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Already half-way thru this course and I have learned a lot; so many new digital tools, scientific fields I didn’t know existed, how education-system works in other countries, an overwhelming openness in sharing experiences and much more.
Themes for reflection for this blogpost
- what openness means for your own practice
Reading “The Battle for Open” (Weller, 2014) hits me how privileged we are in Sweden, no fees for entering schools or universities, entitled to study grants and a welfare system with daycare facilities for children if the parents are studying. I see the advantage with open education in countries not having the similar benefits as we in Sweden have. The openness, for me, is finding a way of sharing educational materials with other universities in a way that feels equal. But I think open courses will become more common in the future. Especially if you already have a job and need to be updated.
- is technology the primary driver for openness in education
Technology might not be the primary driver alone for openness in education, but very fundamental for getting things to work and to be accessible. Instead, I believe that openness contributes to inspiration, personal development and stimulation and provides an increased satisfaction, meaningfulness and this serve as a driving force.
- do you agree with the claim that knowledge should be considered a common good and be accessible as openly as possible
As a typical Swedish I prefer to be “moderate”, but there are pros with being as open as possible. The more people who have access to education and knowledge, the better it is in all social aspects. So yes, in that sense, I completely agree with that. However, with the condition that it is offered openly have to keep the same quality as other education. On the other hand, what is the guarantee of higher quality of education on campus? In fact, it could be the opposite too. So, this question makes me stagger having after reflecting on it, and I’m probably more inclined to think that openness is good.
- how to find and use openly licensed resources
It was a real eye-opener to get tips on all the resources that are available to use and to gain knowledge of ways to find materials. Creative commons was not entirely new to me, but it was good to get more reading tips on how I can use it myself, both for my own use to find material but also for sharing what I have created in a safe way. As a continuation of the thoughts above it is great with openness. I feel if you like to use free open material yourself, you should also contribute back and share.
- advantages and disadvantages of open and closed technologies
Let’s start with advantages with open technologies; they can be installed for free, continuedly updated, and for closed technologies; usually more user-friendly and access to support. Disadvantages may be the opposite for closed technologies; expensive software and not updated, and for the open; not access to all functions i.e. not user-friendly and lack of support.
- implications of different open course and MOOC formats in relation to your learning experience on this course.
Before the course started, I had no knowledge at all in the field of open courses. It has been interesting to get a picture of what types of education and courses there are available. Based on my limited experience from the university world, my opinion is that in Sweden, open courses and MOOCs are scarce. The university offers courses online, but you are still required to be admitted to access them. I think open courses would be a good first step to get more people to be given the opportunity for education. Although the prerequisites for studies are good in Sweden, there are still groups that, for various reasons, find it difficult to study when the conditions are that certain places and times apply.
Weller, M. (2014). Battle for Open: How openness won and why it doesn’t feel like victory. London: Ubiquity Press.
