About the Presentations

The presentations last night were informative, entertaining and interesting.
You can never have enough math sites, in fact, the more the merrier. I had already been on some of the math sites, like fun brain which the kids enjoy playing after they have done their work.
Technology and learning disabilities had a wealth of information as well, a lot of the children that we deal with are struggling with their reading. So, I can't wait to browse through the sites that they mentioned.
Finally, the presentation on Mi'kmaq Language was awesome, this is a topic that I relate to a great deal. Just to let you know, the program that is being taught on-line in High School was a collaborative effort by Serena Francis, Serena Sock and myself. It was fun to see the Jeopardy game set up in our Mi'kmaq Language. When it comes to technology the possibilities are endless and they are only limited by our imagination.

Last Week

Well, this course went by so fast and I can not believe that this is our last week until after our March Break. I am looking forward to the rest as I would imagine everyone else is.
I learned a great deal about computers and technology. I am just a bit dissappointed that I did not get to spend more time trying out the different things that Jeff taught us. I have just upgraded my computer and I am still waiting for high-speed. The computer lab is being used by the grade 2 students. I had trouble just trying to get access to a computer to blog let alone try out photostory 3 and the power point presentation. I did share what information I learned with my co-workers and passed along any information that a teacher would find useful in their classroom.
The discussions on cyber-safety was an eye-opener and a bit scary as well. This information will always be with me and whenever I get the chance to, I will pass this information along. I just talked to my neice about taking her cell phone number off of her MSN messenger. She was not aware of what people could do with that bit of information. I wonder if they are teaching the students in high school about Internet safety.
I did not care about blogging that much but it was necessary for this course. I was not sure if I was in the right direction because I never really got any comments back on my blog. I would be very dissappointed if I got a low mark.
Well, I guess that is enough for now and I hope that every single one of you enjoy a much deserved March Break.

Fry Bread

It is funny how one single thought in your head can start you thinking about other things. I was on my lunch break and I was thinking about what I would like for supper. I knew I was low on groceries; I did not even have bread. So, I thought I would make fry bread. Which led me to think about the movie Smoke Signals. One of the characters in the movie says "...it was going to be a fry bread riot for sure..." The movie is hilarious and it is based on the book by Sherman Alexie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight into Heaven. Sherman Alexie is an accomplished writer and based his novel on the place he grew up in which is Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Reservation. I would recommend it, it is a very good read. Which brings me back to what I am going to have for supper. If you have never tried fry bread here is a recipe that you might try your hand at.

Fry Bread

Preperation time: 20-25 min/Indian time

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then add water and mix it together. The consistency should be a little sticky. Flatten the dough into a circular shape and it should be about 8cm in thickness. Toss it into a fry pan with plenty of oil. Cover and let it fry on one side until it is a golden brown, flip it over with a spatula and do the same for the other side. This is good with butter and molasses, or dipping with in stews and such.

"Blah-ging"

Here's a little limerick for you folks:

Blah-ging

There once was a man from Miramichi
Who taught us about technology
He forced us to blog
Kept our minds in a fog
And now our brains are all fricasseed

Reflections and Revelations

I have been thinking about the video by Sir Ken Robinson, and his talk on Creativity. I consider myself an artist and I can remember when I discovered this about myself back in grade 4. Through the years I had won awards, took pride in projects that I had worked on, and I even applied to the Fine Arts Program at Mount Allison University. The course was full but they would have eventually accepted me had I applied as a regular student. Because I was young and there was not too much emphasis placed arts. I opted to go to UNB under their Bachelor of Arts program, which unfortunately was not what I was interested in.
For some reason the questions that have been asked for this class, and that video has really made me think long and hard about what direction my life is going. I have come to realize that my interests are with arts, crafts and culture. So I have decided that once I recieve my degree, I would like to teach children about arts, crafts and culture. This is where I would be the most comfortable. And the children would benifit from my knowledge. It is always good when you feel strongly about what you are teaching because you're enthusiasm will rub off on others.

Smudge

My conviction wavers at times
but this tobacco I have in my hand
emanates, reverberates blessings
and I feel it deep within my soul.
It reassures me, I smile and then
I begin my prayer.
Abalone shell billowing of smoke
from the prayer of sage.
Watch the smoke drift and wrap
itself around my need for solace,
serenity, healing...it thickens and
envelops it...(a sigh)...leisurely,
assuredly, and with direction.
This is a good prayer, Creator knows
the strength and sincerity of my spoken
word...my soul aches of it.
I am blessed.

Crows

The crows have come back to the Island
A roar of caws rise up in the early evening
They discuss the days events
Negotiating and administrating
"Grand council, have you reached a decision?"
The din gives me no indication...
Adjudication is necessary.


I was once on a spiritual journey and I wrote bits about it. My words to share this experince does not do justice to the whole experince.

Fisherman's Prayer

This is a poem that I found on-line that I really enjoyed reading so I decided to translate it into Mi'kmaq. I would like to say thank you to the people of the following site for sharing such a beautiful prayer: (www.blackbearisland.com/fisherman's_prayer.htm)

Ke'sk Naji-nme'jukutiek kiskik

Niskam ke'sk naji'nme'jukutiek kiskuk
Kiktoquiw qospemiktuk kisna wekopa'qiktuk
Pipanimulek ki'l nikan-awtikewinn
Tepitesk ntulninaqq aqq apoqenmoitesnen

Ikenmuinen kokwojea'kewe'l, nikanawtikewa'linen toqju l'pukiwa'linen
Ta'n tet utju'senn etel wantaktekl aqq nme'jk etel epta'lujik
La'linen ta'n etel pukeliejik aqq ta'n etel mimajunsultijik
Ki'l nenajik ta'n teloltijik meta ki'l kisi'jik

Ke'sk etel wikwaji nme'jukutiek naqit'tesnen ula pemamkiak
Wa'jmuwa'latesnen weli-ankamkusit kitpu pemaqsink
Weli-ankamkuk ta'n e'mutiek, kuntewik, kamia'tijik kemu'jk aqq kapsku'k ekik
Ki'l kisitu'n ta'n te'sek koqwey

Wekaw kaqiak na'kwek aqq apajitaiek
Welte'taqettesnen ta'n tel wel-pe'tutma'tiek
Naqita'tesnen, alsutma'tesnen aqq mi'watesnen kelulk na'kwek
Tluwetesnen "Welaliek niskam ta'n tel-nikanaw'tikewiek"

Language and Technology

The Mi'kmaq language is very important because it is unique to our culture and beliefs. It is imperative that we encourage our children to speak and write in their native tongue. Our history, our culture, every aspect of our lives is passed on through our language from generation to generation through the oral tradition. There are also petroglyphs and hieroglyphics. These are used to highlight an individuals' great accomplishments or depict an historical event that they feel needs to be recorded. But most of their stories are done in the oral tradition so that the story can be told over and over again, to ensure that it will not be forgotten. The Mi'kmaq language is unique, things that are animate and inanimate in the English language, is not in the Mi'kmaq language. Words/objects in our Native language are considered connected and having a spirit of their own and can be spoken of as animate, although they are inanimate.
There is a possibility of losing our language altogether. We must take some measures to ensure that this does not happen. I believe that writing it down and creating an on-line course would guarantee that our children would be able to learn it, as well as other people who are interested in learning the language themselves.

Technology, Culture and the Oral Tradition

In the words of Ruth Holmes Whitehead, "Long before their world began to be described in writing, and their history set down in books, the People described it, remembered it, and by word of mouth passed it on to the generations which were to come after them". The oral tradition is an important part of our culture. This is something that I hold dear to my heart; my grandmother among other elders, who have since passed on, were amazing storytellers. I have endeavored to carry on this tradition as best as I can. If asked, I will and I have gone into a class of native and non-native children. This is important to me because it raises cultural awareness by educating others about aspects of my own culture so that I can bridge the gap, and the children can come to understand each other's uniqueness and also commonalities in the way they view the world.
In the Mi'kmaq belief, children were told a story as an example of moral behaviour, they were left to figure it out for themselves; this forced them to think, and make a decision on their own, this would expand their minds without formal education. Exploring each others cultures through the use of legends also enabled non-native children to share aspects of their own culture and to share their own stories.
I have actually been thinking about a way to bring these beautiful stories into the classroom setting through the use of technology. I have some legends in mind that I would love to introduce, if only I had a Macintosh computer to work with; these computers are equipped with some great features that would be awesome for a project like this.Take a moment and check out www.firstnationshelpdesk.com and check out the website for Eel Ground. They have animated legends using various mediums and they have done a play that has recieved national recognition. The play is about fetal alcohol syndrome and the name of the play is "The People vs Mary Moses". Technology would be a very powerful and positive tool.

Back to School

Here I am, back in University as a mature student. I had pretty much settled into just continueing with my job as an Education Worker in the Elementary School that I am employed at. I work with native children from three different First Nations, but I mostly deal with children from the First Nation where I grew up, so I know what it is like for them. It is my job to keep everyone happy; that includes the parents, teachers, and most importantly, the children. Than this opportunity came up; a chance to keep working and go for my B.Ed right in my community. It took some serious thought and wondered if this was something that I really wanted. With a little push from a good friend of mine, she convinced me to apply. I will be forever grateful to her. So here I am. Now I think about all the doors that will open up for me once I get my hands on that degree. I will have the opportunity to devote my time in teaching native children all about their culture and be proud of who they are, and what they have to offer.