CTLT Indigenous Initiatives is excited to welcome Bronte Burnette. Bronte will be taking on the role of the Educational Resource Developer, supporting the development of online educational resources using digital, new media tools and learning technologies, related to classroom climate and Indigenous engagement in teaching and learning across the university.
We asked Bronte to share a few fun facts about herself.
Bronte Burnette, Educational Resource Developer, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
Three Fun Facts
- I add crushed red pepper flakes to almost everything.
- I was a Marshal in my sorority–Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Montana
- I’m known as the girl to come to if you need a romance novel recommendation.
What are some of the things you have started working on in your new role? And what are some of the areas you are looking forward to exploring?
I’ve started to familiarized myself with the great programs and offerings Indigenous Initiatives is already doing, like Indigenous Foundations and the online programming from over the summer like The Land You Live On: Native Land. One of my roles is to work on resource development, so seeing what is already there is giving me ideas of what types of resources I can find or create to support what is already there or help bridge knowledge gaps that currently exist. Helping create resources that can be drawn on in the classroom that centre Indigenous values and perspectives without putting more work on Indigenous community members and partners is a part of reconciliation that I, as a settler, can take on and take off the plate of those Indigenous communities who are already under pressure of extraction from academia as a whole.
Something that I began to understand at my last position at Xwi7xwa Library, and am excited to continuing to learn about is how much place makes a difference in our learning. The place we are physically, the place our mind is, our place socially, the places our families and ancestors have been or come from, impacts the way and how we learn. I’m excited to continue exploring this idea in the different ongoing projects. One place I’m excited to dig into this idea is with the upcoming new What I Learned In Class Today videos and website—the world is in a different place than 12 years ago with the original videos, but some things have stayed the same.
What excited you about joining this team/working on this project?
As a librarian by trade, I love connecting people with the knowledge they are seeking; helping close their knowledge gaps in a specific area. This work excites me because it is not just about connecting people with knowledge, but fostering relationships and helping people understand why knowledge is seen and taught the way it is. The projects and work that Indigenous Initiatives has presented illustrates the idea that information is not neutral; it is shaped by the people sharing it and the place it is shared. I am honoured to be working on a team with people who have dedicated themselves to this work and I’m thrilled to offer my support in whatever ways I can.