Author: Clare Roche

I must admit I have felt a little discouraged in my web trek to find an unbiased opinion about the use of technology in Indigenous education. I came across the following site:

http://www1.lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/indigenous/

and there are a lot of links, but once more I found that there is very little information of the sort I am looking for. What I did find at: http://www.cdi.gob.mx/

was a link to a video: http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=278

in which I found a mention of the boarding schools, which sound similar to the residential schools in Canada. The difference I suspect is that the children do not seem to be mistreated, however they are being taught in Spanish rather than their indigenous language, and so they are being gently persuaded to leave behind their language and customs so that they can fit in with the majority.

The more information I came across the more I am forced to realise that I will end up proving the opposite of what I set out to prove in my investigation. I planned to see what educational policies have been implemented and by means of a literature search make some recommendations for indigenous education in my state. Now I am aware of how little knowledge I have and I am ashamed of how paternalistic my ideas were. This site that I visited and the previous articles I have read have shown me how I must give up my pre-conceived ideas and learn to listen to what each indigenous group has to say. I have learned that each group has its own identity and it is not possible to make blanket judgments.  This site is in English and French, but not in any of the aboriginal languages. A month ago I would have been impressed, but now I am more critical of sites that are written about, but not for First Nation people.  

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/AboutCCL/KnowledgeCentres/AboriginalLearning/index.htm

This site has a research branch which states that it has a comprehensive collection of historical indigenous documents, but it was impossible for me to check it out as it costs 200 dollars for students for a year or 10 dollars for one access, which on a Mexican salary is not feasible. I was next drawn to the photography section which has photos by Robert Harper of several countries, including Mexico as it was, over 50 years ago. The photos are very interesting and I spent some time looking at how Mexico used to be. There are some photos of Puerta Vallarta when it was a virgin beach and a small indigenous community. Now Puerta Vallarta is a huge artificial, concrete, tourist complex that bears no resemblance to its wild, natural beauty in the past. Finally I noticed the indigenous bookshop which is linked to Amazon and seemed to have a small, but interesting collection.   

http://cwis.org/

Whilst investigating what is being done around the world in the area of indigenous education I came across this site. I was interested to note that the conclusion to the main article almost echoes the words of Dr Lee Brown. “‘good practice’ for teaching is one that is based on recognising each student as an individual, valuing their life experiences and developing their knowledge and skills accordingly”. It made me wonder if on different continents people have come to the same conclusions then why has there not been a major change at an international level. I look at Mexico and wonder why we are not investigating the real needs of our indigenous communities. How can this shift in consciousness come about? It seems clear to me that instead of fighting for the right of every child to be educated we need instead to fight for every child to be educated in the right way.

http://www.oodgeroo.qut.edu.au/academic_resources/academicpape/indigenouscu.jsp

This is an American web site which has some very powerful images and interesting articles. I was looking for some information on mining and how governments place more importance on making enough money to carry out their policies than how their decisions affect indigenous groups when minerals are found on their land. One would imagine that in this century it would be possible to find a way to mine without taking away and often leaving untenable land which has belonged for centuries to indigenous communities. My only doubt about this site is that all of the information is in English. There are also some help groups and field projects but I didn’t find any links to read the information in an optional language.

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/?gclid=CJLZh_Kps50CFRpdswodiFv_ig

I was looking for more information about the theory of emotional intelligence when I came across the author’s blog. What really caught my eye was the mention of “ecological intelligence”. I must admit after watching Dr. Lee’s video several times it seems to me that we are going about this the wrong way round. If we have all these indigenous groups around us who have hundreds (or even thousands) of years of practise then why don’t we listen to these experts instead of our media proficient academics selling “how to do” books? It reminded me of a Douglas Adams’ quote “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” (1952-2001). Maybe it is time to stop reading every body else’s theories and rather we should take more time to reflect on what we have experienced in the classroom and learn from those who live these theories from day to day.

http://www.danielgoleman.info/blog/

http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1435.html

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

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

Indigenous Peoples, Technological Globalization, and Social Mobilization

            I was originally looking for a site which deals with the problems that indigenous communities face when dealing with technology. I came across this site and in particular a paper by Green-Barber about the use that indigenous groups have made of technology. The author states that “technology is creating new possibilities for the empowerment of marginalized groups, such as indigenous peoples, in the political, social, and civil spheres as well; indigenous peoples themselves are selecting the ways in which they wish to be empowered.”(Green-Barber. 2009. P.3) The article is very thought provoking and the site has a number of interesting academic articles, although I was a little concerned that I could not find who is ultimately responsible for choosing the material.

Main site

http://www.allacademic.com/

Article:

Green-Barber, L. , 2008-04-03 “Indigenous Peoples, Technological Globlization, and Social Mobilization” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the MPSA Annual National Conference, Palmer House Hotel, Hilton, Chicago, IL Online <PDF>. 2009-05-23 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p267575_index.html

Indigenous Education Institute

            The moment I opened this page I was drawn in by both the colours and the images. As I explored the site I found within it an article called Paradox and Transformation ( Maryboy et al. 2006.) This article points out the problems involved in education due to the different value systems that operate in the Western world and the Indigenous world. The authors mention that “Like the Navajo, most Indigenous people are spiritually grounded in specific geophysical and celestial environments. “ (Maryboy et al. 2006, p.7) In contrast, the current western educational curriculum which we value, places almost no emphasis on the world around us. Instead, we must accept that when we look at the indigenous world, we are guilty that “This knowledge has been marginalized and discounted in most educational systems of the dominant society around the world.” (Maryboy et al. 2006, p. 12)

http://www.indigenouseducation.org/

http://www.indigenouseducation.org/WINHEC%20Journal%203-29-06%20Final%20c.pdf

The Pathways Project

            I was looking for sites which deal with the importance of oral traditions in indigenous communities, when I came across this site which compares oral traditions (OT) with Internet technology (IT). This site reinforced an idea I had about using technology for languages which have never been written down. I was fascinated by the concept that “Because of their inherent dynamics, both OT and IT are always in flux; they remain open, emergent, and forever under construction rather than closed, determined, and complete.”(p.1)

            At first I found myself trying to read the information in my traditional linear style, but this site really encourages you to step away from the traditional and to wander around the site following whichever threads of the conversation interest you. I spent some time in the Museum of Verbal Art and from there I sidetracked to the Ideology of the Text.  I ended up a long way from my original search, but it was worth it.

http://www.pathwaysproject.org/pathways/show/HomePage