Monday, April 20

The Open Education Community Is Here


OPEN EDUCATION
"...is the simple and powerful idea that the world’s knowledge is a public good and that technology in general and the Worldwide Web in particular provide an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to share, use, and reuse knowledge." (1)


ccLEARN
ccLearn is a division of Creative Commons dedicated to realizing the full potential of the internet to support open learning and open educational resources. Their mission is to minimize legal, technical, and social barriers to sharing and reuse of educational materials ...more

In short, they are hosting and facilitating...


THE OPEN EDUCATION COMMUNITY
"The Open Education community consists of people, institutions, projects, and governmental bodies who are all striving towards similar goals: to positively impact educational access, opportunity, and quality for everyone, everywhere. Here, you can share information of interest to the community, as well as identify and coordinate with peers and collaborators from across this international movement." (2)


REFLECTION
COOL! I even found my blog there (3) as a site to find learning tools (Thanks!). I would surely like to know who posted my blog as a good reference point for tools (not sure if I agree with that)? Of course they are using a Wiki, meaning we can check the history (4). So, now I know it was 'Jane' who posted my blog URL there, but was it her that recommended it, or was it someone else. Who cares! My blog URL is there, and there is no harm in that (great actually!). It was surprising and fun! Thanks for that ego trip :)

If you are looking for Open Education Resources (OER) you will probably like the Finding OER section. As mentioned, they are using a wiki to develop the site, meaning you can also contribute without too much hassle. Also, you will find the teachers and learners sections relevant and useful. Whether you want to find, produce, use or join an OER community, you will find something useful and relevant in these sections. But most importantly, they want you to get actively involved and be part of the global OER movement.

I suppose the teacher is no longer the main source of knowledge, but just an important resource among many out there. Therefore, being able to navigate and make sense (to the learners) of this growing galaxy of OER is crucial for becoming a great educator and learning facilitator.

Finally, I love the website's clean design, lightness and ease-to-navigate. Though, it seems a bit thin in the content department (like most new sites!). But, I suppose as more people discover this community and begin to contribute, the site will truly blossom.

If you asked me to TWIT what I think about this Open Education Community initiative, it would be: "About Time!" :)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The Open Education community consists of people, institutions, projects, and governmental bodies who are all striving towards similar goals: to positively impact educational access, opportunity, and quality for everyone, everywhere. It is essential for education I must admit.
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