Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

I will be the first to admit that I love those international get-togethers with people of similar interests and affiliations. Thus I have been able to talk about open learning and educational resources with people around the world. But when these turn from creating and sharing resources to developing governance and policy, I am less enthusiastic about gathering self-selected representatives from (shall we say) the 'community'. I wonder what the reaction would be if open education policy were being decided in Brazil with representatives mostly from South America, perhaps funnded by collectives and cooperatives rather than market-focused foundations. I don't doubt anyone's good intentions (least of all my own) and I know how easy it is to sit on the sidelines and say they should be more inclusive. Still. Not everyone can afford to fly to Ireland. If the foundations are going to support policy workshops, they should ensure appropriate representation from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024 7:03 p.m.

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