Brewing a perfect OER storm for the future of post-secondary education.

19 views
Skip to first unread message

Wayne Mackintosh

unread,
Nov 6, 2011, 5:30:34 AM11/6/11
to WikiEducator, oer-uni...@googlegroups.com, oer-advocac...@googlegroups.com, OER-...@lists.esn.org.za
How do you plan and implement a global and open planning meeting to establish the OER university (OERu) network with more than 30 participating countries?

The OERu will provide free learning opportunities for all students worldwide with pathways to gain formal academic credit form the 13 Founding anchor partners. (We hope that all accredited institutions will join us in the future -- but we have achieved the critical mass to move forward -- working with a few global OER pioneers.)  

The OER Foundation subscribes to radical transparency. We conduct all our planning activities openly in WikiEducator. 

This week, 13 Foundation Anchor partners will convene face-to-face in Dunedin, New Zealand for the OERu implementation planning meeting.  Our challenge has been to provide scalable ways for the world to participate openly in this planning meeting. 

This is what we are planning to do -- (I hope it works):

  • All plenary sessions will be streamed live on the Internet with thanks to funding support from UNESCO
  • We will support a live backchannel using microbloging (Identi.ca and Twitter). #OERu posts will displayed live on a separate data projector and screen for the face-to-face participants in New Zealand. Virtual participants will be able to post questions via the #OERu feed during the live panel sessions.
  • BCcampus are helping the OERF with technical support and will set up a few Etherpad documents as collaborative, real-time editing spaces for the virtual break-out groups working. The virtual groups will be working in parallel with the face-to-face breakout groups in Dunedin.
  • Each group feedback session will include feedback from the virtual participant group(s) -- yes virtual feedback can influence the decision-making process of the OERu founding anchor partners.
  • Decisions made by the founding anchor partners will be recorded live in WikiEducator. 
The information hub for all these activities and links is the meeting agenda page we have been drafting in the wiki: Meeting participants should bookmark this page: 


  • Green shaded blocks show the live plenary webstream slots
  • International time zone links are provided for each live plenary (start scheduling your diaries according to local time zones)
  • Place holder links for separate etherpad docs for the virtual breakout sessions and the pdf summary of the SCoPE seminar recommendation for inaugural credential -- we'll post these soon. 
  • Have added QR code graphics for easy linking to the relevant webpages for folk who would like to follow the meeting using their mobile devices.
If you want to participate and join our planning team, you should register as a virtual participant. Your registration will enable the OER foundation to provide you with the instructions and support information to participate in this landmark meeting.

You can register here:


Look forward to seeing all OER supporters online next week.

With kind regards
Wayne

--
Wayne Mackintosh, Ph.D.
Director OER Foundation
Director, International Centre for Open Education,
Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand.
Founder and elected Community Council Member, WikiEducator
Mobile +64 21 2436 380
Skype: WGMNZ1
Twitter | identi.ca
Wikiblog

Ravi Limaye

unread,
Nov 12, 2011, 12:28:17 AM11/12/11
to WikiEducator
I am happy the event went off well.
I saw videos on ustream and the entusiasm of the participants was
evident.
This is the begining of the "ACTION"
Reagrds,
Ravi Limaye

gene loeb

unread,
Nov 12, 2011, 8:22:25 PM11/12/11
to wikied...@googlegroups.com
HI all,
I also was present via streaming, except when the powere went offf, and I was amazed at the high achievement in a short time, the organizing, participation and results. I am very impressed in Wayne and his remarkable leadership. I will be here to do my small [art in helping.
Gene
Gene  Loeb, Ph.D.


--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "WikiEducator" group.
To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org
To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator
To post to this group, send email to wikied...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
wikieducator...@googlegroups.com

simonfj

unread,
Nov 13, 2011, 11:31:57 PM11/13/11
to wikied...@googlegroups.com, oer-uni...@googlegroups.com, oer-advocac...@googlegroups.com, OER-...@lists.esn.org.za
I've only one thing to say to you and the team.

That was terrific!
I doubt if people understand the complexities of trying to do a "live cross", especially when yu have so many people in the one room.
Sound was good (except when splitting the video signal, as we discovered. The audio halved in volume)
Good video. Some nice cuts and only missed the presentation screen a few times. But on the whole it was a pleasure to watch the stream. ( I had to catch it after it had been recorded as I'm at the end of the internet on an island in malaysia and it was stuttering live. But I doubt if many others would have had that problem. It'll probably take a few more times before the interactive stuff really comes into it's own. But just so nice to see.
So who should we be saying thanks to? Just Jim? Seemed like there were a few others, including our friends at bccampus.
I don't know about a perfect storm. That'll take a bit more coordination between a few remote networks. But the wind's up now and it'll be impossible to put it back in the bottle. Hope you've got a life jacket:)
 

Wayne Mackintosh

unread,
Nov 14, 2011, 12:28:53 AM11/14/11
to wikied...@googlegroups.com, oer-uni...@googlegroups.com
Simon appreciate the feedback,

In the spirit of open collaboration, truly a team effort:

  • Students from the Otago Polytechnic School of Design  filmed the meeting using a two camera shoot in the Council room.  The room is not ideal for a professional shoot given seating arrangements for 22 participants in a boardroom configuration with challenging back light and audio issues. 
  • Robin Day, Deputy Chief Executive of Otago Polytechnic (and amateur musician) brought his personal audio and few professional microphones. We did our best with  a venue not designed for professional acoustics.
  • Jim Tittsler  assisted with technical backup using a rather flaky and unreliable UStream client including a few smart hacks to relay the live microblog feed from three sources: Ustream chat, Twitter and identi.ca. This feed was projected live for the Dunedin participants. Jim also did a sterling job monitoring the live chat stream and feeding questions back into the meeting.
  • Peter Brook from the Education Development Center at Otago Polytechnic volunteered to help with the camera switches and subtitles of the live video feed. 
  • BCcampus in Canada provided technical support for the  Etherpad documents used by remote participants during the breakout sessions.
  • Thanks must also go to the folk who spent time designing a meeting agenda which facilitated the achievement of our meeting objectives in a way which could incorporate local and virtual engagement during the breakout sessions.
  • Funding support from UNESCO to enable a live webstream, albeit a very tight budget.
Designing an international open planning meeting is not a trivial exercise. With each iteration the OER Foundation gets better at doing this. As you will appreciate in a live scenario using "amateur" technologies, less than ideal venues and all that usually goes wrong with a live broadcast -- our asset is a committed OER community that will succeed in providing free learning opportunities for all students worldwide. 

We are charting the history of the future for more sustainable and affordable education for all. With the webstream, recordings and collaborative documents on the wiki and Etherpad all interested persons will be able to access the meeting activities asynchronously. 

Wayne  


 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "WikiEducator" group.
To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org
To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator
To post to this group, send email to wikied...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
wikieducator...@googlegroups.com

Kathleen Zarubin

unread,
Nov 14, 2011, 3:38:34 PM11/14/11
to wikied...@googlegroups.com, oer-uni...@googlegroups.com
Congratulations to all listed below (& Wayne of course)  - It was a fantastic experience to be a virtual participant and for me, just listening in on the discussions was great professional development !  I hope the “Students from the Otago Polytechnic School of Design     (who) filmed the meeting ...”  are able to use this experience towards credits in their course & / or their portfolios. They really did an amazing job especially given the constraints outlined below.  Maybe if they wanted it, some kind of acknowledgement by names could be included somewhere on the site. 
 
Personally, I have also noted my (very limited) participation as part of my on-going professional development / industry engagement / life long learning journey and would encourage others who take the time to review the site & its contents to do the same, if relevant to them. 
 
Once again congrats & thanks.  It is exciting to see and watch how all this will build and develop.
Regards
Kathleen Zarubin

Wayne Mackintosh

unread,
Nov 14, 2011, 3:59:17 PM11/14/11
to oer-uni...@googlegroups.com, wikied...@googlegroups.com
Hi Kathleen,

Yes -- the OP design students will definitely be able to include their experience of filming an international webcast in their portfolio for future employment. Its real world experience and with open licensing the can demonstrate their competence!

You highlight a strategic point of difference with reference to open governance and transparent planning models when compared to closed planning approaches. 

You right. These open meetings provide professional development opportunities which at the same time contribute to future success of the model. As more individuals engage and help with planning the OER university initiative -- the organisational capability and maturity in the open education space for these institutions will improve by virtue of the tacit knowledge staff gain in OER and OEP as an "informal" professional development opportunity.

You gotta love the open model!

Cheers
Wayne 


Groups "OER university" group.
To post to this group, send email to oer-uni...@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to

simonfj

unread,
Nov 16, 2011, 1:31:02 AM11/16/11
to wikied...@googlegroups.com, oer-uni...@googlegroups.com, oer-advocac...@googlegroups.com, OER-...@lists.esn.org.za, tkla...@bccampus.ca, tf-m...@terena.org
"These open meetings provide professional development opportunities which at the same time contribute to future success of the model."

Yup! They also help to make clear how the open infrastructure is going to save institutions a heap of pennies.

Nice thing is we don't have to look to hard as to how these shared services will work. https://abt.onlinecollaborative.ca/explore/how-does-it-work.jsp

Institutions can share the same space & tools & content. https://abt.onlinecollaborative.ca/explore/participating-institutions.jsp

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. http://www.polycom.com/products/uc_infrastructure/realpresence_platform/index.html

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. http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/2011/09/r-networks-once-again-revolutionizing.html
We already know why they need the OERu AMIGOS. They actually collaborate, with any available technology. Arriba!

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Szegedi [mailto:szegedi  @terena.org]
Sent: Thursday, 10 November 2011 6:46 PM
To: tf-media@ terena.org
Subject: [tf-media] Input to the new TF-Media Terms of Reference!!!

 

Dear TF-Media participants,

 

I need your input to update the ToR of the TF-Media task force for the

new term.

 

- Firstly, I'd like to know if the list of work items below covers all

the topics and issues that you would like to discuss under the task

force. If you have a new proposal please let me/us know ASAP.

 

- Secondly, I'd like to know if you (on behalf of your organisation) are

willing to support/contribute any of the work items below. If you think

that the discussion (potential actions, outcomes) of a specific work

items helps you with your daily job or gives you the long-term vision

please confirm that your organisation can be listed under that work item.

 

- Thirdly, if you feel that you can volunteer to lead one of the work

items, please let me know ASAP.

 

*Deadline: 22 Nov 2011*

 

To be pragmatic, I'll take the list of supporters from the old ToR (if

no objections) and amend it with potential new ones. The list is:

 

NREN participants:

CARnet, CESNET, CSC/Funet, FCCN, GRNET, HEAnet, JANET(UK), NIIF,

PSNC/PIONEER, RedIRIS, SURFnet, SWITCH, UNI-C, UNINETT

 

Academic participants:

ETH Zurich, Universidad de Vigo, Østfold University College, Universidad

Carlos III de Madrid, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC),

University of Cambridge (CARET), University of Porto, University of

Nottingham, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, CINECA InterUniversity

Consortium

 

New ones (to be added):

IUCC, Level3, ISEP, ...

 

On 31/10/2011 11:42, Peter Szegedi wrote:

> The proposal is as follows:

>

> Revised focus: *TF-Media - Applied Media in Teaching and Learning*

> Chairman: Andy, SWITCH

>

> 1) Metadata and repositories (Otto, UNINETT / Fonta, RedIRIS), IUCC

> – Feasibility check

> – Content and sharing

> – Search

>

> 2) From Media to Learning Objects (Eli, IUCC / Antonio, ISEP)

> – support for e‐learning

> – Pedagogical implementations

> – Video/Web Conferencing

> – Legal and copyright aspects, Creative Commons

>

> 3) Back‐end systems (Frans, SURFnet), Level3

> – Platform development

> – Distribution and live streaming

> – MediaMosa governance

> – Media services in the cloud

>

> 4) Lecture recording and enrichment (Vicente, UVigo)

> – Best practices, collection on WikiPedia

> – Open formats and licenses

> – Automated/Mobile lecture recording

> – Select the next technology

>

> 5) Promotions and PR (Andy, SWITCH / Peter, TERENA)

> – Various target groups

> – Liaisons

>

> More can be fond here:

> http://www.terena.org/activities/media/meeting5/slides/111028-outcome.pdf

>

 

Cheers,

Peter

-----------------------------

Project Development Officer

TERENA Secretariat

Singel 468D, 1017AW Amsterdam

The Netherlands

T: +31 20 530 4488

F: +31 20 530 4499

http://www.terena.org

-----------------------------






Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages