Ākonga Wharenui

Waka Tāonga

Learn about waka, and design and animate your own in Scratch!

Kaiako Guide

Overview
Running this course
Student Progress
Curriculum Links
Feedback

Authentic integration for class or home

Nau mai ki te Waka Tāonga - we've created this course for ākonga in Years 5-10 to learn tech with a deeper understanding of Te Ao Māori.

The 1st part of this course (Sections 1-7) focuses on learning about the creation of waka, the different parts, and building some basic skills in Scratch. This part is now available.

The 2nd part, Noho, will look at place and adding background & context to the Scratch project, while building skills & knowledge around finding & using content on the Internet, and Creative Commons.

The 3rd part, Ā Tōna Wā, will explore designing waka and the future of fabrication.

Running this course

There are a couple of options with running this course, and setting up your class with access to both the course, and Scratch:

  1.  Public course - self-sign-up
    This is the simplest option - just share the link to Waka Tāonga and ākonga can sign up using their school account; or run through the course together, on a class TV/projector.
    Add to Google Classroom:
    Add to Microsoft Teams:


  2. Unlisted course - track progress
    We set up an unlisted course and give you access to track student progress through the course.

    If you'd prefer this option, please email schools@omgtech.co.nz with "Waka Tāonga unlisted course" in the subject line, and let us know your school & class name, and when you'd like to run the course.

Scratch setup

Scratch is free, and students can use it without needing to login; however in order to save their work, they will need a user account.

We have a free Scratch Setup Guide on our Kaiako Wharenui which you can follow to create a Scratch classroom with logins for your ākonga. 

Tracking student progress

We have a guide to tracking student progress on our Ākonga Wharenui.

NZ Curriculum links

Computational Thinking (CT) - Technology

Progress Outcome 2 (PO2)
"students give, follow, and debug simple algorithms...  they use these algorithms to create simple programs involving outputs and sequencing."
Students learn to detect user input using a click event, and sequence a range of outputs (text, visual, & audio) when a click is detected, to create an algorithm for each sprite, resulting in a simple program.

Designing & Developing Digital Outcomes (DDDO)

Progress Outcome 1 (PO1)
"students participate in teacher-led activities to develop, manipulate, store, retrieve, and share digital content in order to meet technological challenges"
Students learn to download (store), upload (retrieve), and manipulate image files, record audio files, and use this as part of creating their interactive waka (digital content).
Learning Languages
Achievement Objectives - Level 2
"Students can understand and use familiar expressions and everyday vocabulary. Students can interact in a simple way in supported situations"
Cultural knowledge - make connections with known cultures
Students learn to read and pronounce the names of parts of a waka in Te Reo Māori and understand the importance of waka in Te Ao Māori & Pasifika cultures.

We'd love your feedback

We're keen to hear what worked and what didn't, how long the course took to run, and what else you'd like to see!

Please email us at schools@omgtech.co.nz with your thoughts!
Meet the instructorS

Geoff Bentley

Geoff is a passionate & experienced educator, facilitator, and communicator, with an extensive background in the digital tech & performing arts sector. He thrives on translating the technical into simple terms and fostering all learners’ natural creativity and curiosity, and is currently reading Hare Pota me te Whatu Manapou.
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Meet the instructor

Kawana Wallace

Kawana begin his journey of studying technology in 2013, where he discovered that he was one of only a handful of Māori studying digital technology and computer Sciences at tertiary in New Zealand. After this, he dedicated himself to improving Māori participation in computer Sciences and digital technologies.
Over the last six years, he has worked with a range of people in different communities in the hopes that he might inspire school leadership, kaiako (teachers), rangatahi (youth), whānau (families), and communities to follow a path of technology education with confidence. He provides learners with programs that allow them to make mistakes and learn from them, where learners can explore with their hands and build knowledge from the tips of their fingers. His most significant habit of mind is to react to the world with wonderment and awe. To be excited by the amazingness of the world around him, and to bring about change through his passion.

Kawana created all the waka images for this course, and provided the inspiration for it.
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