NSF Award
0332608
0332608<br/>Dinero<br/><br/>This award is to Philadelphia University to support the activity described below for 36 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-03521).<br/><br/>Partners<br/>The partners include Philadelphia University (Lead Institution), University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Anchorage, (Yukon Flats School District, Yukon Koyukuk) School District, Arctic Village Local Council, Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, Nulato City Council, Doyon Ltd, First Alaska Management and Marketing, GCI.net, and The Numi Group.<br/><br/>The primary objective of this award is to transfer technology training within existing cultural frameworks of two rural regions of Alaska Yukon Flats and Yukon Koyukuk by creating a computer skills, small business, and e-commerce learning model. This model will broaden participation of existing educational institutions and businesses by incorporating grade 9-16 competences and workplace skills in a sequential educational path from secondary to post-secondary leading to workforce credentials. The project will catalyze local, regional, and statewide native infrastructures to develop e-commerce ventures to stimulate village cash economy, codify traditional culture to support regional business ventures, and provide venues to apply and increase technology skills. This model will demonstrate how information technologies can be incorporated into indigenous environments to enhance and strengthen traditional social and economic structures rather than supplant them. Activities include: developing intergenerational culturally-based computer training modules, training villagers to replicate modules in other sites, creating state- of- the art computer centers, and introducing small e- commerce businesses for native economic growth.<br/><br/>Potential Economic Impact<br/>Alaska is a unique state. It is vast in size, 586,000 square miles; and its population of less that 700,000 is diverse and dispersed, nearly a fifth of its population is Native and 33 percent of the state's population live in rural areas that are off the road. The Information Technology revolution provides an ideal opportunity for former nomads to participate effectively in the global economy. Neither agrarianism nor industrialization suited the mobile life style of many indigenous peoples in the U.S. and around the world. But Information Technology systems, like nomads, have virtually no geographic or temporal boundaries. This partnership project proposes to forge connections between the new knowledge available in academe and the expertise of the private sector to enable rural Alaska Natives to participate regionally, nationally and internationally in an economic development enterprise.<br/><br/>The intellectual merit of the activity lies in developing a model for technology education that is consistent with native cultural and spiritual traditions. Traditional approaches have been based on western modes of teaching and learning. <br/><br/>The broader impacts of the activity concentrate on involving underrepresented groups in the innovation enterprise by providing educational modules and technology tools that are totally consistent with the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Native Alaskans, and provide e-commerce economic opportunities for this indigenous society. The model will be replicable for other indigenous societies.
