| Abstract | Videoconferencing is usually perceived as something useful for institutional reasons – primarily telehealth and distance education. First Nations are using videoconferencing not only for health and education but also in other ways for community, economic and social development. This paper discusses findings from a SSHRC-funded study of First Nations organizations that are supporting the use of video communications by rural and remote communities. The discussion explores why visual communication is important for First Nations, the prevalence and purposes of videoconferencing in non-institutional settings, and the challenges the communities experience using this technology. The central theme of this paper is that videoconferencing is a vital tool for remote and rural First Nations and in order for it to become widely used, the technology has to be a part of everyday life in communities and not just restricted to telehealth and distance education. Further, if we can find ways to increase the use of videoconferencing in noninstitutional settings by everyone in First Nations communities, the technology will be used more often for institutional applications. Thus, increasing the non-institutional, everyday use of videoconferencing will have a positive impact on its use for telehealth and distance education. The paper includes recommendations for policy makers to support the more widespread use of this powerful communication technology by remote and rural First Nations. |
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