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COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson Ideas and Activities
COMMUNICATIONS LESSONS
A suite of lessons for students to learn about telephones, morse code, New Zealand sign language, and braille.
HISTORY OF NZ COMMUNICATION
It started with stories and songs, then ink and parchment, now it’s bits and bytes, ones and zeros but soon it might be qubits and who knows what else?
OLD VS NEW GAME
How have the ways we communicate changed through time? Match up old technology with what we use today.
CRACK THE CODE
Use the Morse Code alphabet to crack a secret code and become an expert at Morse Code!
MIGHTY MUSIC MACHINES QUIZ
The way we listen to music has changed a lot over the years. How much do you already know? Are you up for the wero (challenge) to learn more?
THE SCIENCE OF SOUND
Sounds are vibrations which we can see, feel and hear. Don't believe us? Explore it for yourself!
GET SMART VIRTUAL TOUR
Explore MOTAT's Get Smart exhibition to see the journey New Zealand has taken from room-sized computers to the cell phone in your pocket.
MAKE YOUR OWN TIME CAPSULE
Make a time capsule - what will you put in their time capsule to ensure people who open it in the future will know it is from Aotearoa New Zealand?
WAR THROUGH THE LENS
For as long as New Zealanders have been at war there have been cameras recording the events. This resource shows students the history of war time photography.
ANZACS HOLDING THE LINE
Uncover changes in communications technology and how these changed the way people connected with war.
Communications kupu list
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The 20th century: Telephones and beyond
The telephone had as big an impact on the 20th century as the Industrial Revolution had on the 19th century. Here's a timeline of telephones from 1876 to now.
A Brief History of Photography and the Camera
In almost 200 years, the camera developed from a plain box that took blurry photos to the high-tech mini computers found in today's smart phones. Take a brief look at the highlights and major developments of this scientific art form.
History of Music Machines | Evolution of Music Players
Before the evolution of music listening brought us to where we are today, enjoying recorded music required more time and attention. For this reason, earlier listeners considered recorded music a rare and exciting luxury. To learn more about the history of music playing technology, let's journey back to the 1800s.
Jacob Collier on the flute:
Jacob Collier plays and transforms a familiar tune through a variety of different emotions.
History of NZ Television Timeline
Journey through 60 years of Kiwi television in this timeline. In the accompanying article, writer Roger Horrocks summarises some of the major changes along the way.
The history of pens:
From cave drawings to quill and ink, to ballpoint pens. Find out how over the centuries writing instruments have evolved into the pen as we know it.
Typing through time:
The type-writer has changed shape dramatically over the years, eventually becoming electronic- then practically obsolete as we moved into the age of computers and the birth of the keyboard.
A history of how mail began in New Zealand:
In the 21st century it takes only seconds for an email to get to the other side of the world, but in the 1800s it took months for a letter from New Zealand to reach Britain. In the early 20th century post was delivered around the country by a wide variety of methods, including by train, aeroplane, boat, tram, packhorse, bicycle and on foot.
The pigeon post of Great Barrier Island:
The Great Barrier Island Pigeon Post was the first in the world to use pigeons to deliver mail using postage stamps. Read all about how the Great Barrier Island pigeon post service was started after the sinking of the SS Wairarapa in October 1894.
Artifact Spotlight: Semaphore Flags:
How do you communicate with a ship that is in sight, but not use a radio? By using semaphore flags! Learn about the art of signaling here!
The importance of pepeha:
Reciting pepeha and whakapapa is an important way Māori people communicate with each other. Listen to two school children explain why their pepeha is so important to them.
Purakau: Māori Myths, Legends and Contemporary Stories:
Oral traditions have always been an important part of Māori culture and identity, with stories handed down from generation to generation. Here's a collection of pūrākau either written or retold by Wiremu Grace.
New Zealand Sign Language Week:
What’s it like interpreting Jacinda Ardern’s weekly press conference in sign language?
Kiwaha:
Kīwaha, a video series sharing a few simple and fun kīwaha (phrases) that everyone can use every day: YOLO, TMI, Nek minnit, 24/7, OMG!
Tapa and Tattoo:
Exploring Tapa and Tattoo as forms of visual communication in Polynesian culture.
New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary:
New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary. Search for words in Māori and English, learn through pictures and short videos. Also features a random ‘sign of the day’.
Contemporary collecting in the time of Covid-19:
Museums communicate through objects. Even everyday objects are useful to tell the story of a particular time and place. Contemporary collecting is gathering objects during current events that will be useful to future generations.
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