Abstract: Meeting the networking needs of the Pan-African eLearning and distance education sector, the annual eLearning Africa conference is the key networking venue for practitioners and professionals from Africa and all over the world.
Subject:
Mathematics and Statistics, Science and Technology
Abstract: This week I ventured to explore a number of OER projects and conduct a preliminary assessment of the reusability and remixability of the OER hosted in each. Based on earlier (albeit shallow) familiarity with some of these OER initiatives I am able to presume that the structure and technology of a selected sample OER from each is generally representative of all or most OER in the given project.
I undertook this task as Rogue Quest 1 for David Wiley’s Intro to Open Ed course. The Rogue character class that I’ve adopted focuses on content production with an emphasis on finding and releasing or untrapping "open" content to allow for reuse and remix. I have only theoretical experience with remixing OER, and so it is fitting that I begin at experience level 1.
Reuse/Remix Estimates
As I purview each of seven different OER projects I will give each collection a reuse/remix value rating based on my initial impressions and observations. These estimates may change as I move forward to release, reuse, or remix some of these OER.
My reuse/remix rating is a scale of 1 - 5, where "1" is extremely difficult or low value, and "5" is extremely easy or high value, referring to the act of taking CC content and reusing or remixing it on a separate server.
Abstract: A C-Net news article on an open content initiative by the South Korean government in order to bring a homegrown open-source platform to 10,000 schools in the country.
Abstract: The Maldives is part of a network of 30 countries developing a Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC), said State Minister for Education Dr Ahmed Ali Manik.
The countries have been developing this project since 2000 with Manik estimating the courses will be available online, free of charge, within the next couple of years.
"Through open educational resources, we will be able to access courses in other small states. It’s a network for higher education," said Manik, who participated in a five-day conference for Commonwealth Education Ministers earlier this month.
He added it was important "especially for small states, [where there are] not too many higher universities."
The Maldives has no university institution and many students are unable to study abroad because of financial obstacles.
Abstract: Open Education 2006: Community, Culture, and Content is a multidisciplinary event designed to promote the discussion of the variety of research, development, and other activities necessary to move the field of open education forward.
Abstract: Open Education 2007 will focus specifically on localizing open educational resources and learning from open educational resources. If our open education efforts aren't supporting learning, we're failing as a field. Period. And as we are beginning to understand how to produce and license content, we have to turn some of our attention to how this content is used by learners and teachers. How do they change, adapt, and localize it for their specific needs or the needs of their specific students? Do open educational resources support learning in ways different from non-open resources? In what concrete ways do open educational resources support learning?
Abstract: The purpose of open educational resources (OER) is to provide centralized access to materials and support the conditions under which new OER can be created globally and across disciplines. This article highlights the challenges to realizing these possibilities, discusses models that are emerging to address them, and calls for future research into OER use and reuse as a necessary next step in sustaining OER.
Abstract: UNESCO’s international Community on Open Educational Resources has been active since 2005. It connects over 700 individuals in 105 countries to share information and discuss issues surrounding the production and use of Open Educational Resources.
To join the community, send a message to Catriona Savage at c.savage@unesco.org.
UNESCO’s work on Open Educational Resources is generously supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.