who? why? how did ako get here?

This web site germinated in late 2004, early 2005, and grew during a summer that seemed more like a winter. The spring of 2007 saw the most recent revision of the code, but the content remains essentially the same - but with some new links.

The revision was spurred by our wish to make these pages as accessible as possible, and so now there are only a few tables on ako.net.nz web site. All the layouts are created using style sheets and text-violence.

Dreamweaver was used to cut the easy code and notetab to cut the hard code; and coreldraw and photoshop to manage the images. Scripts from Peter Kerl, bignosebird and Eric Harshbarger; note tab by Eric Fookes - thanks, guys - nice work.

Musically, we were ably assisted by oodles of Mozart, with lashings of Penguin Cafe and a sprinkling of Ray Charles. At the first write - oh horrors - our cd player was making the sound of death - and so we had to replace our cherished friend with a new music machine. Music is important in our lives - it keeps us going at 2 in the morning and wakes us again at 6. Who needs sleep when there's exploration to be done?

Thank you for buying some books from our reference bookshops (supported by Amazon) - you’ll be educated, stimulated and uplifted, and we’re able to have more music and books in our lives. copyright © 2005-2008 - ako.net.nz
all rights reserved

Who’s Marica Ševelj?
In 2006, Marica completed a Masters in Communications degree based in Poneke - Wellington, Aotearoa - New Zealand. Her research projects have included the misinformation effect, return on investment from training, and, most recently, developing and sustaining a synchronous online mentoring relationship. She has a number of research projects on similar topics being planned the future. She also blogs on Marica's Meanderings.

She was part of the team organising Blog Hui - New Zealand’s first international weblog conference held in March 2006.

Who’s Lynsey Gedye?
In 2005, Lynsey completed a Masters in Communications degree based in Poneke - Wellington, Aotearoa - New Zealand. His research projects have included how New Zealand religious and spiritual organisations use their web sites to communicate; and, an investigation into how accessible are New Zealand government web sites. He has a number of research projects on similar topics being planned the future. He also blogs on the edges and margins of his world, and about a collection of aquaculture information found on the net...

He was part of the team organising Blog Hui - New Zealand’s first international weblog conference held in March 2006.

What’s ako?
Ako is a Maori word and refers to a holistic approach to education where the teacher can become the learner and the learner can become the teacher. There’s always someone who knows more about a subject than you do and there’s always someone who knows less.

We learn something from anyone - even if it is just as simple as “nice to see yah, wouldn’t want to be yah”. The bee takes nectar from many flowers.

Just for fun - we have a thing for fridge poetry. You can try some yourself:
cool poetry | hladan poezija | tumeki whiti

I believe that words can help us move or keep us paralysed, and that our choices of language and verbal tone have something - a great deal - to do with how we live our lives and whom we end up speaking with and hearing; and that we can deflect words by trivialization, of course, but also by ritualized respect, or we can let them enter our souls and mix with the juices of our minds. (Toward a More Feminist Criticism) - Adrienne Rich