As was stated in the introduction to this course, there is no way to adequately answer all the questions of whether, what and how electronic technology should be incorporated into childhood education in FN communities. What I want to look at, is how this is happening now, and in the adult education context.

I want to look at the FN presence in cyberspace as it exists today, and how and why that contributes to both the continued education of FN adults and also adults and children in the dominant culture. Is this presence a positive or negative thing? Why do FN persons with a presence on the internet and in virtual worlds feel this is a) necessary and b) a safe thing to do?

Below are some links to some spaces set up to create aboriginal and indigenous places online.

Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace http://www.abtec.org/blog/?p=109 and http://magazine.concordia.ca/2009/spring/features/second_life.shtml

One of their projects on creating games with FN youth http://www.rit.edu/gccis/gameeducationjournal/skins-designing-games-first-nations-youth and http://www.abtec.org/blog/?p=219

A report of an award granted to a project which created a FN interactive story in the virtual world of SecondLife http://www.canadianexpatnetwork.com/public/891.cfm

My research paper/project will look at aboriginal spaces online, and I will hopefully be able to discuss interactions I have with their creators as well as look at the research that has been done on the subject, as well as how this connects to the concept of educaton.

Although I will not be soley focusing on SecondLife I will post the SLURLs (the links to places in SecondLife) that are relevant to what I am looking at; but those will only be available to people who are already residents in that world, so I am hoping to film some of the places and people I will visit (with permission of course). This is the environment with which I am most familiar, so I am hoping to find other virtual spaces to connect with and broaden both my horizons and the scope of my project.

The First Nations Schools Association works with First Nations schools to build nurturing environments that “develop learners’ pride and competence in their First Nations language and heritage and equips them to realize their full potential, within self-governing First Nations communities”.   Information on jurisdiction, programs and special education resources are provided.  A variety of resources are available (some free and some for purchase), including handbooks for teachers.

http://www.fnsa.ca/

The First Nations Education Steering Committee is an “independent society that is committed to improving education for all First Nations learners in British Columbia. FNESC is led by representatives of First Nations across the province.”  FNESC strives to facilitate First Nations support in the area of education. The website includes information about various programs and initiatives.

http://www.fnesc.ca/index.php

There are many links provided for further information.  A few key ones are:

First Nations School Association

Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association

First Nations Early Childhood Development Council

Seventh Generation Club

Opportunities to make learning Meaningful

This document, published by Alberta Education, provides extensive suggestions for making learning meaningful for Aboriginal students.  It addresses some of their unique learning attributes.  Graphic organizers, cooperative learning, and independent studies are suggested, linking many important Aboriginal values and traditions to learning activities.

Link

The mission of this website is to raise awareness of First Nations pedagogy around the world. June Kaminski, the creator of the site, provides extensive information related to Aboriginal education. The “Theory” section lists many core Aboriginal beliefs and practices (ie: story telling, the land, four directions, elders, interconnectedness). There is also an extensive list of links related to education.

http://firstnationspedagogy.com/

The College of the Rockies (COTR) serves the communities of the East Kootenays and is located in the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation and the Kinbasket people. Five Bands are located within the College region, four Ktunaxa Bands and one Shuswap – Kinbasket Band.

I teach in the Child, Youth, and Family Studies program at COTR, and while there is a strong Aboriginal presence in our institution, it is strangely absent in my department.  Last year the Aboriginal Strategic Support and Education Team (a team of faculty members whose goal is to “work collaboratively with the College community to promote the integration and use of Aboriginal scholarship in programs and courses offered by College of the Rockies”) approached our department requesting we include more Aboriginal content in our courses.  The request was denied, as my department felt we were very multi-cultural in our approach, and that it was not necessary to single out any one specific culture or group of people.  Although very early in this course, I’m already realizing that there are deeper issues that we never considered.  There are distinctions to be made and questions to be asked.

Why do we have almost no First Nations students enrolled in our program?  Many of the courses I teach are online courses.   What can I do, as an instructor, to meet the needs of Aboriginal students in my online classes?  What are those needs?  How are the goals and needs of Aboriginal students taking online courses different and/or similar to non-Aboriginals’? These are the questions I will use as the basis for my weblog research.

References:

A.S.S.E.T.  (2011).  College of the Rockies.  Retrieved September 20, 2011 from http://www.cotr.bc.ca/aboriginal/cotr_web.asp?IDNumber=175

Who We Are. (n.d.) Ktunaxa Nation.  Retrieved September 20, 2011 from http://www.ktunaxa.org/who/index.html