Month: September 2021

I currently live in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, but I am an Inuvialuk from Tuktoyaktuk, one of the six communities that make up the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (IRC). There are a tremendous amount of influential people in my life as being raised in an Indigenous community is unique. Our connections and strength moves forward through our families and communities we were raised in. Knowledge passed on from those before us, is not seen as individual ownership of that knowledge, where one person is recognized as influential. Rather, it is traditional knowledge we use to guide us forward shared by all Inuvialuit and I believe that our knowledge and contributions stem from all individuals who have touched our lives. 

Inuvialuit means the real people and we are represented by IRC (2021), which is the organization I would like to highlight as having made significant contributions to Inuvialuit education and technology. The first big impact came when our Inuvialuit ancestors refused and walked away from signing Treaty 11, presented to them by the Government of Canada in the early 1900’s. I was told Inuvialuit were invited to the shores of Tsiigehtchic to sign a Treaty on Gwich’in land and instead of signing, without words, Inuvialuit leaders left swiftly in their qayaqs in the middle of the night. 

The second big milestone was the signing of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement on June 5, 1984 taking back control from decades of the Government of Canada’s attempts to assimilate and abolish Inuvialuit even after our ancestors refused Treaty 11 (2018). This Land Claim Settlement was the first of its kind in the Northwest Territories. 

These milestones are relevant to the field of education and technology because they provide opportunity to share our perspectives, safely. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (2021) has now spent over three decades implementing and creating digital educational resources to reach Inuvialuit and learners all over the world. Some of the current examples of online resources created and available are:

1. Taimani – At That Time (2017)  is a visual guide of the Inuvialuit timeline from our perspectives.
2. Inuvialuit Pitqusiit Inuuniarutait (2012) meaning Inuvialuit Living History is a digital resource highlighting the MacFarlane collection and Anderson River Inuvialuit
3. Inuvialuit Digital Library (2014) is a valuable resource that provides support for Inuvialuktun teachers, and promotes the language as part of their mandate. This is a collaborative resource with the University of Alberta to provide resources digitally.
4. Qilalukkat! Belugas and Inuvialuit (2019) is an exhibit showcasing the cultural practices passed on through generations and available for viewing digitally and in person at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario.

These digital learning resources illustrate milestones Inuvialuit have achieved since refusing the Treaty first presented. Digital education and preservation give many who are facing struggles from centuries of abuse and colonialism a chance to build on our internal connections and move forward in a positive direction. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporations contribution in developing digital resources opens doors for Inuvialuit like myself, not currently living within the ISR, but where our family, communities, and hearts reside.

References

Canadian Museum of Nature (2019). Qilalukkat! Belugas and Inuvialuit: Our survival together. https://nature.ca/en/plan-your-visit/what-see-do/our-exhibitions/arctic-gallery/arctic-northern-voices-gallery. 

Inuvialuit Communications Society (2018). Treaty Declined. Tusaayaksat Magazine: Spring Issue. Pg. 72-74. https://issuu.com/tusaayaksatmagazine/docs/tusaayaksat-spring2018-_online_2_

Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre (2012). Inuvialuit Pitqusiit Inuuniarutait: Inuvialuit Living History. https://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/. 

Inuvialuit Cultural Centre (2014). Inuvialuit Digital Library. https://inuvialuitdigitallibrary.ca/. 

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (2017). Taimani: At that time: Inuvialuit Timeline Visual Guide. https://www.inuvialuithistory.ca/#!/home/. 

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (last edited 2021). Inuvialuit Final Agreement. https://irc.inuvialuit.com/about-irc/inuvialuit-final-agreement. 

 

Lesson 1 Immediate Relevance: 2005 Video

Video continues to be a part of my own learning and others around me access video, particularly YouTube, on a daily basis. I have not used YouTube personally to create my own lessons, however; family, friends, and I use it for quick knowledge and to problem solve, construct an item, or learn about a new concept. This is relevant and demonstrated through the comparison chart on page 87 between formal education and Informal Learning (2020). The latter for example being experimental, innovative, and a solution to short-term needs, which is satisfying.

I recently took apart our entire washing machine with the help of YouTube to repair the rubber ring within. Without video I would have less in my pocket and may have even replaced the item impacting the environment and spending grocery money. Another example of the beauty of video education, is my daughter was sitting on our couch crocheting. I’ve crocheted previously and years ago tried to teach her without gaining any enthusiasm. I asked her last night, when and where did she learn to crochet a blanket? Her response, was, YouTube. My husband wants to learn more about cryptocurrency and YouTube is his primary resource for education. YouTube provides information that we do not want to ask others about or use up their time, and it gives us immediate access to solutions through a visual demonstration. Video is relevant, popular, and accessible.

Lesson 2 Work Contradiction: 2003 Blogs

Blogging and the continuous involvement to be a blogger, respond to a blogger, or contradict and engage in others blogs, is extremely tiring and not at all a part of my work environment. In my opinion, blogging seems to be for individuals who have an excess amount of time online. I would rather sit with a friend, co-worker, or family member and have a personal conversation where the back and forth is immediate, opinions conversed and conversations kept private. Knowledge or information I gain in blogging is not something I use in teaching, education, or my current business environment and rather contradicts the progress I like to see at the end of the day. I would prefer to have concrete work to look at and that would bring a satisfaction of accomplishment versus blogging about my opinions, feelings, or points of view, which seems more for personal social media or in-person dialogue. It is difficult to imagine the physical cues that are missing through a blog. However; maybe I am mistaken and I have not found an opportunity or tried to be  successful with blogging and there is money to be made and knowledge to gain.

Reference
Weller, M. (2020). 25 Years of Ed Tech. Athabasca University Press. 25 Years of Ed Tech: The serialized Audio Version. (2021). https://25years.opened.ca

From my perspective, the story of educational technology starts when the web was invented, in 1989 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee (pg 15). Learning that the foundation of the web started with a problem of sharing information is enlightening to me. One of my struggles is sharing cultural knowledge and teachings. I am not inventing a new idea, but wanting to use the idea of the web to resolve a problem I have, with education technology being one of the solutions.

One of the arguments presented is the freedom of technology and as Weller puts it “a system with no central authority” (pg 17). As a web user, I understand the risks associated. From one extreme, individuals can publish anything, true or false. With digital platforms like Wikis users “can track edits, roll back versions, and monitor contributions” (pg 25) which to me is invaluable for sharing information and making individuals accountable for their online contributions so the false information can be challenged.

Another area presented by Weller that was compelling to me is the first Open University, developed in 1999, two years after I graduated high school. 22 years later, in 2021, I am participating in my first program that requires no printed material, 100% digital. It is not a surprise that a revolution like education technology has taken decades to be implemented, as so many learning outcomes, in my experience, have been controlled by the Government and Churches. The web can eliminate this control and offer opportunities for other organizations so educators and learners like myself can access and take control of our learning.

Thinking of the evolution of education technology, if I were to write a book, it would begin in 1997, my first year of college where I was first introduced to the web. I enjoy making personal connections in my writing for the benefit of others, particularly from my home community. If I cannot make those connections, like a computer, I begin to crash and eventually, I shut down. Lastly, my story would not be a book, but rather, an ebook.

Reference

Weller, M. (2020). 25 Years of Ed Tech. Athabasca University Press. 25 Years of Ed Tech: The serialized Audio Version. (2021). https://25years.opened.ca