Hi Everyone, A brief moment to reflect. Education is an act of sharing knowledge freely.
So where are all the free education materials that we can adapt, modify and reuse without restriction? Why has humanity taken so long in achieving a free knowledge base for us to share for the common good of education and society? Why are the majority of our global population under served when it comes to education? To paraphrase Bob Dylan: " How many years [can the closed copyright] mountain exist Before it's washed to the sea? Yes, 'n' how many years can some [educators] exist Before they're allowed to be free? Yes, 'n' how many times can [we] turn our [heads], Pretending [we] just don't see? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind, The answer is blowin' in the wind." The value proposition of sharing digital teaching materials is a "no-brainer". Getting back to Dylan's refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind" (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowin%27_in_the_Wind) I started WikiEducator as a project to collaborate with the free culture movement to develop digital teaching materials in support of every national curriculum by 2015. (If we're a little late, 2017 will be just fine :-) ). - Yesterday, WE were a top 59K site (Alexa). - During October, WE generated more than 10.5 million hits on our site with a full-time staff of two people. - WE train and build wiki skills for thousands of teachers in more than 110 countries -- thanks to a dedicated team of facilitators who share knowledge freely. - WE have developed more content pages than Wikiversity (with only 6% of the number of the registered users compared to WV) - WE can now work internationally, freed from the geographical constraints of the Commonwealth. WE should take a moment and reflect on what WE have achieved -- this is an amazing story and you are making it happen! However, we shouldn't gloat for too long. 2015 is a little more than 5 years away, but I sense an energy that WE have a fighting chance in achieving our goal of free digital resources in support of all national curricula. - WE need to become more effective supporting new WikiEducators in becoming active contributors to our common goal - WE need our technology to become transparent (i.e. significantly easier to use) - WE need to continue our commitment to provide free training to any warm-blooded (as in mammal) educator in the world who wants to learn wiki skills - WE need to connect educators across international boundaries and - WE need to have fun while contributing to the social good of education. - What else do WE need to do? Is the answer so obvious or as intangible as the wind? Let's continue making OER futures happen for the world -- the wiki way. Cheers Wayne -- Wayne Mackintosh, Ph.D. Director, International Centre for Open Education, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. Board of Directors, OER Foundation. Founder and Community Council Member, Wikieducator, www.wikieducator.org Mobile +64 21 2436 380 Skype: WGMNZ1 Twitter: OERFoundation, Mackiwg --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WikiEducator" group. To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator To post to this group, send email to wikieducator@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to wikieducator-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
