Determinants of Indigenous Student Learning with Digital Technology: A Qualitative Study

Full Title: Determinants of Indigenous Student Learning with Digital Technology: A Qualitative Study in a Remote Manitoba First Nations Community Abstract The goal of this qualitative study was to identify the determinants that assist remote postsecondary Indigenous Canadian learners (in an isolated fly-in only community) to adapt and orient themselves […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

The plight of digitizing culture in one cartoon

“It’s unsettling to realize how quickly digital resources can disappear without ongoing work to maintain them.” Thanks to my friend Daniel Schuldt for sharing this with me.

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

The Use of ICTs and E-learning in Indigenous Education

Excerpt With the increase in land claim agreements, renegotiation of treaty rights and local control of resource development, many Indigenous communities are engaging in the use of new media and information technologies in the process of self-determination. This direct control and involvement leads to issues of preservation and sustainable development […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

Long Lamai, a case study of a smart village

The following is an excerpt from the recently published post “It is not a village but people: Long Lamai, a case study of a smart village” on the e4sv.org website (September 15th, 2016) by Tariq Zaman, University of Malaysia Sarawak. Excerpt Long Lamai is a Penan village in upper Baram, […]

 •   •   •   • 

Joseph Bruchac and the Lasting Power of Oral Traditions

Note: I had the pleasure of working with Joe Bruchac and his family while serving as the Education Director of the Ndakinna Education Center (a cultural arts non-profit in Upstate New York). His stories have played a notable role in my own family – my sons were raised listening to […]

 •   •   • 

The Myth of the Universal User: Pursuing a Cultural Variable in ICT Design for Conflict Management

Full Title: The Myth of the Universal User: Pursuing a Cultural Variable in ICT Design for Conflict Management through Quantitative Analysis: Implications from a Ugandan Case Study This study took a novel experimental approach from the field of cognitive linguistics to quantitatively describe the impact of culture on the use […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

At the Intersection of Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge and Technology Design

There is intensified interest in designing information and communication technologies (ICTs) that respond to ways of doing, knowing, and saying that differ from those that dominate in producing ICTs and, in particular, to ‘traditional’ or ‘indigenous’ knowledges. ICT endeavours for indigenous or traditional knowledges (ITK) vary. Some aim to extend […]

 •   •   •   • 

Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace: Empowering First Nations with New Media Technologies (AbTeC)

AbTeC is a network of academics, artists and technologists whose goal is to define and share conceptual and practical tools that will allow us to create new, Aboriginally-determined territories within the web-pages, online games, and virtual environments that we call cyberspace. Our multi-faceted effort will include a storytelling series, an […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

El Primer Congresso Internacional Patrimonio Cultural y las Nuevas Tecnologias

This conference was held on 3-6 December, 2014, in Mexico City at El Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH). The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has a mission to safeguard cultural heritage by looking to stay ahead in the application of new technologies for the conservation, research […]

 •   •   •   •   •   • 

Technology-Enhanced Language Revitalization

This is the second edition of our TELR training manual. The changes are primarily seen in the updating of specific technology and the addition of a tutorial on Publisher. These materials are designed for the true computer beginner who is also an indigenous language practitioner, teacher, student or advocate. In […]

 •   •   •   •   • 

Sustaining Indigenous Languages in Cyberspace

This paper describes how certain types of electronic technologies, specifically CD-ROMs, computerized databases, and telecommunications networks, are being incorporated into language and culture revitalization projects in Alaska and around the Pacific. The paper presents two examples of CD-ROMs and computerized databases from Alaska, describing how one elementary school produced a […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

Saving a Language with Computers, Tape Recorders, and Radio

In California, efforts to save indigenous languages have a century long history. The use of technology in ever-new ways is a part of that history. The earliest technology to encounter an indigenous language was the wax cylinder. This instrument was used for recording the sounds of the languages from native […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

A Lifeline for Endangered Languages

During a gruelling interview at the All Things Digital conference, on May 28th, Walt Mossberg cut off the Apple C.E.O. Tim Cook mid-sentence to raise an uncomfortable subject for the company. “There is a level of control that you exercise—curation, one might say, not just in your app store but […]

 •   •   •   •   •   • 

Ojibwe Language Revitalization, Multimedia Technology, and Family Language Learning

Although Indigenous language loss and revitalization are not new topics of academic work nor new areas of community activism (e.g., King, 2001; Grenoble & Whaley, 2006), increased attention has been paid in recent years to the ways that new technology can support efforts to teach and renew endangered languages such […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

Exploring Culture in a Digital World

This is a technical paper describing the pedagogical and technological requirements for the Wondervision Project. It examines how digital technologies can be used to connect cultures in a way that is respectful and results in deeper understanding of culture. The Indigenous culture of Australia is the learning context, with the […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

Journal of Interactive Humanities

The humanities have begun to embrace digital technology as a means of expressing scholarship and thought. However, it has become apparent that humanities content cannot simply be transferred into these new media. The humanities may be making the mistake it has observed of other fields: “Part of the problem seems […]

 •   •   •   •   •   • 

Open-domain Interaction and Online Content in the Sami Language

This paper presents data collection and collaborative community events organised within the DigiSami project concerning the North Sami language. The DigiSami project is one of the collaboration initiatives on endangered Finno-Ugric languages, supported by the larger framework between the Academy of Finland and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The goal […]

 •   •   •   •   •   • 

The Preservation of Canadian Indigenous Language and Culture through Education Technology

This study was a preliminary investigation into the preservation of Indigenous language and culture through educational technology. Using the research methods of an online questionnaire, on-site visits, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, I examined current methods adopted by Aboriginal Language and Culture (ALC) teachers in British Columbia. This article provides […]

 •   •   •   •   • 

Indigenous Knowledge: Local Pathways to Global Development

The cases presented here demonstrate how communities and local practitioners use indigenous knowledge systems and practices to help increase their crop yields, educate their children, reduce suffering from HIV/AIDS, decrease infant and maternal mortality, heal the impact of conflict, learn from each other, and empower themselves. The cases also suggest […]

 •   •   •   • 

Chuck a Copyright on It: Dilemmas of Digital Return and the Possibilities for Traditional Knowledge Licenses and Labels

Abstract: This article focuses on the creation of an innovate network of licenses and labels delivered through an accessible, educational, and informative digital platform aimed specifically at the complex intellectual property needs of Indigenous peoples, communities, and collectives wishing to manage, maintain, and preserve their digital cultural heritage. The Traditional […]

 •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

The ICT4D 2.0 Manifesto: Where Next for ICTs and International Development?

ICT4D – the application of information and communication technologies for international development – is moving to a new phase. This will require new technologies, new approaches to innovation and implementation, new intellectual perspectives and, above all, a new view of the world’s poor. All these must be understood if we […]

 •   •   •   •   • 

Vectors: Journal of Cultural and Technology in a Dynamic Vernacular

Vectors maps the multiple contours of daily life in an unevenly digital era, crystallizing around themes that highlight the social, political, and cultural stakes of our increasingly technologically-mediated existence. As such, the journal speaks both implicitly and explicitly to key debates across varied disciplines, including issues of globalization, mobility, power, […]

 •   •   •   •   • 

Digital Democracy

Digital Democracy’s mission is to empower marginalized communities to use technology to defend their rights. As technology becomes cheaper and more accessible, we believe it can and should be used to bring more voices to the table. Digital Democracy helps our partners achieve transformative change and works toward a world […]

 •   •   •   •   •   • 

Technological Leap-frogging in the Congo Basin, Pygmies and Global Positioning Systems in Central Africa

Abstract It is surprising that many Pygmy hunter-gatherers in the Congo Basin, though unable to read the numbers on banknotes or write their own names, have begun to use handheld computers attached to global positioning systems (GPS). In describing this remarkable case of technological leap-frogging I will summarise the historical context that led to this […]

 •   •   • 

Do It Yourself Non Governmental Organisation (DIYNGO)

DIYNGO stands for “Do It Yourself Non Governmental Organisation”. We are an NGO (currently a voluntary organisation) who create an awareness of the usefulness of renewable technologies, e.g. wind and solar power. Specifically, we are interested in using this renewable energy to power a range of computing devices, from Personal […]

 •   •   •   •