Themes

**Emerging Themes**
The proposed study seeks to investigate how online communities of indigenous learners can collaboratively facilitate cultural exchange and develop vocational literacies in community language and English within a VET Training context. Please feel free to add and edit!!!
 * Our First Ideas (Meetings 1 and 2)**

Discussion so far has drawn out some key themes to explore in the future:
 * Bridging geographic and cultural gaps
 * Urban and remote indigenous life
 * Cultural exchange between indigenous and non indigenous learners
 * Cultural and social barriers in VET
 * Different ways and approaches to Digital storytelling
 * Cultural similarities and common ground
 * "Rites of passage"
 * Possible Linkage to Penny's Virtual Worlds project or access by communities of learners
 * Possible Linkage to Ruth/ Suzanne and Sarah's projects
 * What can the two communities learn from each-other?
 * What elements are part of vocational literacies?
 * Is cross cultural communication a vocational "literacy"?
 * How does cultural exchange fit within a competency based training framework?
 * Pollination between training packages
 * Inclusion and recognition of multimedia competencies
 * Bilingual and cross cultural resource development
 * Collaboration and mutual benefit between RTOs and learning communities
 * An offshoot project was also posed which would look at learning amongst CIT and CDU staff participating within a community of practice.

Further Development. (Meeting 3)
Meeting with Perry looked at consolidation of project ideas into cohesive research projects.

Discussion of timeframes and logistics yielded:
 * Perry's Communities of Practice project with AOD workers identified as a possible Masters of Education research project. Commencement in 2010.
 * Stuart's Digital Learning Communities project with AOD client groups identified as PhD project also for commencement in 2010.
 * Discussion around stating dates concluded that it would be best to start work with the AOD workers first from the perspective of relationship building before working with clients.
 * The idea of a third project looking us Perry and Stuart's development as teachers by Ruth and Suzanne still forming.
 * Funding sources to provide modest independent IT/multimedia infrastructure at each site still need to be identified. Early discussion looked at the possibility of funding under the Commonwealth's WELL program, Co-morbidity training funding and NT Dept. Justice.
 * Once two project proposals complete a date and time will be organised to meet with two AOD agencies to discuss the idea.