The River Metaphor for Learning

The River

metaphor for Learning

This independent project allows you to learn from the expert knowledge of your local Traditional Knowledge Holders, Elders, Gatherers and Herbalists from your community. This project will allow you to learn knowledge that is relevant, meaningful and applicable to your daily life. It is a great learning opportunity to integrate the expertise of the local Traditional Knowledge Holders, Gatherers and Herbalists from our Northern Saskatchewan region into the Native Studies 30 course.

This “Intergenerational Learning – Elders & Knowledge Keepers” project can be anything you are interested in such as storytelling, snowshoe making, hide work, trapping, fishing, hunting, preserving traditional food, ceremonial, traditional skills, etc. By learning this skill/interest/knowledge it will be beneficial to you, your community and this online community of learners in Native Studies 30.

Most importantly you will learn to respect and follow the local protocols (rules, customs, etiquette) that are required when learning from Elders and Knowledge Keepers. This information would be shared in a public forum within my course. This step alone will reinforce awareness of the invaluableness of Traditional knowledge and customs. Any student can then request to engage in an enriched Special Project based on the protocols.

Also if it is approved for sharing in the online course by the knowledge Holder it will be done in an acceptable way. This can includes chronicling in the Oral Tradition, Audio/Visual footage, or demonstrating the skills passed on. In some cases such as ceremonial knowledge this may have to be shared in less detail of the spiritual aspect and perhaps more detail on preparing for these traditional experiences.

Honoraria such as as tobacco, blankets, gifts, Thank-you cards and/or money will vary from community to community and individual to individual. This information will be shared as well to show how important it is to respect and observe these customs.

I look forward to seeing your progress in your project. I know that it will deepen your understanding and appreciation for your communities’ knowledge. We have many great teachers in our traditional territories and this shared knowledge will be beneficial for you as future community knowledge holder and leader.

"Just take a cup and dip it into the river once in awhile. You can't drink the whole river at one time." Couros 2015 ecmp 455

Pausing to Reflect

"Just take a nibble at a time. You can't eat a whole moose all at once....it is not enjoyable and it's definitely NOT SAFE!" Kona Guest ecmp455 "2015"

High Speed

Technology

http://flipgrid.com/#e8b324db

Bonus: Find the Easter Egg (idea for Prezi "I Spy" activity)

"Balance other interests"

mkapor.posterous.com

Thinking about my face to face teaching days and the Fluidity, FUN, and Flexibility it allowed.

Fun Activities

Fun activities that increase students' confidence, interests, skills, opinions and practicality. Also that allows for motivating and inspiring students to succeed in goal setting and overcoming "life" obstacles.

apps for messenger- Ditty, Giphy, Bitmoji

"Scratch" coding for fun and learning

Reconciliation through Indigenous Education

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/53576988/#editor

Rapids

http://flipgrid.com/#40815d59

Paddling back

up the river

http://flipgrid.com/#67eadfce

"Humanness, FUN, personality,"

Get back to what was great about my teaching style in the beginning (face to face). Get out of the "bubble" of the Learning Management System (Moodle) to touch base with these key elements. I still use them in a limited, individual manner, over the phone and face to face. However, I need to infuse it throughout my "Learning Community."

I was not aware of Residential Schools and the "syndrome" legacy that was passed on to me until University. I interviewed my grandmother on her experience and understood the reasons why our family and my extended family is socially underdeveloped. Alcoholism, troubles with the law, incarceration, dysfunction, mental health issues, and untimely deaths are a sad common experience of a disproportionate amount of Aboriginal people. It is said that it will take seven generations to undo the damage of seven generations of RS. "Education" was used as the damaging tool. Thus Authentic Education needs to be the panacea. I hope all Canadian Educators can undo this cultural trauma faster using education, knowledge and technology.

Started off teaching online and developing in the "rapids". In my Masters of Distance Education the rule of thumb to build a good online course is total course hours multiplied by 1.5. A 100 hour high school course should take 150 hours to develop. I built in 40-50 hours and had to stay ahead of my students. At this hectic and overwhelming rate I compensated by ensuring simplicity and setting a serious tone. Now I see that taking time to develop quality vs. quantity allows my "great teacher" qualities to shine through. Ten years and courses later I am enjoying the rapids in ECMP 455.

Independent Project

http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ch7.html

TIME

http://flipgrid.com/#657abf58

Special Project for Native Studies 30 worth 25%

Learning from Traditional Knowledge Holders in Northern Saskatchewan

(Elders, Gatherers, Herbalists, Trappers, Hunters, Medicine Men, Hide Workers, Traditional Food Preservers, etc.)

BLOG

konaguest.blogspot.ca

TWITTER @k_ona

REFLECTION (gelling ideas, inspiration, enthusiam from others into your own creative, flexible, and fun online environment.

https://www.edx.org

"Without contiual growth and progress, such words such as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." Benjamin Franklin

Empowering Ownership

References

http://flipgrid.com/#20e05196

Change

wordle.net - What no technology words?

Hint: remove words get under layers

Empowering individualized learning that allows choice, comfortable risk taking, and flexibility. Also teach students Goal Setting, Digital Citizenship &"Grit"

http://flipgrid.com/#338511c6

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." . . . Heraclitus

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/rivers.html#yGPClJEsTOrcVccJ.99

https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

http://konaguest.blogspot.ca

apps for messenger: Ditty, Giphy, Bitmoji

twitter @k_ona

edcentre.ca

edcentre.ca

user: jstudent

pw: jstudent

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/53576988/#editor

https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

https://www.edx.org