I had a look at the Founding partner Statements referenced during this discussion. And while I don't want to be the one who throws cold water over everything, I cannot be the only one experiencing a sense of disappointment in these statements. Each statement has a section titled "Planned contribution to the OERu logic model" and the content of these planned contributions is for the most part minimal. Indeed, most of the contributions amount to nothing! Yes, Athabasca University is "allowing students to gain a Bachelor's degree in General Studies through the OERu using challenge examinations." But the majority of proposed contributions promise nothing more than offering a few OERs, helping coordinate, and maybe publicizing the initiative. Yes, I know you need to start somewhere, but I don't think you should be starting in the 1990s. [Comment] [Direct Link] [Tags: Open Educational Resources]

This is an email that was sent out through a number of Open Educational Resources lists, from simonfj (I've converted URLs into links): "Nice thing is we don't have to look to hard as to how these shared services will work. Institutions can share the same space & tools & content. The question then is how do (let's call them) the OERu AMIGOS choose the preferred tools so we can support a few million students/teachers globally. I look at my wish list and it looks a little like an open version of this platform. Look, rather than talking about a range of technical "what ifs", let me just copy and paste the latest email from terena's taskforce for media. Their members are, I hope, the yin to the OERu's yang. I'll also note this blog entry as it points out why institutions need the NREN mousetrap builders." The message is followed with a long list of institutions and organizations participating in the "new TF-Media Terms of Reference" (if someone has a mailing list for this, please let me know, so I can follow it).

[Comment] [Direct Link] [Tags: Open Educational Resources, Web Logs, Networks, Paradigm Shift]