Tag Archives: Place

Module 4: Place and Displacement

  1. Knowing the Land Beneath Our Feet

Knowing the Land Beneath Our Feet is an Augmented Reality tour of the land on which sits the University of British Columbia. Upon watching the creators’ video, we see their intention is to educate and provide the opportunity to connect with the land (unceded Musqueam land). Links below include Eleanor Hoskins blog post entitled “Place Based Learning Technologies” as well as detailed background information about Knowing the Land Beneath Our Feet. Is learning truly place-based when it is virtual? Can one truly connect with the land when it isn’t a real environment? Could augmented reality help people who feel displaced to connect to place – from a distance? Could the creation of such a virtual tour help Aboriginal youth articulate and develop their knowledge of place?

 

http://ets.educ.ubc.ca/place-based-learning-technologies/

http://fnis.arts.ubc.ca/research-resources/knowing-the-land-beneath-our-feet/

http:/thetalon.ca/knowing-the-land-beneath-our-feet-ubcs-indigenous-histories-and-presence/

 

  1. First Mile

First Mile promotes and supports ICTs in rural Aboriginal communities across Canada. The site has a “Community Stories” section which highlights digital developments in these communities, from global citizenship workshops, to how communities are using social media, to physical connectivity. These community stories could serve to inform other participating and nonparticipating communities of potential uses for ICTs in their community. The site also hosts published research related to rural Indigenous communities, technology, and the challenges they may face. It isn’t surprising to see that different challenges are faced and addressed differently depending on the community. Is willingness to welcome digital technologies a major factor in these projects?

http://firstmile.ca/#home

 

  1. Modern Science, Native Knowledge

In contrast to Tim Michel’s thoughts in his interview for week 12 where he indicates that Indigenous people are and feel displaced, this video produced by The Natural Conservancy, emphasizes how the Heiltsuk people feel a direct connection to and responsibility for the land (The Great Bear Rainforest). This is interesting given the detrimental effects of colonization on the Heiltsuk. Jessy Housty articulates the importance of place when it comes to identity, “we don’t make sense anywhere else in the world, this is our place and we have a responsibility to take care of it”. Like when Dr. Walsh (below, see post 4) discusses using multiple ways of knowing to conserve the environment, this too is emphasized, in particular the knowledge of the Heiltsuk people. Is it fair for this responsibility to lie on Aboriginal people, specifically in the preservation of the Great Bear Rainforest? Isn’t it at risk as a result of colonization?

 

  1. Australia’s Biodiversity: Indigenous Perspectives

Dr. Fiona Walsh, explains the interconnectedness between biodiversity, place, and Aboriginal people in Australia. As an elementary school teacher, who has taught “biodiversity” for a number of years from an exclusively Western perspective, the way Dr. Walsh explains the relationship between humans and plants, from the perspective of using as much knowledge from multiple sources (western science, aboriginal knowledge), provides a good example of how to approach the BC curriculum with Indigenous worldviews authentically. As environmental concerns grow, place-based learning and indigenous worldviews seem to be at the forefront, Dr. Walsh echoes this, suggesting the more knowledge we have, the better equipped we will be to conserve the environment.

 

  1. Aboriginal communities embrace technology, but they have unique cyber safety challenges

 

The digital divide in rural aboriginal communities and in lower socio-economic communities is one thing, but there are other challenges that arise in communities that may not have the digital fluency that is required in order to use the internet/devices safely. This article highlights some of the challenges in security and protocol when people in Aboriginal communities have access to a limited amount of technology. This article reminds us that things like cyber safety, money, online passwords, texting, etc. are all products of western society.

 

http://theconversation.com/aboriginal-communities-embrace-technology-but-they-have-unique-cyber-safety-challenges-69344

 

Module 4 Weblog – Anne Coustalin

For this final module, I chose to continue my investigation of the intersection of (Western) Place-based education and Indigenous learning from place. I also broadened my scope to explore some models outside of the public school system – specifically band and reserve schools.

Sterenberg, G. (2013). Learning Indigenous and Western mathematics from place. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 25(1), 91-108.

In this paper, the author explores one student’s experiences with learning mathematics from place. The paper recounts a math unit exploring triangles that was taught to grade nine students in SOMEWHERE. In the unit, place was the inroad for intertwining Western and Indigenous math learning. The author provides a useful analysis of the distinction between hands-on, place-based learning and Indigenous learning from place.  The approach taken for the unit was not so much a blending of Indigenous and Western approaches, but rather an intertwining “to increase tensile strength”. As a result of participating in the unit, students reported increased confidence in math competency as well as increased connections to the land and feelings of belonging to their culture. I found this approach to be a compliment to the idea of “Two-Eyed Seeing”, “two-way Aboriginal schooling”, and “walking in both worlds”.

NSF Includes: Envisioning Impact  – Integrating Indigenous and Western Knowledge to Transform Learning and Discovery in the Geosciences

Here is a quote from the website:

[The program] uses the principles of collective impact (CI) to create new partnerships between tribal communities and STEM institutions that promote the participation and inclusion of Native American (NA) scientists in the geosciences.

Our proposed program partners the Rising Voices: Collaborative Science for Climate Solutions (Rising Voices) member tribal colleges and communities with Haskell Indian Nations University, NCAR, Biosphere 2 (B2), and UCAR’s SOARS internship and GLOBE citizen science programs. Together, we commit to greater integration of indigenous and “traditional western” knowledge into collectively-developed climate change research projects, enhancing our collective ability to address climate change, and contributing to climate resilience in all communities.

This program is a good example of attempts to draw from the strengths of both Western and Indigenous knowledges in finding solutions to ecological problems. The fact that it is funded by the National Science Foundation indicates that such collaborations are increasingly seen to be of value within Western science organizations.

Cosmic Serpent – Bridging Native and Western Science Learning in Informal Settings

This program, which is also funded by the (U.S.) National Science Foundation, is a four-year collaboration between the Indigenous Education Institute and the University of California-Berkeley targeting informal science education professionals. This project is designed to explore the commonalities between western science and native science in the context of informal science education.

The group has produced a beautiful and informative ebook based on their project outcomes, which is available to download free on their website.  Here is a quote from that book:

Cosmic Serpent set out to explore commonalities between Western and Native science, taking into account that Native cultures have, over millennia, developed ways of knowing that are highly adapted, interconnected, and enduring. Each knowledge system informs the practice of science and its role in society in a fundamental way, and the commonalities can provide a framework for developing mutually inclusive learning experiences in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Successful Practices In First Nations Schools:  They Tyee special edition (September 2011)

This special issue is part of a series hosted by the Tyee Solutions Society. In it, reporter Katie Hyslop explores several different models for BC Aboriginal education. There is great breadth of scope here from examining the context (successes and challenges faced by Aboriginal youth in BC as well as legislation and rights concerning indigenous education, and funding for indigenous education) to specific working models of Indigenous education both within BC and internationally.

Exploring the topic of reserve/band schools

In exploring education models that chose to focus more intensely on Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, I came across several interesting newspaper articles on reserve/band schools in BC. These articles shone a light on various aspects of the schools, from how they operate to how they are funded and fit within the provincial system. Here are some of the more relevant articles I encountered.

  1. How Chief Atahm Elementary School Became a Success Story (The Tyee, September 6, 2011)
  2. First Nations School teaches “all that culture stuff” (Globe and Mail, October 13, 2012)
  3. Low graduation rates at reserve schools put aboriginals in jeopardy: report (Globe and Mail, January 24, 2-16)

 

MY RESEARCH FOCUS AND WAB KINEW ON LEARNING TO CODE

I am particularly interested in learning more about how indigenous people are using modern/western technologies in order to re-know/learn traditional ways of knowing and doing (technologies). This is something that I have been increasingly interested in as I hear more and more first-hand stories about how indigenous communities are connecting and sharing ancestral knowledge and using technologies to uncover artifacts that have journeyed far from their place. The following weblinks touch on key themes from Module 1, particularly that of place. I am quickly learning that perspective also lends to offshoots in conversation about technology and Indigenous education.

Keywords: modernization, relationships, place-based, aboriginal education, technology, identity, language, perspective

https://twitter.com/wabkinew/status/849248012006248448

What I find particularly interesting is how this tweet illustrates the complexity and varying opinions on technology integration in education. Wab Kinew tweets “It’s important we move technology to early years and make sure every kid, not just the high achiever, learns to code”, sharing a New York Times article . This statement strikes me as quite contrary to much of our readings and many Aboriginal perspectives on western technology, but what strikes me as most interesting, are the comments that follow Kinew’s tweet suggesting an understanding of the natural world be more important. Kinew responds saying both technology and “critical thinking about the natural world” are important. But what does this look like? How can these two notions be married?

Module 1 Entry 1

Module 1 | Post 5 A link to my own place

As I stated in an earlier post, I grew up in Salmon Arm which is located on Shuswap Lake and is located approximately 500 km to the North and East of Vancouver, British Columbia.  The Neskonlith band has a community that lives on the outskirts of Salmon Arm and they also have several communities near Chase, BC.   Chief Judy Wilson is the current leader of this band.  She is an interesting person and has an varied background in technology, communication and education.  Her experience includes audio-visual production, book publishing, broadcast journalism and web planning. She has completed the second year of a First Nations Public Administration program and is working towards a Master’s Degree in Public Relations.  She is a role model for her own community as Derik Joseph defines one in his paper and talk.

I found a wealth of resources and links on this site and want to share them here with ETEC 521 students.  It is a wealth of information about issues and content important to the community and it is an example of how technology is being used to build and share knowledge both within and outside the community.

For a past class, we were asked to create a digital story.  I created one and tied it to the places I have been and worked.  I thought it appropriate to share it here as we start the course and tie myself to place and share in the tradition of providing my own context and perspective before embarking on my journey in this course or sharing my perspective on the readings and my view of the world.

 

Module 1 | Post 2 Education and Research into understanding post secondary indigenous student perspectives

Derik Joseph is an Educational Advisor at the British Columbian Institute of Technology.  He has recently completed a Masters of Communication at Royal Roads and his thesis work is titled “How Are the Aspirations of British Columbia Institute of Technology First Nations Students Defined by Their Indigenous Perspective?”.   I met with Derik last week at BCIT to discuss a possible project with the aboriginal services department and was fascinated by his study and his perspectives on education, technology and the experience of First Nation students at BCIT (Joseph, 2014).   He has shared his paper with me and I look forward to reading it in the next week or so.  I also have attached a link to his talk at BCIT as part of the aboriginal speaker series that is ongoing at the institution.

Many of the ideas and perspectives presented in his talk and in my meeting with him are in agreement with the articles and ideas we have explored in Module 1.  In particular, I found the preeminence of place as discussed in Micheal Markers paper “After the Makah Whale Hunt” (2006)  of First Nation discussions or stories to relate to a place first and localize experience to be true in both Derik’s talk and in his discussion with me.  There is also an emphasis on local indigenous perspective.  While this may not comply with critical theory, it seems better suited to deal with the issues at hand and to truly connect and construct a solution that will be meaningful and of interest to the students that Derik introduces in his talk.

To view the talk, visit https://youtu.be/zL-2hrlmwMk

References

Joseph, D. (2014, May 8). Aboriginal Speaker Series [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/zL-2hrlmwMk.

Marker, M. (2006).  After the Makah Whale Hunt: Indigenous Knowledge and Limits to Multicultural Discourse. Urban Education,  41(5), 482-505.