OKMOOC

This is a useful guide for peer reviewers.

Great insight on the costs in the long run of technological change.

Came across this list of citizen journalism websites. Some better than others but all of them work as a reference of what this activity is.

In the list I also got some Indian website. Thanks for share it.

If you want to dig deeper in terms of copyright, this PDF might be helpful.

The issue of copyright has always been a contentious issue long before the introduction of MOOCs. The debate, now that we have MOOCs in our midst will continue as we try to find a common ground. The issue on the table is fair play.

The article addresses the copyright challenges in a MOOC environment. Very useful reading as it discusses the IPR issues we generally do not think of.

For those of you interested in taking upon more moocs in Mexico.

A really complete must read on Digital ID

What a wealth of information for the people of the world. I searched for my favourite topic "Data mining" and viola!! I felt like Eureka!

5 reasons to eliminate DRM on books. This favors open knowledge.

This is really a good initiative. One can only wish that African states finally realize that internet access is no longer a privilege but a right because without it such brilliant initiatives do not spread to all corners of the developing world.

I like the "equalization" word, even if it seems to make it too simple, but it is also making it sound possible

"This small pilot study suggests that the article creation process may more closely mirror the traditional writer/editor process than it does the "crowd as writer-editor". It also raises questions about potential changes in how people view the content creation process."

"The paper reveals the historical process of the emergence of the phenomenon of Open Access."

This interesting inset describes an early classification system for medieval manuscripts, taking early steps to make information easier to access. I thought that it would be interesting to add for the group.

The reality is the present is the foundation for the future. The medieval libraries were effective and serving the needs of that generation. The same generation found loopholes that led to the development of what we call modern libraries. We no w know who to thanks for the wonderful and life and time saving GPS!

The future will always trace its existence from the past which laid down the foundation. The shape of the libraries of the future is being crafted now. The GPS we see now has its roots in the Medieval libraries.

Peter Downes wrote this blog criticizing the Cape Town Declaration. It was very interesting reading in terms of looking at the issues from different perspectives. I did not agree on everything he wrote, but the following paragraph was resonated in my mind as I read it. I DID , however add a word - in parenthesis. "If there is anything that could be thought of as a truism in contemporary education, it is the idea that we are all learners and that we are all teachers. The idea of lifelong learning makes explicit the former idea, and the principles of learner-centered, constructive and inquiry-based learning make explicit the latter. Knowledge - particularly social and public knowledge - is not something that is (only) produced by a hothouse meeting of experts, but rather, is produced through a process of dialogue and conversation".

The fact is someone had to initiate and ask for comments. The door might not have been widened enough as the author comments. It is perhaps time to understand that in as much as we would like to live in an open world, our views will always diverging to a number of directions.

Libraries have long been a source of mostly free information for many people dating back to the Library of Alexandria. Early libraries used scrolls, but Tod Colgrove suggests that more learning may have taken place via person to person learning in those spaces, then from the scrolls themselves. 2000 years later, although we have vastly upgraded the technology and have an abundance of information at our fingertips, right now we are still learning from each other by taking part in this MOOC and sharing our information and knowledge so that we can learn from each other. Another important point Colgrove makes is that as long as librarians can come up with cutting edge ways to share knowledge, there will be a place for libraries in our schools and public places.

Libraries have a role to play in our lives and the libraries of the past did the same on our ancestors. They continue to undergo metamorphosis in response to the demands of the future. Viva the spirit and the resilience of libraries!

Online education

open knowledge online teaching and learning

Thanks for sharing this write up. Though it is written in the context of African continent, it holds true for any developing country. MOOCs have potential to reach out to the masses if rightly implemented. accessibility to technology at the learner end is a a major issue and it needs to be addressed first to make MOOCs relevant and sustainable.