The Future of OER...Where is it Heading?

In this final post, as a part of my involvement in the course 'Open Educational Resources' I am asked to comment on what are the contributing factors of a sustainable 'open initiative'. Additionally, with the recent hype of iBooks 2 being launched I will share my thoughts on the sustainability of this new resource (to be sold at 14.99 or less). 

An article in the Huffington Post has Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller speaking of the positive reaction children have to iPads in the classroom. It is apparent in my mind that students will be able to "explore" the textbooks in ways that the traditional paper-based textbooks does not allow. Some of the iBooks 2 features are embedded videos, interactive 3D images and models, and a built in dictionary function. 

If an educator truly desired to engage the learner why would he or she willing choose to not implement these latest trends? Perhaps the issue can be viewed from two perspectives (although I am sure it can be viewed in more ways). 

First, organization (schools, businesses etc.) do not allow for or promote the interactive learning benefits from using these (shall we call them modern?) online resources. Another angle could be that Apple from this endeavor could (and in my opinion will do so within the next three to five years) monopolize textbooks within the coming years and in doing so coerce (force?) users to purchase iPads, in order to stick with the times. 

Individuals may not enjoy this prospect, especially those who are interested in promoting openness in learning (but still content producers have to make a living). As a student I would prefer using iBooks 2, and paying less than $15, than I would shelling out the sometimes exorbitant amount required. Of course, this course is a great model to follow as the textbook is an OER and use of it is completely free of cost. 

Why doesn't all universities, schools and businesses simply adopt the use of OER in the classroom? Perhaps the underlying issue is that members of the community are not convinced with the level of quality that OER provides (or perhaps this quality cannot be consistently ensured). As outlined in the course handbook: "quality is the primary concern for most people learning about open education and open educational resources."

This is one of the contributing factors to the sustainability of the OER. movement Affordability  is another factor as content creators must be funded (also known as being able to pay the bills).  The international OER community is to give further attention to the following topics in the coming years: student assessment, quality of materials, affordability, global perspective, accessibility and access, and appropriateness / adaptation. This will undoubtedly improve society's opinion towards and solve some of the notable concerns with OER use. 

The elephant(s) in the rooms will be taken note of and then we will all move happily into the future of open resources and OpenCourseWare.

Thoughts on Open Data, Research, Books, Journals, and Government

Open Data, Research, Books, Journals, and Government, is this a dream or a reality, for the learning institute I work for? What are my thoughts on these topics? First off, as most of these terms were new to me I have briefly highlighted my findings of what each of these are. In the end I conclude by sharing how this will (or can) affect the organization I work for, and what the implications are (if any). 


Open Data, defined by the Open Knowledge Foundation as: “A piece of content or data is open if anyone is free to use, reuse, and redistribute it — subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and sharealike.” The readings this week provided an excellent resource to learn about the World Bank Open Data Initiative. 

Open Research which promotes collaboration rather than just the sharing of data, is already active within many online communities. My experience with Drupal, allowed me to observe the vibrant online discussion and the sharing of research (code) which enabled developers to further their own efforts by gaining valuable advice from global experts (free of cost).  

Open Books, a rich resource! My initial exploration of this led me to find a variety of quality books from authors (most of whom I noted were university professors). A portion of the tag line: "top quality books by expert authors"! From learning about sales to how to conduct a successful job search this is a resource worth noting and exploring with fellow learners. 

Open Journals, in particular the Directory of Open Access Journals, is a collection of just that, Open Access Journals and Articles. While this offers a wide variety of resources, perhaps if one knew the name of the author he or she would have a better chance of finding the specific quality resource he or she was looking for. When you have over 781,850 articles to choose from, what would be the most effective way to find the one you needed?


Open Government - what I understand this to be is a drive towards greater transparency and sharing of information from the government to its citizens and other government as well. As the article 'Citizens Love Transparency' highlights, there are notable benefits to this endeavor.


I equate the opportunity for (quick and easy) open data, access, books, journals and government is largely thanks to technology and the internet. Working for an organization that  is not involved in any e-learning initiatives (and I currently do not see these elements within the workplace), I am curious as to how and when these ideals could or would take hold. 


As the workplace has recently quadrupled in size, perhaps managing organizational change has taken the precedence. Still, the organization is looking to solidify and brand their curriculum. Perhaps once this is done it would be shared as an OER (much like other universities or training institutes have done). 


No doubt there are many implications to this, especially as the stakeholders might share varying views. However, I am certain that these changes (if they occur) will take time to be seen. 

Publishing Open Educational Resources

In this ongoing series of posts, part of my involvement in the course Open Educational Resources from the University of Manitoba, I am asked to comment on the following:

"An interesting perspective to accessibility is the US's America with disability Act Section 508. Is there as similar act in Canada? Do we need a similar act or are existing laws sufficient to address the disabled? What would these laws be? How does this apply to your own context?"

What I will first take into account is the discussions provided as a part of this week's content. In the section Share, the first step towards the publishing of content is the decision to use Self- or Third-Party Publishing. There are of course pros and cons offered with regards to these two options. 

Third-Party Publishing is often quick, easy and free to use. However, when you place content on their website you lose control and have to adapt to the terms of use that the hosting website already has in place. Lost content (abruptly) and advertisements on your site may be some of the risks you will take when going this route. 

Self-Publishing allows you to be completely in control of all aspects of OER deployment (and responsible). You will need to pay for the site to be hosted and you are also afforded the additional duty of having to update and maintain the site. 

I imagine you would not, easily, be able to allow others to Revise and Remix content within the site. One could allow for this rather easily if he or she published using Third-Party Publishing (for example: http://www.wikispaces.com). 

The advice is given that ones technical skills and abilities would often determine the route he or she went. It is often easier for someone who does not possess certain technical skills to travel the Third-Party Publishing route. In a previous post I wrote of the mental block experienced when trying to use FileZilla (a tool used for Self-Publishing). As such, using Third-Party Publishing would be the quicker (more efficient) route for me at this time. 

My reaction after spending time reviewing some of the tools available to promote accessibility via Section 508 (see: tools and resources). My initial skim through some of these tools reveals that they will require a higher technical ability from the user. Higher than what is required for someone to publish via the Third-Party Publishing route (although some Third-Party Publishing tools have these tools built in). 

The Section 508 Standards are useful and a certain level of standardization is of course important to allow everyone equal access to online learning resources and content. Perhaps it comes down to education. Are we informed or possessing enough technical skills to ensure that these standards are met? My initial thought is that we are not and most may not even be aware these standards exist. 

Apparently there are no laws in Canada that would force a content creator to comply to any standards when making his or her content accessible (taken from www.cippic.ca). A shift of mindset is required in order to ensure that content is truly accessible to all. This could start with educating users to meet the W3C guidelines, and other suggestions are welcomed. 

Copyright...

As I type the title of this week's blog I almost can almost hear the sound of looming musical notes playing in the background.

Copyright...a word which has so much meaning, brings about controversy and seems to be understood and viewed by in vast differences by people and cultures. 

This week, after immersing myself in the various assigned readings, and as my participation in the course 'Open Educational Resources' offered by the University of Manitoba, I am asked share my thoughts on Copyright. 

Particularly, to comment on whether "the preponderance of different types of licenses making it easier to reuse resources, or is it adding another layer of complexity which in effect works to place a barrier on using OER?"

It seems to me that once one delves deeply into this topic it becomes apparent that there is no easy answer or solution to any poised concerns. We have the challenges brought on by individuals in society offering differing perspectives and then this is compounded once copyright is viewed from the perspective of various cultures (as described by Marco Fioretti in the article 'The Tragedy of Commons'). 

Perhaps, and as we might already know, what works in the western culture does not always relate or resonate with eastern ones. 

In the section License from this week's assigned readings the following is stated: "The legal aspects of an OER project can be daunting..." Indeed, and well put! The words local expert, legal department and consultation follow in this paragraph. 

As a noob to the world of OER do I think that copyright is too complex? Definitely! I was amazed to learn that material published in Wikipedia would not compatible with material published in WikiEducator (thereby not allowing its resources to be combined). Ummm...great thinking?

I found it informational to read David Wiley's account of how the “Libre License League” deleted material posted by students on Wikibooks because of incompatible license violation. It seems that LLL has a inextinguishable drive to promote their views that the GNU license is superior to that of the Creative Commons licenses. Here I learnt also that GNU licenses are mainly geared towards software whereas the Creative Commons licenses are aimed at websites, articles, and educational material. 

An ideas is poised this week. What if, and to simplify the situation, only two categories: were available for copyright: copyrighted work (which has to be cleared) and public domain (which which is free to use). 

The initial flaw in this is that seems to be overly simplified does not allow for the complexities that varying opinions will bring to this issue. In using the Creative Commons licenses one can still choose from various options in how he or she will license his or her work. In addition to the baseline features authors can choose from various options allowing themselves to exercise greater individuality in how they distribute their own work. This is described by Brian Fitzgerald in the article: Open Content Licensing (OCL) for Open Educational Resources. 

There is no doubt more to be said, however, (and as much as my understanding of this topic will allow me to state),  the issue of copyright is best addressed by licenses which allow for flexibility and options for the publisher. At the same time this is limiting for some. Steps can be made towards a more welcoming environment (for new OER members) once the existing licenses merge (for example: GNU and Creative Commons).

Integrating Open Educational Resources

Being asked this week to comment on the eight steps to OER integrating OER in teaching and learning and how they relate to the context of the OER I have begun to develop. The eight steps are as follows (and you will find my comments below each step):

1. Assess the validity and reliability of the OER.

The topic of the OER is Career Development. When viewing other OER I do look to confirm the reliability of it. Initially, while I am the sole developer I must make this judgment alone. Once other peers start reviewing and participating they too will be a part of validating resources. When viewing an OER from a repository that offers comments and ratings this can help in making the decision of whether or not I will incorporate the resource. 

The integrity of information given to a job seekers is paramount. Often there is high levels of stress and a job seeker may jump at anything if it offers him or her a "lifeline". Even if the information is inaccurate or misleading.

2. Determine placement within the curriculum, if not already done.

While I possess the initial idea or outline for the OER this is likely to morph as soon as I can encourage other participants to collaborate in its ongoing development. When developing the OER I am not looking at incorporating it into an existing curriculum, let us say within a class room  or online course setting. Rather, initially this will provide a resource for other self-directed learners and I am trying only to match resources to my own idea of how the OER could guide a learner through the Career Development process.

3. Check for license compatibility. (See License Incompatibility in Licensing for more details).

I have much to learn about the licensing process. A notable quote from the  assigned reading, apparently there is a: "requirement that derivative works are released under exactly the same license as the source materials." Something I will undoubtedly do my best to keep in mind.

4. Eliminate extraneous content within the OER (assuming the license permits derivatives).

The OER I am developing is going to be more of a referatory than anything else. So I do not imagine I will need to go through this step. It is of course prudent to do this if you were merging content from another OER.

5. Identify areas of localization.

Most of this OER will be geared to the newcomer to Manitoba. Some of the resources may be used for learners with similar needs (Ex. those who were born in the province or those who have already lived here for some years). Others may adapt this OER to suit their purposes. For example they could simply retain the outline, and replace the links with that of local resources.

6. Remix with other educational materials, if applicable.

I assume that "remixing" could be interpreted in different ways. In the OER I intend to mix in other resources for the benefit of the viewer. Keeping in mind accessibility and quality I will also hope that mixed in resources still allow for uniformity of the OER.

7. Determine the logistics of using the OER within the lesson.

  

The OER will be accessible online. For my targeted learner this is a possibility. Even if someone new to the country does not own his or her own computer the local libraries provide this service for free (although for a limited time) as do most agencies that assist job seekers. With the initial development of the OER less thought will be given to making it accessible on mobiles but that is a topic for consideration as I observe that over 60% of this target group own smart phones.

8. Devise a method of evaluation or whether the currently planned evaluation needs adjustment.

My initial thoughts are that a poll or discussion board should be available for readers to give feedback on the use and relevance of the OER. This week the reading highlights the importance of getting the learner involved. Through participants (the viewer) getting involved in the content development, the OER will progress and this is my preferred method of feedback - learners adapting the resource to suit his or her own needs.

Localization and Internationalization of Open Educational Resources (OER)

A definition of Localization is: “adapting an OER for a specific locale including translation, modifying the formats of dates and currencies, and recontextualizing the OER to be more meaningful for the learners in the local context.” Internationalization is concerned with: “preparing OER for adaptation by others in multiple locales (taken from  Adapt).” 

I would like to remove the word OER from these definitions and substitute it (adapt) it for the words learning materials. 

After reading through this week’s section I am reminded of a project where I localized a series of books for school children in India. Specifically children living in rural vilages. Since the series of books was actually developed for children in Africa I localized the books by changing the characters’ clothing to that of the traditional village Indian garb (the Saree and Lungi).  

Additionally, I placed bindis on the children’s foreheads and changed the hairstyles and composition to more closely suit that of children from India. The project manager definitely had a firm understanding of the importance of localization and made certain that the wording (characters’ names, stories and examples) were adjusted as well. 

The team that initially created these books did not think much about the “Internationalization” of the series, most of the photos had to be redrawn (I believe the tool I used at that time was Xara). 

As I finish this walk down memory lane I look to see how I can incorporate “Localization” and “Internationalization” into my soon to be developed OER. 

I have determined that the OER (I will not call it “mine” as that would defeat the purpose of OERs) will cover the career development process. The hope is that this will become a benefit to job seekers and other career development practitioners. 

I imagine that the career development process is viewed differently in each country, region and culture and, no doubt, there would be elements of the OER that would benefit from localization (if someone chose to usee it in another country or provine). 

However, there are also elements of the content that would be universal, for example: steps to successful goal setting. My assumption is that portions of what will be developed will be suitable for use globally. Other portions would provide Manitoba specific information and would need to be localized. 

In order to allow other users in various locales to adapt this work to their needs (Internationalization) I would not include flash object, I will make videos downloadable and ensure that the HTML code is accurate (to describe only a few examples). The "accessibility" of the OER is important as it can allow for others to reuse, recreate, and localize it. 

Initially, I will focus on the creation of the OER and not worry about translation, dubbing, or subtitling (facets of localization). Perhaps, if the OER garners enough interest then interested persons will attempt to localize this for their location (I would of course provide whatever assistance I could). 

This topic is crucial to think on and the advice given is that localization and internationalization must be taken into account at the beginning, before one starts developing the OER. 

Is Thinking Green Thinking OER? – Is the Future of Paper Textbooks in Danger?

As I began to prepare to blog this week I have no inclination to walk over to the public library or to take the long bus ride (or drive) to the Elizabeth Dafoe Library (apparently the largest of the libraries located at the University of Manitoba campus).  

To be honest my first thought was to search various online referatories, including the University of Manitoba Libraries, as I looked for something creative and response engendering to write briefly about (related to the topic of Open Educational Resources). My second thought was to email my instructor (who I know had done research on related topics) and request any recommendations for quality papers which might “shine a light” on what I intend to argue this week (The Networked Learner?).

My initial search led me to an article written by Luis Alfonso Arguello Guzman entitled: “University Students’ Digital Reading and Writing Migration.” In this section Guzman states that students’ minds are not connected to the print culture and are instead connected to “surfing, searching and browsing networks (206).”

Guzman continues to discuss that the readers of university text(s) will not become obsolete but that students reading practices are now: “decentered and replaced by the on-screen browsing of web pages (212).”

While I must conduct further research to support these ideas, I begin to wonder if this shift would prove to benefit to the environment or further endanger it.

This “shift” seems to foster a learning environment that would welcome the use of OERs in learning institutes. Let us say that the initiatives promoting Open Education Resources gain a larger following within the next five years. If online resources replaced textbooks would this save valuable natural resources and reduce carbon emissions?

A “first order effect” (direct effect) on the sustainability of our environment by Information and Communication Technologies is described in an article published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (authored by: David Souter, Don MacLean, Ben Okoh, and Heather Creech).

The effects of ICTs on the environment are described as both: “strong and negative (page 13).” The contribution by ICTs to greenhouse gas emissions will grow from what it presently is at, 2-3%, to 6% by 2020 (page 13).

While eliminating paper-based books and learning material, I assume simply put, would save some trees. However, the implications of switching to digital-based learning materials are noticeable, for example, the short life span of most ICT equipment (page 30).

Energy used by at home by a student taking an online course may surmount the amount of energy he or she might have used had they gone to a common area (such as a university or public library) and studied using paper-based learning material. The concept is explored on page 14 and is described in the article as a third order effect of ICTs on the environment.

The Gutenberg Project, in my opinion, is an initiative that can link digital natives to the print culture and in a way that is easily relatable. As I put in this final thought I am reminded of an acquaintance that informed me that she had just been to the library and carried 10 books home for work on her essay.

Perhaps the print culture will continue to thrive…but as for the effects on the environment I need to delve deeper.

Creating Content

This week I am asked to share my thoughts on the free online tools which I can use in the development of an 'Open Educational Resource'. This week's section provided a useful summary of  a wide variety of tools which can be used to develop and host content. 

To comment on tools that I have worked with in the past:

- Audacity: This I used to create an a short audio clip. The challenge was finding a quick and user friendly tool to upload it with. 

- GIMP: I actually only downloaded (and opened) this tool and never used it. In one of my previous roles, as a graphic designer, I always had access to the Adobe Suite and generally used Photoshop for photo editing and manipulation functions. Now without the same access I will be exploring this tool further. Photoshop Express looks like another tool I will explore as I create  an OER. 

- OpenOffice: Two years ago when buying a laptop (on somewhat of a tight budget) I opted out of my usual purchase of Microsoft Office and instead installed (free of cost) OpenOffice. To be honest I have only figured out how to use the word processor. My place of work uses the traditional Microsoft Office so I never cared to explore the open version further. A new tool I became aware of in this course is Scribus (apparently similar to InDesign).

- Drupal: Several years ago I managed a website using Drupal. I found this pretty easy to  use and quickly got the hang of putting up new articles, images and polls. Then I designed an offline website using Adobe Dreamweaver, this I found fun, but of course it would be harder to manage a dynamic website with this versus using the CMS options. 

- FireZilla: This is where I got stuck. I could use the Content Management Systems but could never figure out this part of uploading the information (this was quickly taken over by a colleague).  

There are other tools which I would enjoy using more and learning about in the near future. Moodle and Elgg, part of the learning support system family. 

In the organization I work for, the tools one can use when developing in-house training materials is subject to the creator. However, when it comes to developing online resources for our learners the process can be challenging to navigate. I foresee that most of the tools I will use, will be for personal projects and only in the future (perhaps) will I bring them into the workplace. Of course these can all be added into ones "toolbox". An ability to make use of these "free" applications makes creation fun, one is not limited, and more possibilities are created. 

It seems that when I work with  learners in the classroom the majority of the curriculum is predetermined (here we take into account the funders and stakeholders). However, as we promote continuous learning I can (and will) make student aware of the learning opportunities that OERs provide them. 

Another important factor I have learnt -  have a computer that can manage the use of these tools. 

After reading the article "Creating, Doing, and Sustaining OER: Lessons from Six Open Educational Resource Projects", I conclude that it is important to keep adult education principles (or just education principles) in mind when developing an OER. An example was given in one of the case studies. It stated that the OER was too "content heavy". Some of the text was substituted with role plays, visuals and other activities and then this had a better effect overall. 

Library Critique

Being asked this week to critique a library website brings me back to September 2010 when I enrolled in my first course in the CACE program. This was the first time I accessed the resources available at the University of Manitoba Libraries. Initially I found this website challenging to navigate but did find some useful resources which did help me complete what I set out to do.

Now, after over a year of not using any of its search functions I am asked to critique it and give my view on whether libraries are repositories or referactories, or both. This is done as a part of my involvement in the CIS:ETL program.

From the readings this week I understand repositories to be “an organized collection of instructional resources” an example of which is MERLOT. Recently, as I have begun exploring website and I have improved my understanding of the context of a repository.

Next, the same author defines a referactory as “Gateways and guidelines to instructional repositories”. An example is the Virtual Training Suite that provides free online tutorials to help you develop your Internet research skills.  

So are libraries repositories or referactories? Initially, the University of Manitoba Libraries seems to be a repository as I find review its search function. However after further exploration I would conclude that a library could be both repository and referactory.

The University of Manitoba Libraries offers tutorials and resources to help the users learn how to use the following:

1.     Specific databases

2.     Tools to keep track of citations

3.     Access Archives

Additionally, it provides links to help learners cite and write properly. Already I am beginning to see greater value to this website and of course how elements of its features match the previous definitions of what a repository and referactory is. However, "even the terms repository and referatory are used somewhat differently by different authors" so I am certain there will be varying views on this definition. Apparently, learners are: "facing a daunting problem". They need to learn the skills to navigate and locate information on the web and to this end some of the largest repositories are including "user guidelines" (referactory). 

(http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0405.pdf). 

Tony Hirst in his post on the http://blog.ouseful.info/ suggests that libraries incorporate links to teaching materials or OERs. He rationalizes that: “if you’re a lecturer looking to pull a new course together, or a student who’s struggling to make head or tail of the way one of your particular lecturers is approaching a particular topic, or a researcher who needs a crash course in a particular method or technique, maybe some lecture notes or course materials are exactly the sort of resource you need?”


So to second Tony's recommendation the University of Manitoba Libraries could incorporate the ability to search various OER. There is no doubt a wealth of information to be explored online. The find section in the OER Handbook for educators successfully opened my eyes (widely) to this. 


I will definitely continue to explore this and may soon become a believer of the benefits of Open Educational Resources. Perhaps you are or will also be one soon?

To Share or Not to Share?

If we are to encourage self-directed learning having open and unrestrained access to information and learning resources would go along way in empowering the learner to achieve his or her goal. This sharing and freedom of information would allow our society (and the individuals that make up this society) an opportunity to build upon work developed by great minds. I, as a learner enjoy access to the already limitless amounts of information available on the Internet.

As you read on you will find that I have begun to share my thoughts on the Budapest Open Access Initiative and The Cape Town Open Education Declaration.

In reflecting on the meaning of “open access” I conclude that I would be ethically at peace to sign these declarations, as they do not aggressively impose their ideas, they merely share a thought, a hope and a dream. Perhaps this is a vision to be respected.

Some key observations: included in the Budapest Open Access Initiative is the following statement: “The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.” This, in my opinion is the least of what should be afforded an author who has invested time and effort in the development of what could be his or her own personal masterpiece.

How should an author be compensated for his or her effort? The Budapest Open Access Initiative offers suggestions on other streams of funding and the development of “new cost recovery models and financing mechanisms.”

The “open access” initiative or movement still puzzles me though. The first part of this puzzle is that by it calling for free access to resources (of many varieties) I find it to seemingly impose on how writers, researchers or other related professions should market or distribute their work. This is in marginal disagreement of what I imagine the virtues of “open access” to be.

The Cape Town Open Education Declaration promotes the ability of learners to  “create, shape and evolve knowledge” but does not in anyway consider the fact that an author may desire to leave a legacy other than that of contributing to what could become a nameless network of information (learning resources).

How can this declaration appeal or cater to the individual(s) need (or desire) to be remembered? In my opinion, it does not, and as such posses a weaker argument, less likely to garner support, than the Budapest Open Access Initiative, spoken of in earlier paragraphs. 

I find this to be the differentiating factor between these two initiatives. The Cape Town Open Education Declaration does not cater to humankind’s personality. People have often been found to take credit for a novel idea and then share it, at a cost, with other members of our society. I am  also conditioned to believe that they would not take kindly to someone taking their idea and  then recreating or renaming it as their own. 

Perhaps new declarations will come that take into account what I find to be necessary components for consideration. The benefits of these initiatives are widely known and while I consider elements of these ideals to be flawed the “dream” undoubtedly lives on, gains momentum and garners increasing support.