With the still-fresh wounds from residential schooling in particular, and effects of colonization in general, there is a barrier that exists between school and community. However, if the goal of formalized education is prepare students for a productive life, then the school system must be a fully functioning part of the community. There should be fluid movement between school-based activities and community relevance and engagement. In the context of the Tlicho region, attempts have been made to bring together school and community through such programs as culture-based education being integrated into the school programming, teachers leaving the school to go into community homes for home visits at several points throughout the year, the presence of elders in the school, and the use of school-community counsellors whose role it is to help build bridges between the two. With all of these initiatives, the disconnect remains. There are ongoing consultations and questions over how to effectively bring the two together.

The goal of this analysis is to examine if there is a role for the use of multimedia in making inroads on this issue. Through engaging with community issues, gaining input from community members, and publishing work for community consumption, can the student learning process and output become engaging and accessible to parents, relatives and community members outside of the formal school building? My research weblog will focus on projects and initiatives that arise out of the junction of school-based learning and community knowledge or issues.

Emily