Delivery – Activity Break-down & Teaching Points

Introduction:

• We had some time to play around with different AI generating tools last class. I’m sure you all can think of some pros to this technology. 
• Last week we were researching a bit on our favorite spots in nature that we like to go to. We all found what traditional territory it resides on and can name the features of it we like most. You may even have a story that connects you to it.
• We are going to be creating a personalized and meaningful land acknowledgement for our favorite space. Your finished product can look like a video, podcast, brochure, or some form of mixed media presentation.
• Today’s activity will include an exploration on how AI fits into creating land acknowledgements or on the larger scope, any personal statements. 
• We are going to critically analyze its efficacy and discuss some pros and cons using some real examples.

Lesson Activity Hook: Discuss what makes a land acknowledgement meaningful.

• Let’s add our ideas to a mind map on the board
• https://native-land.ca/resources/territory-acknowledgement/
  • Good words in here:
    • To insert an awareness of the Indigenous peoples who stewarded the land for time immemorial
    • Acknowledge the history and legacy of colonialism
    • As Chelsea Vowel, a Métis woman from the Plains Cree speaking community of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, writes:
      • “If we think of territorial acknowledgments as sites of potential disruption, they can be transformative acts that to some extent undo Indigenous erasure. I believe this is true as long as these acknowledgments discomfit both those speaking and hearing the words. The fact of Indigenous presence should force non-Indigenous peoples to confront their own place on these lands.” – Chelsea Vowel, Métis, Beyond Territorial Acknowledgements
    • Reflective questions: Why is this acknowledgement happening? What is the history of the territory? What are the impacts of colonialism? 

Class Activity: 

• Open up ChatGPT in google chrome
• Lets all put in some prompts together but first lets talk about things we should be looking out for:
  • Generalization – whose voice is it?
  • Errors – how do we know it is correct?
  • What is useful? – Are there some well articulated sentences that may add to your vocabulary?
• Prompt 1:
  • “Create a land acknowledgement for Lekwungen land”
    • Where have you heard this before?
    • Example: UVic’s first sentence is for those who do not intend to read the entire acknowledgement that goes into more detail. 
  • “Add more detail”
    • Okay. How do we feel about this? There is more detail but it is adding in words as fluff – nothing too personalized still. Very generic. We may know some generalizations about Lekwungen people, it got the Songhees and Esquimalt nations by name. 
    • It does not include WSANEC people. We could ask it to include WSANEC people, but would it change the outcome?
• Prompt 2:
  • Let’s compare to another Indigenous population in the world that we may not know too much about:
  • “Create a land acknowledgement for the Guarani people”
  • “Add more detail”
  • What are the dangers of using this as a land acknowledgement? How could you meaningfully 
• Discussion for Classmates & Can be adapted for students:
  • How can we use this exercise to teach the next generation more about the dangers of AI?
  • What are some prompts you would get them to explore to prove the point that these tools are no good for personalized statements? Would you use it?
  • What are some things we can teach them to look out for when using AI tools?
  • What are some take-aways with using AI for personalized statements?