Join us for a session of lightning talks from creators of Indigenous OER. These lightning talks will provide an overview of the OER, the benefits, barriers, and tensions faced by the creator(s) when engaging with Indigenous Knowledges, content, and community. Each talk will be 7 minutes; a question and answer period will follow.  

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Speakers

Kyle Napier (Northwest Territory Métis Nation) is an instructor, a researcher, and a media-maker. He is a board member for Native Land Digital, and a sessional instructor at the University of Victoria, NorQuest College, Mount Royal University, the University of Alberta, and the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning. He develops language resources, conducts research, provides consultation, and collaboratively designs media. He is a doctoral student at the University of Alberta in Educational Policy Studies — Indigenous Peoples Education. He remains passionate about Indigenous language reclamation, including Indigenous languages of his ancestry, which include both Dene Dedlıne Yatı and sakâw-nêhiyawêwin.

Dr. Victoria Castillo, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, School of Liberal Arts, Yukon University. I am an anthropologist whose work focuses on the anthropology of gender and historical archaeology. My current research focuses on self-identifying women muralists and their own impressions of their participation in public art both within a decorative context and as a form of gender expression with a focus on their access to public space. I teach Anthropology, Archaeology, and Indigenous Yukon History. From 2014 to 2018 I was the Chair of the School of Liberal Arts. Before joining Yukon University, I worked as a cultural resource management consultant throughout the Yukon, taught gender and anthropology at MacEwan University in Edmonton, and participated in various archaeological programs in British Columbia and Ecuador. I received my undergraduate and Masters degrees in Archaeology at Simon Fraser University and my Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Alberta in 2012.ECHO Book: https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/echoyukonsfirstpeople/

Annette Sorensen, MBA, is a member of the Gitxsan Nation and has deep roots in the Terrace community. She has worked in various roles at Coast Mountain College, including working as a First Nations Access Coordinator for three years and Business Instructor for four years. Before joining CMTN, she was an entrepreneur, running her barbershop business. Annette is now the Director of Ancillary Services at the Terrace campus.

Dr. Christine Schreyer is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus, where she teaches a range of courses in linguistic anthropology. Her research focuses on language revitalization and documentation, in Canada and in Papua New Guinea, as well as the relationship between endangered language communities and created language communities. She has conducted research with the Na’vi speech community (from the movie Avatar) and she is the creator of the Kryptonian language from Man of Steel (2013). Recently, she was co-producer of the documentary film Kala Language Project: Kala Walo Nuã about her community-based work with Kala speakers. She is also an executive producer for the documentary film Conlanging: The Art of Crafting Tongues, which will be completed in 2016.

Paula Cornelius-Hedgepeth works with the Acting Vice-Provost & Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Initiatives) as  Community Relations and Space Coordinator. In this role, Paula manages the development and implementation of project plans, requiring active partnership and engagement with Indigenous Peoples and communities, in particular Western’s Indigenous Postsecondary Education Council (IPEC). She also supports the ongoing implementation of Western’s Indigenous Strategic Plan. Paula is a Haudenosaunee woman from the Oneida Nation of the Thames First Nation and of the Wolf Clan. Since 2013, she has worked in education, most recently at the Greater Essex District School Board, in the area of Indigenous initiatives. Paula earned Bachelor’s degrees in History and Education from the University of Windsor and is a graduate of Western’s Master of Professional Education Program (Aboriginal Educational Leadership). She is also a member of the Ontario College of Teachers.

Stevie Jonathan is a Mohawk nation, Turtle clan woman of the Grand River. She bridges her passion for language and cultural revitalization with Indigenous education at Six Nations Polytechnic as the Director of Deyohahá:ge Indigenous Knowledge Centre. Deyohahá:ge is a Hodinohsó:ni knowledge mobilization centre mandated to 1) Preserve and nurture Indigenous Knowledge and Languages; 2) Foster and support institutional and collaborative research in Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Language Revitalization; and 3) Provide for the public appreciation and education regarding Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Languages. Stevie is also lifelong learning of Hodinohsó:ni languages, currently focusing on Cayuga and Mohawk.

Facilitators

Erin Fields, Open Education & Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of British Columbia

Donna Langille, Community Engagement & Open Education Librarian, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus

About the series:

The principles of OER can be in tension with Indigenous Knowledges that are deeply rooted in community defined ethics and protocols and relationships. The Indigenous Knowledges and Open Education Webinar Series is focused on building knowledge, supporting a space for discussion, and engaging both theoretically and practically on how open education (OE) and Indigenous Knowledges can intersect in a respectful way.  

The series of three open webinars will cover: 1) issues, concerns, policies, and approaches to Indigenous Knowledges and OE; 2) case studies of current Indigenous OER development across Canada; and 3) Indigenous student perspectives on the value of Indigenous OER.

The series will also provide vital background to support participants at a subsequent invitational event, the Open Education Summit: Exploring Indigenous Knowledges and Open Educational Resources, at UBC on February 22, 2024. This summit will focus on active engagement and development of a Canadian framework for Indigenous open educational resource (OER) development.

This webinar series is brought to you by the Open Educational Resources (OER) National Strategy – Stratégie nationale en matière de ressources éducatives libres (REL) group, in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, University of British Columbia Libraries, University of the Fraser Valley, and eCampusOntario.