Working SMART in the New Millenium - Keewaytinook Okimakanak's

Working SMART in the New Millennium

Building Community Controlled Telecommunications Services in

Keewaytinook Okimakanak First Nations

Step 1: A planning conference to explore Keewaytinook Okimakanak First Nations' telecommunication strategy and future directions.

Red Lake, November 9-11, 1999

For: Keewaytinook Okimakanak leaders in education, health, management, government, and program support.

Information communication technologies (ICTs) are tools that change the ways communities interact with each other, how they access information, and how they share their knowledge.

The "human side" of telecommunications deals with how people's information and knowledge networks change when they begin using these technologies.

This Conference is the FIRST Step in a planning process aimed at empowering Keewaytinook Okimakanak to harness ICTs and make them work towards First Nations' goals. Tracking changes in people's information and knowledge networks is about monitoring what happens and learning to manage it. To do this, relationships and human interactions are made visible with drawings or "rich pictures"; relationships and linkages are identified and analyzed by the very people involved in the systems. They then have the tools they need to make more informed decisions about how to improve relationships and how they use technology for positive purposes.

Conference Activities will included:

Review of the information, communication technology (ICT) strategy for Keewaytinook Okimakanak.
Identification of major challenges.
Development of learning points (what needs to be learned to address the challenges) and ways to organize the learning.
Identification of progress indicators and review / planning strategies.
Demonstration of the various communication technologies and the use of this equipment in First Nation applications (health, database management, education, economic development, governance, etc).
Meetings with other groups, organizations and government officials to learn about their services and projects.