Using technologies for teaching and learning te reo Māori
Technologies for communicating information make a range of language-learning opportunities accessible to students (including many of those students who do not have ready access to school-based programmes). Such opportunities add to the mix of approaches that teachers can use.
Computers can be very useful for a te reo Māori programme. For example, a student can engage in repetitive practice activities using a computer with appropriate software. The range of computer software and applications now available enables students to take part in many kinds of learning and reinforcement activities, from word-processing to interactive vocabulary building.
The Internet provides access to information about Māori language,1 Māori communities, and Māori arts and crafts. The Internet can also link both learners and teachers of te reo Māori in different schools in New Zealand. For example, teachers who might otherwise feel isolated professionally can contact one another by email or through discussion boards and share ideas, lesson plans, and resources.
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See, for example, the websites of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Puni Kokiri. ^