I am not sure how we all missed this site but it is another excellent resource.  In module 2 there were some readings related to Aboriginal groups and their use of discussion boards but throughout the course I rarely found “active” discussion boards with frequent, new content.

http://www.firstnations.com/ is definitely a site with an active an active First Nations community.  Among their newest topics are concepts concerning:

• Nov 30 A Poem (3)
• Nov 30 Another Poem (1)
• Nov 30 A Bald Eagle and a Man (0)
• Nov 30 Osiyo Nigada! (4)
• Nov 30 Development as colonialism (4)
• Nov 30 Native American Style flutes (12)
• Nov 30 Native American Heritage Day (12)
• Nov 30 Shroud Of Turin…. (11)
• Nov 30 Intertribal Market (7)
• Nov 29 The Crow (19)
• Nov 29 Lotikwahu (6)
• Nov 28 the road (1)
• Nov 28 Salish Sea – some recognition. (0)

I have given many of the posts a quick read and they provide an interesting insight into current issues facing first nations people.

The site also offers some great links to other websites, some of which have been previously mentioned here.

http://www.ricta.ca/

RICTA was established in September 2004 to work with Aboriginal communities, use ICTs strategically and creatively, build local capacity for research, facilitate Aboriginal participation, and to facilitate connection and trust among diverse members. Members include “more than 40 people working with universities, community research institutes, Aboriginal organizations, government and the private sector. Although a Canadian project, there are several non-Canadian institutions represented, including: University of San Francisco; Universidad Metropolitana, Mexico; New Jersey Institute of Technology; University of Vienna; and University of Missouri-Columbia.

The website currently lists five ongoing member projects, and 34 other projects nation-wide. Where applicable, project websites and contact information are included. Also useful is a bibliography of Canadian publications (1980-2005) related to research in ICT use in Aboriginal Communities.

Unfortunately, it appears that this website has not been updated since 2006.

Nuu-chah-nulth

A wonderful project between the Nuu-chah-nulth tribal council and Department of Canadian Heritage through Canadian Culture Online. Links to culture and language as well as a pull down menu which discusses items such as Information Technology and Infant Development. It’s incredible and uses Quick Time technology. All sections of the site have sound files done in English and the Nuu-chah-nulth language as well as an option for French language. Definitely worth taking a look at.

MyTribeTV

A website I came across while researching The White House Tribal Nations Conference. This site is a 24-7 news and communication tools for First Nations people. Links include:

Rezreels : a link which allows people to share their story digitally. Their focus is on Indian youth and getting their story out using modern film making tools. This initiative is a joint effort between MyTribeTV and the US Interior’s Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development.

MyTribe Education:  a partnership again with US IOIEED to create opportunities for distance education fo Indian people

Open Learning Exchange Nepal

Open Learning Exchange (OLE) Nepal is a Nepali non-governmental organization dedicated to assisting the Government of Nepal in meeting its Education for All goals by developing freely accessible, open-source Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based educational teaching-learning materials.

This is directly taken from the “Who We Are” page on their website that also explains their mission and organization.  They also have a “How We Are Doing” page with a workflow chart to graphically describe the process they use to develop teaching materials.  Objectives and goals along with a prospective timeline are outlined on their “What We Are Doing”.  Finally and possibly most useful to my research is the page on “Why Open Learning” where they justify the use of ICT and open source educational materials.

They have recently launched a digital library and include a link on their homepage.  This is also a great resource as it contains: literature, art, course related materials, reference materials, other educational materials, teaching support materials, newspaper and magazines, maps, videos, etc.  Be sure to click on the British flag in the upper right corner if you can’t read Nepali.

In my research I came across a 2009 article that explores digital technologies and their impact on Aboriginal learning in Canada.  Written by Fatima Pirbhai-Illich, K.C. Nat Turner and Theresa Y. Austin and titled Using digital technologies to address Aboriginal adolescents’ education: An alternative school intervention the article is a good read.

The link to the article can be found here, if you click on this RSVPN link it should take you right to the paper after logging in with your UBC credentials.

This article is a very interesting and timely piece that researches how digital technologies can support the learning of Aboriginal students.  More specifically the ethnographic project examines the impact of digital technologies on academic and technological literacy of one class through a number of projects.  The technology-focused and multi-modal activities were capped by a student written and produced public service announcement and some images and parts of the script are included.

The paper provides an interesting snapshot of one group of teacher`s efforts to reach out to Aboriginal students using technology in a Canadian classroom.  Although no astounding conclusions are recommended or made it is encouraging that groups of teachers are taking it upon themselves to take a closer look at how technology can be used to foster and support Aboriginal youth in their classrooms.

In researching aboriginal science and technology education I have found a variety of resources that have been very enlightening.  One of the most interesting is a book that assembles a number of research articles and reflections on the subject of First Nations education in Canada

The Circle Unfolds takes a critical look at First Nations education form a science and technology perspective.  It provides an accurate history of Aboriginal education in Canada and reflects on how best to restructure and transform Aboriginal education in terms of learning processes and teaching.

Some of the articles deal with specific issues related to some of the research proposals we have written such as “Non-Native Teachers Teaching in Native Communities” by Taylor “A Major Challenge for the Education System: Aboriginal Retention and Dropout” by Mackay and Myles and “Redefining Science education for Aboriginal Students” by MacIvor.

The collection is both broad and deep providing a great overview of many of the challanges First Nations Education has had in the past and explores how it might change in the future.

Most of the book is freely available through Google Books so I suggest checking out the contents to see if there is anything useful for your own research.

http://www.kihs.knet.ca/drupal/

The Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS) is an innovative secondary school program now in its 10th year of operation, based in northwestern Ontario that allows students in relatively isolated, mostly First Nations communities to study in local settings. Students also get the opportunity to build connections with students in other communities, broadening their sense of identity.

KiHS provides a successful model for distributed delivery utilising ICTs that are now affordable and available for most communities. A key aspect of this model is community involvement: teachers, who generally come from “away”, become active community members; community elders participate as mentors and guides, encouraging attendance and persistence. While programming is tailored to fit students’ needs, the school does follow the same Ontario curriculum requirements as any other Ontario high school, be it in an urban, rural, southern, immigrant or “white” neighbourhood. I do question whether programming from a one-size-fits-all curriculum can be tailored significantly enough to truly meet the needs of such diverse demographics.

Links to other resources include News, the school’s moodle site, student email and…