Tag Archives: First Nation

MODULE 3 WEBLOG

The following are resources (articles, videos, websites) on ideas and initiatives focused on Indigenous knowledge, learners and education:

Conestoga College. (2017, March 20). Indigenizing Post-Secondary Education [Video file].

This video explores the experiences of a few post-secondary Indigenous students, within their courses and on-campus supports. The students provide suggestions on going beyond a Euro-centric style of teaching and infusing Indigenous content and teaching methods into the education system, as well as ways to help build stronger relationships among Canadians.

Project of Heart. (n.d.). Project of Heart.

This is an “inquiry based, hands-on, collaborative, inter-generational activity” that helps students learn about the history of Aboriginal people in Canada, including the legacy of the residential school system. It is tailored to different grade levels, including post-secondary, but is not only tied to educational institutions: it can be used by anyone.

Province of BC. (2013, October 25). Changing Results for Young Readers: Laura Tait, First Peoples Principles of Learning [Video file].

This is a presentation by Laura Tait, an educator and administrator. She covers ideas such as Indigenous identity, pedagogy, reflective practice, relationships and understanding. Tait invites viewers to look at the world through an Indigenous lens. She shares some activities that teachers can use with their students and resources for their professional development.

Simon, J., Burton, K., Lockhart, E. (2014). Post-secondary distance education in a contemporary colonial context: Experiences of students in a rural First Nation in Canada. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 15(1).

This article shares some of the challenges of and opportunities through post-secondary online/distance education in rural and remote First Nation (Indigenous) communities in Canada. The Elsipogtog First Nation community in Nova Scotia is profiled. Student experiences using videoconferencing technology are shared.

University of British Columbia. (2017, February 17). Learning from Story [Video file].

This video is part of a non-credit massive open online course (MOOC), “Reconciliation Through Indigenous Education,” which focuses on strategies, teaching examples and resources supporting teaching and learning of Indigenous ways of knowing. The video focuses on the use of Indigenous storytelling and the benefits of utilizing it as a teaching strategy.

Sliammon First Nation Documentary

Sliammonfirstnation.com is the website for the Indigenous community located in Powell River, also known as the Tla’amin First Nation.  The site provides a variety of information related to the community as well as the link below to the full length Sliammon documentary film.  The film discusses history, culture, and a variety of issues by interviewing numerous community members and elders.  The film was produced and directed by members of the community and is an interesting example of the use of film to address issues of decolonization and cultural stereotypes.

http://sliammonfirstnation.com/mysliammon/?videos=sliammon-documentary

http://sliammonfirstnation.com/

Brendan Clark
Module 3 Post 2

Module 4 Post 5

In my travels online I came across this excellent news: Toronto Doctor gives $10 million for First Nations Health Care.  In 2014, the school of Public Health was endowed with funds to investigate First Nations health in Canada, bringing together various faculties (medicine, nursing, law, anthropology, sociology, social work, etc).  This secured endowment means that these interdisciplinary teams are now funded to collaborate and learn more about improving the health outcomes of First Nations groups in Ontario (and nationwide).

Module 2 – Post 2: First Nation Use of MyKnet.org

The following link is to a 2009 report titled MyKnet.org: How Northern Ontario’s First Nation communities made themselves at home on the World Wide Web by Phillip Budka, Brandi Bell, and Adam Fiser.  The report examines the findings of an online survey of more than a thousand MyK‐Net (a loosely structured system of personal homepages that was established by indigenous communities) users, which revealed that subscribers considered MyKNet.org to be their most important communication medium, over telephone, television and community radio. It identifies the tremendously high level of participation by First Nations individuals on various social media forums and illustrates the proclivity of some First Nations people for this kind of connectivity.

http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/568

 

Module 1 Post 3: Addressing the Digital Divide

Working in a rural high school that serves three remote First Nation communities, I am particularly interested in the digital divide that exists amongst BC’s First Nation peoples.  Last week’s debate regarding the cultural neutrality of technology further sparked my interest.  Koncan (2014) provides a thorough literature review of research pertaining to the global digital divide amongst indigenous people. While much of the research I have found so far focusses on limited technology and usage access in remote First Nations communities, Koncan acknowledges other forms of access that may be contributing to the digital divide: motivational access, material access, and skills access (van Dijk, 2005 as cited by Koncan, 2014). I have also come across the First Nations Technology Council, a not-for-profit/social enterprise that was created in 2002 to support the technology needs of BC First Nations. Their goals are to improve connectivity and capacity. They offer all sorts of programs and services to improve digital skills and continue to play a key role in the Pathways to Technology Project, working towards connectivity to all of BC’s 203 First Nation communities.

First Nations Technology Council. (2015). About the First Nations Technology Council. Retrieved from http://www.technologycouncil.ca/

Koncan, A. (2014). Literature survey of the global digital divide and Indigenous peoples. Retrieved from http://dtpr.lib.athabascau.ca/action/download.php?filename=scis-07/open/alfonzkoncanEssay.pdf

Pathways to Technology Project. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.pathwaystotechnology.ca/home

van Dijk, J.A. (2005). The deepening divide inequality in the information society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

 

 

Module 1 Post 4 – The Aboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia

This incorporated, nonprofit association was mentioned in an article so I decided to look into it further. The Head Start program is designed for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit families across Canada to offer children an Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on culture and language, school readiness, health promotion, social support, nutrition, and parent and family involvement.

Link: http://www.ahsabc.com/