[Oer-community] Global Open Access Map - lessons for OER?

[Tel Amiel]

hi all,

reflecting on wayne's point. i've managed to catch up to the discussion and I find myself wondering about our next steps. i know we're stlil in brainstorming phase and the many shared experiences have been enriching. I feel like we're moving from more simple propositions (mapping initiatives) and more complex proposals (concept mapping/connecting metadata and resources). these are very different proposals and will require substantially different resources to accomplish. 

i feel like the simplest activity - mapping initiatives and projects in a collaborative manner is not redundant and still very necessary. it is my experience that we still know very little of what happens in many locations and do not have a place to go to to establish contacts and find out about projects and people.

a suggestion - could we not think of this as less of a map, and more of a data-base? in the sense that if we have the data we can then organize it in multiple ways:

- mapping the database (visualization)
- establishing a social network (collaboration)
- enhancing it with (any sort of) metadata (connection)
- allowing folks to collaboratively engage with the "platform"...

if people are willing to share this data according to some defined schema we define, and is OPEN (continuously), it can be used to create a mapping of the initiatives, but also many other things we or others might envision. 

i have a feeling that this is sorely needed, mostly to help us "see" what initiatives exist in many locations around the world, in levels outside of higher education, especially in non-english languages.

cheers!

tel
www.educacaoaberta.org

On 21/11/2012, at 05:53, Wayne Mackintosh wrote:

> Susan,
> 
> On Wed, Nov 21, 2012 at 3:23 PM, Susan D'Antoni <susandantoni at gmail.com> wrote:
>  
> One of the issues we need to consider is whether an OER map could be developed collaboratively and what might be an appropriate organization.
> 
> Of course collaborative development should be the cornerstone of open education initiatives That said, I think the question of collaborative development is predicated on a number of critical path questions, for example:
> Clarity and / or  rough consensus on the purpose of the mapping exercise. I'm not sure that we have consensus on what it is we are trying to achieve -- so its hard to say whether my organisation (or myself as individual) will be able to participate in collaborative development.   I'm more than willing to collaborate on something which adds value to the OER initiative - -but am not sure on what it is that we are going to collaborate on. 
> Will the visualisations be based on open standards, open APIs and open source software? I'm not sure that we've answered this question. If not, this would preclude a number of communities from participating. The examples shown to date are based on Google Maps -- which create challenges for participation for a number of communities. For instance, working for the OER Foundation I am not permitted to contribute to projects which do not meet the standards of free cultural works approved licenses as a matter of policy. 
> Are there any other critical path questions?
> -- 
> Wayne Mackintosh, Ph.D. 
> Director OER Foundation
> Director, International Centre for Open Education, Otago Polytechnic
> Commonwealth of Learning Chair in OER, Otago Polytechnic
> Founder and elected Community Council Member, WikiEducator
> Mobile +64 21 2436 380
> Skype: WGMNZ1
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