Similar to other articles, this article begins with a quick overview of the impacts of language loss specifically on Indigenous communities. I enjoyed reading this article because it provides information by telling a story of how there was a barrier in technology and how that problem would be potentially solved. Hearing “voice” while reading this story made it more impactful than my previous post which sounded more like a researcher or reporter speaking. It also provided a really clear example of a basic fundamental problem of access to technology. The story explored how keyboards can greatly affect access to a language. Specifically, it explores the Ichishkiin language which has a 39-character alphabet and a gentleman who created a keyboard to “honoring the actual alphabet of the language”. In particular, this quote really stood out to me “Lack of font support is one way Native languages are being forced into the past”. The article continues to explain other stories of technology use including apps to practice language as well as “FirstVoices” which is a web-based tool to document and record language information.
Link to article: https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/04/15/technology-indigenous-languages
Thanks for the article Natascha! The first article in this course on net neutrality has had me thinking very deeply about my intentions of using technology in the classroom and the impact it could have on students. This article adds some light to my self-deliberation.