In last week's discussion on the big shift from open resources to open practices, the following issues were raised:

• Materials that are intended for open use should be developed right from the beginning with 'openness' in mind.
• Do we concentrate too much on being original, creative and 'new' rather than playing creatively and originally with something which already exists?
• Teachers are expected to think on their feet and incorporate resources, new ideas and material that students themselves may bring in.
• There is a lot to be thought about, discussed and clarified regarding 'openness' and what it means to be 'open'.
• OER are a novelty in African countries - and administrators have yet to develop their experience with them to see how policies can be shaped to support uptake.

Innovative learning and learning for innovation

In this third and last week of discussion, Roberto Carneiro, Professor at the Catholic University of Portugal, and former Minister of Education of Portugal highlights the role of open educational practices in both innovative learning, and in learning for innovation in order to enhance creativity in society. He asks:

• Can we inspire a sustainable spiral of knowledge generation, sharing and re-generation, embodied both in  new knowledge objects and new learning subjects?
• Do open educational practices conceal the potential to unleash the latent productive and creative energies of people in organizations in order that ICT and new media finally fulfill their promise to enable and empower vibrant learning communities of practice?
• How should we define a ‘competent learner of the future’:  one who is endowed with the mastery and use of a whole new range of generative learning competences?
• Would enhanced skills in self-regulated learning and social learning spark a change in the pace of uptake and diffusion of open educational practices?
• How do we achieve a renewed web 3.0  which would allow the intelligent use of open resources to become a truly transformative and creative learning experience?

You are invited to join the debate.

(YouTube window opens below)

The Open Educational Quality Initiative (OPAL) is a partnership between seven organizations including ICDE, UNESCO and ICDE member institution, the Open University UK. The project is part funded by the European Commission Education and Training Lifelong Learning Programme.  

14 June 2010