Tag Archives: british columbia

Women in Tech- or Lack Thereof (Mod 2-Post 3)

Thinking about the recent initiatives set forth by the BC government to recruit and train British Columbians in skilled trades, I wondered if there was an for technology training specifically for Indigenous peoples.  It was here where I found out about the 2.2 Million invested into Indigenous skills training for the tech sector. 

The Bridging to Technology program was created by the First Nations Technology Council and when reviewing the team making up the council I was pleasantly surprised to see a team full of women.  However, I was disappointed to find the board of directors consisted of only men.  This was a stark reminder of the gender gap in authoritative roles that women of all ethnicities face.

As the CNET article highlights, the tech industry is already male-dominated:

And this is for white women. The statistics get worse if you’re a woman of a minority.  According to a study done by Michelmore & Sassler (2016), “Black women, Latina women, and Indigenous women especially, earn less than white and Asian American women” (Rao & Lunau, 2017).

The dominance of men over women in higher paid, higher power positions is a trend in most sectors but is especially pronounced in the tech sector.  As Blanche (2016) highlights “The problem is when diversity programs focus on “women” as a whole, they often fall into the trap of prioritizing the majority: White Women”.

If we truly want to make our tech industry more diverse, we need to analyze the barriers that Indigenous women face specifically.  Grants for an example are a start, but while I did find technology grants for women, I was unable to find grants dedicated specifically to Indigenous women

References

Blanche, A. (2016, December 20). Diversity in tech too often means ‘hiring white women.’ We need to move beyond that. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://www.recode.net/2016/12/20/14013610/gender-diversity-women-race-age-geography-initiative

Michelmore, K. & Sassler, S. (2016). Explaining the Gender Wage Gap in STEM: Does Field Sex Composition Matter?RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 2(4), 194-215. Russell Sage Foundation. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from Project MUSE database.

Rao, A., & Lunau, K. (2017, April 04). You Can’t Close the Gender Gap in Science and Tech Without Equal Pay. Retrieved October 16, 2017, from https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/4xeevp/stem-science-technology-women-pay-gap-equal-pay-day

 

Allison’s Cyber Travelling Reflections Part 3

First Nations Education Steering Committee

http://www.fnesc.ca

I chose to feature this site because it is based on British Columbia and has sections containing authentic First Peoples resources for kindergarten to grade nine students. Of particular relevance to me and my research is a section dedicated to Indian Residential Schools complete with history, photographs, and information. It also contains specific links and information to use when teaching the new social studies curriculum in the primary classroom.

screen-shot-2016-10-15-at-9-30-25-pm

Ktunaxa Nation

http://www.ktunaxa.org

The Ktunaxa Nation surrounds the area in which I live. The Residential School, St. Eugene Mission, is one of the places I will be focusing my project on and how we can teach elementary students appropriately about residential schools. This website incorporates many local resources for language, social and emotional development and support opportunities. I hope that this resource will provide me with some contacts to assist my project and planning.

screen-shot-2016-10-31-at-10-18-52-pm

First Peoples’ Cultural Council

http://www.fpcc.ca

I came across this website as I was revisiting the First Voices website that I wrote about it my first post. The First Peoples’ Cultural Council is a First Nations-run Crown Cooperation with a focus on the revitalization of Aboriginal language, arts, and culture in British Columbia. This site appears to be regularly updated and maintained to include relevant local news on issues around British Columbia. It also includes links to support Aboriginal languages, heritage toolkits for First Nations cultural workers, grants to facilitate Aboriginal artists connecting to Aboriginal youth and communities, as well as information on internships and language and culture camps.

weytk

Orange Shirt Day

http://www.orangeshirtday.org

I was directed to this site through Mary Sikkes’ post during our class discussion #8. Orange Shirt Day is held at the end of September in BC as a reminder that “every child matters”. This day is in recognition of the abuse incurred at Residential Schools, inspired by Phyllis’ story, a 6-year old girl who had her clothes taken away from her on her first day of school at the St. Joseph Mission residential school. The resources page on this site lists background information, sample agendas and video showing community ceremonies, and discussion guides. This will be an especially helpful resource for me to include in my final project on teaching elementary students about Residential schools.

orangeday

Dr. Martin Brokenleg

http://martinbrokenleg.com

I had the privilege a few years ago of attending a talk given by Dr. Martin Brokenleg. He spoke of the circle of courage, of youth at risk, and of what we need to be doing for our students in our classrooms today. I am including this resource in my list because I admire Dr. Brokenleg’s teachings and want to remember this space and links to refer back to when necessary.

screen-shot-2016-10-31-at-9-19-17-pm

4.1: Boat Trip to Important Stz’uminus Places

Website: Boat Trip to Important Stz’uminus Places

I was intrigued by the website NativeMaps.org, and wanted to learn more about how indigenous peoples were using digital technologies to map traditional territories. I came across this article from the Globe and Mail, which details how Google’s Map Your World Community program can be used in indigenous contexts.

The Globe and Mail article explains how Ray Harris, a Stz’uminus First Nation elder, and an anthropologist from the University of Victoria used Google Maps to map traditional territory. The map they created includes a plethora of indigenous knowledge that would not appear on a regular Google Map, such as the location of a sea wolf petroglyph, the site of a no-longer-standing residential school, and a seagull egg harvesting site.

This has potential for indigenous education. Specifically, Harris discusses the potential to share this information in the Hul’qumi’num language. The article also discusses the potential of using this for land claims purposes. There are, however, issues with broadcasting traditional information. From what I gather, these maps can be made private, and will not appear on regular Google Street View.

“I have been fishing all my life, I’ve never recorded anything, I know the whole coast. And I have a hankering now to record stuff, for my kids and my grandkids.”

Ray Harris, Stz’uminus elder

The First Peoples’ Language Map of B.C

The First Peoples’ Language Map of B.C

The First Peoples’ Language Map of B.C is an online interactive map which allows users to view a map of British Columbia which highlights the various linguistic regions of its First Nations Communities.  Users can switch the base layer of the map from terrain view to street or satellite view and can layers which show First Nations internet connectivity and areas which contain “sleeping” languages or those which have no fluent speakers. The site also offers a large list of First Nations communities and languages spoken.  The First Peoples’ Language Map of B.C creates an excellent visual of the diversity that exists amongst aboriginal communities as well as the issues related to historical First Nations communities and current political boundaries.

 

http://maps.fphlcc.ca/

 

Module 1 Post 2
Brendan Clark

Local Indigenous Knowledge Module 1.3

Have you seen the YouTube video of magnetic putty?  One of them is here if you need a quick look (42 s. pt). To me Indigenous peoples are the magnet and the “new” K-7 curriculum is the magnetic putty. As you see in the video the putty is attracted to the magnet, but eclipses the magnet as it reforms itself over top.

My intent is not to disparage any of those nouns mentioned, however being on the inside I sometimes think it is still up to those in the trenches to communicate the royal commission ideals, and decolonized directives, and shared learning expertise. A great deal of which they don’t know.

My link isn’t the YouTube video, it is, in fact, the K-7 Curricular document.

Points of Reference Module 1.2

So being a teacher-librarian at 2 elementary schools, means one facet of my work is providing points of connection between what is known and what is not known. One of the ways I have introduced children (who are amazingly understanding and amazingly myopic–aren’t we all?) to the concept of “other” is through First Voices. The sound of communication between individuals in a people group is one way children understand “same, yet different.” First Voices has two apps that you can download for 2 of the languages of First Peoples of BC. Their requests for “how do they say . . . .?” are fast and furious because they understand the fundamental part communication plays.

Same, Same and Different is also the title of a great children’s book if you have any more room for reading.

Current Interface Module 1.1

The Tyee’s take on the current relationship between Premier and First Nations

How do people create a space for communication and coexistant respect when so much ground work needs to be in place?

With or without technology, how do the conversations–respectful, attentive conversations–happen for those in positions to lead?

FROM http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/09/12/Premier-Builds-Faulty-First-Nation-Bridges/

FROM
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/09/12/Premier-Builds-Faulty-First-Nation-Bridges/