Push-button Activism: the use of technology by Townsville Aboriginal activists

Abstract In an increasingly technological age, the internet is becoming a primary source of networking. From common interest groups to business meetings, many members of western society have at least a minor presence on ‘Web 2.0’. Social movements, like every other aspect of life, have become increasingly reliant on the […]

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Multimedia technology & Indigenous language revitalization: Practical educational tools and applications

Abstract This dissertation reports findings from a study documenting the use of multimedia technology among Indigenous language communities to assist language learners, speakers, instructors, and institutions learn about multimedia technologies that have contributed to Indigenous language revitalization, education, documentation, preservation, and maintenance. The overall study used an adapted technacy framework […]

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Using the Internet to Strengthen the Indigenous Nations of the Americas

In October 1994, a team from the Oneida Indian Nation of New York visited Washington to view a new Internet site at the White House. The press release describing the visit is reproduced below to introduce the topic: how the Indigenous nations of the Americas are using the Internet to […]

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Videoconferencing and Remote and Rural First Nations

Abstract This article explores why visual communication is important for First Nations, the prevalence and purposes of videoconferencing in non-institutional settings, and the challenges the communities experience using this technology. The central theme is that videoconferencing is a vital tool for remote and rural First Nations and in order for […]

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Video Communication Roadblocks Facing Remote Indigenous Communities

Abstract For Canada’s remote and rural communities, video communications provide a vital lifeline. This article discusses the challenges for video communications in remote and rural First Nation (Indigenous) communities. Central to our analysis are social and technical issues as well as the ICT experiences of community-based organizations and community members. […]

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New Media and Self-Determination: Publicly Made and Accessible Video and Remote and Rural First Nation Communities

Abstract This working paper explores the potential for New Media to provide a means for members of remote and rural First Nations communities to challenge problematic mainstream representations of First Nations identity. Video on public access sites such as YouTube and Google Video, as well as on websites that act […]

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Preserving Aboriginal Heritage: Technical & Traditional Approaches

Symposium 2007: Preserving Aboriginal Heritage: Technical & Traditional Approaches (originally published by the Canadian Conservation Institute) What We Heard Introduction Preserving Living Cultures Conserving Heritage Objects Reconciling the Tangible and the Intangible Working Together Benefits of Working Together Preparing for the Future Conclusion Introduction In September 2007, about 400 people […]

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Indigenous People, WSIS, and Emerging Uses of ICTs: Executive Summary

Introduction During the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Indigenous Peoples called for their full and effective participation in the Information Age on their own terms. While implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action has been limited, there are many examples of Indigenous Peoples creatively engaging Information and Communications […]

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Kulumun: Journal of the Wollotuka Institute

This journal is a premier Indigenous journal which publishes across an international field. It is devoted to the publication of information which relates to research findings, book reviews and Indigenous methodological epistemologies. This blind peer reviewed journal seeks works which focus on a range of disciplines, including art, languages, history, […]

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Myths of Information Technology for International Development

The past decade has seen incredible interest in applying information and communication technologies for international development, an endeavor often abbreviated “ICT4D.” Can mobile phones be used to improve rural healthcare? How do you design user interfaces for an illiterate migrant worker? What value is technology to a farmer earning $1 […]

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Designing a More Equitable Internet

My research is concerned with the design of appropriate and accessible information systems serving the needs of poor, indigenous, remote and otherwise marginalized communities in the developing and developed world. I am also broadly interested in the impact that new kinds of data and communications tools can have for improving […]

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Designing User Interfaces for Novice and Low-Literacy Users

One of the greatest challenges in developing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for global development is that 41% of the population in the least developed countries is non-literate and even the literate among the poor are only novice users of technology. I will describe work we have done over the […]

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ICT4D@Penn

The ICT4D Seminar is an interdisciplinary venture at Penn to bring together researchers, students, and leaders from all sectors interested in better understanding the role that ICTs play in international development, and the impact that they have on impoverished and under-resourced communities. Through the Seminar’s flagship activity, the Speaker Series, […]

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