Category — Module 2

Module 2

1.This is an interesting site which shows the importance of indigenous knowledge in our society.

Below is an excerpt from the site

“What is Indigenous Knowledge (IK)?

Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is generally understood as knowledge which is unique to a given culture, society or community and which is deeply rooted in cultural traditions, values and belief systems. Indigenous knowledge is a complex system of knowledge which draws on hundreds of years of wisdom and experience. These knowledge systems are dynamic, changing with the addition of new information. Because it is based on experience, each culture, society or community will have a system of knowledge that is distinct from all others. The transmission of this knowledge from generation to generation can be through the use of traditions such as songs, stories, dreams and legends. Ecological methods, crafts, songs, foods, medicines, art, dance and music are all drawn from Indigenous knowledge”

http://socserv.socsci.mcmaster.ca/ihrktn/knowledge.htm. (Retrieved, November 7, 2012)

2.This site is about Indigenous Knowledge exchange. The site gives an overview of the program and the various topics that will be covered in the programs.

http://www.ipy2012montreal.ca/program/indigenous.php

3. This site informs us of the link between Indigenous knowledge and society.

The site entitled; The role of the participatory web for indigenous knowledge, gives information on Indigenous Knowledge and Social media, IK and Technology, etc.

http://www.web2fordev.net/home/1-latest-news/88-the-role-of-the-participatory-web-for-indigenous-knowledge (Retrieved November 7, 2012).

4. In my research I found this very interesting site, owned by 100% aboriginals who are using technology to enhance education in the community among youths, women, and the elders.  Invert media is an interactive web based program. The site has links to short films of a variety of work done by the group especially among the aboriginal youths in the communities. Below is a quote from the site

“Invert Media’s work is based on respect for indigenous knowledge.  Cultural and community sources of knowledge are recognized and meaningfully engaged.  Great care is taken to ensure that Indigenous knowledge frameworks are not watered down or compromised”

http://www.invertmedia.com/about-us.html (Retrieved, November 7, 2012).

5. This is a UNESCO site which shows how technology is used to preserve cultural traditions, languages, etc. The site is entitled Reinforcing the transmission of Mayangna culture, knowledge and language.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/reinforcing_the_transmission_of_indigenous_culture_knowledge_and_language/

Our school district Cultural Coordinator has shared many resources with me over the years. One of the most recent was the book, Anishnaabe World: A Guide for Building Bridges between Canada and First Nations written by Roger Speilmann. This is an enjoyable and  humorous read. Written in 2009 this survival guide includes chapters such as “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Treaties (But Were Afraid To Ask)” and “Native Humour and Why Canadians Often Don’t Seem to “Get It””.

Roger and his family lived in Pikogan, an Anishnaabe community in northwest Quebec, for 11 years. All author royalties from this book are donated to the Native Students Association at Laurentian University.

This book has been held by many hands in our school district and gifted from one aboriginal support worker to another and then to me. I am wondering who I will next share it with.

With the country’s and world’s attention on the Attiwapiskatt reserve, do you feel that we are at a tipping point? How can we sustain the attention of our citizens and government to the issues of these struggling communities. Now that the Red Cross has moved in to one of our own communities in absence of flood, fire, earthquake . . . surely this must be a wakeup call? Perhaps we need to support the Red Cross so that the organization can afford to move into other communities. I don’t intend for my support to the red cross to take responsibility off of our government’s shoulders but to shame the government into action.

Those of you who are living outside of North America. Are you receiving much news of this situation? “The government continues to blame the victim.” Shameful! For those of you not living in Canada below are a couple of links.

Peter Mansbridge will have an extended interview airing this weekend on One on One with Shawn Atleo – the national chief of the assembly of first nations.

Eight minutes of the interview is shared on The National – 20:58 – of the broadcast.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV_Shows/The_National/1233408557/ID=2172409833 http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV_Shows/The_National/1233408557/ID=2172409801

This site forms part of the School of Information website. This page listed as a subpage of the pathfinder classification is entitled, “A New Understanding of Culture and Communication: The impact of technology on Indigenous Peoples” and was created by A.J. Johnson.  He provides a guide to finding online and text based resources on the different technology issues affecting Indigenous peoples. The layout and use of preset questions followed by referenced information and links to the resources within each content specific area makes access to relevant information quite simple.

Given the nature of the site however, it is a bit of a disappointment to see that the site is not being maintained very well which is evidenced by the many broken links encountered.

http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson/pathfinder.html

The Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT) website has creativity, sharing, collaborating and honouring of Native culture listed as its core values. The aim of the website is to share the Native Stories with the world through the development/creation and distribution of native media. The very setup of the web site exemplifies its mission by utilizing the various forms of media available. The site provides viewers with the option to: (i) watch news stories and discussion guides or (ii) listen to live streams of programs, native radio or podcasts, to name a few. An interactive timeline on the Native American Battles and Massacres adds to the intrigue of the site. In addition it offers a wealth of information on educational resources available with special links to new releases. Search options for subject or grade specific text contributes to the overall ease of use. This is a very dynamic and media rich website which will bring a colourful insight into the lives of FN people.

http://www.nativetelecom.org/

This webpage forms part of the larger website developed by the Congress of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). CONAIE, established in 1986, is the representative body that was organized to ensure that Indigenous people had a political voice that would articulate their needs and rights as a people in society. The site/web page publishes the Political Declaration of the indigenous people that came out of their fourth congress sitting held in 1993. Included in the list of declaration are their rights of self-determination, sovereignty, and independence. The details and tone of the site signals adamancy, resistance and pride. It echoes in a very clear and concise manner the sentiments and desires of the indigenous people.

http://conaie.nativeweb.org/conaie4.html

The People’s Movement for Human Rights Education  formerly the People’s decade for Human Rights Education (PDHRE) website is dedicated to human rights learning for social and economic transformation.  The organization is an independent, international and non-profit body.  It was established in 1988 to fulfill the need for greater understanding of human rights issues as it related to FN people. The home page is packed with information on human rights issues as well as details about indigenous people;  their livelihood, sexual orientation, work, and minorities to name a few. Users are able to access pictures, video clips and links to numerous resources, articles, reports, dialogue/dissertations and publications. They are also prompted from the onset, to join the different interest groups shown on the site, that seek to address the human rights issue of the FN people.

The outlining of specific subject areas makes navigation much easier. Details on human rights issues are not mentioned only in generalized terms but explained in relation to how it applies to indigenous people,. Overall it is a very comprehensive and well developed website.

http://www.pdhre.org/index.html

The author of this webpage demonstrates a strong passion for the rights and privileges of the indigenous people while at the same time, highlighting the ills of globalization and the use of media creation to further strengthen their efforts at domination and infiltration.

The author’s consistent use of comparative analysis, present readers with the many variables that are present in media creation and globalization, from which they can draw their own conclusion. The use of thought provoking questions further prompt readers to examine the situation closer and in turn begin to ask questions of their own. There is a gradual introduction of terms such as ‘exploitation’ ‘domination’ “extensive power” “corporatism” all used in relation to the underpinnings of globalization and media creation. Spurts of enthusiasm and hope for indigenous media creation highlight the positives of media and the resilience of the indigenous people.

http://www.globalautonomy.ca/global1/summaryPrint.jsp?index=summaries/RS_Tabobondung_MediaCreation.xml

Thank you to our cohort colleague, Jasmeet for sharing with me Learning styles of American Indian/Alaska Native Students: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Practice.  This article published in the Journal of American Indian Education included an impressive list of resources worthy of further investigation. Also significant to this article was the urging that a study of FN learning styles was not intended to further stereotype FN people but to encourage educators to develop sufficient knowledge of, understanding of, and relationship with their students to be able to better support their learning.

“In order to provide a viable educational environment for American Indian/Alaska Native students, teachers should try to identify the learning styles of their students, match their teaching styles to students’ learning styles for difficult tasks (Lippitt, 1993), and broaden “deficit thinking” learning styles through easier tasks and drills. All students, regardless of ethnicity, stand to benefit from an understanding of different cultural values.” (Pewewardy, 2002 p. 34)

Would that educators followed these wise words for all students. Our current British Columbian school system is not designed, organized, employed to meet the needs of our FN students. Is it designed to meet the needs of any of our students? This article calls for personalization of learning for all students.

“This research indicates that curriculum or educational models that select one body of information to be presented to all students at a set time and at some forced rate cannot possibly accommodate all learners.” (Pewewardy, 2002 p.) Anywhere, anytime learning? Sound familiar?

Personalized Learning in British Columbia This just out on Friday Oct. 27 http://www.bcedplan.ca/ .

Pewewardy, C. (2002). Learning styles of american indian/alaska native students:a review of the literature and implications for practice. Journal of American indian Education, 41(3), Retrieved from http://jaie.asu.edu/v41/V41I3A2.pdf

http://www.cyberpowwow.net/events.html

This 2004 digital and Real Life event was a gathering of artist and curators designed to explore the unnatural resources of cyberspace. Were there the same distinctions in thinking about pixles, data, bandwidth and networks between Native and Non-Native thinking as there are about the ‘real’ world?

Can events like this that are situated both in cyberspace and the real world participate in the debate over the place of technology in First Nations education? Can it make explicit the distinctions in the values and needs of the communities in a way that would help First Nations youth avoid the many potential pitfalls of engaging in a technological world?