Major Project Update #3

So things are starting to come together for this final project. After my last post describing my frustrations with WIX, I’ve explored the ‘course’ option on this blog site and am quite enjoying it. I like that there are no limitations to the site in terms of needing a specific email account, having to belong to a division, and limitations on the number of people who can access it (the reason why I didn’t choose Google Classroom). I also don’t have to use an entirely new platform for the course but I can still challenge myself and explore something new that I haven’t used before.

Realizations

I’m accepting the fact that this product will NOT reach its full potential and final form by the time the course has concluded. There are too many factors that need to be addressed for it to become what I envision and the timeline isn’t reasonable for full fruition. Example: I‘d like to add locally relevant sources (people) and resources to the course and also include Holistic information and layout with the consultation of a group of local Indigenous community members but the timeframe doesn’t work for it to be accomplished before the course has ended. As an alternative, I’m going to create the course to function as well as possible and be adapted later on as consultations occur.

Accomplishments

I have laid out the lessons and temporary non-holistic information in a draft format. I’ve also included a “teacher information” page that includes terms and pre-teaching resources and information that are useful for an educator to familiarize themselves with before engaging in the course. Some of the information includes how to identify which Treaty land you are living/working on, links to information on Indigenous knowledge ways according to various tribes, and how/who to contact for other necessary information to ensure that appropriate and respectful measures are being taken prior to engaging in this content.

I hear a lot of in-service educators saying they never received Indigenous education training and when they are handed resources they’re afraid to be disrespectful because they aren’t sure how to utilize them. I think this is very important to address when sharing Indigenous resources and will lead to a higher rate and success of their implementation.

NEXT

My next step is to design the rest of the lessons and resources. After this is complete, I can create links, adaptation notes, enrichment suggestions, and extension activities.