Sharing Culture Online For Australian Indigenous Communities

Sharing Culture Online is an easy to use tool to help record, store and pass on language and knowledge. The system has been designed for Elders right through to children.

When learning about languages, we feel that it's very important for children to hear how the words sound, so this feature is one of the highlights of Sharing Culture Online. The easy to use recorder will have your language saved and you'll be passing it on in no time.

All it takes is a few easy steps:

1. Add a picture
2. Type in the words
3. Press record and say the words or story
4. Save, and that's it...it's so easy

You control who you share your information with, it can be within your family, organisation, local schools with only the Indigenous kids or with all kids.

What you need:

a user account - you can sign up here for Individuals or here for community organisations
pay the yearly fee
a computer with speakers and internet access, preferably broadband
a microphone for voice recording(some laptops have a built in microphone)

What do you get?

A tool to support language preservation and revival
Full control over who see it, what’s recorded, who it’s shared with
An easy way to introduce language programs
Access to heaps of fun activities and games
A way of passing on knowledge that kids enjoy
A fun way for Elders and children to work together
Simple to use tools that keep all of your language and culture in one place on the computer
You can access your information from any computer, anywhere, any time.

Sharing Culture Online comes with templates that you can adapt for your local country / community to create your own localised version of Sharing Culture.

The customisable templates are:

Dictionary: You can add pictures then record your traditional language in a written, spoken and English format. Children can then click on words and hear the words. The amount of recording is unlimited, so you can add as many words as you want in any language.
Books: Add pictures, write, then using a microphone, record your stories to make talking story books. Children (and adults) can then appreciate story telling through a whole new way. Dreaming and Creation stories are shared and controlled by the story teller.
Local knowledge/Facts: There is also an opportunity for people to compile a section on local facts, this can be about whatever the person compiling the information wants to share. It could be about local history, traditional food and medicine, trading, art, language....anything.
Jigsaw Puzzles: Make jigsaw puzzles from photos and/or scanned images of paintings, drawing etc..
Image Library: Use the built in images or upload your own photos to personalise your books, dictionary, facts and jigsaws.


Story Books	Talking Dictionary	Jigsaw Puzzles	Mini website of Facts

Once you have put all your information together, you go to an online area that is full of Indigenous themed activities and games, including the resources you have made. There are activities like Dress Ups, Colouring In, Music, Memory Game, Painting, Language Maps and heaps more.

We’re a grass roots organisation that understands the importance of retaining ownership of our culture, so a very important feature is that language can be protected to ensure its integrity is not compromised and remains the Intellectual Property of the language group.

For communities and language groups that feel comfortable, the opportunity is there to share with children the rich cultural diversity of our people.

How Communities can benefit:

by their Elders being recognised for their knowledge and experiences;
through the maintenance and revival of languages and cultural knowledge;
through the creation of strong partnerships between schools and communities that will emerge as communities work on developing content on an on-going basis;
by using tools which can be used to pass on language on a larger scale than would otherwise be possible. Indigenous people and communities must be engaged to ensure the information is accurate and culturally appropriate;
from the online nature of this partnership, as interaction can take place within as well as outside the school environment;
through the easy-to-use design that enables Elders and those with low technical knowledge to be active in providing information for the template;
the system is also a fun and easy way to learn how to use computers and new technologies;
from on-going employment opportunities arising from their engagement with this project.

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