Learning Technologies: Design & Applications

Cradleboard:

RE: Lenora’s web access is dial-up only. It can take a really long time to upload and download files. Plus she’s never created a web site before and doesn’t know anything about where one puts a website.

• After exploring http://www.cradleboard.org/, I wondered why Lenora does not participate in the online learning community.
• She could create a blog or use Moodle for the elementary grades
  • (which now comprise: Geography Online; Social Studies Online; Science; History and Music Online)
• The electronic Powwow sounds intriguing! Why not use that?
  • It offers:
    • Student lessons
    • Teacher plans
    • Live Chat
    • Discussion Boards
    • Announcements for all Electronic Powwow
    • and Private Cradleboard participants.

Considereing that indigenous literacy challenges the traditional 3 “Rs” (reading, writing and arithmetic) and consist in (Currie & Kaminski, 2008):

• Respect. …on-line education for indigenous learners must respect their cultures and traditions by making them an intrinsic part of the studies
• Relevance. Authentic activities, relevant to community issues, must be incorporated in conjunction with the academic knowledge conveyed in lessons or units.
• Reciprocity. Advanced communication tools honors cooperation.
• Responsibility. Students are given the freedom to choose how they wish to fashion their study path. At the same time, the inclusion of self reflection fosters the promotion of equity and pride, leading to autonomy and ultimately self-determination.

The Electronic Powwow sounds perfect!