"This is the only thing of its type being done," says Livingston.
"It is the best example I've come across of excellence in education
technology. It is such a superb answer to the question: 'What are you
doing with all that hardware?' and to the type of anti-computer backlash
happening right now. Instead of having kids do Math Blasters, our kids
are interacting in chats, live video conferences, e-mail, and via regular
mail with children they would never encounter otherwise, while learning
authentic Native American history past and present."
Pamela
Livingston
Teacher, multi grades
"Stereotyping
is hard to break. Unfortunately, many of our students have a Disney
sense of reality. A project like Cradleboard takes something abstract
and makes it concrete.”
Melissa
Shein
Teacher, grade 4
“It gives mainstream
children the opportunity to see that Native American peoples still exist.”
Katsitsionni
Fox
Mohawk Teacher
Akwesasne Freedom School, NY
(Livingston, Shein and Fox all are participating teachers in the Cradleboard
Teaching Project.)
“The Cradleboard Teaching Project. It speaks of hope, sharing, and
cultural pride.”
“Highly motivational.”
(Comments
from evaluation documents, the Native American Gifted and Talented Conference
1998, Albuquerque, NM.)
“I am 13 years
old and I have been involved with the Cradleboard Project for 2 1/2
years. A lot of information and education has come from Cradleboard.
I have learned about Religions that I haven't even heard of before.
And with the science curriculum CD, I learned how other Native cultures
survive and what they believe. Cradleboard has opened a lot of doors
of opportunity for me which I am thankful for. We just can't wait to
chat with our partner school again, and we are counting the days until
we get to go down to visit them.
Wentine
Mohawk student