[Oer-community] Mapping projects

Tue Nov 20 15:07:20 MST 2012

Is one of the goals of an OER map to comprehensively document OER projects?
 To my knowledge no such data resource exists and it would be an extreme
undertaking for this group to attempt.

If we make the assumption that the database of OER projects will be
incomplete, how does that change the goals of the project?  It seems the
primary goal of the project is the phrase "OER map", followed by reasons
why a map might be useful for different goals. In my opinion, an OER map
would be useful as an overview of OER projects around the world, an
introduction to how OER is produced and consumed, and a tool for advocacy.

If the project needs comprehensive metadata on worldwide OER projects, I am
not sure that what immediately follows is a map interface to that data.

--Seth

On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 4:55 PM, Susan D'Antoni <susandantoni at gmail.com>wrote:

> Dear Paul,
>
> Thank you for your thoughtful message about the importance of an OER map
> to enable collaboration and networking.  This is an excellent point, and it
> also picks up the desire for finding contacts that has been expressed
> several times in the discussion.
>
> Best,
>
> Susan
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 12:26 PM, Paul Stacey <pstacey at creativecommons.org
> > wrote:
>
>> Susan:
>>
>> I sense within this discussion that there is a need to clarify the
>> purpose of an OER World Map.
>>
>> Much of the discussion so far has focused on a map that depicts OER
>> initiatives around the world and provides progressively deeper levels of
>> data and information about each initiative. I thought Sara Frank Bistrow's
>> Week 1 summary log did a good job of defining the data and information on
>> each OER initiative that such a map would present.
>>
>> A map that depicts OER initiatives around the world will improve the
>> findability of OER. There definitely is a need to make OER more
>> discoverable. The purpose of such a map is to connect students and teachers
>> to resources.
>>
>> However, I sense that for some participants the value proposition this
>> provides is limited. There are already many efforts to catalog and expedite
>> searching for OER. The OER World Map, as conceived of so far, will be yet
>> another one - albeit perhaps a better and more comprehensive one.
>>
>> I wonder if it might not be worth thinking of a different purpose for an
>> OER World Map. Rather than a map that emphasizes connecting people to OER
>> content I think there is a real need to generate an OER World Map that is
>> more of a social network rather than a content network. As Mary Lou Forward
>> says "a map can help foster new collaborations between projects around
>> the world". Building off Mary Lou's comment I see a stronger value
>> proposition for an OER World Map that focuses on connecting what
>> currently are isolated OER initiatives into collaborative networks. It
>> would pool the requirements and needs OER are intended to fulfill and
>> distribute the development/reuse effort more effectively across those
>> engaged in OER development and use. An OER World Map of this type shifts
>> the focus from connecting people to OER content to connecting OER users and
>> developers into networks of collaborative effort.
>>
>> Given the limited time and resources you hint at it may be more fruitful
>> to focus on an OER World Map that enables OER collaborative networks.
>>
>> --
>> Paul Stacey
>> Creative Commons
>> (e) pstacey at creativecommons.org
>> (w) http://creativecommons.org
>> (me) http://creativecommons.org/staff#paulstacey
>> (blog) http://edtechfrontier.com
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 8:21 AM, Susan D'Antoni <susandantoni at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Colleagues,
>>>
>>> As our reflection has progressed, there appears to be discussion about
>>> both OER initiatives - and OER (the resources themselves).
>>>
>>> We started out with reference to a world map of OER
>>> initiatives/projects. Mary Lou Forward articulated the focus in her early
>>> message:
>>>
>>> ********************
>>> "As the movement is maturing, more and more people are interested in
>>> what OER is, what projects are underway, who is participating and how the
>>> movement is growing and changing. A global OER map will provide a
>>> snapshot to this information - a gateway to understanding the worldwide
>>> dimensions of OER. ...
>>>
>>> In service to the OER community, a map can help foster new
>>> collaborations between projects around the world by allowing us to quickly
>>> identify projects we may not otherwise know about that could complement and
>>> strengthen our own work. As a living example of OER, this map may spur
>>> new cooperative efforts between those already engaged in OER and those
>>> interested in it."
>>> ********************
>>>
>>> There are numerous OER repositories to help people find specific
>>> resources, as well as projects working on how to improve finding resources.
>>> A number of you have been talking about some of this work.  Information
>>> about how to find could eventually be linked to a world map as a separate
>>> layer of information.  With time and energy and perhaps some resources,
>>> it could be possible to add more layers to a world map of initiatives
>>> later.
>>>
>>> But we might have a better chance of success in building a comprehensive
>>> world map of initiatives or projects if we started with a relatively
>>> limited amount of information on each initiative.
>>>
>>> Start big - the world, but small - the amount of information on each
>>> project ...
>>>
>>> Thoughts?
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Susan
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Oer-community mailing list
>>> Oer-community at athabascau.ca
>>> https://deimos.cs.athabascau.ca/mailman/listinfo/oer-community
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Paul Stacey
>> Creative Commons
>> (e) pstacey at creativecommons.org
>> (w) http://creativecommons.org
>> (me) http://creativecommons.org/staff#paulstacey
>> (blog) http://edtechfrontier.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Oer-community mailing list
>> Oer-community at athabascau.ca
>> https://deimos.cs.athabascau.ca/mailman/listinfo/oer-community
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Susan D'Antoni
>
> Advisor to the President
> International OER Initiatives
> Athabasca University
> Canada
> tel 613 232 6496
> skype iiepsusan
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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