This document summarizes Robert Farrow's presentation on open education theory and praxis. It begins with an introduction of Farrow, his background and current projects related to open educational resources (OER). It then discusses tensions within the open education movement regarding openness as an educational ideal. Farrow suggests that the point of open education can be understood as an orientation towards justice. The presentation outlines Karl Popper's vision of openness as a normative political ideal of an open society. It examines some cases of openness in education and politics. Farrow concludes by arguing that acting against closed systems and hierarchies is important for realizing open education's potential.
Openess: Rethinking the Role of the University in the Internet Era@cristobalcobo
This presentation explores the implications of Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education.
OER definition: "…digitised materials offered freely and openly for educators, students, and self-learners to use and reuse for teaching, learning, and research. OER includes learning content, software tools to develop, use, and distribute content, and implementation resources such as open licences." (OECD, 2007)
Openness has been identified with many innovations in education and educational technology, but remains under-theorised. This presentation will argue that openness is best understood as a kind of absence of restriction or impediment. With a clear connection to issues of freedom, integrity and autonomy openness introduces several layers of complexity to the ethics of teaching and learning. These will be described and explored through case studies, with practical approaches to dealing with the risks of openness outlined.
If you want a teaser for the presentation, please watch this short video where Robert talks about openness and ethics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZHNSdUzDHc
This is a Trident University course (MAE502), Module 1 Case (PowerPoint Presentation: What is Learning. What is Education. It is written in APA format, has been graded by an instructor (A), and includes references. Most higher-education assignments are submitted to turnitin, so remember to paraphrase. Let us begin.
Openess: Rethinking the Role of the University in the Internet Era@cristobalcobo
This presentation explores the implications of Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education.
OER definition: "…digitised materials offered freely and openly for educators, students, and self-learners to use and reuse for teaching, learning, and research. OER includes learning content, software tools to develop, use, and distribute content, and implementation resources such as open licences." (OECD, 2007)
Openness has been identified with many innovations in education and educational technology, but remains under-theorised. This presentation will argue that openness is best understood as a kind of absence of restriction or impediment. With a clear connection to issues of freedom, integrity and autonomy openness introduces several layers of complexity to the ethics of teaching and learning. These will be described and explored through case studies, with practical approaches to dealing with the risks of openness outlined.
If you want a teaser for the presentation, please watch this short video where Robert talks about openness and ethics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZHNSdUzDHc
This is a Trident University course (MAE502), Module 1 Case (PowerPoint Presentation: What is Learning. What is Education. It is written in APA format, has been graded by an instructor (A), and includes references. Most higher-education assignments are submitted to turnitin, so remember to paraphrase. Let us begin.
Open education and open society: Popper, piracy and praxisRobert Farrow
What is the point of open education? Uncontroversially, we might suggest that it is about widening participation; equalising access to education; and bringing about a fairer society. This is another way of stating that the main concern of open education is a kind of justice. For many social and political philosophers, justice has been understood as the defining goal [τέλος] of society and civilization. But this relationship between open education advocacy and the goal of social transformation remains remarkably underexplored and undertheorized. This presentation will explore this relationship and the idea of openness in contemporary discourses in education and politics. It will examine the use of the concept of openness in educational and political discourse and use the normative concept of an "open society" to explore the relationship between theory and practice in open education. Paper presented at the 2018 Open Education Global Conference, TU Delft, Netherlands.
Despite the recent increases of interest in Open Education (notably in the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC; Fini, 2009) it has been continuously asserted that Open Education lacks a theoretical foundation such as the Herbartian steps of education in traditional educational approaches (Vandenberg, 1975). Similar accusations have been made with respect to distance education, which some have identified as being slow to engage with critical debates in theory and research (Evans & Nation, 1992). And further: “practitioners, re-searchers and theorists in open and distance education need to be aware of the broad range of theories avail-able to them in educational theory and social theory more generally” (p. 10). In a similar vein, Danaher, Wyer and Bartlett (1998) claim that “ researchers in open and distance learning have tended to focus on too narrow a range of theoretical resources in addressing the much broader range of problems and contexts that characterise this area of contemporary research” (p. 9). Given the considerable rise of Open Education over the last years, these critical appraisals urge us to expand theoretical approaches to refine our understanding of evolving pedagogical and technological relations (cf. Bell, 2011).
In this paper, we contribute to debates surrounding open education and open educational resources by intro-ducing the concept of Bildung (self-cultivation; self-realization) as a powerful reflective tool. We will elabo-rate on the potentials of Bildung by reviewing Wilhelm von Humboldt’s classical conception. Humboldt em-phasizes unrestrained interplay between the individual and the world, an exchange through which the indi-vidual relates to the world in the most comprehensive, lively and freest way possible. Bildung thus conceived is not an adaptation to an external order but rather a cultivation of the inner life: a reflective, creative form of self-realization or self-cultivation.
Traditional learning theories do not provide adequate explanations to derive such competencies as they are limited on closed learning environments. By contrast, theories of Bildung entail an additional dimension which can be regarded as the “ability to go beyond the present state of affairs and to transform the structures and prevailing rules of this form of life” (Peukert, 2003: 106). Our aim is to explore the extent to which Bildung can provide open education with a theoretical framework, and, conversely, the ways in which open education promotes a more holistic or progressive model of education. Our focus here will not be exclusive-ly on OER: it will be stressed that ‘openness’ in education necessarily shifts the focus from content (OER) to practices (OEP) that are necessary for the use of that content (Mackey & Jacobson, 2011, p. 62; cf. Weller, 2011).
We argue (1) that there are significant potentials to elicit or encourage Bildung through the use of OER, such as throughproviding open access to a rich base of materials from various cultural contexts. In this process of engaging with multiple and complex resources it can be assumed that a transformation of the way in which the individual is approaching learning is likely to happen. The reflections of these experiences are education-al and a key factor for the theoretical underpinning of OER. We go on to suggest (2) that the beliefs and val-ues associated with Bildung – including autonomy, critical reflection, inclusivity and the rejection of univer-sal narratives – are suitable for providing a theoretical framework for OER as well as providing a critical lens through which to assess contemporary educational models in practice (e.g. Liessman, 2006).
Openness in Education: Technology, Pedagogy, CritiqueRobert Farrow
In this presentation I assess the state of the art in educational technology, focusing on approaches which identify as ‘open’. The kind of technological interventions in education
typical of the last fifty years have often been centrally led and imposed, and thus representative of the encroachment of system imperatives into educational lifeworlds. However, recent technologies present new possibilities for a less linear and more lateral approach to education. While optimism about the pedagogical potential of new technologies must of course be tempered by remaining attentive to the dubious strategies and ideologies being employed by education policymakers. I focus on the case of open education to show how technological change is bringing about opportunities both for new and inclusive pedagogies, and for social critique. I appeal to Dewey, Freire and Illich to indicate some of the ways in which a radically democratic pedagogy rooted in information and communication technologies might stand as a bulwark to neo-liberal interventions in education, concluding with the suggestion that critical theorists should consider significant engagement with the design of learning system and communication technologies.
Openness in Education: Technology, Pedagogy and CritiqueOER Hub
Critical theorists subscribe to the Hegelian view that philosophical or critical reflection is retrospective, and for fear of becoming uncritical are generally against the idea that particular worldviews or ideologies should be propagated through formal education. This can make it difficult for the critical theorist to be anything other than negative about education, and perhaps with good reason: modern education is undergoing seismic changes which often manifest themselves as crises of commodification, corporatization, or the intrusion of extreme forms of technological modernity into educational institutions. Yet technological innovation raises pedagogical possibilities – many of them outside the academy – which are distinctly critical.
In this presentation I assess the state of the art in educational technology, focusing on approaches which identify as ‘open’. The kind of technological interventions in education typical of the last fifty years have often been centrally led and imposed, and thus representative of the encroachment of system imperatives into educational lifeworlds. However, recent technologies present new possibilities for a less linear and more lateral approach to education. While optimism about the pedagogical potential of new technologies must of course be tempered by remaining attentive to the dubious strategies and ideologies being employed by education policymakers. I focus on the case of open education to show how technological change is bringing about opportunities both for new and inclusive pedagogies, and for social critique. I appeal to Dewey, Freire and Illich to indicate some of the ways in which a radically democratic pedagogy rooted in information and communication technologies might stand as a bulwark to neo-liberal interventions in education, concluding with the suggestion that critical theorists should consider significant engagement with the design of learning system and communication technologies.
The Return of Ideology? Rethinking the Open Society #oer17Robert Farrow
Slides for a presentation given at the OER17 conference in London, 5th April 2017. Abstract at https://oer17.oerconf.org/sessions/the-return-of-ideology-rethinking-the-open-society-1520/.
A brief overview of research methods and their philosophical foundation presented to the Global OER Graduate Network. Preparatory work for a forthcoming research methods handbook.
2nd Regional Symposium on Open Educational Resources:
Beyond Advocacy, Research and Policy
24 – 27 June 2014
Sub-theme 4: Innovation
Keynote: Spurring Open Educational Innovation for the Sustainable Advancement of Learning and Teaching
Toru Iiyoshi
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
A presentation entitled 'Mediating Open Education: popular discourses, situated policies and institutional practices for participatory learning'. Presented at the MeCCSA (Association of Media, Communication and Cultural Studies) conference, 6-8 January 2010, London School of Economics and Political Science .
his session will speak to the teacher who finds a “sacred activism” in the work of education. We recognize that choosing the path of teaching means we are committed to the struggle of enhancing humanity in ways that empower students to make the world we share a better, more just and equitable place. Participants will be invited to explore the “Four Domains” that define our mission of global competency and ask how they can be “rethought” through a lens of social justice pedagogy. We will work to consider how our classrooms, instruction, and curricula can be used as sites where students are given opportunities to act as globally competent leaders in ways that promote equity and justice. We will search for connections between the concept of “anti-oppressive” education and what it means to teach for global competence while simultaneously showing up for social justice. The goal is for participants to leave with a framework that includes ideas and examples of practical applications for supporting global competence and social justice pedagogy in our daily practice.
The Self as an Open Educational Resource #SelfOERSuzan Koseoglu
Presentation at #OER16 Edinburgh, first published here:
http://www.slideshare.net/edp05mab/self-as-oer-selfoer-oer16?ref=http://blog.mahabali.me/blog/whyopen/presenting-on-self-as-oer-with-suzankoseoglu-at-oer16-selfoer/
From Openness to Opportunity? Strategical Approaches to OERs Uptake and Use f...Robert Farrow
Presentation from Open Education Global 2023, held in Edmonton, Canada. This piece of research aimed to provide an up-to-date overview of the opportunities of OERs in business by conducting a set of interviews with relevant stakeholders during the course of the ENCORE+ Project (European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education). OERs-related value propositions and sustainability in business seem to be innovative oriented in light of the results. OERs clearly have a place in this space, though they are not adopting a central role in business processes.
https://oeglobal2023.sched.com/event/1S7iV/from-openess-to-opportunity-strategical-approaches-to-oers-uptake-and-use-from-business
This paper provides an update on activity in the innovation and business models strand of the ENCORE+ project. A range of business models that support or draw on open educational resources (OER) have been proposed. This paper reviews models that have been proposed (Tlili et al., 2020; Padilla Rodriguez et al., 2018; Belleflamme & Jacqmin, 2015; Ubachs & Konings, 2016; and Farrow, 2019) and suggests a synthesis into one typology of OER business models. The ENCORE+ OER Business Model Typology has been developed as part of a wider effort to understand and evaluate economically sustainable approaches to OER as well as to formulate OER value propositions for different stakeholders. In related work, a range of OER innovation case studies (N=48) are being prepared for publication. These illustrate different instances of innovation with OER and show how OER actors understand their value proposition to different audiences.
Open education and open society: Popper, piracy and praxisRobert Farrow
What is the point of open education? Uncontroversially, we might suggest that it is about widening participation; equalising access to education; and bringing about a fairer society. This is another way of stating that the main concern of open education is a kind of justice. For many social and political philosophers, justice has been understood as the defining goal [τέλος] of society and civilization. But this relationship between open education advocacy and the goal of social transformation remains remarkably underexplored and undertheorized. This presentation will explore this relationship and the idea of openness in contemporary discourses in education and politics. It will examine the use of the concept of openness in educational and political discourse and use the normative concept of an "open society" to explore the relationship between theory and practice in open education. Paper presented at the 2018 Open Education Global Conference, TU Delft, Netherlands.
Despite the recent increases of interest in Open Education (notably in the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC; Fini, 2009) it has been continuously asserted that Open Education lacks a theoretical foundation such as the Herbartian steps of education in traditional educational approaches (Vandenberg, 1975). Similar accusations have been made with respect to distance education, which some have identified as being slow to engage with critical debates in theory and research (Evans & Nation, 1992). And further: “practitioners, re-searchers and theorists in open and distance education need to be aware of the broad range of theories avail-able to them in educational theory and social theory more generally” (p. 10). In a similar vein, Danaher, Wyer and Bartlett (1998) claim that “ researchers in open and distance learning have tended to focus on too narrow a range of theoretical resources in addressing the much broader range of problems and contexts that characterise this area of contemporary research” (p. 9). Given the considerable rise of Open Education over the last years, these critical appraisals urge us to expand theoretical approaches to refine our understanding of evolving pedagogical and technological relations (cf. Bell, 2011).
In this paper, we contribute to debates surrounding open education and open educational resources by intro-ducing the concept of Bildung (self-cultivation; self-realization) as a powerful reflective tool. We will elabo-rate on the potentials of Bildung by reviewing Wilhelm von Humboldt’s classical conception. Humboldt em-phasizes unrestrained interplay between the individual and the world, an exchange through which the indi-vidual relates to the world in the most comprehensive, lively and freest way possible. Bildung thus conceived is not an adaptation to an external order but rather a cultivation of the inner life: a reflective, creative form of self-realization or self-cultivation.
Traditional learning theories do not provide adequate explanations to derive such competencies as they are limited on closed learning environments. By contrast, theories of Bildung entail an additional dimension which can be regarded as the “ability to go beyond the present state of affairs and to transform the structures and prevailing rules of this form of life” (Peukert, 2003: 106). Our aim is to explore the extent to which Bildung can provide open education with a theoretical framework, and, conversely, the ways in which open education promotes a more holistic or progressive model of education. Our focus here will not be exclusive-ly on OER: it will be stressed that ‘openness’ in education necessarily shifts the focus from content (OER) to practices (OEP) that are necessary for the use of that content (Mackey & Jacobson, 2011, p. 62; cf. Weller, 2011).
We argue (1) that there are significant potentials to elicit or encourage Bildung through the use of OER, such as throughproviding open access to a rich base of materials from various cultural contexts. In this process of engaging with multiple and complex resources it can be assumed that a transformation of the way in which the individual is approaching learning is likely to happen. The reflections of these experiences are education-al and a key factor for the theoretical underpinning of OER. We go on to suggest (2) that the beliefs and val-ues associated with Bildung – including autonomy, critical reflection, inclusivity and the rejection of univer-sal narratives – are suitable for providing a theoretical framework for OER as well as providing a critical lens through which to assess contemporary educational models in practice (e.g. Liessman, 2006).
Openness in Education: Technology, Pedagogy, CritiqueRobert Farrow
In this presentation I assess the state of the art in educational technology, focusing on approaches which identify as ‘open’. The kind of technological interventions in education
typical of the last fifty years have often been centrally led and imposed, and thus representative of the encroachment of system imperatives into educational lifeworlds. However, recent technologies present new possibilities for a less linear and more lateral approach to education. While optimism about the pedagogical potential of new technologies must of course be tempered by remaining attentive to the dubious strategies and ideologies being employed by education policymakers. I focus on the case of open education to show how technological change is bringing about opportunities both for new and inclusive pedagogies, and for social critique. I appeal to Dewey, Freire and Illich to indicate some of the ways in which a radically democratic pedagogy rooted in information and communication technologies might stand as a bulwark to neo-liberal interventions in education, concluding with the suggestion that critical theorists should consider significant engagement with the design of learning system and communication technologies.
Openness in Education: Technology, Pedagogy and CritiqueOER Hub
Critical theorists subscribe to the Hegelian view that philosophical or critical reflection is retrospective, and for fear of becoming uncritical are generally against the idea that particular worldviews or ideologies should be propagated through formal education. This can make it difficult for the critical theorist to be anything other than negative about education, and perhaps with good reason: modern education is undergoing seismic changes which often manifest themselves as crises of commodification, corporatization, or the intrusion of extreme forms of technological modernity into educational institutions. Yet technological innovation raises pedagogical possibilities – many of them outside the academy – which are distinctly critical.
In this presentation I assess the state of the art in educational technology, focusing on approaches which identify as ‘open’. The kind of technological interventions in education typical of the last fifty years have often been centrally led and imposed, and thus representative of the encroachment of system imperatives into educational lifeworlds. However, recent technologies present new possibilities for a less linear and more lateral approach to education. While optimism about the pedagogical potential of new technologies must of course be tempered by remaining attentive to the dubious strategies and ideologies being employed by education policymakers. I focus on the case of open education to show how technological change is bringing about opportunities both for new and inclusive pedagogies, and for social critique. I appeal to Dewey, Freire and Illich to indicate some of the ways in which a radically democratic pedagogy rooted in information and communication technologies might stand as a bulwark to neo-liberal interventions in education, concluding with the suggestion that critical theorists should consider significant engagement with the design of learning system and communication technologies.
The Return of Ideology? Rethinking the Open Society #oer17Robert Farrow
Slides for a presentation given at the OER17 conference in London, 5th April 2017. Abstract at https://oer17.oerconf.org/sessions/the-return-of-ideology-rethinking-the-open-society-1520/.
A brief overview of research methods and their philosophical foundation presented to the Global OER Graduate Network. Preparatory work for a forthcoming research methods handbook.
2nd Regional Symposium on Open Educational Resources:
Beyond Advocacy, Research and Policy
24 – 27 June 2014
Sub-theme 4: Innovation
Keynote: Spurring Open Educational Innovation for the Sustainable Advancement of Learning and Teaching
Toru Iiyoshi
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
A presentation entitled 'Mediating Open Education: popular discourses, situated policies and institutional practices for participatory learning'. Presented at the MeCCSA (Association of Media, Communication and Cultural Studies) conference, 6-8 January 2010, London School of Economics and Political Science .
his session will speak to the teacher who finds a “sacred activism” in the work of education. We recognize that choosing the path of teaching means we are committed to the struggle of enhancing humanity in ways that empower students to make the world we share a better, more just and equitable place. Participants will be invited to explore the “Four Domains” that define our mission of global competency and ask how they can be “rethought” through a lens of social justice pedagogy. We will work to consider how our classrooms, instruction, and curricula can be used as sites where students are given opportunities to act as globally competent leaders in ways that promote equity and justice. We will search for connections between the concept of “anti-oppressive” education and what it means to teach for global competence while simultaneously showing up for social justice. The goal is for participants to leave with a framework that includes ideas and examples of practical applications for supporting global competence and social justice pedagogy in our daily practice.
The Self as an Open Educational Resource #SelfOERSuzan Koseoglu
Presentation at #OER16 Edinburgh, first published here:
http://www.slideshare.net/edp05mab/self-as-oer-selfoer-oer16?ref=http://blog.mahabali.me/blog/whyopen/presenting-on-self-as-oer-with-suzankoseoglu-at-oer16-selfoer/
Similar to Open Education in Theory and Praxis (20)
From Openness to Opportunity? Strategical Approaches to OERs Uptake and Use f...Robert Farrow
Presentation from Open Education Global 2023, held in Edmonton, Canada. This piece of research aimed to provide an up-to-date overview of the opportunities of OERs in business by conducting a set of interviews with relevant stakeholders during the course of the ENCORE+ Project (European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education). OERs-related value propositions and sustainability in business seem to be innovative oriented in light of the results. OERs clearly have a place in this space, though they are not adopting a central role in business processes.
https://oeglobal2023.sched.com/event/1S7iV/from-openess-to-opportunity-strategical-approaches-to-oers-uptake-and-use-from-business
This paper provides an update on activity in the innovation and business models strand of the ENCORE+ project. A range of business models that support or draw on open educational resources (OER) have been proposed. This paper reviews models that have been proposed (Tlili et al., 2020; Padilla Rodriguez et al., 2018; Belleflamme & Jacqmin, 2015; Ubachs & Konings, 2016; and Farrow, 2019) and suggests a synthesis into one typology of OER business models. The ENCORE+ OER Business Model Typology has been developed as part of a wider effort to understand and evaluate economically sustainable approaches to OER as well as to formulate OER value propositions for different stakeholders. In related work, a range of OER innovation case studies (N=48) are being prepared for publication. These illustrate different instances of innovation with OER and show how OER actors understand their value proposition to different audiences.
Open Education Research: Past, Present, FutureRobert Farrow
The Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN, n.d.) supports doctoral research in open education around the world and currently has several hundred members who are doctoral/post-doctoral researchers and interested expert practitioners. In this presentation we offer some analysis of trends in research into open education, drawing on the data generated by GO-GN as well as other expert research. We provide an analysis of network activity and identify core areas for contemporary open education research, including open practice, OER as a discipline area, making connections between research clusters and the application of OER in non-traditional learning contexts. We also offer some reflections on the evolving nature of discourse around open education and the relation between research and practice, particularly around the themes of social justice and equity, diversity and inclusion.
Understanding OER, Innovation & Business ModelsRobert Farrow
The European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+, n.d.) is a pan-European Knowledge Alliance funded under the Erasmus+ programme. The project is running from 2021 to 2023 to support the modernisation of education in the European area through open educational resources (OER). Participants will be presented with research and findings from the project, directly linked to enabling their work to be open, sustainable and innovative.
One project focus is understanding (and sharing) business models that use or integrate OER. The ENCORE+ Innovation Case Study Collection and Business Model Typology represent important advances in the self-understanding of open educators and collaboration partners (potential and existing).
Another ENCORE+ activity strand has audited innovation related behaviours for a range of organisations that use OER. OER is of course an innovation in teaching and learning practice, but the practices associated with using OER can themselves be a foundation for further innovation. This potential is often overlooked for being highly contextual or marginal to the key focus of OER initiatives, yet the culture of innovation that exists alongside many OER projects and in the practice of open educators is a key attraction for many working in the field.
More than OER innovation 40 case studies have been prepared and a selection of these will be presented with a critical commentary. Alongside this, the related evaluation framework is being shared on an open licence for others to use and better understand the role of innovation in their own OER practice.
These achievements build on various aspects of theoretical work conducted in the last two years (Farrow & Granly, 2021; Farrow, 2022) as well as a series of face-to-face and online stakeholder events conducted within the ENCORE+ network. Delegates will be in a position to benefit from what has been shared by the wider European OER community in locating and reflecting on their own practice.
Coughlan, T., Pitt, R. & Farrow, R. (2019). Forms of innovation inspired by open educational resources: a post-project analysis. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 34:2, 156-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2018.1552579
ENCORE+ (n.d.). European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education. https://encoreproject.eu/
Farrow, R. (2022). A Framework for Understanding Innovation with OER. Open Education Global 2022. Université de Nantes, France. https://pretalx.com/oeglobal2022/talk/QYVRCM/
Farrow, R. & Granly, J. (2021). Building the 21st Century OER Ecosystem. Open E
Sharing innovation practices around OER: theory, practice, examples and debatesRobert Farrow
This ENCORE+ Network Event focuses on Innovation & Business Models - preliminary results for the ENCORE+ OER Innovation Evaluation Framework and associated case studies are presented.
We will be taking a look at the results of more than two years of research and networking activity, including outcomes from the OER Innovation Survey; and desk research into the essential factors relating to OER innovation.
An expert panel provided responses and reflections, and looked ahead to a packed final year of ENCORE+ including our integration events and final conference.
ENCORE+: Your Place in the Open EcosystemRobert Farrow
The objective of this workshop is to give the participants an opportunity to imagine and recreate their work and business as Open. The workshop is focused on Open Educational Resources (OER), and on its applicability and benefit to business, innovation and technology in lifelong learning.
This workshop is designed to take the participants through a simulation experience, where each participant will imagine the business potential, innovation potential and technological changes available and possible for their work to be open (more open).
The workshop is facilitated by the European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+). ENCORE+ is a European Commission funded project, aimed at establishing a European OER Ecosystem, for both academia and business.
The participants will be presented with research and findings from the project, directly linked to enabling their work to be open, profitable and innovative. Representatives from ENCORE+ business partners will showcase real-life examples of how OER is integral to their work and business as part of the introduction to the workshop.
The workshop is suited to all participants who are interested in OER, regardless of knowledge and experience with OER. The workshop is interactive, with practical simulation tasks guided by ENCORE+ facilitators and ENCORE+ OER research.
ENCORE+: The Open Educational Resources (OER) Innovation EcosystemRobert Farrow
Slides to accomany a workshop at the I-HE2022 Conference in Athens, Greece (Oct 2022). The slides provide an overview of the ENCORE+ project logic and theoretical perspectives on innovation through open education.
https://i-he2022.exordo.com/programme/presentation/75
Keynote presentation from the Association of Learning Technologists Annual Conference 2022. The ALT Framework for Learning Technology reflects the authentic need for ethical perspectives in an increasingly uncertain world. This presentation explores contemporary relationships between ethics and educational technology. There is an increasing ethical import associated with the rapid deployment of new and powerful and transformative digital technologies across society. Cutting edge technologies offer new possibilities for pedagogy, inclusion and access to learning, but are often implemented without their effects being fully understood. Learning technologists operate at the intersection of competing demands and interests along with their ethical complexities, often with little more guidance than a risk management checklist. Drawing on the history of online learning, philosophical ethics, critical theory and educational research, key examples of ethical issues will be explored and related to the FELT framework. It will be argued that the increasing need for ethical reflection requires dialogic and inclusive approaches which retain critical perspectives.
Presentation (with Eamon Costello) from the Global Smart Education Conference (The 6th International Conference on Smart Learning Environments), Beijing National University, China.
The presentation explores issues in AI driven learning systems and implications of machine learning approaches for inclusion and access to education.
The Future OER Ecosystem - On Building a Community for OER in EuropeRobert Farrow
Group presentation/workshop from Open Education Global 2022
The European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+) project (2021-2023) is an Erasmus+ funded initiative which aims to raise awareness of open education, coordinate stakeholder and support new strategies for the proliferation of OER (https://encoreproject.eu/).
Although the Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting online ‘pivot’ increased opportunities for integrating OER into education and training, general awareness of open alternatives remains low. Many educators and learners have been in crisis mode, using whatever resources they can to fulfil their needs. While this can include OER, the demands put upon practitioners makes it hard to strategise and move systematically towards meeting the five action areas of the UNESCO OER resolution.
ENCORE+ is a coordinated European approach to strengthening the value of OER as a catalyst and multiplier. The goal is to move from a series of individual OER initiatives into a European OER Ecosystem. This will be done through addressing and contributing to European and International policy priorities, stimulating innovation in businesses through learning and training, supporting the modernization and digitalization of higher education in Europe, as well as bridging non-formal & formal education by advancing recognition of open learning.
ENCORE+ has established 4 thematic circle communities for OER in Europe on the thematic focus areas of OER Technology, Quality, Innovation & Business Models and Policies. The circle communities convenes and collaborate on issues related to the circle theme. The four communities will convene for its second round of circle events in the first week of May.
This workshop aims to take the content and discussions held within the 4 thematic circle communities in ENCORE+ to the global stage. This workshop marks halfway through the project, and the ENCORE+ team will share and discuss experiences, issues and solutions found with the delegates at the conference. The stakeholders of ENCORE+ is truly global, connecting international stakeholders from academia and business together into a collaborative OER Ecosystem solving challenges of education through OER.
Explicable Artifical Intelligence for Education (XAIED)Robert Farrow
The application of artificial intelligence in AI is increasing, but there is a growing awareness of the profound ethical implications which are presently undertheorised. The emerging consensus is that there needs to be adequate transparency and explicability for the use of algorithms in education. This presentation provides an overview of AI in education (AIED) and characterises the requirement for explicability as a response to the ‘black box’ of machine learning. It is argued that explicability should be understood as part of a wider socio-technical turn in AI, and that there is a strong case for implementing full transparency in AIED as a default position. Such transparency threatens to disrupt traditional pedagogical processes, and mediation strategies will be needed. There are also instances where non-transparency may be justifiable and in these examples processes for auditing and governance.
Guest lecture delivered to the Master of Leadership in Open Education programme at the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia. An overiew of more than 10 years working on open education research projects is reviewed and the relation between research and policy explored. Responses are made to questions raised by students.
This presentation is licensed CC BY - any logos or other images are included under fair use or assumed public domain.
The future OER Ecosystem - On building a community for OER in EuropeRobert Farrow
The European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+) project (2021-2023) is an Erasmus+ funded initiative which aims to raise awareness of open education, coordinate stakeholder and support new strategies for the proliferation of OER (https://encoreproject.eu/).
Although the Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting online ‘pivot’ increased opportunities for integrating OER into education and training, general awareness of open alternatives remains low. Many educators and learners have been in crisis mode, using whatever resources they can to fulfil their needs. While this can include OER, the demands put upon practitioners makes it hard to strategise and move systematically towards meeting the five action areas of the UNESCO OER resolution.
ENCORE+ is a coordinated European approach to strengthening the value of OER as a catalyst and multiplier. The goal is to move from a series of individual OER initiatives into a European OER Ecosystem. This will be done through addressing and contributing to European and International policy priorities, stimulating innovation in businesses through learning and training, supporting the modernization and digitalization of higher education in Europe, as well as bridging non-formal & formal education by advancing recognition of open learning.
ENCORE+ has established 4 thematic circle communities for OER in Europe on the thematic focus areas of OER Technology, Quality, Innovation & Business Models and Policies. The circle communities convenes and collaborate on issues related to the circle theme. The four communities will convene for its second round of circle events in the first week of May.
This workshop aims to take the content and discussions held within the 4 thematic circle communities in ENCORE+ to the global stage. This workshop marks halfway through the project, and the ENCORE+ team will share and discuss experiences, issues and solutions found with the delegates at the conference. The stakeholders of ENCORE+ is truly global, connecting international stakeholders from academia and business together into a collaborative OER Ecosystem solving challenges of education through OER.
A Framework for Understanding Innovation with OERRobert Farrow
Presentation on the ENCORE+ Project from Open Education Global 2022. The European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+, n.d.) is a pan-European Knowledge Alliance funded under the Erasmus+ programme. The project is running from 2021 to 2023 to support the modernisation of education in the European area through open educational resources (OER).
OER are one of the great recent innovations in education and learning. OER leverage the benefits of digitalisation to extend equitable access to learning; provide new avenues for the distribution, adaptation and iteration of resources; and support innovation in pedagogy and collaboration. Innovating is a key part of how OERs are used, as resources are transformed for use in a new context. But because of the siloed way that reuse typically happens it can be hard for others to take advantage of the effective practice of others.
Developing general awareness of the potential of OER remains a challenge, and one route to this is to highlight cases of exceptional interest (along with identifying the enabling software and services; understanding drivers and enablers; and capturing the meaningful interactions between relevant stakeholders).
In line with its role supporting the OER ecosystem and acting as a hub for OER innovation, ENCORE+ has developed an OER Innovation Evaluation Framework. This toolkit draws on several predominant theories of innovation (Carroll, Kellog & Rosson, 1991; Puentedura, 2006; Rogers, 2003) as well as research into effective OER initiatives (e.g. Coughlan et al., 2019; Darwish, 2019) to present simple categories which can be used to consistently describe cases of interest.
This presentation will describe the background, inspiration and process for developing the Evaluation Framework (Farrow, 2021). Information will also be provided on ways participants can share their examples of innovation through the ENCORE+ network using the OER Innovation Evaluation Framework.
ENCORE+ Innovation and Business Models Circle 2Robert Farrow
Slides used in the delivery on an online discussion workshop for the ENCORE+ project including a brief introduction to the project and links to the outputs from group discussions
This presentation accompanied a face-to-face workshop at the OER22 conference where delegates were encouraged to brainstorm and interact around key themes and suggestions from the ENCORE+ project (https://encoreproject.eu/) regarding OER implementation, strategisation and improvement.
The European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+) project (2021-2023) is an Erasmus+ funded initiative which aims to raise awareness of open education, co-ordinate stakeholder and support new strategies for the proliferation of OER (https://encoreproject.eu/). The UNESCO OER Recommendation (https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies/oer/recommendation) sets out five areas for action:
Building the capacity of stakeholders to create, access, re-use, adapt and redistribute OER;
Developing supportive policy for OER;
Encouraging inclusive and equitable quality OER;
Nurturing the creation of sustainability models for OER; and
Promoting and reinforcing international cooperation in OER.
Although the Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting online ‘pivot’ increased opportunities for integrating OER into education and training, general awareness of open alternatives remains low. Many educators and learners have been in crisis mode, using whatever resources they can to fulfil their needs. While this can include OER, the demands put upon practitioners makes it hard to strategise and move systematically towards meeting the five action areas of the UNESCO OER resolution.
ENCORE+ proposes that we understand the strategizing of OER at the level of the ‘ecosystem’, emphasizing that while there are viable, established strategies for OER there is no integrated European OER university-business ecosystem able to identify, catalyse and share best practices. How can collaboration be encouraged? How can confidence in operational models which use OER be encouraged beyond the usual advocacy networks in higher education?
Following a short general introduction, this workshop is organised around the following 4 x 10 minute discussion areas, each of which reflects an activity area of ENCORE+.
Focus area 1: Bleeding edge technologies for OER integration
Focus area 2: New paradigms for OER quality
Focus area 3: Strategies and policies for OER uptake and integration
Focus area 4: Innovation, Business Models & Sustainability
In each focus area relevant results from the ENCORE+ project were briefly presented to support an inclusive plenary discussion.
Dialogue was facilitated and moderated by relevant experts from ENCORE+. Feedback and reflection was gathered through a 'World Cafe' approach designed around stakeholder interactions and perspective sharing.
Innovation with Open Educational Resources: The State of the ArtRobert Farrow
Keynote presentation at the OpenLang Network Multiplier Event, 10th December 2021. This presentation reflects on more than a decade of innovation in open education.
This presentation summarises several theories of innovation; explaining their relevance and potential for open education in Europe. These frameworks are likely to be of interest to practitioners wishing to have a stronger theoretical and practical understanding of how OER can support innovative practice.
Ramirez-Montoya (2020) recently presented a review of literature pertaining OER and educational innovation, noting that although definitions of openness vary across sectoral spaces, the crossover between openness and innovation is an area of increasing interest. A core part of the story of open educational resources is that they can be used to create spaces for innovation in teaching and learning (Orr et al., 2015; Pitt & Smyth, 2017; Weller et al., 2015). As Coughlan et al. (2018) argue, there has been a lack of detailed analysis of the specific function of OER as a driver of innovation, and a single model has not yet captured the multi-faceted relationship between openness and innovation.
Several theories of innovation - including the Task-Artefact Cycle (Carroll, Kellog & Rosson, 1991); the "diffusion of innovations" (Rogers, 2010); the SAMR framework (Puentedura, 2006; Orr et al., 2015); the Cyclic Innovation Model (Berkhout, 2007); and the Forms of innovation in OER (Coughlan, Pitt & Farrow, 2018) - will be outlined and contextualised. These will be used to describe ways to think about innovation in the context of open education.
This presentation contributes to the European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+, 2021), a pan-European Knowledge Alliance funded under the Erasmus+ programme. The project is running from 2021 to 2023 to support the modernisation of education in the European area through OER.
https://i-he2021.exordo.com/programme/presentation/28
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
1. Open Education in Theory
and Praxis
Hochschulforum Digitalisierung
7 Feb 2019
DR. ROBERT FARROW
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
@philosopher1978
2. 2
01 Introduction
About me, my background, and what I do; OER
02 Openness as Educational Ideal
A description of some tensions within the open
education movement
03 What is the point of Open Education?
Here I will suggest that the point of education can be
understood as a kind of orientation towards justice
04 Popper’s Open Society
An outline of Popper’s vision of openness as a
normative political ideal; the first systematic attempt
05 Openness in politics
Here I examine some cases of the use of the concept
of open in education and politics
06 Conclusion
Concluding thoughts and recommendations
CONTENTS
4. 4
OPEN EDUCATION RESEARCH & THEORIZATION
INTRODUCTION
• BA Philosophy (University of Kent, 2000)
• MA Continental Philosophy (University of Essex, 2004)
• PhD Philosophy (University of Essex, 2009)
• MA Online & Distance Education (The Open University UK, 2016)
• Working in educational technology research since 2009 at OU UK
CURRENT PROJECTS @PHILOSOPHER1978
6. Creative Commons,
the 5Rs, and OER
The Shortest Possible Introduction
David Wiley, Lumen Learning
This presentation is licensed CC BY
7. Creative Commons Licenses
Provide a super easy mechanism for a copyright holder to:
(1) provide everyone in the world with permission to engage
in a specific set of (otherwise prohibited) activities,
(2) given that they abide by specific conditions.
8. CC Licenses - Families of Conditions
(1) All licenses require the user to provide attribution
(2) The licenses provide three options around the creation
and distribution of derivative works
(3) The licenses provide two options around commercial use
9. Derivatives
Can Be Shared
Derivatives Can Be
Shared ONLY IF
You Share Alike
Derivatives
CANNOT Be Shared
Commercial Use
Allowed
Commercial Use
NOT Allowed
The Six Creative Commons Licenses
All Licenses Require Attribution
10. Open Educational Resources
“Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning
and research materials in any medium that reside in the
public domain or have been released under an open license
that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and
redistribution by others.”
UNESCO, adapted by Creative Commons
11. Retain make, own, and control a copy of the resource
Reuse use the resource for any purpose
Revise
alter, adapt, change, edit, improve, or translate
the resource
Remix
combine the resource with other resources to
create something new
Redistribut
e
share the original, revised, or remixed version of
the resource with others
The 5R Activities
(You need permission to do these 5 things for an ER to be an OER)
13. Is this
OER?
Is it safe to use in my OER work?
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
Yes*
Maybe. What are the odds that the licensor will interpret
your use as commercial? Are you willing to take that risk?
Yes*
Maybe. What are the odds that the licensor will interpret
your use as commercial? Are you willing to take that risk?
No No
No No
14. Openness as
educational ideal
Discouse around openness in educational
technology has changed over the last half-century to
focus on implementation rather than vision
15. 15
ALTERNATIVE VISIONS OF OPEN
SWIMMING UPSTREAM – BUT TO THE SAME DESTINATION?
Replace the
system!
Decolonize!
Improve the
system!
Extend
educational
opportunity!
Compromise! Keep the faith!
16. • Openness as indeterminacy: realised in multiple forms
• Contextualist, not essentialist
• Defines itself against a status quo that restricts some activity:
open removes a barrier to doing “X”
• Fundamentally oriented towards enhanced freedom
(Farrow, 2016; 2017)
18. Distinction made by Fromm (1941) and Berlin (1958):
Negative Liberty: the absence of (external) restrictions on
activity; freedom from interference
Positive Liberty: the capacity to act on the basis of one’s free
will; implies rational agency, autonomy, active choice
See also:
• Knox, J. (2013). Five Critiques of the Open Education
Movement. Teaching in Higher Education 18 (8).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2013.774354
• Farrow, R. (2016). Constellations of Openness. In
Deimann, M. & Peters, M. A. (eds.) (2016). The Philosophy
of Open Learning: Peer Learning and the Intellectual
Commons. Peter Lang Publishing.
https://www.peterlang.com/view/product/31200
19. History of open education
By the 1960s the open education movement
had begun to coalesce around the idea of
disestablishing cultural, economic and
institutional barriers to formal education. The
Open University in the UK was founded in 1969
to widen access to higher education by
disregarding the need for prior academic
qualification, and using the communication
technologies of the time to ‘open up’ campus
education though a “teaching system to suit an
individual working in a lighthouse off the coast
of Scotland” (Daniel et al., 2008).
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Louisbourg_Lighthouse.jpg
21. Weller, M. (2016). Different Aspects of
the Emerging OER Discipline. Revista
Educação e Cultura Contemporânea 13
(31).
http://periodicos.estacio.br/index.php/re
educ/article/view/2321/1171
24. 24
ALTERNATIVE VISIONS OF OPEN
SWIMMING UPSTREAM – BUT TO THE SAME DESTINATION?
Replace the
system!
Decolonize!
Improve the
system!
Extend
educational
opportunity!
Compromise! Keep the faith!
25. What is the point of
open education?
Here I suggest that the point of open education can
be understood as a kind of orientation towards justice
and a particular (if undertheorized) vision of society
26. 26
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE (τέλος) OF EDUCATION?
EDUCATIONAL THEORY
1. CLASSICAL
• Cooney, Cross & Trunk (1993) provide evidence for the view that educational theory originates with
Plato (Republic; Laws). According to this approach, education is a means through which to pursue
the good (or prosperous) life (εὐδαιμονία) through achieving development of potential at the individual
level and also at the level of the social body as a whole.
• This flourishing of potential is also understood as a route to social justice, achieved through a kind of
harmony between different elements of society. Education is conceived as a way to develop the kinds
of virtues needed to achieve a flourishing life and prosperous society, and is thus supremely
important.
• Aristotle (Politics) is less focused on the idealistic conception of Plato, and instead emphasizes the
processes through which learning takes place. He offers the first disciplinary and pedagogical
distinctions.
2. SCHOLASTIC
Recovery of Classical tradition and continuance of dialectical method as a way to harmonize Christian
thought. The impact of this was to establish a semi-public (open?) form of reasoning and argument
through public readings and criticism and arbitration. (See Deimann & Peters (2013) for a history of
open education.)
3. ENLIGHTENMENT
• Explosion of print availability; public libraries and literacy across social groups; scientific revolution;
learned societies
• Challenges to traditional forms of authority; emphasis on autonomy and self-dependence rather than
the flourishing of society as a whole
• One radical implication was the increased emphasis on the autonomy and empowerment of the
learner
27. 27
WAS IST AUFKLARUNG?
“Enlightenment is man's
emergence from his self-
incurred immaturity.”
Kant (1784)
“Dare to know! ‘Have the
courage to use your own
understanding!’ is the
motto of the
Enlightenment.”
28. 28
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE (τέλος) OF OPEN EDUCATION?
EDUCATIONAL THEORY
• WIDENING ACCESS
• BUILDING THE COMMONS
• SOCIAL JUSTICE
• ENHANCING SKILLS & EMPLOYABILITY
• EMPOWERING PEOPLE
• DEMOCRATISING KNOWLEDGE
• BUILDING NETWORKS
• SHARING RESEARCH
• A FAIRER INFORMATION SOCIETY
• IMPROVING LEARNING
• OPEN DATA
• SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
• RETHINKING BASIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT EDUCATION
• ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION
• AMPLIFYING MARGINALISED VOICES
• INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY REFORM
• TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
What kind of society
are we attempting to
bring into being?
29. Popper’s Open Society
Popper’s political thought is arguably the first and
most sustained attempt to base a social vision in the
concept of openness
30. 30
(1902-1994)
KARL POPPER
• Provides first comprehensive attempt to
derive a political philosophy from concept
of openness
• Primarily known as a philosopher of
science and defender of critical rationalism
• Understands scientific knowledge in terms
of falsifiability
• Flirted with Marxism in his youth, later
rejecting it
• The Open Society and Its Enemies [1945]
was written in exile during WWII
(Hacohen, 1996)
31. 31
UNDERSTANDING OPEN/CLOSED
POPPER’S OPEN SOCIETY
• Closed societies have close tribal and religious links; open societies are relatively fragmented, but
rational in a different way. Modern closed societies are authoritarian, totalitarian and ideological.
• Open societies emphasize falsifiability and falsification of knowledge; democracy; freedom of thought;
and the free exchange of ideas and rationality (Steyn & de Klerk, 2009)
• Five core values (freedom, tolerance, respect, rationalism, and equalitarianism) and three crucial
practices (democracy, state interventionism, and piecemeal social engineering) (Lam, 2012)
Popper, K. (1966). The Open Society and Its Enemies. Vol. 1 The Spell of Plato. pp.202-3
32. 32
(1902-1994)
KARL POPPER
• Critical of totalitarianism, Marxism, Fascism,
authoritarianism, historicism; influential for
20th century liberal democracy and post-war
consensus
• "Unlimited tolerance must lead to the
disappearance of tolerance. If we extend
unlimited tolerance even to those who are
intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a
tolerant society against the onslaught of the
intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed,
and tolerance with them."
• Niels Bohr (1885-1962): “The best weapon of
a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon
of a democracy should be the weapon of
openness.”
• Since the latter half of the 20th century,
“openness” has developed within stable
frameworks of liberal/social democracy, and is
now often tacitly assumed in many areas of
society (such as open government, a free
press, freedom of speech, etc. and later open
access, open government, open education).
36. "What he's talking about is taking emasculated men in their forties, fifties and sixties who are not
living the life they hoped for in their teens and twenties and saying, 'you know what? there are
people to blame for this. And we're going to build a wall and we're going make America great
again.
"At the core of that is the struggle between being an open society and a closed society. And so if
you want to know where the trillions of dollars of wealth creation that are going to come with the
commercialisation of genomics, and the creation of big data companies, and the AI machine
learning companies and all of the industries of the future my overarching line here is it's going to
be the most open societies.
"Open societies means that upward economic and social mobility is not constrained to elites, it
means that religious and cultural norms are not set by central authorities and it means that it is
wildly rights respecting, in terms of the rights of women, religious minorities, racial minorities and
ethic minorities.
"The industries of the future will be overwhelmingly concentrated in the most open societies.”
Alec Ross, Clinton aide
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/30/donald-trump-is-a-vulgar-demented-pig-demon-says-hillary-clinton/
The Telegraph, 30 May 2016
37. 37
Slaughter (2016) proposes that the web is
the new geopolitical theatre, and that the
USA “should adopt a grand strategy of
building and maintaining an open
international order based on three pillars:
open societies, open governments, and an
open international system.”
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2016-
10-04/how-succeed-networked-world?cid=soc-tw-rd
39. 40
http://wiki.pp-international.net/Building_the_principles_of_PPI
PIRATICAL PRINCIPLES
• Defend the freedom of expression, communication, education; respect the privacy of
citizens and civil rights in general
• Defend the free flow of ideas, knowledge and culture
• Support politically the reform of copyright and patent laws
• Have a commitment to work collaboratively, and participate with maximum transparency
• Do not accept or espouse discrimination of race, origin, beliefs and gender
• Do not support actions that involve violence
• Use free-source software, free hardware, DIY and open protocols whenever possible
• Politically defend a open, participative and collaborative construction of any public policy
• Direct democracy
• Open access
• Open data
• Economy for the Common Good and promote solidarity with other pirates
• Share whenever possible
41. 43
ILLUSTRATIVE QUOTES
OPEN EDUCATION & CRITICAL PEDAGOGY
Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration
of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about
conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and
women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in
the transformation of their world. (Freire, 1970:34)
The pedagogical value in openness is that it can create dialogue, and can
deconstruct the teacher-student binary, by increasing access and bringing
together at once disparate learning spaces. Openness can function as a form of
resistance both within and outside the walls of institutions. But open education is
no panacea. Hierarchies must be dismantled — and that dismantling made into
part of the process of education — if its potentials are to be realized (Morris &
Stommel, 2014).
Critical approaches to education have “a normative and even utopian dimension,
attempting to theorize how education and life construct alternatives to what is.”
(Kellner, 2003:3).
43. 45
IN SUMMARY
• Openness is an indeterminate concept – this leaves it amenable to multiple forms of
realisation.
• The relation between these forms is under-recognized and under-theorized. I have
tried to show how understanding the purpose of education (and open education) might
help us to reflect on activity and resolve disagreements).
• I referred to Popper’s model of Open Society to explore the end point of openness as a
critical, humane and scientific society.
• I distinguished two contemporary political forms of open which can be understood as
entirely consistent with Popper, yet are distinct from each other: the globalist,
neoliberal form and the radical pirate form.
• It is mistaken to see openness as a linear historical progression: Peters & Deimann
(2013:12) observe that “historical forms of openness caution us against assuming that
particular configurations will prevail, or that social aspects should be assumed as
desired by default”. Similarly, Popper’s critique of historical ‘progression’ (and current
events) indicates that progress is fragile and contingent.
• What we do will ultimately determine what open education / open society looks like in
the future.
• Even if we can’t agree on open, we can act together against the closed
44. 46
FOUCAULT (1972) – preface to DELEUZE & GUATTARI (1972) ANTI-OEDIPUS
THE ART OF LIVING CONTRARY TO FASCISM
• Free political action from all unitary and totalizing paranoia.
• Develop action, thought, and desires by proliferation, juxtaposition, and disjunction, and
not by subdivision and pyramidal hierarchization.
• Withdraw allegiance from the old categories of the Negative (law, limit, castration, lack,
lacuna), which Western thought has so long held sacred as a form of power and an
access to reality. Prefer what is positive and multiple, difference over uniformity, flows
over unities, mobile arrangements over systems. Believe that what is productive is not
sedentary but nomadic.
• Do not think that one has to be sad in order to be militant, even though the thing one is
fighting is abominable. It is the connection of desire to reality (and not its retreat into the
forms of representation) that possesses revolutionary force.
• Do not use thought to ground a political practice in Truth; nor political action to discredit,
as mere speculation, a line of thought. Use political practice as an intensifier of thought,
and analysis as a multiplier of the forms and domains for the intervention of political
action.
• Do not demand of politics that it restore the “rights” of the individual, as philosophy has
defined them. The individual is the product of power. What is needed is to “de-
individualize” by means of multiplication and displacement, diverse combinations. The
group must not be the organic bond uniting hierarchized individuals, but a constant
generator of de-individualization.
• Do not become enamored of power.
45. 47
FOUCAULT (1972) – preface to DELEUZE & GUATTARI (1972) ANTI-OEDIPUS
THE ART OF LIVING CONTRARY TO FASCISM
• Free political action from all unitary and totalizing paranoia.
• Develop action, thought, and desires by proliferation, juxtaposition, and
disjunction, and not by subdivision and pyramidal hierarchization.
• Withdraw allegiance from the old categories of the Negative (law, limit, castration, lack,
lacuna), which Western thought has so long held sacred as a form of power and an
access to reality. Prefer what is positive and multiple, difference over uniformity,
flows over unities, mobile arrangements over systems. Believe that what is
productive is not sedentary but nomadic.
• Do not think that one has to be sad in order to be militant, even though the thing one is
fighting is abominable. It is the connection of desire to reality (and not its retreat into the
forms of representation) that possesses revolutionary force.
• Do not use thought to ground a political practice in Truth; nor political action to discredit,
as mere speculation, a line of thought. Use political practice as an intensifier of
thought, and analysis as a multiplier of the forms and domains for the intervention of
political action.
• Do not demand of politics that it restore the “rights” of the individual, as philosophy has
defined them. The individual is the product of power. What is needed is to “de-
individualize” by means of multiplication and displacement, diverse combinations. The
group must not be the organic bond uniting hierarchized individuals, but a
constant generator of de-individualization.
• Do not become enamored of power.
46. 48
“We all need to be open to the need to make changes in
respect of our institutions, our personal style, and indeed
our personalities themselves. We need, in effect, to
become people with characters that fit an open society.”
Shearmur (1996:174)
Open education research and theorization since 2011
Educational technology research since 2009
Prior to this: BA, MA, PhD Philosophy (Frankfurt School of Critical Theory!)
NB EMC, Bringing Learning to Life
Thanks to Diane Peters and Cable Green (CC General Counsel and CC Director of Open Education) for their review and comments.
For more detail, see https://creativecommons.org/about/program-areas/education-oer/
For more detail, see http://opencontent.org/definition/
“The NC licenses may not permit some uses of your work that you would like others to make. For example, not all educational uses are necessarily NonCommercial uses, so your use of an NC license may preclude use of your work in some educational contexts.” (https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/NonCommercial_interpretation)
For example, in a large international survey, the majority of both Users and Creators of NC-licensed material believed that “Use for course materials in a tuition-based school” constitutes a commercial use and would violate the NonCommercial condition. See pp. 62 - 63 of https://mirrors.creativecommons.org/defining-noncommercial/Defining_Noncommercial_fullreport.pdf
Why is it so hard to agree on the concept of open?
Two broad approaches: reformers vs radicalists - but this is apparently a matter of degree. We can also distinguish ambition: coloniser vs edupunk
Openness can be seen as a matter of access, of licence, of publicity, of transparency, of pedagogical practice, or of policy; and yet it is not reducible to any one of these. Sometimes it seems to refer to processes, and sometimes to the outcomes of those processes.
Mostly it is context dependent: this makes it hard to extrapolate from one example to others, meaning that we don’t really get closer to a universal definition of openness
There is debate about what should be considered authentically open
Examples of open tend towards NEGATIVE LIBERTY: removal of barriers. This is well developed but doesn’t capture ‘thicker’ sense of freedom. Eg. Resource rich drug addict. Needed also is a sense of POSITIVE LIBERTY: what kinds of actions in this area can be endorsed by free, rational beings?
Deeper ‘ethic of care’ (Wiley, 2015) https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/3732
Vision of social justice
The ‘underlying ethos of openness’ (Javiera Atenas & Leo Havemann, 2014)
http://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/11985/1/Crowdsourcing%20Quality%20(Or,%20Why%20Openness%20Matters)%20_%20Open%20Education%20Europa.pdf
WORKING ASSUMPTION: Open education has articulated the negative sense but less so the positive sense
TWO WAYS OF BEING OPEN: 1. Disregard previous experience/qualification. 2. Leverage technologies
There was a palpable sense of this phase of open education being informed by a conception of social justice
As far back as the 1970s the argument was being made that ‘open education’ was a somewhat vague and nebulous phrase (Denton, 1975; Hyland, 1979).
Some research has been done into changes in the discourse around open education since the establishment of the OU (Viv R, Martin W)
By the time the OER movement had grown to a global force much of the debate had moved on to licensing, technical and implementation issues (Weller, 2016).
Few evaluations of the impact of open on learning
A good proportion of abstracts in the literature selection didn’t contain enough detail to ascertain their relevance
Techne – knack, know how, technique, practicality
Theoria – intellectual contemplation, theorising,
Is this the colonizer/edupunk distinction again? Libre/gratis? Theory and practice?
Distinction between theory and practice less strict in ancient times. Does it hold up now? Maybe it’s something that we haven’t pad enough attention to…
We can understand the main tensions within the open education movement in terms of techne and theoria
Of course, there was learning in primitive and pre-historic societies in the form of knowledge and skills transmission
Note: not trying to give an exhaustive account of any of these educational philosophies – the focus is on the telos (purpose) not theory of learning
Nothing open about the Platonic academy
Get some citations for these ideally
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Karl_Popper.jpg/468px-Karl_Popper.jpg
Bergson, H. (1937) [1932] Les Deux Sources de la morale et de la religion. Félix Alcan. pp. 287–343. Translated as The Two Sources of Morality and Religion, trs., R. Ashley A. and C. Brereton, with the assistance of W. H. Carter, Notre Dame, 1977 [1935], ch. 4.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Karl_Popper.jpg/468px-Karl_Popper.jpg
Bergson, H. (1937) [1932] Les Deux Sources de la morale et de la religion. Félix Alcan. pp. 287–343. Translated as The Two Sources of Morality and Religion, trs., R. Ashley A. and C. Brereton, with the assistance of W. H. Carter, Notre Dame, 1977 [1935], ch. 4.
Cf. Fukyama (1992) and the ‘end of history’ thesis that Western liberal democracy represents the final phase of humanity’s cultural evolution
Arguably this collapses difference somewhat – but is consistent with Popper
From Popper’s perspective, authoritarianism stifles the development of scientific knowledge because it conflicts with fallibilist epistemology – the only authority should be something like science – Plato’s philosopher king is understood to be a totalitarian
The public sphere is ultimately impoverished by lack of education, misinformation and emotive language – but especially by politics that happens beyond open spaces
Open/closed was a key theme of the Clinton presidential campaign
Openness and Neoliberalism? Soros – Open Society inspired by Popper -
Key points of difference between the two paradigms: attitude to violence; attitude to capital and profit; attitude to copyright
In the context of education and knowledge production:
Cathedral: centralised, architectonic, ordered, master plan, vertical
Bazaar: decentralised, democratic, chaotic, emergent, horizontal,
Linux systems based on Bazaar (Raymond, 1999)
Nb Adorno on the impossibility of knowing the good: the world is characterised by such catastrophic moral failure we can’t hope to live the good life – we can only hope to ’live less wrongly’ (Freyenhagen, 2013)