Creating content collaboratively is a crucial part of innovative learning. It offers significant opportunities for bringing together experts from various backgrounds in different geographical locations to exchange and create knowledge which can then be passed on to others. But what are the best ways to ensure that open content production works in practice? The Finnish national project “AVO” (Open Networks for Learning) asked a group of peers from educational institutions, businesses and public libraries to develop a guide on how to create Wikis (collaborative websites) for teaching and content production. Additionally, a face-to-face study circle plus an online Wikiversity course on how to compose open educational resources were offered. One of the lessons learned was that the creation process can produce high-quality results - but it requires strong coordination. At OEB, Project Manager Tiina Front-Tammivirta will give an insight into the challenges of open peer production – and how to meet them.
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British academic Russell Stannard, an expert on ICT and language teaching, has produced an extensive range of online videos that demonstrate how to apply technology in teaching. He began by making screen casts with Camtasia of himself using a variety of the most common Web 2.0 tools. These videos became so popular that he launched them on his domain www.teachertrainingvideos.com. Stannard’s videos have proved to be not only very popular with teachers, but have also had an impact on the number of students applying for his courses.
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Open Educational Resources: Threat or Opportunity for Publishers?
Educational publishers need to invest more in the development of online content if they want to compete with open educational resources in the long run, says Artur Dyro from Young Digital Planet, a leading European e-learning publisher. Dyro will join the panel in the Friday morning plenary on December 5th, discussing approaches as to how OER and commercial publishers can coexist.
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Expert Session: Publishing Meets E-Learning
Learning content is increasingly available on the Internet without any cost. The presence of open educational resources may help promote goals like lifelong learning and access for all, but at the same time new problems arise. What about the quality of free online courses? How can learning content be delivered systematically and sustainably? And which role does the publishing industry play in the future of e-learning? At OEB 2008, an expert session chaired by Dr Richard Straub, Secretary General at the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG), will shed light on these emerging issues.
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Open Education Resources: Unstoppable or Unsustainable?
After several years of experimenting with various types of Open Education Resources (OER), is there a formula for success towards making sure that an OER service has a sustainable future? This is a key question raised at Online Educa Berlin this year. A particular plenary session on Open Education Resources assembles a group of expert practitioners to discuss the potential of OER in more detail. Among them are representatives from universities, the corporate sector, OECD, the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, CERI, France; as well as the UK’s the Joint Information Systems Committee JISC.
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Controversial: Why it is so Quiet in Many Content Repositories?
A content repository needs to integrate with users’ daily work. Immediate benefits must be obvious to trigger and further drive application and content sharing within the respective user community. There are many challenges. At OEB, Dr Koos Winnips from Glasgow Caledonian University and Dr Stanley J. Portier, Stoas Learning, the Netherlands, will be discussing these issues in their session “Content and Not Sharing It: Why Is It so Quiet in So Many Repositories?” The researchers have developed several content repositories themselves, each of them customised differently, so they know about the demands and pitfalls such projects entail.
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Implementing Moodle for 120,000 Employees
The oil and gas industry is a knowledge-intensive business. As one of the biggest players in the field, Royal Dutch Shell has traditionally set a strong emphasis on knowledge management and community collaboration to improve its operations. Since 1997, Shell has been utilising a variety of electronic tools to build a global network, triggering multidisciplinary discussions among employees. To promote the firm’s constructivist philosophy, Shell is currently introducing the virtual learning environment (VLE) Moodle for 120,000 Employees. Implementation lead Dr Sebastian Graeb-Konneker will speak at OEB 2008 in great detail about the large-scale project and his blended-learning approach.
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Open Educational Resources on the Rise
Access to the educational system needs to be made easier and more attractive, if participation in higher education throughout Europe should rise considerably, claims Ben Janssen, Secretary to the Dutch National Initiative “Long Live Learning!” At Online Educa Berlin 2007, Ben will discuss “The Role of Technology in Supporting Cradle-to-Grave Learning” in his keynote speech.
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Future Learning
In Scandinavia, the e-learning provider Fronter has a unique stronghold in the educational sector, with market shares far above 50% in all countries. Fronter is also expanding into other European countries such as Ireland, the UK, and Germany. In 2004, the company provided the UK’s Crossways Academy with an open source, web-based Virtual Learning Environment that comprises a pool of online content for students and teachers containing schemes of work, homework assignments, lesson plans, and resources divided into different subject areas. With 295 desktops, 120 laptops, an integrated network for voice and data, and wireless coverage throughout the campus, the school is almost completely ICT driven. Students enter the college using contactless smartcards and use biometric fingerprint identification to access their library accounts. Even the windows are "intelligent", opening and closing automatically depending on the temperature in the room or whether it is raining. OEB News Service has asked Roger Larsen, CEO of Fronter if this could be the school of the future …
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Introducing Telearn – Kaleidoscope’s approach towards an Open Archive for technology-enhanced learning
In the field of technology-enhanced learning, Open Archives haven’t yet played an important role. Some efforts have been made to build up resources of scientific work about learning with technology, but there has been no unified movement towards a comprehensive open archive as can be found in other research fields. Kaleidoscope, the European network for research in technology-enhanced learning, has been undertaking great efforts to change this situation. With the establishment of the Telearn Open Archive, the network offers researchers in TEL the opportunity to enjoy all the advantages open archives have to offer. Dr. Nicolas Balacheff, Chief Scientist of Kaleidoscope, explains the motivations behind Telearn and highlights its benefits and possible impact on research in technology-enhanced learning.
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Open University Launched OpenLearn
On October 25, the UK’s specialist in open and distance learning, the Open University, launched its major new open-content initiative OpenLearn. Available to learners and educators throughout the UK and worldwide, the project will be of particular significance in The Open University’s efforts to widen access to hard-to-reach groups and tackle educational disadvantage both within the developed and developing worlds. Professor Andrew Lane, Director of OpenLearn will present the project at Online Educa Berlin. Beate Kleessen from OEB News asks him about it in advance.
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