RIS ID

33102

Publication Details

Eady, M. & Reedy, A. (2009). Crocodiles and polar bears: technology and learning in Indigenous Australian and Canadian communities. Australasian Canadian Studies, 27 (1-2), 5-26.

Abstract

Crocodile infisted, swollen rivers, Troop Carriers, light planes and red dirt typifY the landscape of remote tropical Northern Territory in Australia. In contrast, the remote landscape in for northwestern Ontario in Canada is characterised by rough terrain, snow and ice, sea planes and sometimes even polar bears. 1he traditional owners of the land in these two very dijferent locations foce similar issues in accessing adult learning and ongoing educational opportunities. 1his paper compares and contrasts the experiences of two groups of adult Indigenous students, one from the northern Australian tropics and one from for Northwestern Ontario, and examines the ways that technology is used to try and bridge the distance between Indigenous adult learners' goals and educational opportunities. 1he paper's major finding is that the educational gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous learners in Canada is closing, while the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is widening. 1his reflects in part that Indigenous adult learners in Northwestern Ontario are being better served in comparison to their counterparts in the Northern Territory of Australia.

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