ONL181 PBL 1 Topic 2 – Open Learning – Sharing And Openness Reflections

Whilst completing a 65km cycle race I thought quite hard about this particular topic. I feel there some important things to consider. Most of these were included in my Google Plus Post to my IIE/Varsity College Colleague George Momogos. On his Blog, he mentions a continuum applying to digital literacy. This resonates with me coming to grips with my Autism. Nevertheless, a continuum allows a kind of fluidity of movement as ones digital literacy fluctuates (i.e. one can sometimes feel like a master, while at other times, somewhat overwhelmed). Alastair Creelman makes it practical in referring to driving a car. Mastery and navigation of this continuum do possibly require a framework for releasing one’s knowledge to teach others. Indeed Shea (1994) advocates sharing expert knowledge as a positive netiquette attribute.

A completely open source learning model is perhaps not possible for financial and in some cases proprietary reasons. Thus perhaps a partially open source approach is better. This could include:

1. Establishing a need – using a survey tool, 
2. Sourcing and creating material – and establishing what needs to be proprietary
3. Deciding on a platform – a freely available Blog tool or website, or Joomla, Moodle or BlackBoard but with the end goal of moving to a more permanent and possibly paid for platform like a commercially implemented version of WordPress, Shopify, BlackBoard, Moodle, SharePoint etc. [This will need to be part of the cost model].
4. Use Mendeley or Zotero or similar to manage references and to interface between the Internet, Microsoft Word/LibreOffice Writer and your Blog/platform.
5. Use Creative Commons as a simple attribution copyrighting and sharing tool or draw up ones own data licence agreements – this would be important for proprietary data dissemination.
6. Manage small-scale payments of commercial material needing to be sold using PayPal or Bitcoin with prospective clients/learners contacting one by email/WhatsApp etc. [This will need to be part of the cost model]
7. For larger amounts of learners, it may be better to use an MOOC platform or the platform of an established learning institution like a University or UDemy Datacamp, DataQuest, Khan Academy or similar [This will need to be part of the cost model]

There is always a cost to improve a learners knowledge – the assessments take time to design and grade. At its most basic analysis, this cost is the teacher’s/facilitators if the institution does not remunerate the teacher’s/facilitators and is the institution’s cost if they pay the teacher’s/facilitators.