Indigenous cultures and e-Learning
Recently I've been having discussions with colleagues around their perspectives on Māori and e-Learning, and Pasifika and e-Learning.
We've been wrestling with the ideas around how Māori or Pasifika learners see their cultural identities within their learning, if e-Learning is the vehicle/tool/framework through which to raise their academic achievement.
Some concerns were raised around potential loss of cultural identities through focusing too much on the fixation on technology (negative consequence) compared to using e-Learning and technology as a way to celebrate cultural identities.
Too often the focus can be on the segregation/separation of indigenous cultures and everything associated with cultural identities (multi-ethnic, intra-ethnic, bi-cultural, multi-cultural) from e-Learning, because people see them as separate, or may even value one over the other.
What are your thoughts on what TRUE INTEGRATION would look like?
What would be the best of both worlds?
How can blended e-Learning be a way or an approach to assist Māori and Pasifika learners in navigating their way to success?
What type of success are we talking about here?
Replies
Lynda Stuart (View all users posts) 12 Nov 2013 6:55pm ()Re - e-learning and cultural responsiveness
Hi everyone. Just a quick response. We are just beginning this journey as a cluster of 6 schools in the Mt Albert/ Mt Roskill area. We are working closely with Manaiakalani ( many of you will have heard of this cluster). Our name is Ako Hiko - which encompasses teaching and learning as a two way experience which can be enhanced by the use of modern information and communication devices. As schools we have large numbers of Pasifika and Maori students alongside students of many other ethnicities. Whanau in our schools have been an integral part of making the decision to move into leasing students individual devices from the beginning of 2014. They see that this is their children's present not their future and want to take every step possible to support their children's learning. Not easy for many of them but we are making it as affordable and well supported as we can. Two classrooms in each of the schools are moving into this. Professional learning development is happening for the teachers of the rooms and this is extremely exciting. The achievement challenge that is at the centre of our work is around writing and results will be shared and we are hoping that this will be a part of research also.Enjoy the week.
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