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.
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.
