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Cal Kenny, K-Net Multi-media producer (http://calkenny.myknet.org), attended the KO Chiefs' meeting in Winnipeg, taking pictures and filming some of the information sharing. He is posting this information online at http://www.knet.ca/chiefs_meeting05/

Grand Chief Phil Fontaine addressed the Chiefs of Keewaytinook Okimakanak on the first day of their meeting in Winnipeg today. Geordi Kakepetum, KO Executive Director, presented the Grand Chief with a Briefing package that contained a strategy to address the various AFN resolutions passed by the Chiefs-in-Assembly at the AFN July 2004 and the AFN December, 2005 gatherings.  The Briefing Note describes five of the current issues challenging First Nations and Keewaytinook Okimakanak at this time. Click here to see this Briefing Note (64K - PDF document).         Phil's presentation to the chiefs about the residential school settlement Watch here Time: 5:01   Health Watch Here Time:1:33   Housing Watch Here Time:1:22   Education Watch Here Time:2:01

KORI’s Coordinator, Brian Walmark, and the Grade 8 Supplementary Program Coordinator, Fernando Oliveira, lead workshops at the 11th Annual Conference of the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) in Vancouver, BC on Tuesday, December 13.  Fernando’s workshop focussed on FNMoodle and the adaptions to this open source educational platform to meet the needs of KiHS and other applications such as First Nations Schoolnet’s Grade 8 supplementary program in literacy, mathematics and science. Brian’s workshop focussed on how community members have shaped ICTs to address needs at the community level.

Visit http://www.fnesc.ca/conferences/Content%204.pdf for more information about this conference. The actual workshop description from the pamphlet follows ...

Measuring the Impacts of Broadband Services on Academic Achievement

Brian Walmark, Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute presented ... Over the past decade, millions of dollars have been spent on improving access to modern broadband technologies to Aboriginal communities in the northern, rural and remote areas of Canada. However, the impact of such broadband implementation has not yet been established. This workshop discussed the findings from a study that investigated the impact of broadband services on the academic achievement of First Nations Elementary School students in Northern Ontario. In addition, the impact of broadband services on community based agency employees in Northern Ontario will also be discussed.

MoodleFN: A Free e-Learning Platform Created for First Nations Schools 

Fernando Oliveira, G8 Program Coordinator, Keewaytinook Okimakanak presented ... This workshop focused on two new eLearning programs that are currently offered in Ontario under the First Nations SchoolNet www.firstnationschools.ca - umbrella. The workshop will consist of the following:

• A virtual tour of the G8 Program www.g8firstnationschools.ca
• A demonstration of the MoodleFN platform and how it is used for the Keewaytinook Internet High School, http://kihs.knet.ca
• A presentation outlining how participants can use ModdleFN to create their own eLearning programs without cost.
• A discussion period

Grand Chief Phil Fontaine addressed the Chiefs of Keewaytinook Okimakanak on the first day of their meeting in Winnipeg today. Geordi Kakepetum, KO Executive Director, presented the Grand Chief with a Briefing package that contained a strategy to address the various AFN resolutions passed by the Chiefs-in-Assembly at the AFN July 2004 and the AFN December, 2005 gatherings. 

The Briefing Note describes five of the current issues challenging First Nations and Keewaytinook Okimakanak at this time. Click here to see this Briefing Note (64K - PDF document).

The background Information about each of these five issues provides details about how these issues influence the development of First Nation services and programs. Click here to read these Background Notes (310K - PDF document).

The first two video clips (raw footage) about this meeting have been posted and are available for viewing (watch for the edited and compressed versions over the next few days). Click here to watch Phil's arrival at the Chiefs' Meeting.(wmv, 2 minutes)

Click here to watch the first section of Phil's presentation to the chiefs about the residential school settlement (wmv, 13 minutes)

Click here to view the pictures from this meeting.

Keewaytinook Okimakanak as the Ontario Regional Management Organization (RMO) is compiling a series of good news ICT stories from First Nation schools across the province.  These stories will be published online and will take a similar format as the presentation from the publication produced by the Quebec RMO (see below).

Everyone is invited to use the form located at the SUCCESS STORIES link on the left hand side bar to e-mail us stories about how your school is utilizing the communication tools in your school as well as any other story you would like to share with other readers. We will be posting all these stories online at the http://firstnationschools.ca web site.

The Regional Management Organization in Quebec (the First Nations Education Council) recently posted the second publication of "Technology in First Nation Communities - SchoolNet Success Stories". Click here to learn how other First Nation schools are effectively integrating communication technologies in their classrooms and communities.

From the publication ...

The FNEC is pleased to present our second publication in a series titled “SchoolNet Success Stories”. The purpose of this publication is to provide a summary from the educational perspective of what First Nations communities are doing with ICTs and the support they receive from the First Nations SchoolNet program. We hope readers enjoy learning about the levels of ICT innovation and integration that are occurring in band-managed schools not only in the Quebec region, but across Canada as well.

Click here for the first publication with 6 schools profiled.

As part of the National Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN - http://smart.knet.ca/satellite), technical team members from each of the partner founding organziatons became certified KA-Band satellite system installers today. Working with a trainer from Barrett's Xplornet, nine technicians successfully completed their training program to be able to install these units in the NICSN partner Aboriginal communities.

Keewaytinook Okimakanak's K-Net Services is now an enterprise distributor for KA-Band units. In partnership with Barrett Xplore, the NICSN team will be installing a KA-Band unit in each of the satellite served partner communities to explore technical strategies for reducing the traffic load on the present C-band network. The goal is to increase the amount of video traffic that can be supported on the C-Band system.

As well, First Nation schools that presently are using the two way KU-band satellite services will see these units replaced with the lower cost KA-band systems in the near future.

Four members of the Manitoba First Nations SchoolNet Regional Management Organization team (Justin, Sam, Harvey and Dominic) travelled from Winnipeg to receive this training. JF Delorme travelled from Kuujjuaq in Northern Quebec to participate in the training. As well, John Moreau, Jamie Ray, Terence Burnard and Adi Linden from the K-Net team successfully completed the training.

Drew Perry from Health Canada's e-Health Solutions Unit in Winnipeg joined the training to familiarize himself with this system as well as learn about the Kuhkenah Network. While in Sioux Lookout, Drew was provided with tours of the local network infrastructure as well as the teleradiology and telehealth systems in place at the local Menoyawin Health Centre.

Click here to see pictures from the training session

Jim Hamilton and Chris Iles from the Communications Research Centre in Ottawa hosted guests from Canada's Department of International Trade and Japan's Ministry of Economic Development and International Trade (JIPDEC). A part of their presentation included a video conference connection with Keewaytinook Okimakanak's K-Net office in Sioux Lookout to discuss Broadband Networking, specifically as it applies to e-governance. Feedback from the session participants was very positive, with their guests stating how impressed they were with the work being done in Canada's far north.

Dan Pellerin, K-Net's Network Manager, is travelling to Montreal to attend a gathering of First Nation health leaders and present information about the Kuhkenah Network and the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telehealth initiative. First Nations across Quebec are now getting connected through their First Nations Education Council's video conferencing network (visit http://cepn-fnec.com/videoconference/eng/index.html for more information). As the local capacity increases in each community, new applications for these communication tools are identified and developed by the communities. Telehealth is quickly becoming a key application that supports the ongoing operation of the community networks.

Brian Beaton, K-Net Coordinator, is in Thunder Bay for the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Education Conference. He is presenting information about the First Nations SchoolNet program and the various e-learning opportunities that are available for First Nation schools. As new needs and opportunities are identified and developed to use Information and Communication Technologies in First Nation classrooms, the First Nations SchoolNet program is another resource to support this work. Visit http://firstnationschools.ca for more information about some of these opportunities. Click here to see the powerpoint presentation.

A faculty Bell circuit caused a network outage for Sioux Lookout from 5:30AM Saturday until 1:01AM Sunday. Everyone in Sioux Lookout and in the thirty satellite served communities could access K-Net but were unable to get to other locations on the internet. All other K-Net users from other points on the internet were unable access the servers located in Sioux Lookout.

K-Net's technical team spent the day in constant contact with Bell Canada staff trying to locate the problem. Saturday evening, a Bell technician was dispatched from Fort Frances or Dryden to come to Sioux Lookout to change some equipment.

Keewatin Tribal Council is working with the remote First Nations across Northern Manitoba to get broadband connections put in place to serve their communities. Funding from Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet program and the KTC Regional Management Organization serving First Nation schools across Manitoba was levered with support from Health Canada and INAC to support the construction of satellite earthstations and local wireless networks in ten remote First Nations. Dan Pellerin, K-Net's Network Manager, is now travelling to each of these communities to bring the two 2.4M satellite earthstations in each of these ten First Nations up on the Telesat Public Benefit transponder that is now being shared by the satellite served communities across Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec.

On Thursday of this week, Dan was in Poplar River First Nation where he successfully got that community's connections operating. Tonight he was able to bring Pukatawagan First Nation online. He reported in an e-mail that he is now working on their local wireless network to get the band office, school and health centre online.