka Hui had several episodes on Ancestral Seafarers.