This week is the first ever, Open Education Week (March 5 - 2012). The purpose is to "raise awareness of the open education movement and its impact on teaching and learning worldwide. Participation in all events and use of all resources is free an open to anyone."
Educators, for the most part, share resources with each other. You can see this on blogs, Twitter and Google+ every day. We know that we are all in this together and we need to help other educators help our students.
This site and movement want that sharing to expand to all educators.
Open education is about sharing, reducing barriers and increasing access in education. It includes free and open access to platforms, tools and resources in education (such as learning materials, course materials, videos of lectures, assessment tools, research, study groups, textbooks, etc.). Open education seeks to create a world in which the desire to learn is fully met by the opportunity to do so, where everyone, everywhere is able to access affordable, educationally and culturally appropriate opportunities to gain whatever knowledge or training they desire.
The Twitter hashtag for Open Education Week is #openeducationwk
The site has some great resources:
ABOUT OPEN EDUCATION page for introductory documents and videos.
Once you have a feel for what open education is, there are many ways you can participate in Open Education Week:
CONNECT……..Visit the DISCUSSION page often to see the continuing global conversation happening via blogs, Twitter and postings. Check out the EVENTS AND WEBINARS schedule and join in – participation is open to everyone.
COLLECT………Find out about the diversity of open education efforts around the world. Visit thePROJECTS area and learn about open education resources and open learning opportunities available to you now. Find out what people are saying HERE. Check out the RESOURCES tab for links to even more information.
CREATE……….The “open” in open education means that you can modify them, mix them together in new ways, add your own perspectives and share them back to the world. Find out how through some of the video PRESENTATIONS. Put your thoughts down in a tweet or blog, create a video, or post a research paper.
SHARE…………Tell people about your discoveries via Twitter using the hashtag #openeducationwk. You will be able to see the live Twitter feed on the HOMEPAGE. Share your blog with us (find out how HERE). Let people know that there’s a world of free and open educational opportunities available to them now. Share your thoughts with us in the FEEDBACK area.
Google is also supporting the Open Educational Resources movement:
Join it. Connect, Collect, Create, and Share educational resources with other educators.