I have struggled with this topic. I am not even sure why, other than I feel almost old school. I have reflected on some of my own values and judgements over the last couple of weeks about open education and what it means to me.
What is open education to me?
I first had to decide about what is open education in my eyes. As an instructor in adult education, I see open education as a system that gives open access to all resources including articles, textbooks and online material at no charge in order to advance knowledge. It would be free access that could be utilized by students in order to gain knowledge and be accessible not only throughout their education, but also after they graduate. It could essentially mean that all information be open to access by all. That textbooks would be online and free, articles online and free and that all knowledge will be online, accessible to all and collaboration would assist all in the acquisition of knowledge.
Who pays? Here lies the dilemma…who should pay for all of this sharing of knowledge? Should there be licenses, copyrights, journal subscriptions or textbooks in print? Should educators be encouraged to download information and alter it in order to better serve their students?
My opinion…I personally love a hard copy book. I don’t enjoy reading articles or information online, but would rather print it out- touch the paper, highlight important information, make notes and turn pages.
I have never been able to grasp the concept of a Kindle or other type of online reader since I love bookmarking and actually turning the pages. I have also never been one for sharing my favorites…whether it be a textbook or a novel. Although I feel that open education resources should be shared, I wonder about how people will get paid for their knowledge and whether it will be fair. That being said-does it have to be an all or nothing concept? Could there be open education for some and not?
Who benefits the most? The people who will benefit the most from open education are those who can utilize the resources the most…students. Although educators will benefit in terms of being able to use these resources, students gain the most knowledge from the open education and its resources. I found it interesting to read about what is happening across Canada https://bccampus.ca/2019/02/19/canada-oer-group-2019-update/
Do I think Open Educational Resources can be sustainable?
After much deliberation, I have come to terms that this really isn’t for me to decide. The world will keep turning and open educational resources will continue to be provided to who needs them. I do feel that it is up to all of us to ensure that it is appropriate and the people who need it the most get what they need.
first ever blog 