Available Online Services / Research Information for Students:

Below are a list of websites / online communities / research sites / reading material available for students that you may or may not be aware of:

• New Zealand Geographic on Facebook
• Topic Explorer – a great easy to use free research service of the National Library
• Any Questions:  This is an online, live reference service for NZ students.  They can chat with a librarian to get some research help but even better, the flip side is Many Answers.  Many Answers provides study guides and research links to all the most common topics that crop up in Any Questions – so credible and reliable links are at your fingertips, 24/7.
• New Zealand Material: Digital New Zealand is an amazing resource for searching New Zealand material from a wide variety of providers.  Check out the ability to create a log in and create your own ‘story’ – this would be a fantastic online activity for students (can be public or private).
• Free Audio Books:

⇒ Storytime https://storytime.rnz.co.nz/ (mostly younger readers)

⇒ Radio New Zealand – Not for Children (Young adult) https://www.radionz.co.nz/collections/not-for-children

⇒ Project Gutenberg: There are more than 50,000 free ebooks, but not all of them are audiobooks, but you can search for Audio books – spoken by human voice or computer generated! You also have the option of hearing a novel spoken in other languages which may interest some. The books are shared freely here because their copyrights have expired.

⇒ Loyal Books http://www.loyalbooks.com/genre/Children Once again here these audio books are shared freely because their copyrights have expired.Selection of fiction (alot of classic novels) and some non-fiction. Easily searched.

• For a bit of fun, for the younger members of your family:

               ⇒ Tour an amazing Aquarium in Georgia, North America – see wonderful sealife up close – looks great on a big screen
               ⇒ A library of children’s books read aloud by some famous names. Storyline Online is a free resource made available for children during this
                   time. The stories are viewed partly animated by the books illustrations and partly viewed by the actor/comedian/celebrity reading the story
                   from the book. Some of the readers are Chris Pine, Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Costner, Chris O’Dowd, Wanda Sykes, Sean Astin – the list is quite 
                   long.

 

Safety Tips for Online Social Networks

This Netsafe link below, has been forwarded to schools for their students and parents by the National Prevention section of the NZ Police –
Join a Houseparty – Netsafe
Houseparty has become one of the most widely used apps since lockdown. With the majority of the population indoors, social networks like Zoom and Houseparty have become popular as people search for entertaining ways to come together. Get an overview of Houseparty and our tips to keep yourself/family, and others, safe while using it.