The Chronicle Of Higher Education presents a nice feature on our faculty and our efforts to keep the Hawaiian language alive. Most of the people mentioned in the article have been at it a lot longer than I have, and I’m proud to work with them.
A sad day for the natural world.
As this article mentions, while many species become exctinct each year, it’s rare when we know the exact day that it happens. This may be the case for the po’ouli, one of the many native Hawaiian honeycreeper species that have become extinct or on their way there with the help of man. According to statics I’ve seen, Hawai’i is home to nearly 75% of the endangered plant and animal species in the US.
I’ll be doing a presentation on our online classes at the SWALLT conference on O’ahu the weekend after Thanksgiving.
I’m a member of SWALLT and have gone to several of the DigitalStream conferences that are held at CSU-Monterey Bay each spring, but missed this year’s conference.
HAW101 May Be Offered Online Again In Spring
We (Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke’elikolani College of Hawaiian Language) are considering whether or not to offer an Elementary Hawaiian Language class (HAW101) online this spring. We have tended to offer it in the fall only, but we are probably about 10 people short of being able to offer it in the spring. The class is completely asynchronous (does not meet at any specific time online), meaning that you can work on the lessons at whatever time is convenient for you. Starting last fall, the format of the class changed slightly. Instead of progressing at the same speed as our…
Hokualaka’i Arrives.
It was quite a feeling watching Hokualaka’i enter Hilo harbor, a sight witnessed by hundreds at Hilo One. She was accompanied by Hokule’a, and greeting by the chants and songs of students from Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke’elikolani College of Hawaiian Language, Ke Kula ‘O Nawahiokalani’opu’u, the Punana Leo O Hilo, and many others. It was pure chicken skin, and the weather was gorgeous. It held that way until Larry Kimura announced the end of the formal program and we were able to eat. Only then did our normal Hilo weather (a strong downpour) returned. I’ll post more pictures later.…
Hokualaka’i arrives today.
This is our new double-hulled voyaging canoe. I’ll be heading down to Hilo bayfront for the arrival, and will post some pictures when I get home.
iChat as a live translation tool.
We (faculty and students of our college of Hawaiian language and our laboratory school Ke Kula ‘O Nawahiokalani’opu’u) did an interesting panel at a Kamehameha Schools research conference in Kea’au today. Four people were in a panel discussion regarding their experiences in the Hawaiian medium education programs, which was done completely in Hawaiian. Four faculty members from the college translated their words into English, live, and we used iChat to display what they were saying for the ‘olelo-impared (my term for those who cannot speak or understand Hawaiian). There were a few glitches (font size a bit small and the…
Keola Joins A Union.
Something I didn’t think I’d ever say again, but the times they do change. I just joined UHPA (University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly), the union that represents faculty in the University of Hawai’i system. I was only a union member once before. During my brief career as a member of the Maui Police Department, I was a member of SHOPO (State of Hawai‘i Organization of Police Officers). I don’t have anything against unions in principal, it’s just that both my wife’s and my own families were victims of Hawai’i union thuggery in the 60s and 70s. I’ve watched UHPA during…
Grammy Nomination Ballots Out.
The Recording Academy has begun the nomination process for the 2005 Grammy Awards. This will be the first time that there will be a Hawaiian Album of the Year Grammy, and I’ll proudly cast my ballot in this and a few other categories. Among the more notable nominees are Keali’i Reichel (“Ke’alaokamaile”), The Brothers Cazimero (“Some Call It Aloha… Don’t Tell”), Kimo Alama Keaulana and Lei Hulu (“Hula Lives”), Ho’okena (“Cool Elevation”), Darlene Ahuna (“Bridge Between Generations”) and Na Palapalai (“Ke ‘Ala Beauty”). My post on NahenaheNet has full details.
It’s been almost three months since my last post here. Bad Keola.
It’s been a hectic semester, but it’s a nice kind of hectic. I joined the faculty of UH-Hilo as an Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Studies. The change happened as our family celebrated the 10th anniversary of our move to Hilo, and the beginning of my career supporting our Hawaiian language programs. I’m teaching HAW101 (Elementary Hawaiian Language) this semester, and will be teaching a class in Polynesian Music in the spring, in addition to all of my ongoing technology duties.