Tag Archives: culture

The Endangered Languages

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http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/

This site looks at endangered languages all over the world. The site is an excellent resource for gaining a perspective on the wide scope of the problem and the many languages that are on the verge of disappearing.

Resource links to scholarly publications and various types of research can be found at this site. There is an easy to use searchable database that can point to information related to education, anthropology, political issues and environmental factors.

One of the most useful parts of the site is the worldwide language map which indicates locations across the globe where languages are at risk or severely endangered of becoming extinct.

Once-vibrant aboriginal languages struggle for survival

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/once-vibrant-aboriginal-languages-struggle-for-survival-1.1173659

This site is a link to an article on Aboriginal languages in danger of becoming extinct across Canada. Among other things the site identifies British Columbia as the province most in danger of losing Native languages and subsequently culture.

Useful statics on the number of Aboriginal languages and the decline over the years can be found throughout the article. It also discusses the problem in the context of education and the efforts being made to incorporate it into highschool and university programs.

Though it is not a scholarly article it brings up several important points related to the loss of language and culture that would be valuable to anyone researching these important topics for their project.

The First Nations Schools Association (FNSA)

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http://www.fnsa.ca/

The First Nations Schools Association is a committed organization representing all First Nations schools in British Columbia. The site includes published documents from the organization including action plans on Aboriginal language program planning, curriculum and resource planning, and archived cultural materials. They also have post-secondary materials available concerning career and education planning as well as helpful resources for parents of students in Aboriginal schools.

You can find links to their various programs, including “Connected Classrooms,” which uses the internet to provide online learning from specialty teachers in the province. Information and support is also available to educators who may be looking for training or materials.

This is an excellent site for anyone interested in researching indigenous knowledge transmission in BC Native schools and the integration of technology to provide specialty  learning opportunities in small rural communities.

The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC)

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http://www.fnesc.ca/

The First Nation Steering Committee is a collective organization of Bands in BC focussed on “advancing quality education for all First Nation Learners.” They work with the BC provincial government, providing research, communications, information dissemination, advocacy, program administration and networking.

They are responsible for the creation of curriculum like English First Peoples 10, 11, 12 and resources such as Math First Peoples 8 and 9 which are widely used throughout the province.

Throughout the site one can find links to events, publications, reports on the status of aboriginal schools, live blogs and videos on Aboriginal/ Educational topics

The Ethnos Project/ Resource Database

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http://www.ethnosproject.org/

This site contains a a huge database of resources for studying the “intersection of indigeneity and information and communications technologies (ICTs).” The site was made for academic research, government agencies, indigenous groups, cultural organizations and others who are interested in indigenous populations and their interaction with technology.

Within the site you find a multitude of blogs from various contributors and links to video and other media. The site makes excellent use of social media and is very user friendly.

Those interested in topics such as “digital humanities, human computer interaction, Indigenous Knowledge management, culture and development, language preservation, and participatory design” will find the site very useful

Urban Native Magazine

Urban Native Magazine

While this may not be a scholarly website, Urban Native Magazine provides readers with a multitude of information.  While some of this information may be best left to teenage girls, this magazine celebrates aboriginal culture.  Like most magazines, emphasis on fashion and up-and-coming trends are prevalent; however, this magazine provides a cultural temperature on indigenous business opportunities, explores stereotypes and provides commentary on serious and relevant aboriginal issues.  A recurring article entitled Rez Girl in the City (written by Anonymous) provides a dialogue of merging the modern world with aboriginal values and the trials which this particular individual experiences as a result.      (Module 1 – Post 2)

To view this websites, visit, http://urbannativemag.com/

Module 4.3 Aboriginal Perspectives and the Social Studies Curriculum

This literature review explores the following question: “To what extent do teacher attitudes, norms, values, basic assumptions, and behaviour influence authentic inclusion, infusion, and embedding of Aboriginal perspectives in the Alberta Social Studies Program?”  Ottman and Pritchard (2010) discuss why it is difficult for many teachers to integrate Aboriginal cultures and perspectives as they have not had the appropriate educational background to prepare them for such diverse classrooms.  They introduce culturally responsive classrooms and how teachers can prepare for teaching that is more culturally sensitive, including: self-reflection, evaluation of values and beliefs, using resources, teaching material, and instructional strategies that respect the culture, life experience, and the learning needs of each student; and acknowledging the contribution that each student has made to the culture and learning dynamic of the classroom.

http://www.mfnerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/5_OttmanPritchard.pdf

Module 3.1 – Intercontinental Cry

Intercontinental Cry is a magazine/web journal that serves to “amplify the voices and strengthen the efforts of Indigenous Peoples around the world” due to the significant lack of representation of Indigenous people in news media.

What I was particularly interested in at this point was the fact that this website is very focused on using Indigenous writers to speak on their own experiences.  Much of the academic literature on Canadian First Nations, Aboriginal, Inuit, and Metis populations is written by white researchers, probably due to their familiarity with the publication cycle and their access to services that help them to gain publication.  Fortunately a resource like IC helps authors with potentially less access to traditional streams of publication to have their voices heard, amplified, and shared with the world via the internet.

I think this could be a useful resource particularly at the high school level, for students to read and reflect on the impact of Indigenous voices on the Web.

Skins Project

http://skins.abtec.org/

In the Skins project, games are built by youth and elders. The project involves transmitting old stories in a virtual reality format. They are preserving the culture and engaging youth, not only at the design stage, but also at the consumption stage as well. Students deal with the old stories in a respectful manner, but they also present them in a forward-looking manner.

Post by Trevor Price

July 4, 2015