The Bama Way

A new commercial website enterprise, The Bama Way is now available. While specifically targeting the tourism market, there is a deadly map that features information about Bama country.

Great for geography, and history.

Aboriginal Place Names of Brisbane

Using Google Maps + Tom Petrie's Reminiscences of Early Queensland: Dating from 1837 by Constance Campbell Petrie (1904), I've started creating a map of Aboriginal Place Names of Brisbane. Its in its earliest of days yet as I add in a couple of names each week.

I'm also looking for other sources I can use (aside from Campbell Petrie's) including local community people.

If you've never used Google Maps before, just go to http://maps.google.com.au/. If  you get stuck (which I often do if its been a few weeks since the last time I worked on the map, just click "help" in the top right hand corner. There are short videos as well as questions & answers from other people.

Extending your Google Map - here is an article about how to work further with Google Maps. I'll be looking for more ideas over time.

Don't forget you can embed the map into your wiki or class blog as well.

(This post also published on www.teacherswhotweet.com)

Play Letterbox & learning Indigenous language

Play Letterbox
As promised yesterday, here is another resource, though you don't need to buy this one.
Letterbox was produced by Carbon Media, an Indigenous Australian media company. The Letterbox programme was televised on NITV and ABC3, and is targeted at primary school aged kids.

You can play the games online. Unfortunately the games aren't leveled and many of them may be for higher level students (Michael & I had a bit of a hard time with alpha bubbles but rocked on word it out!). I suggest that teachers check out the words to make sure that learners can cope (maybe its a site that hard workers can aspire to)
Overall though, its a great spot for fast finishers and I'd definitely bookmark it.

Learn Language
The other great part of this site is the Winanga-Li section (I think Winanga-Li means "to know, to remember" - I'm not sure which language).

Here you can watch the short beautifully produced language videos from over the continent. They're designed to teach young people language. And as I've just discovered their embeddable!! See here below.




(Originally posted on criticalclassroom on TypePad on 04/07/2010)