Digital Dig

WALT learn shortcuts to make our learning easier.

For this Cybersmarts session I had the opportunity to finish this DLO with my good friend Metui, which made both of our learning much easier. We completed something called a Digital Dig, it's where we had to find the shortcuts to make our learning more easier and fun to do. While working on this DLO I found that most of the shortcuts that we had to find out, I already knew the answer to! Well, me and Metui, because we have had our netbooks for over 2 years. 

Something that I enjoyed while doing this task was that I was able to complete this task with one of my fellow peers. Also I didn't find that much of these shortcuts were challenging to find. A challenge I found was finding the shortcuts I didn't know.

I love learning more things about Cybersmarts because it can help me later on in life when I have my own things like bank accounts and many more.

Please leave a comment!

Many thanks :) 

Reusing and Attributing Images

WALT: Reuse and Attribute an image without breaking the law.

Yesterday we had another Cybersmarts session with Mrs Shearing. But today for this weeks session we were taught about images and how to use free images and not break the law by using images that aren't allowed to be used for free. At first I thought all the images were free on the internet because I use images for my education all the time! When Mrs Shearing told us about how we could use free images without breaking the law , she taught us how to use a tool on Google Images to pick a free image without being guilty of breaking the law. Mrs Shearing also showed us how to see the details of the image, for eg. The Author's name, the date it was put on the internet, and the license type. 

It was amazing to hear that there was a tool on the internet that I didn't know of/heard of. The tool is being able to have the ability to see free images with 2 clicks of your mouse. Mrs Shearing also said the word 'CopyRight' I have heard this word before in movies, songs and images! If an image is copyright you are not allowed to use that image to get money, or any other stupid image. If you use an image that is Copyrighted and use the image to get money the owner will think that you are using their image for something and the image isn't actually theirs! 

When Mrs Shearing was talking all I could think about was the fact that all this time I have been using images for 3 years and in that amount of time I didn't know that I was breaking the law most of the time. But at least I wasn't using the images to earn money or something, but we were also told that we have to acknowledge the owner of an image if we use it without permission! 

It's either paying or not using the image. I'm sure everyone would go with not using the image. 

This week's Cybersmart session is probably one of the most interesting Cybersmart sessions I've ever contributed in! Our task was to pick four images and find the author, license type and the image title. I completed the task in about 7 - 10 minutes. 

At first I found keeping up with Mrs Shearing a challenge because I wasn't on the same website as her in order to collect all the information. I enjoyed learning a new tool and finding out some information about images because it was my first time learning about this new trick. 

Please leave a comment!

Many thanks :) 

Buddy Time with Garth (Salamander)

WALT: Write down some information about the amphibian we call the 'Salamander' 

Today, my buddy along with the rest of Room 3 came up again to finish up on the work we started yesterday, as you all know I have blogged that work and now I had the ability to choose a different animal. I decided to choose the Salamander, it's a very unique animal with it's skin being reflectable.

Please leave a comment!

Estuary Summary :)

WALT: Write down the key points on an article called 'The secret life of Estuaries'

Here is my brief summary based on an article about something called an Estuary, do you know what an Estuary is? Well, luckily for you I have read an article based on Estuaries and know I can look at ideas in a new and different way. At first, I thought an Estuary was just a word, with no meaning but after reading this article I have learnt what it is... An Estuary is a much needed process located in many different water parts. An Estuary is when fresh water coming in from land connects with salt water but before meeting the salt water, the fresh water carries nutrients and that nutrients becomes absorbed when going through a mush (also called an Estuary) 

Now I have a better understanding on what this spectacular water process is. Overall, I felt that this activity would be hard but I read the article more than twice! This activity has helped me to develop information on what an Estuary is. I hope that one day I can see a Estuary with my own two eyes and ponder on why it's such important in the water. I enjoyed reading about Estuaries as I have never read and hear about this special process. A challenge I came upon was trying to get why it is needed and how it helps young organisms in the water thrive to reach maturity. 

Do you know what an Estaury is?

If so, leave your thoughts in the comment section below :)

Many thanks :)

Buddy Time (EELS)

Today I , Gary, Siale and our Room 3 buddy Garth, we were searching for some facts and information about the cold blooded animal... THE EEL!

Here is a DLO my two buddies , Siale and Year 3 Gath, and I have worked on, the animal that my teacher chose us to search up on was the EEL! Did you know that out of all the species of Eel 2 originate  from New Zealand? The Long Finned Eel and the Short Finned Eel. Then we were all asked a question... What is an amphibian? At first I was lost, but then I remembered an amphibian is a cold blooded creature and an Eel is a cold blooded creature meaning I was searching up facts on an AMPHIBIAN! Sounds like a very hard word. After completing every slide my buddy created his own Eel, it was great to see my buddy getting some early tips on how to use a Chromebook. 

Overall, I thought that this time helped me, Siale and Garth create stronger bonds between each other, I hope some time soon I can continue to create bonds with Garth as it is my last year here at Tamaki, and I want him to look up to me as a Student Leader. :) He is a very funny young man with the ability to stand up for himself... 

What do you know about EELS?

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below :)

Many thanks :)

Victim from Kidnapping takes a stand.

IALT: Write about a 19-year-old girl who was kidnapped and left for dead, but today the victim has taken a stand against those who ambushed her.

The 19 year old girl was lured to one of the Dome Valley defendants' homes before she was allegedly ambushed, tasered, had a hot meth-pipe rolled down her leg the kidnapped, the victim has told court. During the abduction that occurred in April last year, the victim had her hair hacked off and a knife held to her throat and told to sign her car over to them, the court heard. The woman told the High Court at Auckland today she was then driven to the Bombay Hills and told: "If you ever come back to Auckland you're going to get more of the same." The teenager, is giving evidence during the trial of five people charged in relation to two kidnappings before she was allegedly beaten with a hammer and left for dead on the side of the road in Dome Valley last May.



The attacks happened because she was rumoured to have slept with an ex-boyfriend of one of the defendants. The accused are Michelle Blom, Nicola Jones, Cameron Hakeke, Wayne Blackett and Julie-Ann Torrance and all have been charged with varying offences. The defence lawyers say the defendants are innocent of the charges as some already admitted the roles they played in the attack. On April 23, the woman said Hakeke asked to buy a "Q", a quarter of a gram, of methamphetamine so she went to his house in Green Bay.

When she arrived, Torrance was there and said: "Oh hi."

The woman said Torrance replied: "Oh hi, is that all you've got to say?"Jones then allegedly jumped out from behind the door and tackled her to the ground. Jones and Torrance then started kicking her in the head and stomach.They told her Hakeke had gone to get a dirty needle for her.She said they then pulled out a "stun gun" and took it in turns to taser her under her arms and between her thighs.After she was told they were going to kill her whole family and make her watch, Jones left and Torrance smoked meth from a pipe.

She then allegedly rolled the hot pipe down her leg."It was excruciating. The pain was the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life."Jones and Hakeke returned then along with Torrance they started to hack off her long hair to her shoulders, the woman said.They also allegedly held the woman's own flip-knife to her neck and forced her to sign a piece of paper which meant she was signing over her car to them."I was living out of my car at the time so it had everything I owned in it."They then all got in her car - Jones drove, Hakeke was in the front passenger seat and Torrance was in the back with the woman - and went out to the Bombay Hills.

She was let out of the car and the woman said Jones and Torrance told her to hitchhike back to her mother's place in Taupo and to never to return to Auckland.

The trial still continues.

Overall, I think that this article should be read by many in New Zealand, it's sad to hear that a 19 year old teen was ambushed simply because there were rumours about her sleeping with an ex of somebody's. I was once told by a person to not jump to conclusions, and find out the truth first before acting, but in this article the attackers didn't stop and think to themselves, asking these sort of questions "Is it true or not?" "Should I ask first?" so they chose on the idea to attack her for something that may have not been true. If that were me I would stop and think before acting because actions speak louder than words and in this situation the actions that took place here, are horrific and terrible. 

The 19 year old is lucky to be alive after she was allegedly ambushed by 5 people! Five on One, the five will win obviously unless you're a strong person. But after reading this article I've learnt that sometimes rumours can be lies and you shouldn't just jump to conclusions. You never know one day the 5 attackers might lunge out again... Let's hope everything goes smoothly and that the attackers are sentenced to more than 1 year behind bars... 

Before I close off, I'd like to thank that person for teaching me a skill that not only helped me, but I also found out that it's true... What are your thoughts on this article?

Click HERE to read the original piece of writing :)

Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below :) 

Many thanks :)

Mouse Stop Plane From Departing

IALT: Write about a mouse stopping a plane from flying.

Did you know that a mouse could stop a plane from flying? Even though it sounds very strange today, a mouse stopped a plane flight from London's Heathrow Airport to USA to be cancelled! A small, tiny mouse can stop something 100x it's size! Very, very strange. The British Airways flight to San Francisco  was cancelled after a mouse was found by staff members; despite the fact that all the passengers were already trapped in waiting to take off. British Airways said that planes cannot take off with mice on board, another flight was arranged quickly. Heathrow is the UK's busiest airport dealing with more than 20,000 passengers on average a day! 



Overall, I am shocked to hear that something as small as a mouse had the ability to stop something 100x it's size, like a plane, from flying! This article shows proof that something like a mouse can stop a plane from flying! A plane is one of the very few things that people go on in order to travel overseas. Recently, my aunt and cousins left on a plane to Tonga, luckily there was no rodent on board the trip too. If I were to ask some questions on to who wrote this article, I would ask why mice aren't allowed on planes and why couldn't they just take it out. 

Maybe, they're thinking there might be a rodent 'takeover' and therefore don't want people to miss their flights to various destinations. This is a very rare article and one day I hope to find out how the mouse got there and why aren't planes allowed to fly with rodents on board!

What are your thoughts on this article?
Click HERE to read the original article:)
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below :)

Many thanks.

Card Game Costs Kiwi Family Thousands

IALT: Write about the incident that occurred in Bali, with a man being kidnapped and stripped of more than 2,000 NZD.

A Kiwi father was kidnapped on his family holiday for more than four hours and forced to pay a card game which scammed him out of $2000. The victim, whose wife spoke to NZ Herald said he was too traumatised to talk, he was alone on the streets of the resort island when a local man sat down on a bench beside him. The pair started chatting and the local man said his sister was moving to Auckland to be a nurse, and asked the Kiwi to talk to her about what it's like in New Zealand.

"My husband just thought about being a nice guy, that was fine" his wife claimed.

He got into a car with the Balinese man to speak to the women. "The doors shut close and he got locked in and then he was driven away" the wife said. "They drove him into a property where they locked the gate. They took him inside and sat him down, they wouldn't let him leave. The house was really little. People seemed to come and go within the room" The Kiwi started to get terrified because he had no idea on what they were capable of. 

"He tried to do what he was told because he was obviously scared by that stage" his wife said.

"He had no idea what was coming. He didn't think he was going to get out of it alive. He thought it was going to be over. They didn't say anything like that, but there was just too much that was going on." Inside the house another man was playing a card game with a Balinese woman. The local man forced the New Zealander to play a round before telling him he had to "up the stakes" by betting your money.

They kept telling him that he was winning, and that he would have to continue playing for a little longer. When the man ran out of cash the the scammers drove him to a shop and forced him to swipe his card and enter his pin, his wife said.

He was frightened at that stage and he knew he couldn't escape as there was a man standing at the entrance. He swiped his card and they took every bit of money he had left.

They money they took from his account along with his cash totalled more than NZD $2000, his wife said. Fter the four-hour-long ordeal the scammers finally put the man in a taxi and sent him back to his hotel. Before the car drove away they gave the man a cellphone, they they said "We'll be in touch" When the man arrived at his hotel, he handed the phone into reception and told them and his family what had happened. 

The Embassy got the man to file a report with the local police and advised the family to return to New Zealand immediately, the wife said.

"It was like, 'we're not safe here'."

They cut their holiday a week short, forking out $2000 to change their flights because their insurance refused to pay despite them having comprehensive cover.

The wife said the experience had been "really terrifying" and wanted to warn other Kiwi travellers of the scam.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) spokesman confirmed the family of a New Zealander contacted the New Zealand Embassy in Jakarta for consular assistance.

Travellers should check the Mfat website Safe Travel if they were concerned about being scammed while overseas and report any scams they are the victim of to the local police, the spokesman said.

The Safe Travel website warns of scams similar to the one that the family described."Many countries on the tourist beat have their own special scams that target the overseas traveller," it states.

"There are familiar tales of travellers... meeting someone on the street who wants to practice their English and then becoming an unwitting player in a 'high stakes' poker game..."Things turn serious when you are unable to pay. You may be forced to the nearest ATM to settle your debt."In 2011 an Australian couple who were holidaying in Bali were conned in similar circumstances.

Click HERE to read the original article.

This article makes me think about the decision people are making around the world. If I was the man, of course I would try to help, but I would be extremely cautious as I've never been at that country before. Hearing about kidnapping in Bali doesn't sound like a true story because Bali is a very magical island from their beaches to their resorts. If I went on a vacation to a country, I wouldn't go out by myself as people might scam you, like in this article where the man was stripped from all his money.

It's sad to hear that a Kiwi man has had all his money stripped, but the thing that scares me is that they gave the man a phone, saying "We'll keep in touch" I would do exactly the same as the man and turn in the phone to Police and show evidence that there are people that are not "so-good" If I were kidnapped I wouldn't follow instructions where money is included because it's a family vacation it's meant to be fun and amazing. I would fight to get out and report it to the Police immediately! 

This goes for anyone who is reading this article, if you're going on a holiday make sure your read the background of the country just in case, you never know you might be the victim of a kidnapping as well. 

What are your thoughts on this article?

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below :)

Happy Sabbath and Many thanks :) :)