Running head: TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE EDUCATION ON NATIVE LANGUAGES

Technology Can Enhance Education on Native Languages

Aimee Karaul
ETEC 521
Dr. Michael Marker
Jan. 31, 2015

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

Introduction
Aboriginal youth are currently growing up in a technologically advanced social media era
that allows them to connect with the world as a whole that also contributes to different
connections they form with family and friends. The incorporation of technology into the lives of
youth is crucial to their academic and personal development, because it forms the basis of a
modern way for youth to learn and to uniquely expressing their ideologies. But as reliance on
social media to maintain basic human interactions increase, aboriginal youth are also faced with
the risk of losing touch with their traditional culture, language, and identity. This is because
many indigenous communities are struggling to find ways to teach and pass native languages
onto the lives of the youth. However, technology and social media can be utilized to effectively
enhance literacy in aboriginal communities, promote cultural understanding, and help indigenous
youth learn their native languages that are on the verge of becoming extinct.
Challenges in Maintaining Native Language in Aboriginal Youth
Many native languages across Canada are becoming obsolete due to several reasons that
have decreased its use. Firstly, many languages from aboriginal cultures are used and passed-on
only verbally and not documented in written form. For example, storytelling is a long-standing
tradition in indigenous cultures that elders use to educate younger generations about language,
values and culture. Story telling provides Aboriginal children valuable teachings about how
things came to be and how to live in this world in a good way (Hare, 2011, p. 93). Through
storytelling, youth were able to discover and understand their roots as well as their purpose in
life. However, the uncompromising agenda of residential schools to eradicate indigenous culture
has forcefully caused many aboriginal people to abandon and forget their native language and
traditions at a young age. The government saw diverse culture as a threat to their power, thus

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

they forced the aboriginals to fully assimilate into the European way of life with a strict
enforcement of Christian values (Hare, 2011). To strengthen assimilation efforts, the government
denied students of any contact with their families to ensure that native culture could not be
passed on (Hare, 2011). Consequently, many native languages have become vulnerable to
extinction because less aboriginal people are able to speak or recollect their native tongue.
Moreover, indigenous languages and culture are much less widely used and have become lost
with the passing of elders in aboriginal communities. This results in a decline in authentic
educators who can actually teach and pass on native languages and cultural teachings.
Not only is the number of elders eligible to educate youth about native languages
decreasing, but the general use of aboriginal languages and literacy in indigenous communities is
also very low. This is because schools across Canada predominantly educate its students in
English and very few have developed programs that teach native languages. Therefore, many
aboriginal people have become more fluent in English than their native tongue. Furthermore,
historically, many aboriginals were solely educated by their elder with teachings passed through
storytelling and art, because writing was not a part of the practice in many native tribes. Literacy
skills were foreign to many Aboriginals because they were never taught to read and write. But
post-secondary education in Canada is strongly revolves around literacy and writing skills to
achieve a graduate degree. Without developed skills in reading and writing, many Aboriginal
students were not motivated to further their education. Entrance and completion rates remain
relatively low compared to those of non-Aboriginal students enrolled in university and college
(Hare, 2011, p. 91). In addition, youth who obtained admission into post-secondary institutions
needed to establish firm English language skills. This decreased their interest and time to develop
literacy in their native languages and to keep their native tongue as a priority in their lives.

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

Positive Models to Promote Education on Native Languages with Technology

Fortunately, efforts to preserve native languages are on the rise in Canada and many
initiatives involve the use of technology and the internet. Technology has shown great success in
allowing students to develop a more active and independent role in their learning process.
Technology facilitates the childs ability to make personal connections with others and provides
opportunities to focus on literacy skills in a context that they enjoy, without fear of being
stigmatized (Hasselbring & Glaser, 2000, p. 108). Since technology and social media have
become a dominant utility in the lives of the youth population, it can be beneficial to utilize
electronic and online platforms to engage aboriginal youth to learn about their native languages.
Language is a huge part of culture and without knowing their native language, indigenous youth
will be deprived of their cultural identity. Therefore, widely used technology such as smart
phones, MP3 players, apps, social media, video channels, and interactive software can be utilize
to teach youth about their native language. As the youth explore their intereststhrough the
artistic creation of videos, they developed a critical consciousness about community, culture,
confidence, and control (Stewart, Riecken, Scott, Tanaka & Riecken, 2008, p. 1). In addition, as
Darvall (1986) states, computers promote internal confidence, which leads to positive growth
and learning in the future.
Technology and Language Acquisition
Accommodations made in aboriginal communities and school systems to support the
learning process of a child are vital to creating success. To effectively accommodate aboriginal
youth, elders/teachers can incorporate a variety of strategies to enhance language learning. For
instance, adults and aboriginal tribe leaders can post weekly interactive videos that aim to teach

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

the youth in their communities about their native language and traditions. These videos would be
a more interactive way of learning aboriginal life lessons.
Furthermore, MP3s have been successfully used to improve students literacy (Allen,
2008). So aboriginal stories and poems can be read or spoken onto MP3s files that students can
take home after school to learn about their native language and culture. MP3s can be bi-lingual
for beginner students to help them learn vocabulary and phrases of their native language.
Eventually, educational MP3s, language software, and videos can be completely in indigenous
languages. Tests can be given to assess students comprehension level of the native stories and
languages. In addition, studies have been done in Hawaii that offer successful examples of
educators working to revive and pass-on traditional cultural languages by using technology and
the online platform (Warschauer 1998). These online language education programs provide
educators working with culturally and linguistically diverse students a tangible model to follow.
Cultural Benefits of Promoting Literacy
Native languages are an important part to the survival of aboriginal culture, because
without language as a means to pass on cultural traditions, culture becomes extinct (Johnston,
1998). They lose not only the ability to express the simplest of daily sentiments and needs but
they can no longer understand the ideas, concepts, insights, attitudes, rituals, ceremonies,
institutions brought into being by their ancestors; and, having lost the power to understand,
cannot sustain, enrich, or pass on their heritage (Johnston, 1998, p. 10). Therefore, social media
and technology can be used to effectively engage youth to become more interested in learning
their traditional language before it becomes lost. For instance, photos and interactive videos of
native ceremonies, aboriginal art, tattoos, dance, and literature can be distributed amongst
aboriginal youth in order to spark their interest in their traditional culture and language. Ones

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

identity has a strong correlation with self-confidence. Those people that truly know themselves,
physically, mentally, spiritually and culturally are the ones that have good well-being. As a result,
aboriginal youth who know their cultural background can essentially be more successful in their
lives.
Education has taken a new turn within the aboriginal school systems. Elders are pairing
up with the school districts to try to incorporate a more hands-on approach to the academic
curriculum. In other words, pairing up the notion of western education with indigenous beliefs of
life lessons through nature. Native people have traditionally acquired their knowledge through
direct experience in the natural environment (Kawagley & Barnhardt, 1998, p. 1). The ultimate
goal is to create more connections with the Aboriginal way of live and the western world science.
With this being said, the indigenous youth need to have cultural knowledge of their heritage in
order for them to derive these connections with the new style of education. Without background
knowledge of cultural ideologies students will not be able to build on the relationship of why
science is the way it is. Through technological support, students can be more aware of the
traditional belief systems that provide understanding to life.
Economic Barriers
Although advantages of technology are endless and cannot be argued against, there are
still barriers that prevent elders and schools to fully adopt these educational technology
programs. Geographical limitations can be a huge barrier in the advancement of technology. Due
to geographical positioning of northern Canada, there can limitations of products being shipped
on a timely and affordable manner. This can cause a damper on the success rate of the individual
as well as frustration and negative behaviour towards attaining such tools.
In addition, for technology to maximize its functionality in enhancing literacy, children

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

and adults must be comfortable using the tools. Generally the population most comfortable using
the tools tend to be people that have consistent access to these particular devices. When it
comes to the spread of technological literacy competence in the community, acquisition has been
shown to happen predominantly in the home- particularly in the higher income home (Doherty,
2002, p. 52). If technology is not an important facilitator to the elders and teachers in the
community, chances are they will be less likely to feel the need to use the devices. Moreover,
financial restraints hinder the compliance to incorporate technology into language education.
There are programs which are initiated by the government that work to resolve such
issues. For example, the one laptop per child foundation has created an organization to support
rural communities by providing students each with their own laptop. This organizations goes into
remote communities were poverty is prominent and provide students that are less fortune a
laptop so that they get the opportunity to utilize technology to access greater education. These
initiatives allow different communities to gain more knowledge about the technological devices
and social media, which can lead to the increased interest in education on traditional indigenous
language arts and culture.
Conclusion
There are many challenges that aboriginal youth face when trying to maintain an identity
in this continuous evolution of change. Social media and technology have provided new
opportunities that have opened doors to understanding different styles of learning. These unique
and engaging devices assist students in learning that fits their needs. Elders and schools can
adopt many accommodations and teaching strategies that can make the learning environment
more effective. These strategies vary greatly and are tailored based on a aboriginal youths
strengths and interests. It is an educators duty to provide students with meaningful access to

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

education. Technology has promoted more cultural awareness to the new generation youth in a
way that speaks to them. Self-identity is vital in understanding an individuals purpose to life.
This cultural awareness further affects the indigenous communities by providing more
knowledge and thus, more of a stand to their needs in the country. Overall, the more knowledge
and information that elders can acquire about the diversity in use of technology, the more
positive and fore-coming they would be to bridge the gap of traditional and modern teachings of
life, culture and language.

References:

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE LITERACY IN NATIVE LANGUAGES

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