In January of 2013, I was fortunate enough to have been in the first class ever for ETEC 565G.  This was an excellent course where we were introduced to the fact that even though we may think so, online environments and online learning environments are not ‘culture-free zones’. We examined the different signs and tools that allow individuals to construct meaning and interact with the people they encounter.  We also looked at the cultural differences between people while working with technology and how there can be communication breakdowns if we are not respectful of each other.

When I think back on this paper by one of the ETEC 565G instructors (Macfadyen, 2006), I remember how important the aspect of cultural identity was and how working online can often be difficult when it comes to respecting ones heritage and traditions.  My concerns with young Shuswap students learning their language from recorded podcasts of elders who have passed away are:

Will certain aspects of passing on tradition be negatively affected in the language learning process? If these  Shuswap students don’t have physical contact with the elder who is transmitting their language through a recorded podcast, how will this affect their cultural identity? 

I know from experience that by sitting with an older person who is telling a story, I not only hear their voice and see their face, but I can hold their hands, sit close beside them, smell the smells of the surroundings and listen and truly feel the environment that surrounds us.  Also, if there is a lesson to be taught by the person, such as making something with their hands, if I am beside them, I will experience the same feel of the items/materials/tools that allow me to receive the same hands-on experience as the older person who is explaining their story to me.  This type of contact with Shuswap elders plays a huge role in the transmission of culture and language.  If this is missing in podcast language recordings, how will young Shuswap students retain the aspects of tradition while they are also learning the language?  This also has me asking the following question:

Will the Shuswap people ever be able to revitalize their language so it is strong enough to be communicated without the help of technology?  In other words, once the recordings and documented podcasts of elders and language learners have been learned, studied and put to oral practice, will communities be able to speak their language comfortably enough so that they speak 100% of the time in Shuswap while continuing to share their language through traditional oral stories and customs like their ancestors?

References

Macfadyen, L. (2006).
Virtual Ethnicity: The new digitization of place, body, language, and

memory.
Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education, 8 (1).