106

COSL’s Seth Gurrell is blogging our new OER Handbook project. The project goal is to provide a free online resource (and low-cost printed resource for offline use) that provides an introduction to the OER world and helps people learn how to participate. We’ll be starting with materials from Wikieducator, OLCOS, our recent OER Interoperability meeting, and other places around the web. If you know of additional sources, please let Seth know! We understand fully that the project won’t succeed if only a small number of people are involved. Seth will be working diligently to make sure that we have good participation from the community in the project, and will make sure that this open project stays open from start to finish. He currently is asking for the community’s feedback on the table of contents. Please get involved and help make this resource the best it can be.

Just found an interesting article about “social objects” via Stephen Downes. Back when I was writing more actively about learning objects, and the desperate need for us to consider the importance of social interaction in learning, I recommended that the proper way to think about educational content was as a campfire. The campfire does, of course, have important nonsocial functions (like providing heat) just like educational content has important nonsocial functions (like conveying information), but the most important function of both the campfire and educational content is the manner in which it draws people together. A good campfire is a thing around which storytelling, singing, and other social interactions happen. The same is true for the best educational content - it draws people into arguments, explorations, discussions, relationships, and friendships. ...