iPhone Racist Game

            While looking for a site that dealt with cultural diversity in a wider context I found this interesting site. I was particularly drawn to an article in the controversy section about the misuse of an iPod game. The article talks about a game in which the characters are obviously meant to represent Polynesians, who are meeting all sorts of terrible ends. I was especially interested in a comment by Elaine Howard, who “stresses that if a game were produced that gave people the power of a God over Asians or Mexicans then there would be outrage.” (2009. p. 1) This article made me wonder if that is a true assessment of the situation. Cartoons got away with stereotyping ethnic groups until fairly recently and the world of electronic games is so vast, that I suspect most of us have no idea of their content. Nevertheless, it is an area which must concern us if we plan on using technology to educate. For as many of us have noted, while we concentrate may concentrate on teaching, they will be more assiduously playing and often without adult supervision.        

Main site:

Ethnic Mulicultural Media Academy

http://www.emmainteractive.com/

Article

iPhone Game deemed Racist to Pacific Islanders.

http://www.emmainteractive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20016&Itemid=3321

It is interesting to note the convergence of themes in these postings and discussion. There is a strong connection between protecting Indigenous lands and reviving languages. The names of plants, animals, and tradtional place based stories are connected to ancient relationships people had with landscapes. The land in this sense is the teacher. Anthropologists Keith Basso and Julie Cruikshank are two notables with regard to pointing out the inextricable connection between language, land, and morality. They show that the stories connected with places on the landscape teach people how to behave toward each other and the environment. This is consistent with what elders often want from education for youth; a way to remind them of their responsibilities and relationships to their homelands. It is remarkable how much diversity is being displayed in these weblogs– yet, they cohere around these integrated themes.

Reaching the digitally disadvantaged

            I decided to try out the search engine “metacrawler” for a change as I find it is a good idea not to always use the same browser as I have a tendency to use the same key words and then I find myself in a rut. Whilst playing with a random selection of key words, like technology and disadvantages, I found the following site. I found a number of interesting articles, but Lenoy’s article was precisely what I had been looking for.

            I was curious to see what research had shown about the disadvantages of not being technically proficient. Lenoy comments that “With communication and information technologies currently converging on all forms of work, study and play, it is critical for Indigenous people to become skilled in these contemporary and future skills.”(Lenoy.2001.p.4). However, Lenoy also warns that there will be little success unless we take into account that “These measures require adequate involvement of Indigenous people to control and determine outcome expectations.” (Lenoy.2001.p.7)

Main site:

            http://www.nationalforum.com/editor.htm

Article:

Lenoy. M. 2001. Reaching the digitally disadvantaged. Australia’s educational neglect of indigenous learners in the information age. Australian Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 26, No.1. 2001

http://ajte.education.ecu.edu.au/ISSUES/PDF/261/lenoy.pdf