A Talking Dictionary of Paakantyi

This case study outlines the development of one component of the interactive multimedia CD-ROM Paakantyi (Hercus & Nathan, 2002), emphasising the value of community consultation throughout the project lifespan.1 In our initial consultations with members of the Paakantyi community of NSW, Australia, about producing a CD-ROM to support their new language revival efforts, community members put forward the idea of a “talking dictionary.” The value that many aboriginal people place on dictionaries as symbols of a language’s significance is well-known, and, particularly following the publication of the (text-only) Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay Web Dictionary (Austin & Nathan, 1996), we had heard many people in many places express a preference to simply hear the words.

Ndjebbana Talking Books

Members of the Kunibídji community are the traditional landowners of the land and seas around Maningrida, a community in Arnhem Land in Northern Australia. With very few exceptions, Ndjébbana is only spoken by the 150 Kunibídji community members of Maningrida, although Maningrida is also home to indigenous Australians who speak other languages. Ndjébbana is the preferred language of communication between members of the Kunibídji community. Ndjébbana is a minority indigenous Australian language.

The Use of Information and Communication Technology for the Preservation of Aboriginal Culture

Information and communication technology (ICT) has been applied successfully to numerous remote indigenous communities around the world. The greatest gains have been made when requirements are first defined by indigenous members of the community then pattern matched to an ICT solution.

Student Technology Projects in a Remote First Nations Village

This qualitative case study focuses on community members’ observations and perceptions of student multimedia technology projects produced in a grade 6/7 class, particularly in relation to what they affirm is important for their children’s education. The projects are community-based and rooted in the First Nations culture of a remote village in northern British Columbia (Canada).

Can Information Communication Technological Tools Be Used to Suit Aboriginal Learning Pedagogies

Indigenous peoples are some of the most disadvantaged groups globally; Australian aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are no different. Much of their lack of success can be related to the inappropriate educational practices directed at them through non-indigenous pedagogical filters of the Australian educational systems. There is a need for some pedagogical change to suit the needs and learning pedagogies of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. By accessing information communication technologies (ICT), aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can improve their educational outcomes. They can design educational programs with aboriginal pedagogies at the forefront to suit their needs using ICT. Outcamp ICT learning centres, placed where aboriginal communities can gain easy access to them and staffed with educators who can help facilitate the development of learning skills, are one solution to improving educational achievement.

Agreements Treaties and Negotiated Settlements Database

The Agreements Treaties and Negotiated Settlements (ATNS) database (www.atns.net.au) is an online gateway and resource that links current information, historical detail and published material relating to agreements made between indigenous peoples and others in Australia and overseas. Designed for use by indigenous and other community organisations, researchers, government and industry bodies, the ATNS database includes information on agreements not only relating to land, but those made in the areas of health, education, research, policy and indigenous relations. Since its public launch in 2003, the database has become an important research facility and is the only resource of its kind in Australia that demonstrates the range and variety of agreement making with indigenous peoples in various jurisdictions.

Indigenous Language Usage in a Bilingual Interface

In this chapter we investigate the extent and characteristics of use of the Maori language, the indigenous language of Aotearoa (New Zealand), in a large bilingual Web site. We used transaction log analysis to investigate whether Maori was utilised by users of the Web site and how usage characteristics differed between users of Maori and users of the more commonly spoken English language. We found that Maori language was used in one quarter of all active sessions, and that in these sessions users were more likely to browse the Web site, whereas users working in the non-indigenous English were more likely to use the search facility. We also identified a new category of user of bilingual Web sites: the bilingual user.

Digital Songlines

Digital Songlines is a software toolkit being developed by the Australasian Cooperative Research Centre for Interaction Design. It consists of an applied set of protocols, methodologies and a software program for the collection and sharing of indigenous cultural heritage knowledge. Regular consultation with indigenous traditional owners and representative groups is an essential component of the development process. This article provides an overview of the components of the Digital Songlines toolkit, and illustrates the development of the cultural heritage system in its current prototype. The system employs virtual reality tools to enable aboriginal communities to digitally preserve, protect and promote their arts, culture and heritage. The 3-D visualisation will allow users to appreciate the land as central to the culture, stories and lives of indigenous peoples.

Computer Technology and Native Literacy in the amazon

Education programs among indigenous peoples throughout South America vary greatly in terms of content, instructional objectives, quality and level of instruction and the nature of the participants as well as the educational setting. This case study describes a relatively new component of an ongoing education program that involves Yanomami communities in the Amazon rain forest of northern Brazil. While the use of information technology (IT) in the classroom has become standard in most of the so-called “developed” world, the use of computers in remote indigenous villages is surprising to many observers. In the case of the Brazilian Yanomami, IT represents simply the latest stage in the process of acquiring Western means, such as written language, to strengthen their languages and culture and to provide access to information and knowledge of the outside world. IT is a potentially very powerful tool in their struggle to preserve their economic, political and cultural autonomy and ultimately to ensure their survival in a rapidly changing, globally interconnected world.

Learning to Internet Bank

The increasing deployment of technology is changing the way services are delivered. New technologies require people to learn new procedures to do the same things they were doing previously as well as to learn to use entirely new services. Business has made little accommodation for the diversity of users and their situations as the use of technology increases and the human interface with its client’s decreases. This study looks at how indigenous peoples in a remote area access Internet banking services. Internet banking is a discrete technological skill that has been effectively acquired without outside assistance or direction: this makes it a useful lens to view the process of technology skill acquisition.