End of Year Forum- 2007 'Working towards better practice'

Australian Flexible Learning Framework

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Successful Showcase for 2007

The Indigenous Engagement end of year forum had a stand out attendance with 150 people from various organisations and communities across Australia.

Working Towards Better Practice showcased grassroots examples from across Australia of how e-learning is creating effective education and training programs, which are culturally and language appropriate.

The event provided an opportunity to experience testimonials and presentations from each of our six national projects with a hand on approach to e-learning resources being developed and implemented throughout the year.

Participants heard from community members, Elders, researchers, academics and business groups who are using satellite technology, virtual class rooms, video conferencing, creation of blogs, digital story's used as an RPL assessment and knowledge gathering tool and pod casting to name a few.

Feedback given from the days event was that the forum through its projects provided a very informative and confirming flexible approach to training and that it is all about the quality and meaningful partnerships between RTO's and communities that this project has developed.

Project Manager Rhonda Appo congratulated each team on the success of the Forum and said "it is great to see that out of these projects, there has emerged a number of Indigenous leaders equipped with the skills and confidence to continue on the good work into the future".

Key note speaker Metta Young from the Centre of Appropriate Technologies in Alice Springs provided a well informed presentation around statistics of the inequality of Indigenous communities in the 'desert lands' of Australia (see below).

Keynote speaker Stephen Hagan, NAIDOC person of the year in 2006 and esteemed author presented Conquering Indigenous Economic Disadvantage (see below).

The event concluded with a panel discussion, consisting of four past and present Project Champions discussing what constitutes e-learning; what works for individual communities and Indigenous learners and how e-learning has empowered each community. This was an opportunity for the audience to provide input and ask questions about the day's proceedings.

Working Towards Better Practice was an opportunity for community to demonstrate how they are using technology in innovative ways to educate and train people in Indigenous communities.

For more information contact:

Michelle McCosker

P- 07 33074708
F- 07 32594227
E- michelle.mccosker@deta.qld.gov.au


Project team presentations:

Improving Indigenous E-Governance - TAFE NSW Western Institute ran a project to deliver the Certificate IV in Business (Governance) into very remote Indigenous communities using web 2.0 technologies.

Indigenous ICT: I Can Too! - Indigenous training provider JobTrain WA engaged, trained and mentored liaison officers, champions and community participants through e-learning through the Western Australian Telecentres.

Cultural Studies with E-Learning - Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE in Victoria used voice and visual technologies to expand educational opportunities in the area of land and conservation management for Indigenous communities.

Working from Our Strengths - Kimberley College of TAFE developed a recognition of prior learning (RPL) e-tool to help Indigenous gain the Certificate IV Training and Assessment and the Certificate IV in Cultural Tourism.

Making It Real - Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE created a template to make existing literacy and numeracy resources more 'real' to Indigenous communities, using local photos, landscapes, people and locations.

One Mob Together - Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE developed an e-tool for RPL for Indigenous community organisation members wanting to acquire their Certificate IV in Business (Governance).

The presentations of the forum's two keynote speakers are also available:

Metta Young, a researcher based in Alice Springs, demonstrated how self determination had enabled Native Americans to take control of their land, create economic development through entrepreneurship and embrace their identity. Profits were reinvested back into the tribe, focusing on education.

Stephen Hagan, an Indigenous activist, looked at how Indigenous people should embrace connections within and between social networks, bonding themselves with people that are alike; bridging with people that are not alike (ie from outside the community); and making vertical links with people in positions of authority.