Précis overview:
Yukon Education Student Network (YESNet) and Yukon First Nations Programs & Partnerships Unit of the Yukon’s Ministry of Education are seeking to explore the advantages of a blended learning approach on educational success for Aboriginal students located in remote areas in the Yukon.
The Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation has agreed to pilot the program, however due to the remote nature of their traditional, unceded territories, community members often have to rely on 3G technologies, owing to the low bandwidth and unreliable Internet accessibility.
Should the pilot program prove to be successful, YESNet’s goals are to expand the project such that Yukon’s other 12 First Nations will have access to the program, thereby resulting in an increase in student enrollment and workload on the server.
As members of the YESNet’s Learning Technologies Advisory Committee (LTAC), we have been asked to develop a rubric that will facilitate the evaluation of various LMS in order to determine which will best meet the technical, instructional, cultural and educational needs, while supporting the overall current and future goals.
Reflection:
In approaching this task, our group initially referred back to Bates’ (2014) SECTIONS because we felt it would serve us well as a foundational model. While all components were relevant to our scenario, we decided that it was also necessary to specifically elaborate on certain aspects that were more reflective of indigenous cultures, accessibility, and the future goals of the organization. What surprised me the most was how easily SECTIONS could be modified to highlight the needs of YESNet’s pilot project. Each of Bates’ section were presented broadly enough that it enabled us to identify and develop the criteria needed for our rubric, all the while serving as an excellent guidance.
Although I could touch on each section, I would like to reflect more specifically on the one regarding “students”. In considering the student population, Aboriginal learners, I was able to understand more in depth the key points in Bates’ students section. As I began to learn more about how Indigenous peoples place value on collaborative learning, oral traditions, and community involvement, it really solidified the importance of acknowledging student demographic, differences, and preferences. Battist (2002) explains that indigenous students must have access to content that is relevant to their culture and respects the traditional ways of knowledge acquisition. While we tried to design a rubric that focused on traditional teaching and learning methodologies, which differ from those of the western systems (Chase et al., 2010), it is worth noting that these methodologies also differ among different First Nations tribes. Therefore, as the use of technology in education is increasing, a variety of LMSs is a necessity and should not be designed as a “one size fits all”, nor should the rubrics used for their evaluation.
I really feel this exercise has opened my eyes at the amount of consideration that is required prior to selecting an LMS. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that there is no LMS that is able to meet the needs of every learner, instructor and institution, therefore, in any given situation, compromises are inevitable. However, a rubric can be useful in determining to what extent the LMS will or will not meet your requirements. In reality, an LMS is simply a technological tool, however, its value stems from its ability to meet the needs of those who use it.
Group work:
Working on this project as a group was extremely beneficial and a great learning experience. As we began to pool together our prior knowledge, experiences and research findings, we were able to refine our focus on what was relevant to our scenario. We shared our ideas during online synchronous discussions and further developed them using Google Docs. We worked very well together, as we made sure that our strengths were highlighted, placed an effort in keeping the allocated responsibilities fair and we made sure that all our ideas were heard and respected.
Having had little experience creating rubrics, I was able to learn a lot from my group members. Moreover, the collaboration facilitated the distribution the workload, thereby providing more time to reflect on what I had learned.
References
Bates, T. (2014). Chapter 8: Choosing and using media in education: the SECTIONS model, Teaching in digital age. (p. 257 – 291). Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/
Battiste, M. (2002). Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy in First Nations education: A literature review with recommendations. Prepared for the National Working Group on Education and the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs. Ottawa: Apamuwek Institute. Retrieved from http://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/education/24._2002_oct_marie_battiste_indigenousknowledgeandpedagogy_lit_review_for_min_working_group.pdf
Chase, M. N., Charnley, K., & McLean, S. J. (2010). In Sudweeks, F., Hrachovec, H., & Ess, C. (eds). Recognizing aboriginal oral tradition through blended learning: a success story. Paper presented at Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication, Murdoch University, Australia, 19-27. Retrieved from http://sammelpunkt.philo.at:8080/2004/1/chase.pdf