Monday, October 8, 2001

Aboriginal People in Canada Embrace Distance Education By DOUG PAYNE Aboriginal people in Canada are taking advantage of Web-based distance education, electronic conferencing, bulletin boards, e-mail, and self-directed-learning software to more fully participate in the knowledge economy, the Conference Board of Canada said in a report Thursday. The report includes 10 case studies of projects that relied on information technology to improve aboriginal education, such as the Tobique Information and Technology Learning Center, in New Brunswick, which provided 26 Aboriginal students with training to become Microsoft-certified technicians. Another project trained members of the Musqueam First Nation, in British Columbia, in restaurant operations, relying on both academic studies and hands-on skills. "Realistically, we can't see a student sitting in front of a computer all day," said a spokesman for the project. "Our approach is to give people the skills they need to find work." The Conference Board's report is the latest examination of how Aboriginal people think about the value of education and training for themselves, their children, and their communities. It comes three months after a government committee unveiled a national broadband strategy to provide high-speed access to residents, with a special emphasis on connectivity for First Nation, Inuit, rural, and remote communities. Background articles from The Chronicle: In Canada, an Advisory Committee Recommends More Spending on Distance Education (2/23/2001) Canadians Ponder How to Develop High-Capacity Networks for Distance Education (1/12/2001) Canada Creates an Online-Learning Committee (9/15/2000) Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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