By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Transition Network Open Space
How are open spaces conferences conducted. The conference is conducted without an agenda and a set of speakers - but it is not without structure. Rather, the structure develops as the conference progresses. People who want to convene topics put their suggestions up, people who are interested gather, discussions are held, notes are taken, and whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Openness in Higher Education: Open Source, Open Standards, Open Access
The authors describe a support model for the use of (open) standards in higher education. They describe a three-layered model of support comprised of the contextual, policy, layers. The support model is based on contextual support, "which recognizes the diversity and complexities of the technical, development and funding environments," and user engagement. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Advancing Sustainability of Open Educational Resources
From the InSite conference, as summarized by Alja Sulcic. "This paper discusses the concept of Open Educational Resources (OERs). The discussion then shifts to OER sustainability, a fundamental element essential for the success of OER. Special attention is given to the following as they relate to the OER sustainability: instructional design and presentation; cost of production and maintenance; support; and OER communities of practice as relate to scalability". More...
By Lindsay McKenzie. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has published its final recommendations on how to increase the open sharing of MIT publications, data, software and educational materials. More...
By Lilah Burke. As California's community colleges implement degree pathways with no textbook costs, what -- if anything -- can be gleaned from their data. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Open Source Publishing
A wiki has been launched on the concept of open source publishing. "Open source publishing refers to the openness of the authoring and reviewing process while open access refers to the openness to the reader". More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. OpenLearn Unit Link Map
I think that when the mind-maps are relatively simple, and show some structure, as in the case of the wiki mindmap at the top of the page, thy can be an intuitive aid to understanding. Clutter them up, producing nothing more than long lists of things, as in the T180 diagram lower down in the page, and you produce no more understanding than you would have with a text-based bullet list. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Need to Characterize Open Content Projects
John Concilus has managed to capture in words a general unease I was unable - or too delicate - to state myself: "I think that right at this very moment there are many, many smart people trying to find ways to make money from the public funds channeled through grants to non-profits, NGO and other non-commercial organizations. Open Content projects are perfect candidates." This leads, he says, to a need for a discussion of just what constitutes Open Content. because on the one side there are 'open content' projects that are very closed from the perspective of potential contributors - some of the ManyOne Networks projects (the 'expert' alternatives to Wikipedia) allow participation by invitation only. While others - he cites Rice's Connexions - allow anybody to create content, and allow the marketplace. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Open Learning 2019
Geoff Cain, Brainstorm in Progress, 2019/03/13
Geoff Cain notes, "From Open Learning Hub: “Open Learning ’19, a cMOOC about open learning now in its third iteration will begin on March 17th and run for three weeks. Week 1 will be preceded by a “pre-cMOOC” week for anyone who is new to connected learning.” Worth a look. More...
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