RESOURCE REVIEWS

The following Testimonials have been received from users of Our Dreamings.

"We felt that it would be a valuable resource for our curriculum, South Australian Curriculum, Standard and Accountability Framework, especially in the Arts learning area. We believe that it is most suitable for the Middle and Senior years of school but the examples could be used for Primary as well. The information and images presented would be most valuable for teachers teaching units on Aboriginal Perspectives that incorporated Aboriginal art and aspects of the Dreaming. Support materials in the form of web links, artist's biographies, their works and history enable learners to pursue a particular avenue or interest.

The artists presented are good stimuli for learners and but more of them would be an extremely useful resource. The "live" presentations enable learners to obtain information as if it was "in situ" instead of static.

If the cd can be networked within a school then more learners would have "just in time" access to a most valuable, efficient and effective learning resource.

Though the information is specific for an area of Australia, Walpiri, and a couple of artists are shown, creative teachers will able to build upon what is there to expand the opportunities for learners and the curriculum"
John C. Sloan
Research Librarian
Aboriginal Education Unit
NT Dept Education and Children's Services (DECS)

"The information, pictures, stories and graphics contained on these CD's would make a valuable contribution as an educational tool for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in our many schools"
Shane Williams
Manager
Indigenous Education Policy Branch
Indigenous and Transitions Group
Dept of Education Science and Training
www.dest.gov.au

"The scope and quality of the content of the CD would make it a valuable asset as a learning tool for all students"
Aileen Hawks
Curriculum Officer (LOTE)
Curriculum Council
Govt of Western Australia

"Teachers viewing the material thought it was an excellent resource and made the following comments
"beautiful/colourful visuals and animations of aboriginal life, art and culture."
"Sound, voices and music to complement and enhance visuals".
"Relevant to current curriculum trends and their focus upon learning about the arts of different times, cultures and places"
They also felt that the CDROM has a variety of audiences predominantly years five to ten and also that there was a market in the senior levels and with overseas educators."
National Curriculum Services

".A new CD-Rom aims to change the way people look at acrylic desert art and help people understand the true meanings behind the artworks of two Warlpiri artists. Malcolm Jagamarra and Janet Nakamarra are the two artists featured on the fully interactive CD-Rom 'Our Dreamings'. The disc combines traditional music, art and photographs to unveil an entertaining, interactive and educational look at the art and culture of the Warlpiri people of Central Australia. 'Our Dreamings' provides many possibilities to explore the art and the artists. The extensive menu allows you to choose the following options
Learning Pathway, Paintings, Artist's painting, artist story, iconography, dictionary, art history, and video"

Koori Mail
10th July, 2004

Reviewed by GINA MILGATE
OUR DREAMINGS:ANCIENT TRADITIONAL
Indigenous art and culture of Australia is an interactive CD-ROM with educational notes, but more than that it's a powerful and user-friendly learning resource for a diverse range of audiences. Suited to students and educators, it's also ideal for travellers and art lovers, indeed any one who has an interest in traditional Aboriginal culture and art from Australia and wants to learn more.

An easy-to-navigate menu includes educational notes, paintings, artists' stories, an art gallery, iconography, a dictionary, video and art history, as well as a help icon. From the very beginning, captivating background traditional Aboriginal music brings the user into the world of the Warlpiri people of the central desert of Australia. The introductory traditional music, complemented by traditional Aboriginal colours and paintings, sets the scene for a journey of discovery. You cannot help but be drawn to the music, sounds, paintings and voices.

The six paintings displayed at the beginning introduce users to a piece of art by enabling them to listen to an interpretation of the stories told in each painting, as explained by the artist, so we are able to interpret the art through these voices and perhaps our own unconscious perceptions. This enables the listener to 'find' and follow the story which is then useful when looking at similar Aboriginal paintings by the audience in different contexts. This section is then suitably followed by a video of two Aboriginal artists showing how their paintings are prepared, in what type of environment, also showing the tools used to paint their pictures. This gives students an opportunity to learn about the elements needed to paint an Aboriginal cultural story and how these may differ from mainstream paintings.

The artists then acquaint us with their own stories about their life through voice and art, how they have learnt about their culture and how this is reflected in their paintings. My favourite feature was listening to the stories of Malcolm Jagamarra and Janet Nakamarra, which made me reflect not only about my story as an Aboriginal person, but also about the stories of another Aboriginal culture, which is a powerful aspect of this resource. By listening to and sharing in the stories of others, which are very common practices in Aboriginal culture, students are able to reflect on their own life stories. This is then followed by paintings by the artists, which is an opportunity for students and teachers to discuss their interpretation of the art and the story the art is portraying. We are then taken on a ride through iconography that allows us to see symbols found in paintings by the Warlpiri people. The black symbols on a white background enable us to see the art in a different light and to gain an illustrative idea of what the icons look like in a 'colourful' Aboriginal painting from this culture. As a consequence, many people may find this to be a useful tool for interpreting Aboriginal art.

A strong educational facet of this resource is the dictionary, which is a superb way to show not only students, but the widest audience, the meanings of common words such as men, women and water. A picture of the chosen word nicely complements this section. It's a useful tool for teachers, since games can be played in the classroom especially in the early years, such as matching the common word with the Warlpiri word. and is a great resource to present on the classroom wall especially in English as a second language classrooms. Two short, engaging videos then give an account of Malcolm Jagamarra, with students and a former prime minister speaking about the significance of Aboriginal art. The final component of this resource is about the history of the central desert culture and its art which gives the audience a fitting summation of the whole package.

From a teaching and curriculum perspective, this resource is an invaluable tool. It not only addresses the key learning areas like Indigenous Studies, History, Studies of Society and the Environment, English, Creative Arts and Media Studies, but also Maths, Science, Legal Studies, Religious Studies and Health. The combination of visual and oral communication means students with a diverse range of learning styles can engage with the content.

There's something in this learning resource for everyone. To capture such a broad range of subject matter in such a short interactive CD clearly demonstrates how well it connects with a broad student and teacher cohort through a very effective delivery of content.

This CD-ROM is a very worthwhile and engaging resource for students from early years onwards. I can only strongly recommend this resource to educational institutions and communities since it's not only a fantastic teaching and learning tool, but a cultural journey for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people of all ages to experience.

Gina Milgate is an Indigenous Education Research Fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research in Camberwell, Melbourne. For more information on ACER and its research visit www.acer.edu.au.

Review in LAUNCHPAD Aboriginal Culture
www.ourdreamlngs.com.au
It's a marketing platform for an educational CD produced by Christine Levy but its deep content and classy presentation reveals that she has done a top job of enabling the "wider understanding and appreciation of [Warlpiri] art and traditional way of life". The CD even stretches to a video clip of Gough Whitlam speaking on Aboriginal art.
LAUNCHPAD