Ko tēnei te wiki o te reo Māori! Each day this week we'll be posting about a different aspect of strengthening te reo Māori.
As a regular bus user I frequently find myself spending some time on my phone while someone else does the work of driving me around. Some people call it a bus, I call it my very stretched limousine service. 🙂
By the way, does anyone else get annoyed by accusations of "playing" or "time-wasting" if they're on their phones? For one, play/downtime is important, and for two, I'm usually reading a library eBook or the news, catching up with my out-of-town whānau, or managing my online store. The medium of delivery does not define the material/activity or its worthiness, people!
Anyway... (deep breaths, Jo).
I've been meaning to work on my (very basic) Reo for a while, but I've been having trouble fitting in a traditional method of learning like classes. Recently, I had a lightbulb moment - why not try an app and do my Reo learning on the bus? I picked two more or less at random, and have enjoyed them both.
Tipu (Plink Software, supported by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori)
I have to say, I've really loved Tipu so far! It suits my learning style and is engaging and (quite literally) self-explanatory, allowing me to dive straight in. It has a basic vocab-testing style, with lots of repetition to cement new words firmly in my mind. Sound files allow me to check my pronunciation too. Sometimes it seems a little slow to react, but that could just as easily be my older-model phone. I will definitely be continuing to work my way through it. (available for free download from the App Store and Google Play).
Kupu (Spark and Te Aka Māori Dictionary)
Kupu works in quite a different way: snap a photo of something on your phone, and Kupu will provide all the descriptive nouns it can about it. This is probably more in the category of fun interactive (or occasionally a useful quick check/reference) than a primary learning tool. I'd say it's a great supplement to your Reo learning, providing a bit of interest and variety. (available for free download from the App Store and Google Play).
Have you tried any pūmanawa tautono to help you with your Reo learning, on the pahi or anywhere else? Share what you've tried - and how they worked for you - in the comments.
More information
- Learning te reo Māori Library resources to help with learning and improving your te reo Māori.
- What's on in libraries for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2019
- More posts about strengthening te reo Māori.
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