Where did English come from?

When we talk about ‘English’, we often think of it as a single language. But what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around the world have in common with each other, or with the writings of Chaucer? Claire Bowern traces the language from the present day back to its ancient roots.

The science of tsunamis

The immense swell of a tsunami can grow up to 100 feet, hitting speeds over 500 mph – a treacherous combination for anyone or anything in its path. Alex Gendler details the causes of these towering terrors and explains how scientists are seeking to reduce their destruction in the future.

The great conspiracy against Julius Caesar

On March 15th, 44 BC, Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of about 60 of his own senators. Why did these self-titled Liberators want him dead? And why did Brutus, whose own life had been saved by Caesar, join in the plot? Kathryn Tempest investigates the personal and political assassination of Julius Caesar.

How to use a semicolon

It may seem like the semicolon is struggling with an identity crisis. It looks like a comma crossed with a period. Maybe that’s why we toss these punctuation marks around like grammatical confetti; we’re confused about how to use them properly. Emma Bryce clarifies best practices for the semi-confusing semicolon.

Climb El Capitan

What’s it like to climb El Capitan, one of world’s most iconic rock walls? Now you can get a feel for it with Google Street View. Teaming up with professional climbers, Google has created an immersive 3D experience which lets you scale the 3,000 feet rock wall in Yosemite National Park, California.

Vodafone launches Digi-Parenting

To help parents deal with the ‘digital world’, Vodafone has launched an online parenting hub – Digi-Parenting (digi-parenting.co.nz). It was set up in partnership with The Parenting Place and NetSafe and has a wide range of resources, practical tips, and guides.

Located in Cambridge, St Peter’s is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, day and boarding secondary schools. The student roll is approximately 1,050, Years 7 to 13.

Scratch Overview

Developed by the MIT Media Lab, this is a computer programming language that operates using a visual block system. It has more than seven million registered users and is aimed at 8-16 year olds.

scratch.mit.edu

Smore

Smore (smore.com) is a tool for designing flyers, brochures and newsletters. As well as being a fun way to present and communicate, its click-to-edit functions are more convenient and quicker for students to use than traditional tools like Publisher.

Lincoln Primary School

This a co-educational full primary school located 20 minutes south of Christchurch with a current roll of 477 students.

TED Talk: How great leaders inspire action

By Simon Sinek

Let’s teach kids to code

Coding isn’t just for computer whizzes, says computer scientist Mitch Resnick of MIT Media Lab … it’s for everyone. In a fun, demo-filled TED Talk, he outlines the benefits of teaching kids to code, so they can do more than just “read” new technologies — but also create them.

New Horizons

Ready to explore Pluto? NASA’s New Horizons – the fastest spacecraft ever created – has just reached the dwarf planet. It’s been beaming back high resolution photos for the first time. Find out all about the project and how it’s progressing.

Actively Learn

This is an online literacy platform where you can manage materials for your students to use. Upload files and resources, embed questions for them to answer, customise instruction, and provide feedback. There’s a premium version but the free option offers plenty.

Stickr Tutorial

Quickly and conveniently create stickie notes on any webpage with browser add-on – or bookmarklet – Stickr (stickr.com). Simply select the text and insert a ‘stickr’. Use it to make a note to yourself or share ideas and info with friends. Comment on videos, pictures, news, and more.  You can change the font, size and colours on the notes.