Hi Kirby, You make a good point about the potential abundance of access to digital content. However, in reality I think we are a long way off from a world where we have access to digital content PLUS the permissions to adapt, modify and redistribute without restriction. Herein lies the differentiating feature of OER -- namely a permission culture to remix content.
For example, we're in the early phases of establishing a national New Zealand OER collaboration for the school sector ( http://wikieducator.org/OERNZ). There is an abundance of material which can be accessed -- for example, the Learning Federation ( http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au/copyright.html) or the NZ Ministry of Education funded TKI project (http://www.tki.org.nz/e/tki/about/terms.php) --- In these examples there is no cost associated with viewing or making copies for educational purposes. However, the most important freedom for educators -- namely the right to adapt, modify and redistribute the content to better meet the needs of the learners we serve are restricted :-(. Good points with reference to the challenges and costs of internet access in a wide variety of situations. A more perplexing challenge relates to basic access to a school. For example, 76% of the children in sub-Saharan Africa of the age for the last three years of the secondary schooling system will not have the privilege of attending school or contact with a teacher. There is simply not enough money to build enough classrooms or train enough teachers to satisfy the needs of the youth who are eager to learn. How can OER help these children? This is why we need to think creatively about technologies that can generate printed text books for children who will not have the privilege of attending school. WE need to think of creative solutions where we can combine the best of informal learning with national accreditation systems -- in other word rethinking the traditional models of educational provision. This is a tough challenge -- but with concerted effort I think we can make a difference. I sense that OER is part of the solution. That said, you allude and provide valuable insights into solving these challenges in that we need to think about the eco-system and how OER fits into the bigger picture. Cheers Wayne 2009/11/15 kirby urner <kirby.ur...@gmail.com> > > My impression is there's a huge amount of free content if (a) you have > access to the Internet and (b) you have enough education to know how > to read and study the materials, find your peer groups, organize a > learning experience resulting in credentials and opportunities. > > Both (a) and (b) cannot be taken for granted. > > Even with the copyright problem removed completely, we still have few > safe environments for concerted study. Many schools and libraries > curtail access, as much out of necessity and a need to share scarce > bandwidth as out of a lust for censorship, although in the case of > schools, many do practice various kinds of filtering, some more > insidious than others. > > In many cultures, young people have the best access through Wifi > Cafes, either over the shoulder (under tutelage), renting time on a > shop machine, or lucky enough to have their own laptop. Some cafes > also rent time on larger screens where more meetings and collaboration > might occur. > > The second most frequent access site is from work, where performance > may be monitored, but where furthering one's education, including > through social networking sites, is increasingly seen as job-relevant > in some lines of work. Studying accounting in a slow moving hair > salon, waiting for customers, can't be all bad, especially if the > bandwidth is being paid for regardless, true of many service provider > contracts. > > In sum, whereas I see a need for more copylefted and license-free > materials, I think the more pointed shortages revolve not around > content, but around access and a shortage of study time except in > formal school settings, to which many are unable to afford access. > > The rise of co-working studios, sometimes in working partnerships with > the Wifi Cafes, is probably suggestive of how the younger generation > is self-organizing to overcome these insidious barriers to its future > productivity. > > Once on-line, contributing to Wikis is a great way to start > establishing a track record as a free content provider, building a > portfolio. People need to see what it is that you contribute. This > is what social networking is all about and the evidence suggests > intelligent use of these skills aids in finding collaborators and > staffing companies. Musicians tend to use Myspace. Management > consultants use LinkedIn, Plaxo and so on. More teachers are starting > to use Wikieducator. These are promising signs. > > Kirby > > > On Sat, Nov 14, 2009 at 10:47 AM, Minhaaj ur Rehman <minh...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > I am pretty sure when Bob Dylan said 'mountain', he didnt only refer > > to copyrighted material, he used it for all 'licensed' material be it > > creative commons or FSF licenses. Freedom is freedom, it doesn't come > > with CC-BY-SA. I would be interested to see how long that mountain > > stands. > > > > On 14 Nov, 00:38, Wayne Mackintosh <mackintosh.wa...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> 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 > > > > > > > > > -- Wayne Mackintosh, Ph.D. Director, International Centre for Open Education, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. 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