Podcast – Teaching war, teaching peace

Christchurch City Libraries blog hosts a series of regular podcasts from specialist human rights radio show Speak up – Kōrerotia. This show is created by Sally Carlton.

11 November 2018 marked one hundred years since the signing of the Armistice that ended the First World War. The scale of this war makes a compelling argument for commemorating it – we must remember in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past – yet does this argument hold true? Guests are invited to ponder the question: Does teaching about war translate into teaching about peace?

Part I: Rowan Light (University of Canterbury)
ANZAC Day commemoration as teaching; changes to ANZAC Day over time including shift from veteran- to state-led event.

Part II: Katerina Standish (National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago)
Acknowledgement of violence in New Zealand curricula and its impact on teaching war and peace

Part III: Laura Jones (Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum)
The ‘Gallipoli: Scale of our war’ exhibition; role of the museum in encouraging audience reflection on notions of war and peace.

Transcript – Teaching war, teaching peace

Find out more in our collection

• Find titles about New Zealand and the First World War
• Find titles about The Anzacs
• Find titles about New Zealand peace movement
• Find articles war commemoration in New Zealand (access with your library card & password / PIN)

   

More about Speak up – Kōrerotia

• Speak up – Kōrerotia on Facebook
• Contact the host of the show via speakupkorerotia@gmail.com.

The show is also available on the following platforms:

• Plains FM website
• SoundCloud
• iTunes

Podcast – Indian communities in New Zealand

Christchurch City Libraries blog hosts a series of regular podcasts from specialist human rights radio show Speak up – Kōrerotia. This show is created by Sally Carlton.

Guests Rakesh Naidoo (Strategic Advisor Race Relations at the Human Rights Commission), Archna Tandon, and Jane Buckingham (University of Canterbury historian) discuss Indian migration to and settlement in New Zealand across the centuries.

Part I: History of Indian migration to and settlement in Aotearoa, including changes to immigration policy and its effects; key drivers for Indian migration; Indian international students

Part II: Being ‘Indian’ in New Zealand vs being ‘Punjabi’ etc in India; navigating multiple identities in multiple contexts

Part III: Factors that can enable and hinder successful settlement

Transcript – Indian communities in NZ

Find out more in our collection

• Find titles about East Indians in New Zealand
• Find articles about Indians in New Zealand (access with your library card & password / PIN)

More about Speak up – Kōrerotia

• Speak up – Kōrerotia on Facebook
• Contact the host of the show via speakupkorerotia@gmail.com.

The show is also available on the following platforms:

• Plains FM website
• SoundCloud
• iTunes

Tutor available 24/7 – Lynda.com

Have you started studying this year and are feeling a little out of your depth? or do you want something to help you be at the top of your game. We have just the thing for you – a tutor available 24/7. Lynda.com has tutors for heaps of courses – to either help you with your studies, or try a course before you buy. Check out these great study starters to set you off on the right foot. All you need to get started is a library card and password/PIN.

 Learning Speed Reading

Learn how to read faster. Improve your reading speed and comprehension with these proven speed-reading techniques. Speed-reading is a skill everyone can benefit from, and this course provides proven techniques to improve how much information you absorb and how fast you absorb it.

 Learning Study Skills

Get tips for improving your reading speed and memory, creating detailed notes and preparing for tests. The information in this course is appropriate for all levels of learners, from school  to university students and full-time members of the workforce. Start watching now—you’ll never approach studying the same way again.

 Information Literacy

Information literacy is the ability to discover and use various types of information. It’s an essential skill for navigating the information age. Learn about strategies for finding information – from a library, archive, database or the internet – and the ethics of using what you find. This one is definitely one to trust – the tutor is a Librarian!

 Improving your Memory

Improve your memory with these memorization techniques. It explains the best methods for different situations, like remembering names, important dates, passwords, to-do lists, quotes, and more. These techniques will prove invaluable, whether you’re memorizing facts for a test at school, points for a work presentation, or trivia to impress your friends.

 Learning Algebra: Pre Algebra

Pre-algebra is the first step in high school math, forming the building blocks that lead to geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. This course will help you master the basics: from addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to new types of numbers (integers and negative numbers) and concepts such as the order of operations and distribution.

Open air classrooms opened at Fendalton Primary School – This week in history 24-30 July

The first open air classroom at Fendalton Primary School was officially opened on the 26th of July 1924 by Mr E.H. Andrews, a member of the Canterbury Education Board. Professor Shelley, who was Professor of Education at Canterbury College, also gave an opening address encouraging the school and committee to continue the project.

A classroom at Fendalton Open-Air School, Clyde Road, Christchurch, 1928, CCL PhotoCD 7, IMG0025

This first open air classroom was viewed as an experiment in the new educational philosophy that fresh air, good ventilation and sunlight encouraged good health for the students, as well as providing space for exercise.

The classroom was designed by the Headmaster Mr A.R. Blank, M.B.E. and Dr R.B. Phillipps, the Canterbury Schools’ medical officer, along with the architects Ellis and Hall. A new architecture for classrooms was developed to cater to the new philosophy and the Fendalton examples allowed the whole side of a building to be opened up. Using wood as an adaptable building material, rather than brick, was seen as important for this new architecture to enable adaption of the buildings over time to incorporate developing ideas in educational theory.

Creator unknown : Photograph of an open air classroom, Fendalton School, Christchurch. Ref: PAColl-8863. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23185726

Mr Blank and Dr Phillipps’ belief in the ideals of the Open Air movement was so high that they guaranteed half of the £400 cost from their own pockets, and secured the other half from Christchurch Rotary Club. By opening day £170 had been raised from the public and no money was requested from the Government or Education Board for the experiment. The Department of Education was reported as being skeptical of the potential benefits of this new educational philosophy, but Mr Andrews stated in his opening speech that the Education Board had been misrepresented as being opposed.

Through the 1920s, three additional open air classrooms were built at the Fendalton Primary School. The school was often visited as an example of how open air classrooms could operate including by Dr Truby King, the Department of Education and the British Medical Association.

The Open Air Schools League was established to continue to champion the cause, and they put out a booklet The New Zealand Open-Air School in 1928 using Fendalton as the example of what can be achieved.

If you have any images you would like to contribute to a community repository of Christchurch, please visit Kete Christchurch.

More Christchurch history

To see more of what happened this week in the past, visit our Christchurch Chronology.

My date with Lynda

With my husband out of town with work, I found myself home alone on Valentine’s Day, I decided instead of watching some soppy romance film, I thought I would spend an evening getting to know Lynda.

With 5,800 courses and 260,000 tutorials, first glances were impressive. Lynda.com is an online video tutorial website that is available from our collection of eResources.

I logged in and my date with Lynda began. She is amazing. There are many courses to peruse from IT and programming, to graphic design and business skills. Basics like Microsoft Office are here as well. I was mesmerised. The website is easy to use and all the courses indicate whether they are beginner or advanced so you can immediately tell if it is the right course for you.

I chose two courses – Photography and Web Design. I know a little about both and can say that tutors on the videos were engaging and obviously experts in their field. Each course is broken up into small tutorials so you can learn at your own pace.

I’m looking forward to spending more time with Lynda, and I am going to suggest that my husband goes on a date with Lynda too, (when he is back in town). He was asking me for some tips on Excel.

Animals at the library

The eagle-eyed among you might have spotted a theme in our school holiday events – toy animal sleepover, making owls, snakes on a plain – yes, we will be busy with animal-themed programmes and activities.

• See the programmes and activities at libraries and learning centres.
• Check out other holiday programmes and events in Christchurch.

If your kids enjoy watching the wildlife, there are plenty of books and DVDs in our collection as well as the following resources:

Animal names

Find out the words for male, female, child and groups of different types of animal.

New Zealand birds and animals

New Zealand has an amazing amount of wildlife, we’ve collected some facts and resources in New Zealand birds and animals.

National Geographic Kids

Learn about the natural world us with National Geographic Kids magazine online.

Booklists

• Children’s fiction about animals
• Animal picture books
• Children’s non-fiction animal books
• If you like … animal stories for kids
• If you like … animal fantasy for kids
• If you like…dinosaur books for kids

There’s a collection of Children’s animals eAudiobooks and eBooks on OverDrive for Kids.

Want more animal stuff?

• Read our Interview with Nicola Toki, New Zealand’s threatened species ambassador.
• Book a session in our Reading to dogs programme (back in Term 2).

Connecting Christchurch educators – 31 days of blogging with ChchEd

Are you a teacher, or interested in education? There is a group in Christchurch doing fab work – they’re called Christchurch Connected Educators or Chched. You might see the hashtag #chched on Twitter. Their aim is to create connections between educators across the Canterbury region. It is a strong forum for sharing ideas and making things happen.

This month they bring you 31 Days of Blogging:

A celebration of the awesome things happening in Canterbury schools.

And we're live! #chched's 31 Days of Blogging is underway. Want to write a post? Sign up here! http://t.co/B6BwOTrFeo

— Bridget Compton-Moen (@BridgetLCM) September 30, 2015

Danny from our South Learning Centre will be posting on 3 October.  I’m interested to hear what he has to say – read his previous posts on hoverboards, Living Walls, 3D printing, and Minecraft.

So subscribe to the Chched blog – get ideas, inspiration, and encouragement.

Innovative collaboration and a Living wall

A great project between members of the Library Programme Design and Delivery team in collaboration with Department of Conservation and Fab Lab in Christchurch meant we could utilise our 3D printer to produce and contribute panels to the “Living Wall” project.

Elizabeth Guthrey from DOC.

Various community groups and organisations such as local schools and businesses that have access to 3D printers have been asked to contribute panels to this wall. It will eventually be planted up with native plants and situated on the corner of Cashel and High Street in Christchurch’s central city.

Elizabeth Guthrey (the project leader pictured above) explains that urban green walls and roofs provide habitats for plants and animals, supporting nature in our city. They create shelter, shade and cool cityscapes for a more liveable urban environment for people. The proven positive effects on people’s wellbeing mean green spaces are a must-have in urban regeneration. This particular wall is tipped to be around 20 metres long and remain in place for around two years or more. The picture below provides an indication of how the wall may look when complete.

From the PDD team’s perspective, it is great to get involved in initiatives that contribute to our city’s regeneration and it has certainly been a fantastic trial for our little Makerbot 3D printer – which so far hasn’t missed a beat.

Danny
South Learning Centre

2D to 3D

This term our team has been running our very first school programme utilising the Library 3D printer.

The name of the course is “2D to 3D” and involves 12 students being introduced to a variety of learning and software that allows them to take 2 dimensional design, (arrived at by following a “design process”) through to a finished 3 dimensional product that is printed out on our 3D printer.

We are now just four weeks into this first course and the students have been buzzing about what they are learning. We have taught them how to use the free 123D Design software and most of them are now using it at home whenever they get the opportunity. The first printable project was to create a “pencil copter” which is a propeller device that fits on the end of an HB pencil that actually flies.

Each student (after being taught the basic functions of the software) built their own “copter” in 123D and added their own embellishments to personalise their design. The following week we tested their copters and reflected on what worked well and what could be improved upon.

Great fun!

What’s going on at the South Learning Centre?

Check out our progamme of events at the South Learning Centre. You can still sign up for some of these:

• Beginning Computer Skills
• Beyond Beginners
• Computers Plus
• Introduction to iPads
• Computer Drop in Sessions
• Introduction to e-books

After School Programmes

• Girlszone
• Workshop Club
• eBook Club
• Gamezone

Some other things we’ve been doing lately – We’ve been learning with Cashmere Primary, St Bernadettes School, Cyber Citizenship Connect with Thorrington School, Horizons Bio Poetry, Tapa Tiles with Beckenham School, Garage Band with Barnardos Trust, and Horizons Pasifika Stories.

Go to our Learning Centres programme to explore what you can learn!