Education
Construction Starts - Water Treatment Plant Operator Training Centre
April 24, 2003 - 5:45am | by AnonymousWith a scoop of golden shovels, Keewaytinook Okimakanak represented by Executive Director Geordi Kakepetum and its partners officially started construction on the much awaited Dryden Training and Cultural Centre on April 22, 2003.
The ceremony, hosted by the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, saw Mr. Kakepetum, the Right Honorable Robert Nault - Indian and Northern Affairs Minister, Mr. Sid Wintle - Mayor for the City of Dryden and representatives from the School Board, Dryden Entertainment Series and Confederation College officially start the construction of the $7 million project.
Scheduled for completion in the fall of 2004, the multi-use structure will house the Water Treatment Plant Operator Training Centre, a permanent home for the Dryden Campus of Confederation College and a 500 seat community auditorium. Interim arrangements have been made for the Water Treatment Plant Operator training at the Lillian Berg School in Vermillion Bay until construction is complete. The practical aspects of the training will be conducted at the Water Treatment facilities in Red Lake.
Video Conferencing during Conferences and other Special Events - Lessons Learned
April 15, 2003 - 4:25am | by AnonymousBroadband connectivity provides a "highway" that carries IP video conferencing, IP telephony and IP data traffic within a managed environment. These IP services work great when everyone understands the limitations and conditions being placed on that highway. Some call these the "rules of the road" – in this case, the ‘digital highway’.
On Monday, April 14, I was suppose to do a presentation to an audience attending the
Native Investment and Trade Association’s Nexus Tech 2003 conference, entitled "Aboriginal High Technology & Telecommunications" in Vancouver (the conference event brochure is available online). The plan was to deliver the presentation entitled, "Supporting First Nation Residents to Invest in their Communities" by video-conference from our office in Sioux Lookout. My presentation addressed the need to keep available dollars in the local economy as long as possible through local capacity building using ICTs instead of paying outside agencies for items such as consulting, travel, etc. I hoped to share the success stories surrounding the Kuh-ke-nah Network of Smart First Nations that we are developing using these ICTs and broadband connectivity.During the early planning stages for this conference event, K-Net staff recommended that ISDN lines be installed at the conference site and a video conferencing unit be borrowed to facilitate the video conference session. This is the usual way to ensure we have a dedicated connection for the presentation and a way to provide some Quality of Service for the video session. The conference organizers placed the responsibility for the connections in the hands of a firm that wanted to use an IP connection for the video session.
The connection tests were done from another site the week before the event. Everything worked as well as can be expected when one uses the public internet for the connection. Unfortunately the day of the event it was discovered that the folks providing the high speed connection to the conference site had a firewall that would not support the receipt of audio and video traffic over their internet service. So another planned video-conference connection did not take place, even though this session and connection had been advertised. Before the event, a few people wrote and phoned me about this presentation so I was anxious to see everything work the way it should have.
Does this failed attempt to demonstrate the importance of video conferencing mean that we should not be using these communication tools for these types of events? Does this type of experience set back the efforts of people to develop broadband opportunities in First Nations? I hope not!
I would suggest that there are lots of lessons learned from these types of experiences. The challenge is to ensure that everyone is getting the correct information whenever these types of situations occur. This is the third time that I have worked with different events where the "video conference" solution failed to provide the type of connection required for true two-way interactive video communication. Even with the ordering of ISDN lines, we have found problems with the local service in some locations. There is no fail-safe solution to avoid every problem BUT there are steps that should be taken to ensure a successful for everyone, especially the audience.
Some of the lessons, I take from these experiences include:
- Testing the connections from the actual sites using the equipment involved in the planned event as far in advance as possible helps to identify and resolve any technical problems before the actual event;
- Working with teams of people that include all those responsible for these connections ensures that everyone knows who to contact whenever there is a problem and provides a great learning opportunity for everyone;
- Supporting only one connectivity "solution" limits the potential for showcasing a variety of options for both the audience and the providers of these services;
- Sharing information and experiences with all the partners involved in the planning for these events supports everyone in their efforts to deliver a successful presentation for the audience (contact cell phone numbers are very helpful for those sitting in remote sites wondering what is happening);
- Knowing that these ICTs are communication tools that can fail for any number of reasons is an important consideration so contingency plans can be put in place (ie. Audio conferencing with the powerpoint presentation being delivered on-site);
- Planning for the real costs of these types of presentations and connections (people’s time and resources) is equally important as caring for those who are attending the event in person;
- Recognizing the importance of "walking the talk" in the use of these ICT tools requires the recognition of the opportunity to invite additional presenters and participants from remote First Nations that are embracing the use of these tools, thus making it more worthwhile for everyone to ensure a successful event;
- Understanding the ‘change management’ aspects of hosting events and sessions using these ICT tools ensures a growing opportunity for innovative exchanges and sharing of resources from anywhere.
I do hope everyone is able to gain from these experiences, even when they do not work completely as intended. I was able to meet some new people through this experience and learn about some products and resources that I never knew about before. Therefore I feel I learned some more things and that is important.
Native Teacher Education Program (NTEP) application deadline extended
April 10, 2003 - 7:55pm | by AnonymousThe application deadline for the next Native Teacher Education Program has been extended to Friday, April 18th. Call Brian toll free at 1-877-636-0667, ext. 25 for further information. Leave a message and he will call you back.
See K-News Article for NTEP qualifications.
Celebration of Recognition for students participating in the ACSW Program
April 9, 2003 - 9:29pm | by AnonymousOshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute presented Certificates of Recognition to the students of the Aboriginal Community Services Worker Program on March 27, 2003. The celebration took place at Confederation College in Thunder Bay. Congradulations to all! Check out the pictures at http://photos.knet.ca/albun20
First Nation Education Issues and Opportunities
April 9, 2003 - 7:38am | by AnonymousWendy Johnson, Education Policy Analyst from the Chiefs of Ontario Office distributed a briefing note to First Nation education advisors concerning recent developments and opportunities to work together. The document includes updates on:
- INAC's Engagement Strategy and COO's recommendations;
- Gathering Strength initiatve; and
- Federal Budget Announcement of $72 million for First Nation Education.
Water Plant Operator Training Centre Update
April 5, 2003 - 9:18am | by AnonymousStatus Update - Keewaytinook Okimakanak Water Treatment Plant Operator Training Centre
April 4, 2003 - Status Update # 1
This is the first of a series of updates that are planned to keep all interested people informed of the status of our new training initiative.
Keewaytinook Okimakanak in partnership with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board will be accepting the first intake of Water Plant Operator trainees on June 2, 2003. Each intake of trainees will be comprised of 15 individuals and intakes will continue until we have 150 total participants.
The goals of this training are clear!
- To provide First Nation Water Plant Operators an opportunity to obtain the necessary knowledge to allow them to become Provincially Certified.
- To provide a forum for Water Plant Operators to network and share thier experiences amongst themselves.
- To provide operational support to First Nation Water Plant Operators while they obtain Provincial Certification.
Until such time as the permanent WTP Operator Training Centre facility is constructed in Dryden (scheduled for completion in the fall of 2004), the training sessions will be held at the Lillian Berg School in Vermillion Bay, Ontario.
A mailed invitation will be sent to each Treaty Three, Nan and Unaffiliated First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, either directly or via the respective First Nation Council Technical Representatives by the end of April 2003.
Dreamcatching 2003 and KiHS
March 25, 2003 - 3:35pm | by AnonymousRecently, KiHS staff members, Marlene Mckay and Jeremy Snihur, attended the Dreamcatching 2003 conference in Montreal. Dreamcatching 2003 focused on educating First Nations youth in the areas of Mathematics and Science. Each Dreamcatching conference also promotes a profession which requires a background in Mathematics and Science. This year's profession was Engineering and promoting Native access to Engineering programmes.
Many scientific and mathematic concepts studied today were originally used and discovered by First Nations peoples. Dreamcatching 2003 is looking to guide First Nations students in the field of Engineering. Engineers are involved in the design and construction of buildings, bridges, roads, engines and electrical machines. Engineers will be a vital resource for the development of many First Nations communities.
KiHS (Keewaytinook Internet High School) presented a workshop at the Dreamcatching 2003 conference. The KiHS workshop helped educators from all over Canada gain an understand of the role of KiHS and how KiHS is guiding First Nations students to post-secondary education. KiHS provides local high school education through the use of computers and the internet. KiHS students have the unique opportunity of receiving high school credits while learning valuable computer skills.
To learn more, please visit the following links:
Native Access to Engineering Programme
Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS)
Aboriginal Resource Technician Program at Sault College via Distance Education
March 19, 2003 - 12:13pm | by AnonymousThe Aboriginal Resource Technician Program is accepting New Intakes for September 2003 delivered via Contact North Distance Education.
Sault College of Applied Arts & Technology is accepting new applicants into the distant education Aboriginal Resource Technician Program to start in September 2003. This natural resources based program enables students from remote communities access to a post-secondary diploma in Natural Resources utilizing the Contact North's Teleconference System. The delivery of this unique program is designed for students who wish to pursue a Career in Natural Resources, but are unable to attend a Post -Secondary Institution due to distance, family and work committments. Our program remedies those barriers, by delivering a post secondary natural resources program utilizing the Contact North Teleconference System throughout remote communities in the north. For further information and to apply to the Aborginal Resource Technician Program, please contact Sault College at 1-800-461-2260 or view our Sault College Website at http://www.saultc.on.ca under Natural Resource Programs.
New Intake in Sioux Lookout District Native Teacher Education Program
March 7, 2003 - 7:01am | by AnonymousWANTED
CERTIFIED TEACHERS
Admission requirements
Don’t delay! A teaching career waits for you in your community.
Application deadline - April 11th
Do you have questions about the Native Teacher Education Program?
Call Brian (NTEP Coordinator) toll free at 1-877-636-0667, extension 25.
Grade 2 Primary Teacher Required in Wunnumin Lake
February 25, 2003 - 6:43am | by AnonymousWe are currently looking for a Grade 2 teacher to start as soon as possible, salary based on experience. If you want to know more information please contact the persons mentioned below. Please send your resume to :
Lydia Lois Beardy Memorial School
Box 108
Wunnumin Lake, ON
P0V 2Z0
Ph: (807) 442-2575 Fax: (807) 442-2640
Attention: Mary Angees, Principal,
or
Heather Mathews, Education Director
Ph: (807) 442-2559/2555/2565 Fax: (807) 442-2627
