Collaboration, Higher Education, K-12, Open Education

Get Creative (Commons)

cclogolarge

is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright.

[They] provide free licenses and other legal tools to mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof.

Creative Commons (CC) is quite relevant for all faculty & instructors who put together online course materials for students. It allows for content, such as images, videos, writing and music, to be shared freely and some access rights to the intellectual property. As classrooms expand and more material is shared openly, it is important for educators to be aware of how to use Creative Commons, and the implications for teaching & learning. Here are a few videos that best explain CC.

If you look at the Content Directories of CC is utilized by many companies, and even educational institutions. Some faculty started to challenge the traditional methods of research collection and how intellectual property is shared with others. One faculty shares how to encourage this open education movement in a publication called –  Open Doors and Open Minds.

The recent development and contribution from Creative Commons is the DiscoverEd search engine,  which provides accessible searches for open educational resources. This allows educators to access and share teaching and learning materials in an effective, easy way.

The question is… Wanna Work Together?

Higher Education, Open Education

Where Is the Open Education Movement Going?

This question was posed as the central topic of today’s EDUCAUSE web seminar (May 19, 2009) – Where Is the Open Education Movement Going? hosted by Brian Lamb & David Wiley.

Much of the session focused around:

  • Open Educational Resources
  • Open Content
  • Open Access
  • Openness

For those of you who missed the presentation, you are able to access the Educause web seminar archive for the slides or recording of the online event.  This session was also a good prelude for the Open Education Conference which will be held in Vancouver, BC  August 12-14, 2009.

lowres_chasmposter

Great comments from the online chat in the session today. Here are a few messages that resonated with me:

  • Can’t we set up private areas as well as shareable areas in our online learning environments? Both can be useful.
  • Many faculty are online and don’t realize the extent possibly
  • Old School Traditional Professors Unite–you have nothing to lose but your chains. 🙂
  • A lot depends on the way the activities are integrated, and whether the teacher walks the walk him- or herself.

More converstations to follow on Twitter – #opened09

Micro-Blogs, Social Media

What the Tweet?

There’s a whole lot of buzz in the news, on the political scene and elsewhere about micro-blogging with Twitter.  As an educator, you decided to join to see what the tweet it was all about.

The good news is that educators CAN use this social media tool to connect with resources & individuals in their profession.  Be sure to check out The Top 100 Edu Tweeters who share great resources, information & news about education.

Here are a few that I have been following on Twitter [and I am sure that a few more will be added shortly]:

  • @OpenUniversity: The Open University offers university education to everyone, and shares tips, news, and developments through this Twitter stream.
  • @utpress: This Tweeter offers news from Canada’s oldest and largest scholarly publisher.
  • @Librarian: This tweeter works to “reach the parts other libraries have yet to reach.”
  • @edventures: John Martin is a technology architect for higher education.
  • @eduguru: Follow edguru to learn about Internet marketing and web development for higher education.
  • @higheredu: Higher Edu works to get colleges and universities on Twitter.
Higher Education

A National Technology Plan?

National Education Technology Plan: Action Steps

To help states and districts prepare today’s students for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow, a set of seven action steps and accompanying recommendations have been developed.

  1. Strengthen Leadership
  2. Consider Innovative Budgeting
  3. Improve Teacher Training
  4. Support E-Learning and Virtual Schools
  5. Encourage Broadband Access
  6. Move Toward Digital Content
  7. Integrate Data Systems

This national plan was initiated in 2004 to increase the involvement of technology in K-12 education.  I hope that this tech plan will also be part of the educational reform focus for the new administration.  The changes to K-12 technology use can and will impact students who attend college & university.

There may not be a mandate for higher education to have a specific, uniform technology plan, however there are a few trends to follow from the last few Horizon Reports  c/o Educause.  Many institutions have seen great value incorporating technology into their strategic plans and recognizing the need for this support and growth.

Are you aware of what YOUR institution is planning for technology development & support for learning?  Find out.

Learning Technologies

Technology Assists Learning.

Technology is often created to make things more efficient and our lives easier.  I also think that there has been excellent developments in the field of technology to support our various learning needs. 

New technology, such as the Kindle II e-reader, are supporting learners who have disabilities and also offer text-to-speech support.  I think I first viewed this gadget as a new reading toy, but this little device has such a greater purpose for supporting learners.

  Other technologies that are assisting the classroom include:

  • SMART Boards: interactive white boards engage learners
  • Free video lectures: streamed on the internet or downloadable
  • Class portal: lecture notes, slides & other course material; discussion board and option for virtual office hours

Students are using technologies that are often free, social and portable:

  • Accessible mobiles & PDAs
  • Laptops
  • Digital cameras (with CapturaTalk)
  • Screen shot readers
  • iPods or mp3 players to view recorded lectures

What are other new technologies that YOU have seen students utilizing at your institution to help them learn?

 

For other contributions about assistive technology tools used in education here are just a few links to check out: