I went back and forth on whether an online medium is the best choice for Lenora. I’ve landed on yes, but not a new website. The reason I was torn is because of the dial-up internet. I’m sure Lenora is not the only person in her community (or in other indigenous communities) that struggles with internet access. With that said, Lenora would have a hard time reaching a larger audience using a print source. Further, a print resource would be more costly and harder to maintain. I created a pros and cons chart based on the SECTIONS model to weigh out Lenora’s options.
| Print Medium | Online Medium | |
| Students | Limited by mailing list | Open to entire community |
| Ease of Use | Easy to reference once received | Require internet access |
| Cost | Printing cost | No cost (if use free platform) |
| Teaching/Media Selection | Images only | Various media formats |
| Interaction | No interactivity | Post comments & share links |
| Organizational Issues | Appropriate branding | Appropriate branding |
| Networking | No networking | Collaborative tools |
| Security | Can be shared | Can be shared |
Since an online medium is more costly, reaches a larger audience, and allows for interactivity/ networking I think Lenora should pursue it further. However, because Lenora has no experience creating websites and has limited time, I think she should consider other online mediums. Three options I thought of are: a blog, an online newsletter, or adding content to existing online communities. While each of these options pose their own challenges, I think overall they will play to Lenora’s strengths and resources.
Blog
Sites like WordPress and Weebly allow you to create a blog for free and have very user friendly platforms. Lenora could develop a series of post relating to anti-bullying resources. She can also upload documents or embed links (which would be faster). Blogs also allow for open communication, so members of her community and comment and contribute their own stories/resources.
Newsletter
An online newsletter is a great way to share information without having to maintain an online platform. Lenora can draft the newsletter offline and embed documents within it. She can then circulate her newsletter to various indigenous communities.
Online Communities
Instead of creating a website from scratch, Lenora could add her content to already existing online communities (like Cradleboard). These communities already have a following which will allow her to reach a large audience. Further, she would not be responsible for maintaining the website.
References
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in digital age http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/ (Chapter 8 on SECTIONS framework)