Leveraging Technology to Explore and Understand Indigenous Histories

Purpose & objective

Please find a link to the slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12I2zpD9lYYfbiqiGP5Ei_uenhIL-KuiZ01HSlkVizLI/edit#slide=id.gadce9dfb2e_0_4

Participants will:
-understand the history of and partnership with Indigenous stakeholders that led to the creation of this App
-engage in dialogue about the importance of Treaty and land acknowledgement as part of the process of Truth and Reconciliation with First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities. Communities in Canada, United States and Australia are represented in the App
-explore the app as an educational tool to create dialogue around reconciliation
-deconstruct video land acknowledgements to understand criteria and key features that educators might use to engage student voice in the creation of land acknowledgements for their local context
-create a land acknowledgement for the participants school area or community, based on discovered in the Whose Land App.
-examine additional programs and resources developed by TakingITGlobal which support Indigenous student voice (Create to Learn, Connected North)
- Investigate Microworlds coding program translated into Indigenous languages (Inuktitut, James Bay Cree and Ojibwa) to support access of resources to Indigenous communities
- The app consists of six different maps of Indigenous territories, Treaties, and First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities. Each community's location will eventually host a land acknowledgement video, and other information that the community would like to include on their page. The app will be used as an educational tool to create dialogue around reconciliation. It will be a starting point for conversation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens across this country about land, territorial recognition and land acknowledgement.

Outline

Introduction of TakingITGlobal and resources available to educators and students -5 minutes

Demonstration of Whose Land App and rationale behind the development of the app -5 minutes

Guided Tour of the features of the app- 5 minutes

Participants explore the features of the app in relation to their school community- 15 minutes

Participants create and share a land acknowledgement for their school community- 10 minutes

Examine additional resources and programs of TakingITGlobal (Create to Learn, Code to Learn, Connected North) which support Indigenous students across remote areas of Canada. 10 minutes

Participants engage in discussion regarding the potential impact of these programs in their community and feedback regarding programs (10 minutes)

Supporting research

Battiste, M. (2002). Indigenous Knowledge and Pedagogy in First Nations Education – A Literature Review With Recommendations. National Working Group on Education and the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). (http://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/education/24._2002_oct_marie_battiste_indigenousknowledgeandpedagogy_lit_review_for_min_working_group.pdf)

Cifuentes, L., & Murphy, K. L. (2000). Promoting multicultural understanding and positive self-concept through a distance learning community: cultural connections. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(1), 69-83. (http://www.springerlink.com/content/l7u465201uh04725/)

Haight, M., Quan-Haase, A., & Corbett, B. A. (2014). Revisiting the digital divide in Canada: the impact of demographic factors on access to the internet, level of online activity, and social networking site usage. Information, Communication, and Society, 17 (4). 503 - 519. Web. 30 Sep, 2015 ( http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2014.891633 )

“High School Graduation Rates Much Lower In Northern Canada Than In The South.” The Conference Board of Canada. n.p. n.d. Web. 30 Sep, 2015 (http://www.conferenceboard.ca/press/newsrelease/10-08-26/high_school_graduation_rates_much_lower_in_northern_canada_than_in_the_south.aspx )

Lewthwaite, B. & McMillan, B. (2010). She Can Bother Me, and That’s Because She Cares: What Inuit Students Say About Teaching and Their Learning. Canadian Journal of Education, 33 (1), 140-175. (http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ883527.pdf)

Motskin, A. & Gallinger, Z. (2015). The Vast Disparity in Canada’s High School Graduation Rates. The 10 and 3. Web. 30 Sep, 2015 (http://www.the10and3.com/the-vast-disparity-in-canadas-high-school-graduation-rates-00016/)

Sweeney, M. (2007). The use of videoconferencing techniques which support constructivism in K–12 education. Ed.D. dissertation, University of Massachusetts Lowell, United States — Massachusetts: (http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1331418151&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1199370880&cfc=1)

Ward Melville Heritage Organization. (2002). Videoconferencing exposes students to new worlds. T.H.E. (Technological Horizons in Education) Journal, 29(8). (http://thejournal.com/articles/2002/03/01/videoconferencing-exposes-students-to-new-worlds.aspx