Topic 2: Open learning - Sharing and openness

I think open education can contribute to a more collective learning approach in all kind of higher education. Maybe we can go so far as knowing where to find good OER examples for my own teaching is a key factor for a good teacher in the near future? Maybe THE key factor in the further future? This is the way to keep up with the rest of the world...

This kind of education, MOOCs or semi-MOOCs for example, can help us se an example of a different teaching environment. By making, teaching, taking and collaborate through MOOCs we create a common understanding, and we are building upon each other thoughts and teaching practices. I think this is the only way to go; To build the future education together. Weller & Andersson (2013) lifts both challenges and opportunities. I think the phenomenon is likely to change and develop, but persist in some form and then expand.

I think the teacher roll is changing, no matter the platform or if it´s a MOOC of not. We will be more of a collaborative guide. Students are, and will be, creators of their knowledge.

You could compare the MOOCs with web development so far: At first, about 1996, there were only postings from companies, institutions and so on. They had clean “information sites” with only basic information. With the entrance of web 2.0 and now with the social media explosion, everyone is collaborating on the web. It’s no longer a one-way channel. We make up the web together. I think this will be the way for education also. We will create it more and more collaborative.

I teach about CC and I think it is a key factor as well. If you don´t know the boundaries for sharing and reusing; then you shouldn't do it at all. Sadly. So this should be taught every teacher and every student. 

To think about what openness is (Oddone & Creelman, 2017) for me is a new starting point. How open am I really? I try to share my work, but mostly within my own organisation. Why? Do I feel pressure not to be "good enough"? Is time an issue? Does it take time, or/and do I save time?

Open access gives people accessibility, i.e. similar possibilities, but never equal. There are other factors restricting us. Sharing and interoperability is a key point for creating knowledge together. I think that we together can create a bigger sum than the sum of the parts, just lite the candle metaphone. The teacher sharing with the students is a good starting point I think, because it gives teachers something to connect to, then we can build from there. I think the culture of openness is the big challenge. Leaders and specialists should lead the way, together with the teachers.

Today we often have "closed classrooms" and "closed practices". There are reasons not to share. But as we are given public money, I think this should be the default setting for us. We should investigate every reason not to share, and see if it is relevant. I see great possibilities if teachers i higher education, and researchers, can really build on each others knowledge and practice. MOOCs, for example, should be a part of this. Maybe all our education should be MOOCs, but not all examination? Why not?... 

By letting people in in you process, you create transparency. That was also why I, as a new teacher, right away started to blog on my experiences as a teacher. Transparency can create more credibility. 

Wiley, 2010, says it's being generous. Education IS sharing. Successful educator share the most. Sharing makes your expertise bigger? Not smaller anyway. Open access = we don't have to compete for it. Internet gives you free access. Can we open up our LMS's? Our CMS's? Is copyrighted material an outdated form of thinking? How do we create environments for sharing? Platforms?

Maybe we have to look deeper into the risks with openness, to fully understand why we sometimes choose NOT to be open? As the webinar with Kay Oddone lifted the issue of sensitive issues, trolls and risks of being outdated, I think this is key questions to discuss. Also this question of being a confident student online was discussed, and I think we will start some form of groups or cafes for this kind of discussions at our university.

I think MOOCs and other assets also will work complementing to HE. Maybe checking/studying the prerequisites for the given education...