Abstract

Information, communication, and educational technologies hold promise to connect geographically isolated rural communities, offering adults greater access to educational, financial, and numerous other resources. The Internet and computer-based network technologies are often seen as remedies for communities in economic decline, but they also have the potential to divide. When the tool of technology is not effectively introduced and proper training not offered, potential exists to widen the schism (Schiller, 1996) between the coexisting and competing social systems of indigenous people and non-Natives. This article provides insight into the issues surrounding the diffusion of information and communication technologies into rural Alaskan communities. To gain insight into the context of technology and rural Alaska, interviews were conducted with three rural Alaska educators and technology coordinators from different geographical locations. The purpose was to explore the status of educational technologies, how change and technology are perceived, and what the future holds. The effective use of information and computer technologies for education in the rural areas of Alaska necessitates many challenges. The areas of content, connectivity, capability, and cultural context are thematic issues around the larger concern of access that emerged from the interviews. (Contains 1 figure.)

Citation

Page, G.A. & Hill, M. (2008). Information, Communication, and Educational Technologies in Rural Alaska. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 117, 59-70. Retrieved August 13, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/73904/.

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Keywords

• Access to Information
• Adult Education
• Alaska Natives
• Computer Networks
• Continuing Education
• Cultural Context
• Cultural Influences
• educational technology
• Geographic Location
• Indigenous Populations
• Information Communication Technologies
• information technology
• internet
• Interviews
• Rural Areas
• Social Systems