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This work is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Attachment On
OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (O.E.R.) at
COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING (COL)
Metrotown 1 Building, Suite 2500
Barnaby Vancouver, Canada.
Funded by F.H.E.C and C.O.L.
Source – Dr. V Balaji, Commonwealth of Learning, July 24th
2015
Report
By Matai Tagicaki
HOD PEMAC RatuSukuna Memorial School
July 19th to July 25th, 2015

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commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in
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TABLE OF CONTENT
1.0 Introduction – Page 4
2.0 Objectives – Page 6
3.0 Content – Page 7
4.0 Methodology – Page 12
5.0 Outcomes – Page 15
6.0 Recommendation – Page 18
7.0 Reference – Page 19
Appendix 1– Page 20
Appendix 2 – Page 22
Appendix 3 – Page 24

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1.0 Introduction
This report will attempt to reflect experiences during my attachment and how the opportunity
created during interaction and collaborations has influenced perception, created and expanded
network, developed thought processes and decision making, also motivated the publishing of 2
articles under PACFOLD. The Evolution of global education is evident through the continuous
influence of IT in education. OER is an outcome of the changes in educational approaches, and
it is further proof that the Pacific has now taken ownership of these introduced changes.
The search for and creation of, a knowledgeable society is an endless human endeavor. We
develop our societies by creating new knowledge through sharing and collaboration, an ancient
but traditional way of life in the Pacific. We tend not to realize the value of sharing until we
appreciate the changes created through collaboration, and sharing ideas constructively.
Knowledge management is a curious notion, if there is still new knowledge to be made, or if
there are no more new knowledge but only new ideas to expand upon. I am inclined to agree
with Alan frost1
in his argument on Knowledge Management, that there is still new knowledge to
be created, and this by collaboration, open sharing and interactive activities. We live in a global
community that demands interactivity of skills, knowledge and action, a community where „NO
MAN IS AN ISLAND‟2
, to ensure continuous human development.
In Fiji‟s pursuit to achieve a knowledgeable society I find myself engaging with the
Commonwealth of Learning, discussing how best to continue the momentum for Fiji into the
eLearning future, a future where collaborative learning is encouraged, where classrooms are
turned upside down as a pedagogical approach, where teachers are encouraged to design
lessons rather than lesson planning, where teachers guide and not lead, where students are
guided to have an intimate relationship with the curriculum content, and in doing so I find
myself in an exclusive experience of sharing ideas, creating exponential knowledge, which now
has provided a clearer perception to Fiji‟s direction with O.E.R. In the process of this
collaboration, we created new knowledge.
As we continue to embrace and discover the evolution of global education we must remain
focused on the curriculum and not the technology. Technological development is only to better
support the teaching of the curriculum. At the end of learning, we are measured on how well our
students have performed, and technology cannot support the expected outcomes, than we are
at a loss. With the opportunity made available, teachers must take the initiative to empower their
teaching content with what technology has to offer.
1
htr tp://www.knowledge-management-tools.net/knowledge-creation.html, 2015, Alan Frost MSc
2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man_Is_an_Island, 2015, John Donne

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1.01 COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING (COL)
“COL's mandate is to promote and develop the use of
open learning and distance education knowledge,
resources and technologies throughout the
Commonwealth's 54 member states. COL has evolved
into one of the world's leading distance education
providers and leads the international development in
distance education along with UNESCO. COL is the only
intergovernmental organization solely concerned with the development of distance education.”3
In 1987, Commonwealth Heads of Government came
together in Vancouver and decided to create an Education
Community on the Open Distance Learning (ODL) Platform.
The initiative was created on the idea that member‟s states
can support and help each other using ICT.
The evolution of technology directly influenced the evolving
approach of COL towards meeting global goals in educational development. COL mainly,
because of its global focus which had to be inclusive in achieving the Global Millennium
Development Goals. From the initial approach of developing Higher Education through ICT, to
an all-inclusive approach to include Higher Education, Secondary Education, Primary
Education, TVET, embracing lifelong learning outcomes.
The evolution of COL dictates a commitment to promoting increase equal access to quality
education, health and lifestyle throughout member countries. This is reflected through a clear
progression “from higher education, teacher training, and secondary education in the formal
education sector to non-formal learning related to skills development, agriculture and health”4
The evolution of COL was due to the new expected outcomes directly influenced by global
conceptual approaches of Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG). COL further reflects its evolved state with the progression of its working statements, the
previous theme stating „learning for Development‟, and the 2015 current Strategic plan theme
„learning for Sustainable Development‟.
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Learning.
4
“Evolution of COL”, Page 6, Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021. May 2015.

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2.0 OBJECTIVES
The objective of the attachment were -
2.01 Define OER, its relevance to Fiji and its contribution to Global Educational
Development.
2.02 Understand the extension of development and sustainable pathway of OER for
Fiji Education.
2.03 Understand how to organize, plan, develop and apply an OER Fiji Unit, which will
network with Global Institutions to sustain and support the development of a
knowledgeable society.
2.04 Discover effective options through continuous Analysis and Evaluation of an
OER working unit to ensure quality outcomes.
2.05 Establish a Model Unit that is inclined to global change, flexible and adaptable.

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3.0 CONTENT
The following were discussed during the
work attachment tour –
3.01 What is OER, relevance to Fiji in relation to global development?
● OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER)
Resources (OERs) are any type of educational
materials that are in the public domain or
introduced with an open license. The nature of
these open materials means that anyone can
legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share
them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula,
syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects,
audio, video and animation”5
.
The Paris declaration – “The Declaration marks a
historic moment in the growing movement for Open Educational Resources and calls on
governments worldwide to openly license publicly funded educational materials for public
use.”6
OER‟s are any written learning materials which are licensed
under Creative Commons, Copyright has expired or which the
author has relinquished its copyright and made available in the
Public Domain.
The word ‘OPEN’ strongly emphasizes the Concept behind
O.E.R., that there are little or no barriers. I interpret this as a passionate approach to share
5
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/open-educational-
resources/what-are-open-educational-resources-oers/”
6
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/open-educational-
resources/what-is-the-paris-oer-declaration/.

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knowledge, where there is knowledge abundance in the world, with societies or communities
that live in educational information deficit. Fiji, a third world country, O.E.R. offers an
opportunity that empowers teachers, students, parents and other stakeholders in Education
with real time information and open access. In my opinion, this is a globally evolved
interactive approach in educational resources sharing, one can argue that it is not a new
approach, but I will say that it is global and impacting Countries new to the concept of Open
and Free Sharing of information, an opportunity to stay informed with global education
developments.
The opportunities that O.E.R.‟s has provided for educational resources deficient countries
are extensive, judging from what is available online and the technology that complements
the concept. An environment that encourages teachers to bring the curriculum to life with
video‟s and empowers lesson plans with resources provided by Khan's Academy. A mental
picture I normally use is teaching Volcanism, in Geography, on the Island schools, where
the teacher can motivate learning by using an actual video simulation downloaded from
YouTube. These are opportunities created by accessing O.E.R. As such, we need a
learning environment where teachers have access to extensive reach and real time
Educational Resources. Open Educational Resources creates this opportunity, and
encourages developmental thinking through the process of continued development.
3.02 What is O.E.R., from a Pacific Island teacher‟s perspective?
● I was requested to write an Article which was published on PACFOLD website
through James Cook University. Visit the site here - https://pacfold.cmg.io/public, or
CLICK HERE to view the article.
3.03 Why are O.E.R‟s important in the Pacific?
● I was requested to write a second article to be published on the PACFOLD website
through James Cook University. Visit the site here - https://pacfold.cmg.io/public, or
CLICK HERE to view the article.
3.04 Reflective Article on the experiences undertaken during the attachment with COL.
● I was requested by the President to write a reflective Article concerning my opinions,
suggestions and experiences during my Attachment with COL. CLICK HERE to view
the article.

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3.05 Technology enabled Learning –
I. “ Students today need access to the digital tools and media rich resources that will
help them explore, understand, and express themselves in the world they will inherit”
– Partnership for 21st
Century Skills (n.d.)7
: COL will work with governments,
industry and academic institutions to –
● Develop ICT in education and OER policies and strengthen policy
implementation.
● Strengthen research on technology enabled learning for evidence based
advocacy and decision making.
● Develop relevant and innovative courses for developing 21st
century skills.
● Use technology – enabled learning for program delivery.
● Promote the use of open technologies and OER for skills development.
● Implement tested models at scale and develop new models.
3.06 Education
Accessibility to quality education is still a great challenge today, despite the
availability of modern technology. The Ministry of Education is continuously challenged on
methods and pathways to addressing these challenges. As Pacific Islands, this is one of our
greatest challenges, making quality resources accessible and affordable.
I. Open/Innovative Schooling - COL will work with governments and institutions to8
:
● Develop quality curriculum content in TVET subjects (aligned to skills needed
for the world of work) using OER and various educational technologies.
● Enhance the quality of conventional schooling through the introduction of
viable and cost effective models, including virtual schooling.
● Improve learner retention and success rates through open schools.
● Develop policy briefs and evidence based research to enhance organizational
capacity.
II. Teacher Education – COL will support teacher education institutions to9
:
● Develop relevant context-based and pedagogically sound programs for
teachers and teacher educators.
● Improve institutional capacity to use ODL and ICTs effectively so that more
teachers can be trained in academic and vocational streams.
7
“Technology enabled learning”, Page 19, Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021. May 2015.
8
“Open/Innovative Schooling”, Page 13, Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021. May 2015.
9
“Teacher Education”, Page 14, Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021. May 2015.

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● Improve the quality of teaching and learning to ensure positive learning
outcomes.
● Develop OER materials and scale up the adoption and adaptation of OER
III. Higher Education – COL will work with governments and higher education institutions
to10
:
● Support the development and implementation of national and institutional
ODL policies and systems.
● Promote curriculum reform in support of labor market needs.
● Provide technical assistance to new open universities and support the
transition of conventional institutions to dual-mode provisions.
● Facilitate institutional networking and collaboration in the development,
adoption and use of ODL, MOOCS and OER.
● Support the professional development of policy makers and practitioners.
IV. Regional Support – Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Asia (CEMCA)
will work with partners to11
:
● Promote the development, adoption and use of OER through policy support
and capacity building.
● Integrate ICT in teacher education programs.
● Support the development of OER based courses for skills development.
● Empower marginalized communities, including women, through the use of
community media.
● Undertake research in emerging technologies, including mobile devices.
● Collaborate to develop communities of practice for the sustainability and
scalability projects.
10
“Higher Education”, Page 15, Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021. May 2015.
11
“Regional Support”, Page 21, Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021. May 2015.

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3.07 Pacific Centre for Open and Flexible Learning for Development (PACFOLD) –
PENFOLDs priorities include: (COL will support PACFOLD to achieve these
objectives.)12
● Advocacy and capacity building for flexible and open learning for sustainable
development;
● Development of regional and national policies on open, distance and flexible
learning; and
● Research in flexible and open learning.
3.08 APTUS mobile learning device –
● Classroom without walls
● 100,000 video resources, 100,000
textbook resources
● Learning Management System
(LMS) MOODLE
● Affordable and accessible.
● 100,000 resources from Wikipedia
12
“PACFOLD”, Page 22, Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021. May 2015.

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4.0 Methodology
4.01 Personal Conversation – I was timetabled to have a one on one session with
Education specialists in the area that COL felt was relevant to the purpose and that which
would support the objectives and nature of the attachment.
1. Professor Asha Kanwar – President and CEO COL
2. Mr. Vis Naidoo – Vice President COL
3. Dr. Venkataraman Balaji, Education Specialist
Technology and Knowledge Management, COL.
4. Dr. Sanjaya Mishra, Education Specialist eLearning,
COL.

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5. Dr. Godson Gatsha, Education
Specialist Higher Education, COL.
6. Dr. Jessica Aguti, Education Specialist Teacher
Education.
7. Dr. Alison Mead Richardson, education
Specialist Technical and Vocational Skills
Development.

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4.02 Forum – I was invited to be at the PACFOLD website presentation. The website was
presented to the President and the senior staff of COL by Dr. Alison Richardson, Education
Specialist Skills development.
4.03 Reflective and Constructive Article -
1. What are OER‟s?
2. Why are OER‟s important in the Pacific?
3. Value of Collaboration

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5.0 Outcomes
5.01 Collaboration is also a tool which should never to be left idle but
efficiently utilized to ensure that our direction is clear and concise. Dr Sanjay
reiterated the following on establishing an OER Unit - “To ensure continuity at the
end of the final stage, the expected outcome must link into the next stage of
development”13
.
● Identify expected Outcomes
● Plan towards achieving the outcome
● No more than 2 full time staff - a manager ICT and a manager OER
● Prepare a Unit Constitution/Policy/S.O.P.
● Roles and Responsibilities of the Staff that may be attached to the Unit
for special assignments.
● Work Plan - identify activities for the next 5 years, than plan for each year
● Identify budget allocation targets - What kind of budget? What are you
budgeting for?
● Activities - Establishing of Repository, Training of Trainers, Conversion
plan and timeline, etc..
5.02 Dr Godson Gatsha, PHD, is the Education Specialist for the Higher Education
Division - “Because of the level Lecturers teach, they are encouraged to research and update
their content using the Large Universities like M.I.T., Stanford University, Harvard University,
Open University U.K open repository”. In doing so they draw from not only a single source but
multiple, which should point towards an effective and powerful content. We now have direction
to initiate an awareness and advocacy program14
.
● Formulation of a National and Institutional ODL Policy that includes OER
● Awareness and Advocacy
● Capacity building
● COL support
5.03 After continuous discussions I realize that the greatest measure of OER
success will be effectively determined by the success of rural and remote rural
schools that will use OER. If O.E.R.‟s can be accessed by students on remote
Islands with very minimal or no disruption, than we can say that the program is
indeed successful, realizing that classroom learning evaluation will also be a
determination of how effective the resources in its contextualized format. Fiji rural
remote schools are challenged by the non-availability of electricity and live around
13
Dr Sanjaya Mishra, personal communication, July, 2015.
14
Dr Godson Gatsha, personal communication, July, 2015.

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rugged geographical environment. Some of the other Island Nations are facing land
mass extinction because of rising sea levels together with Fiji15
. IF it can be out on
data that OER has effectively affected the lives of these children through educating
them to understand the world better and contribute effectively to the global
community, that will be one of the great measures for success. Commonwealth of
Learning has created a wonderful mobile machine that is built to address these
challenges. Aptus is a portable wireless device, size no bigger than a pocket book. It
is powered by battery also a size of a pocket book and can host up to 30 wireless
devices in a single session. It has a range of 30 meters and can be increased to a
thousand meters. The device has 100,000 OER texts, a complete repository of
textbooks and other resources, and also hosts a Moodle platform program. The
Aptus has the capability to provide access and support for our rural and remote
schools. Aptus has the capacity to provide affordable real time information for
teachers16
.
● Fiji to adopt the Aptus device because of its affordability and
student centered approach
● Aptus is flexible, manageable, user friendly, specifically for
teacher student interactivity, mobile and Wi-Fi friendly.
● COL is prepared to support Fiji in manufacturing more devices
and provide consultation.
● COL provided 2 devices free. 1 unit is for the Minister for
Education and 1 to the attaché for further research and familiarity.
● Identify a project location
● Identify age target group ( preferable middle school)
● Designing Training - basically for teachers on how to facilitate
learning through online platform.
● Training approach to focus on mLearning.
15
http://www.bom.gov.au/pacific/projects/pslm/.
16
Dr Venkataraman Balaji, personal communication, July, 2015.

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5.04 Teachers are critical partners of OER. The importance of Teacher
involvement in using, research and creating OER‟s cannot be emphasized enough.
The depth of knowledge that can be discovered through global collaboration is
unfathomable. Collaboration motivates creation of new knowledge, influencing global
perception on how children may be guided with powerful information to view the
world and encouraged to form opinion and make decisions as citizens of this planet.
DR Jessica Aguti, Education Specialist - Teacher Education, has worked with
Teacher Training Institution in the South African region. Her role is to provide support
and Consultation on behalf of COL. She shares her experiences and names three
steps as critical stages when consulting with Teacher Education Institutions, and
they are –
Sensitize - To create awareness within Institutions of how important OER is to Teachers. This
word is used to emphasize that acceptance of the concept should be based on the perception of
necessity.
● Examine - and choose the right learning materials. Ensure that the OER
materials used are contextualized to meet the geographical, social, economic
and political environment of that country.
● Design - training, integrate OER into the Teacher Training course
content.
This is one of Fiji‟s critical areas of need when it comes to OER. There has never
been an approach made to the Fiji Teacher Education Institutions, generally because
there was no direction. Discussions with Dr Aguti have certainly brought light on a
National Direction17
.
5.05 I would like to think that the fate of mankind is in the hands of Educators.
As Educators, we have an obligation to humanity to include value and ethics in our
content. The Vice President of COL, Mr. Vis Naidoo, echoed my sentiments by
stating, an Educator's greatest challenge is figuring out “how do we use Education
as a platform for Economic and Social Development. The people will take the
world forward”, the path taken depends on how education has guided their
perception and decision. I reflected on this statement to discover how it holds
personal values for me, for it was the passion to contribute positively to Humanity
that I chose to pursue teaching. A powerful and motivating statement18
.
17
Dr Jessica Aguti, personal communication, July, 2015.
18
Mr Vis Naidoo, personal conversation, July 2015.

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6.0 Recommendation
6.01 Encourage continued consultation
with Commonwealth of Learning.
6.02 Establishment of an OER Unit under
FHEC.
6.03 Develop an OER work plan as part of the MOE 5 years Minister's strategic
plan achievable overseen by Director FHEC and Director CDU/TVET.
6.04 Consolidate all eLearning MOE programs under O.D.L; formulate a
National and Institutional Policy to formalize the alignment because of
future evolution and development in ICT learning.
6.05 Prepare a budget proposal for OER unit
administration, management, process,
National advocacy and awareness,
continuous training/professional
development for all Education
Stakeholders, research and development,
purchase of computer hardware and software including APTUS units,
ensure successive plan for the next 5 years beginning 4th quarter 2015.

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Reference:
1. Dr Jessica Aguti, personal communication, July, 2015.
2. Dr Venkataraman Balaji, personal communication, July, 2015.
3. Dr Godson Gatsha, personal communication, July, 2015.
4. Dr Sanjaya Mishra, personal communication, July, 2015.
5. Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology, „Pacific Sea Level Monirong
Project‟, 2015, [http://www.bom.gov.au/pacific/projects/pslm/].
6. Commonwealth of Learning Strategic Plan 2015 – 2021, pages 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22 .
May 2015.
7. KMT an Educational KM Site, „Knowledge Creation- Alan Frost m Sc‟, 2015,
[http://www.knowledge-management-tools.net/knowledge-creation.html].
8. Wikipedia, „No man is an Island‟, 2015,
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man_Is_an_Island].

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APPENDIX 1
WHAT ARE O.E.R.’s?
By Matai Tagicaki, 2015
UNESCO defines O.E.R. as “Open Educational Resources (OERs) are any type of
educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license.
The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use,
adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes,
assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation.” (“What are Open Educational
Resources (OER)?”, 2015)
The word ‘OPEN’ strongly emphasizes the Concept behind O.E.R., that there are little or no
barriers. I interpret this as a passionate approach to share knowledge, where there is
knowledge abundance in the world, with societies or communities that live in educational
information deficit. Fiji, a third world country, O.E.R. offers an opportunity that empowers
teachers, students, parents and other stakeholders in Education with real time information and
open access. In my opinion, this is a globally evolved interactive approach in educational
resources sharing, one can argue that it is not a new approach, but I will say that it is global and
impacting Countries new to the concept of Open and Free Sharing of information, an
opportunity to stay informed with global education developments.
The opportunities that O.E.R.‟s has provided for educational resources deficient countries are
extensive, judging from what is available online and the technology that compliments the
concept. An environment that encourages teachers to bring the curriculum to life with video‟s
and empowers lesson plans with resources provided by Khans Academy. A mental picture I
normally use is teaching Volcanism, in Geography, on the Island schools, where the teacher
can motivate learning by using an actual video simulation downloaded from YouTube. These
are opportunities created by accessing O.E.R...
In my opinion, interpreting the curriculum is task students are challenged with in any learning
environment where the teacher must be an active guide, this is what teaching ultimately hopes
to achieve, a student centered or student oriented learning environment. Learning
environments, where teachers have the ability to get students generate intimate relationship
with the curriculum, where students are motivated with a passion to learn. As such, we need a
learning environment where teachers have access to extensive reach and real time Educational
Resources. Open Educational Resources creates this opportunity, and encourages
developmental thinking through the process of continued development.

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Well, this is my opinion, as a practicing teacher from a third world Pacific Island Country, about
What OER‟s can mean to us and for our students.
Ref: “What are Open Educational Resources.2015.UNESCO, Open Educational Resources,
2015.http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/open-
educational-resources/what-are-open-educational-resources-oers/”

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APPENDIX 2
WHY O.E.R.’s ARE IMPORTANT IN THE PACIFIC
By Matai Tagicaki, 2015
My writing will reflect personal experiences and opinion as a Pacific Islander and Educator in
the Secondary Education Level.
As Pacific Islanders, we belong to three groups of people, the Polynesian, Melanesian and
Micronesian groups, but we proudly refer to ourselves as „A People of the Pacific‟. Oral history
is a culture that continues to be practised across the Pacific, and this is just one of the many
tradition and culture that we share. The culture of Open sharing is an old concept for the Pacific,
in Fiji the term “ Solsolevaki” is used to describe a practice of collaboration. Today the practice
continues in a modernised setting where the village or clan communities work together to
support education, social, economical and other developments. The intricacy of the concept
interwoven into the Pacific islanders lives can not be more emphasised, as it is a way of life.
In the pursuit for a „Knowledgeable Society‟, in its initial state, the Pacific was challenged with
the availability of real time and updated educational resources. Libraries with books that were
published in the last couple of decades, textbooks were available in the 1980‟s, continued to be
used into the 1990‟s. A system that continues to conform to an archaic learning structure while
the paradigms of global development shifts, teachers continue to apply pedagogy that has
already evolved in a time of computer and internet. The availability of technology increases the
tempo of the pursuit for knowledge. The ripples in the Northern hemisphere are now felt in the
Pacific. Observations I have made lead me to a conclusion that in the Pacific success in an
elearning project cannot be measured in the urban centers where there is electricity, running
water and 24 hours internet connectivity, but rather how well it has positively impacted children's
lives who attend school in the rural and remote rural areas. These challenges hinder the tempo
of pursuit can only be attributed to affordability. The new resources and implementation tools
are just too expensive for small Island Economies.
Open Educational Resources offer an affordable opportunity for students in the Pacific Island
countries to access a wider range of information in real time, beyond the four walls of their
classrooms and libraries to better understand content. The free, open, affordable and available
resources provided by partners in OER, like Khan Academy, Commonwealth of Learning,
UNESCO, Edx with others, offer a wealth of educational information that continues to update
resource content which in turn empower learner content. Commonwealth of Learning uniquely
has aligned its resources to a curriculum, which I may state, that holds similar to all and almost
former Commonwealth member countries, which is a brilliant approach. The Aptus tool is
another revolutionary equipment by COL‟s, which provides students and teachers the
opportunity to reach beyond the boundaries of their geographical location and into a wealth of

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updated information provided under O.E.R. Teachers are no longer confined to lesson plan
preparation but become lesson and course designers.
To emphasise how important OER is to the Pacific, I shall say that it is NOT a Band Aid solution
but A CURE to an information impoverished community. OER introduces a concept that
naturally blends with the Pacific cultural ideology, Indigenous Fijians refer to as „SOSOLEVAKI‟,
which means collaboration, in creating a Knowledgeable society.
Ref:
1. “Fijian Tradition and Ceremonies”, 2015,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fijian_traditions_and_ceremonies.
2. “ The Pacific Way? Connecting Stories and Science”, 2015,
http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/verve/_resources/pacificneighbours_chapter3.pdf.
3. “Melanesia”, 2015, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanesia
4. “Micronesia”, 2015, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronesia
5. “ What are Open Educational
Resources”.2015.UNESCO.2015,http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-
information/access-to-knowledge/open-educational-resources/what-are-open-
educational-resources-oers/.

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APPENDIX 3
Value of Collaboration
“A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WHILE ON ATTACHMENT AT
COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING”
By Matai Tagicaki, July 20 - 24, 2015

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Introduction
This is a collection of my experiences at COL Head Office, Barnaby Vancouver, Canada. These records are
my personal reflections, opinions and accounts.
We tend not to realize the value of sharing until we appreciate the changes created through
collaboration, sharing ideas constructively. I have always questioned the idea of, if there is still new
knowledge to be made , or if there are no more new knowledge but only new ideas to be expanded
upon. I raise the question as a Pacific Islander, as a witness to the evolution of GLOBAL Education which
begin to shape the way Pacific children think, as it picks up momentum living behind a generation gap of
thinkers, a traditional society struggling to hold together the remaining fabric of a traditional based
community. Submitting to changes, we join the global village where collaboration is a way of life. “No
man is an Island”19
. This saying is true today in the context we can now state to be true of any society or
community. We collaborate so that no one is left behind, we build and grow together as global
community, we conform.
Collaboration as Knowledge Construction.
I am inclined to agree with Alan Frost20
suggesting that new knowledge can only be created when we
engage collaboratively, contribute the known to construct the unknown to become new concept, a
process that can only be created by human and not machines. Reminding us that technology must not
overshadow our pursuit for knowledge but act only to support the pursuit.
Fiji’s Pursuit for Knowledge
In Fiji’s pursuit to achieve a knowledgeable society I find myself engaging with the Commonwealth of
Learning, discussing how best to continue the momentum for Fiji into the eLearning future, a future
where collaborative learning is encouraged, where classrooms are turned upside down as a pedagogical
approach, where teachers are encouraged to design lessons rather than lesson planning, where teachers
guide and not lead, where students are guided to have an intimate relationship with the curriculum
content, and in doing so I find myself in an exclusive experience of sharing ideas, creating exponential
knowledge, which now has provided a clearer perception to Fiji’s direction with O.E.R. In the process of
this collaboration, we created new knowledge.
Collaboration Adds Value
1. In my opinion, collaboration can also be a tool which should never to be left idle but efficiently
utilized to ensure that our direction is clear and concise. Combining our thoughts about a plan for an
OER Unit in Fiji, I contributed by stating that I have already prepared a plan of action divided into phases
19
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man_Is_an_Island, 2015, John Donne
20
http://www.knowledge-management-tools.net/knowledge-creation.html, 2015, Aln Frost M Sc

26 | Page
and timeline. I had been certain that the work we had done was impressive, taking to account that this
was our first time. Traditionally drawn to habit, we initially focused on organizational structural content
rather than trying to identify direction by first acknowledging our true and achievable outcome. Dr
Sanjay who had read the work plan suggested a more effective and efficient approach. Workout the
expected outcomes first, they will provide guidance to the initial planning stages. To ensure continuity at
the end of the final stage, the expected outcome must link into the next stage of development.
Dr S.Mishra,
Education Specialist eLearning,
Commonwealth of Learning.
2. As a Secondary school teacher I have hardly found time to research how O.E.R.’s are used by
Lecturers in the tertiary level. Dr Godson Gatsha, PHD, is the Education Specialist for the Higher
Education Division. Because of the level they teach, Lecturers are encouraged to research and update
their content using the Large Universities like M.I.T., Stanford University, Harvard University, Open
University U.K open repository. In doing so, they draw from not only a single source but multiple
sources, which should point towards an effective and powerful content. We now have direction to
initiate an awareness and advocacy program.
Dr G.Gatsha,
Education Specialist Higher Education,
Commonwealth of Education.
3. I see the greatest measure of OER success is determined by the success of rural and remote
rural schools. We can only say that the OER program is indeed successful,when O.E.R.’s are made
accessibleto students on remote Islands with minimal or no disruption. Fiji rural remote schools are
challenged by the non-availability of electricity and live around rugged geographical environment. Some
of the other Island Nations are facing land mass extinction because of rising sea levels together with
Fiji21
. IF it can be recorded on data that OER has effectively affected the lives of these children through
educating them to understand the world better and contribute effectively to the global community,
which will be one of the great measures for success. Commonwealth of Learning has created a
wonderful mobile machine that is built to address these challenges. Aptus is a portable wireless device,
size no bigger than a pocket book. It is powered by battery also a size of a pocket book and can host up
to 30 wireless devices in a single session. It has a range of 30 meters and can be increased to a thousand
21
http://www.bom.gov.au/pacific/projects/pslm/.

27 | Page
meters. The device has 1000 OER texts, a complete repository of textbooks and other resources, and
also hosts a Moodle platform program. The Aptus has the capability to provide access and support for
our rural and remote schools. Aptus has the capacity to provide affordable real time information for
teachers.
Dr V.Balaji,
Education Specialist Technology and Knowledge Management,
4. Teachers are critical partners of OER. The importance of Teacher involvement in using, research
and creating OER’s cannot be emphasized enough. The depth of knowledge that can be discovered
through global collaboration is unfathomable. The creation of new knowledge and global perception,
how children may be guided with powerful information to view the world and encouraged to form
opinion, make decisions as citizens of this planet. DR Jessica Aguti, Education Specialist - Teacher
Education, has worked with Teacher Training Institution in the South African region. Her role is to
provide support and Consultation on behalf of COL. She shares her experiences and names three steps
as critical stages when consulting with Teacher Education Institutions, and they are -
1. Sensitize - To create awareness within Institutions of how important OER is to Teachers. This
word is used to emphasize that acceptance of the concept should be based on the perception of
necessity.
2. Examine and choose the right learning materials. Ensure that the OER materials used are
contextualized to meet the geographical, social, economic and political environment of that
country.
3. Design training; integrate OER into the Teacher Training course content.
This is one of Fiji’s critical areas of need when it comes to OER. There has never been an approach made
to the Fiji Teacher Education Institutions, generally because there was no direction. Discussions with Dr
Aguti have certainly brought light on a National Direction.
Dr J. Aguti,
Education Specialist Teacher Education,
5. I would like to think that the fate of mankind is in the hands of Educators. As Educators, we have
an obligation to humanity to include value and ethics in our content. The Vice President of COL, Mr. Vis
Naidoo, echoed my sentiments by stating, an Educator's greatest challenge is figuring out “how do we

28 | Page
use Education as a platform for Economic and Social Development. The people will take the world
forward”, the path taken depends on how education has guided their perception and decision. I
reflected on this statement to discover how it holds personal values for me, for it was the passion to
contribute positively to Humanity that I chose to leave the Military Force and join the Teaching
fraternity, a personally decision I made after a dark chapter in Fiji’s History in 2000.. A powerful and
motivating statement.
Mr. Vis Naidoo,
Vice President,
Commonwealth of Education.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude and state that collaboration is very enriching in thought, perception and
practice. Returning to my Island home in Fiji, I will reflect and appreciate the value of experience at
Commonwealth of Learning . Through collaboration, OER has so much to offer in building a
Knowledgeable Society for Fiji, certainly a ‘valuable asset’.
Ref:
1. Dr Jessica Aguti, personal communication, July, 2015.
2. Dr Venkataraman Balaji, personal communication, July, 2015.
3. Dr Godson Gatsha, personal communication, July, 2015.
4. Dr Sanjaya Mishra, personal communication, July, 2015.
5. Wikipedia, ‘No man is an Island’, 2015, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man_Is_an_Island].
6. KMT an Educational KM Site, ‘Knowkledge Creation- Alan Frost m Sc’, 2015, [http://www.knowledge-
management-tools.net/knowledge-creation.html].
7. Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology, ‘Pacific Sea Level Monirong Project’, 2015,
[http://www.bom.gov.au/pacific/projects/pslm/].

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