ARVIAT
The future is now, and the community of Arviat is stepping up to take advantage of cutting-edge technology to pursue programming in health, communications, history, culture and language.

Film society member Daniel Kooveanatuk tries out a Google Glass during the workshop in Arviat May. Google Glass is cutting-edge technology that fits a computer into a device worn like eyeglasses. - photo courtesy of Timothy Pasch

Timothy Pasch, a Canadian communications professor teaching at the University of North Dakota, brought his knowledge and his "various technologies" to a digital development workshop in Arviat May 12 to 16 for youth researchers and academic researchers.

Shirley Tagalik, a long-time educator in the community and the project leader for Atii! Let's do it!, a program to engage six to 12-year-olds in healthy decision making, asked Pasch to help create an "app" - an interactive computer game - for Atii. The app is also intended to be in Inuktitut, to help students use and preserve their language.

The youth media team has been working on it, but Pasch agreed to help.

"Anyone who dares come into town, we try to harness them in some way, into a lengthier commitment," says Tagalik. "If a researcher comes to town, they need to address something on our agenda, and leave us better off than we were before."

As examples, Tagalik offers training, help identifying a monitoring plan, or help with carrying out knowledge transfer.

Pasch was a perfect fit. His passion is to "re-purpose technology for culture rather than the other way around, where technology dominates," he told Nunavut News/North. His expertise is in using digital communication for cultural and linguistic preservation.

During the workshop the youth media team worked on creating the storyboard for the app, which Pasch and his students at the university will turn into code. The team, part of the Adobe Youth Voice program, learned how to better use some of their Adobe software for animation and colouring to speed up their efforts on a series of books they've been working on.

Pasch also brought something into the community that few people in the North have seen - Google Glass.

"It's basically a computer," said Arviat TV's Eric Anoee Jr. of the small eye-piece worn like glasses.

"It's powerful."

In a conversation with Pasch, Anoee discussed how Glass could be used by Arviat TV, which creates original programs, as well as archived-based programs.

Glass not only projects a computer screen in the space about one metre in front of the wearer, it can also record audio and video.

"If we're making a film and we want a point of view from the person coming to a building looking for someone, the scene could be shot from Glass," said Anoee.

Another way of using Glass would be to create programming that could be called up by GPS. If a wearer were standing in front of an inukshuk in real life, they could call up the information about it and see the real thing and the information about it at the same time. Another use might be language programming, explained Pasch.

"You could look at something and have (Glass) auto translate."

Although the possible applications are endless, there is a privacy concern.

"It's kind of expected when you don't know what it can do without your knowledge," said Anoee.

In fact, with the flutter of an eyelid, Glass can be activated to record and no one would be aware.

"There are pros and cons to this kind of technology," said Pasch.

Meanwhile, Tagalik wants to harness Pasch's knowledge further.

"I think he came in as a tourist," said Tagalik. "Now he's involved in a long-term project."

She hopes to bring him back to Arviat to teach computer coding to youth.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.