Dr Maree Gruppetta Mr Terry Mason University of Western Sydney Associate professor Ninetta Santoro

1. Dr Maree Gruppetta MrTerry Mason University of Western Sydney Associate professor Ninetta Santoro Maria Bennet Charles Sturt University Developing Inter-cultural Relationships Through Digital Technology

2. Overview • Using digital technology to develop cultural awareness • Tensions - between Indigenous and non-Indigenous PST • Tensions - in the use of technology in remote PST professional experience setting • Tensions - relevance of Western curriculum to Aboriginal students in remote areas • Self-efficacy

3. Using digital technology to develop cultural awareness • Video conference – formal vehicle to establish connections between Universities and PST • Skype – formal and informal vehicle between individuals • Weebly– formal vehicle to develop and showcase ePortfolio

4. Tensions - between Indigenous and non-Indigenous PST • Interactions across PST in the three Universities • Tentativeness – experiential nature of the project • Silence – different world views

5. Tensions - in the use of technology in remote PST professional experience setting • Overcoming distance and understanding context using Skype technology • Emotional intensity and the need to connect to the PST’s real life context for evidencing professional teaching standards

6. Tensions - relevance of Western curriculum to Aboriginal students in remote areas • Mismatch between Western Curriculum and traditional Indigenous Ways of Knowing • Language • Teaching Mathematical concepts • PST access to pedagogy that facilitates Indigenous learning

7. Self-efficacy • Exploration of meaning by academics

8. Conclusions • Further Questions: • Problems of Skype – at odds with developing Aboriginal ways of working • Technology provided opportunities for reflection and intellectual awareness • Contributed to building community and bridging distance • Establishing evidence of Self Efficacy • The benefit of partnership between universities

9. References Doherty, C. & Mayer, D. (2003). E-mail as a "contact zone" for teacher-student relationships. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy; Apr; 46, 7; p. 592-600 Gibson, K. & Vialle, W. (2007). The Australian Aboriginal view of giftedness. In. Phillipson, S.N. & McCann, M. (Eds) (2007). Conceptions of Giftedness: Sociocultural perspectives. Lawrence Erlbaum: London. Korthagen, F.A.J. (2001) Linking Practice and Theory. Mahwah NJ.:Lawrence Erlbaum