Crocodiles and Polar Bears: Technology and Learning in Indigenous Australian and Canadian Communities

Crocodile infested, swollen rivers, Troop Carriers, light planes and red dirt typify the landscape of remote tropical Northern Territory in Australia. In contrast, the remote landscape in far Northwestern Ontario in Canada is characterised by rough terrain, snow and ice, sea planes and sometimes even polar bears. The traditional owners of the land in these two very different locations face similar issues in accessing adult learning and ongoing educational opportunities. This paper compares and contrasts the experiences of two groups of adult Indigenous students, one from the northern Australian tropics and one from far Northwestern Ontario, and examines the ways that technology is used to try and bridge the distance between Indigenous adult learners' goals and educational opportunities. The paper's finding is that the education gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous learners in Canada is closing, while the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is widening. This reflects in part that Indigenous adult learners in Northwestern Ontario are being better served in comparison to their counterparts in the Northern Territory of Australia.