[Oer-community] What have maps ever done for us?

Wed Nov 28 12:39:35 MST 2012

I would like to add another dimension to this discussion: time.
Anybody who has looked at the Gapminders work knows that it is a
wonderful resource for comparing the progress of countries, and for
raising important questions. Why did this country or this group of
countries move counter to the general trends? Why is this country an
outlier, for good or ill? Where can we look to create the greatest
immediate benefits, and where are longer-term efforts vital to cure
systemic problems?

I am thus suggesting that we not only collect dates on projects and
resources, but build our map so that we can look at what was available
worldwide in any given year, and so that we can integrate our data
with the Gapminders data and our views with their views.

A simple example: providing elementary information on prenatal care
and childbirth for free in a district in India reduced infant and
maternal death by about half each.

On Wed, Nov 28, 2012 at 12:22 PM, Paul Stacey
<pstacey at creativecommons.org> wrote:
> Andy:
>
> Thanks for this comprehensive description of what an OER map could do.
>
> I particularly want to support your call for an OER map of connections.
>
> This correlates very well with a similar post I made earlier to this forum
> suggesting we generate an OER World Map that is more of a social network
> rather than a content network. I see a stronger value proposition for an OER
> World Map that focuses on connecting what currently are isolated OER
> initiatives into collaborative networks. You suggest that a map of
> connections could enable organizations to highlight what other organizations
> they have worked with and identify networks of activity around different
> aspects of OER work to make it easier for connections between initiatives to
> form. I think this is totally bang on. Most OER initiatives are fairly
> isolated from one another and I think an OER Map that helps generate
> connections between initiatives could be incredibly useful. I particularly
> am hopeful that we can move to an OER development approach that makes it a
> priority to, even before development of OER begins, find others beyond the
> local need who have an interest and need for the OER being developed. An OER
> World Map of connections could help us fulfill the promise of reuse by
> connecting development efforts with those with a need for the OER once
> development is complete.
>
> In my earlier suggestion I took this one step further. I believe an OER
> World Map focused on generating connections could connect OER users, not
> just developers, into networks of collaborative effort. I think OER
> development today is largely separated from, and not seeking feedback from,
> end users. An OER World Map of connections could provide a means for the
> intended beneficiaries of OER to express needs/requirements, and give
> feedback on their experiences of OER use. Why not provide a means for end
> users to have input into defining upfront requirements for OER? It could
> 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 connections could begin to form community around OER
> development similar to that which supports open source software development.
>
> --
> Paul Stacey
> Creative Commons
> (e) pstacey at creativecommons.org
> (w) http://creativecommons.org
> (me) http://creativecommons.org/staff#paulstacey
> (blog) http://edtechfrontier.com
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 28, 2012 at 5:57 AM, Andy.Lane <Andy.Lane at open.ac.uk> wrote:
>>
>> Hi
>>
>>
>>
>> My apologies for this long email but I want to try and set out all the
>> assumptions for my argument.
>>
>>
>>
>> The challenge we were set, as I see it, is to try to specify a mapping
>> process that would be of use to the growing OER movement or community. We
>> have been presented with one or two exemplars and some discussion of what it
>> should feature but I want to go back to some first principles about why
>> mapping could be a useful venture.
>>
>>
>>
>> Maps are representations of the world as we find it, to help us make sense
>> of that world and to act within that world. They are partial snapshots of
>> that world and depend to a large degree on the representativeness and
>> relevance of the data and/or information used to construct them. That data
>> can also be quantitative (numbers in most cases) or qualitative (words in
>> most cases) that are arranged in some spatial form. They are also normally
>> either representations of what the world is like or what we think it ought
>> to be like but should not mix the two together.  The value of maps and many
>> other types of diagrams is that they show the relationships between things
>> as well as the things themselves. And in particular where there are lots of
>> things and lots of relationships map are able to show patterns that are not
>> so evident from the ‘raw’ data. That is why data visualisation is becoming
>> an important area of study.
>>
>>
>>
>> So maps are there to help us ‘see’ things we may not otherwise have seen
>> and to make connections we might not otherwise have noticed.
>>
>>
>>
>> The question for me then becomes one of: what things and what connections
>> would I like to see represented to help me better understand the world of
>> the OER movement and to help me act within it.
>>
>>
>>
>> Well the ‘things’ could be OER themselves (but there are lots of those and
>> they keep changing or getting added to all the time); people creating/using
>> OER (ditto); organisations creating/using OER (there are fewer of these and
>> change less often but their degree of involvement with OER could be highly
>> variable); websites ‘hosting’ or ‘promoting’ OER (could be more of them than
>> organisations – The OU has a number of such websites – but they also do
>> ‘die’ more often); and OER initiatives/projects (some of these are multi
>> organisational but they do show significant OER activity but are also very
>> time limited because of funding). The type of data to be collected on each
>> of these is quite different. Overall I am tending towards mapping
>> organisations as the primary ‘thing’ but with the websites and/or projects
>> they are involved as ‘secondary’ things to capture as a kind of ‘linked’
>> data so the map can show those different takes if need be. Because of the
>> temporal issue I note above I also think we need data on when a ‘thing’
>> starts and when it finished (if appropriate) as this will enable us to see
>> the changes (hopefully growth) in all three both temporally across the globe
>> but also within regions and countries (and so we need data on a location for
>> the organisation or all parts of an organisation is it has multiple sites).
>>
>>
>>
>> Then there are the connections. The above mapping of things will highlight
>> some existing connections (e.g. organisations working on the same project)
>> but the fact that organisations are included could enable those
>> organisations to also highlight what other organisations they have worked
>> with or are working with and why (e.g. research; translating OER). If users
>> of the site can both add and amend entries with new information as it arises
>> and the purpose of the connection is flagged by an agreed set of keywords
>> then such a map would serve the purpose of highlighting networks of activity
>> around different aspects of OER work (publishing; science teaching,
>> assessment, translating, researching, outreach etc) and so make it easier
>> for folk in one organisation to find other organisations with folk who may
>> be interested in collaborating and sharing ideas and content etc.
>>
>>
>>
>> Overall the map could act as a mediating agent for people to find people
>> to share with proactively (not to find OER per se as there are other means
>> to do that as others have commented on). Sounds a bit like linkedin for
>> organisations but done through a map ... hmm is that idea copyrighted?!
>>
>>
>>
>> Andy
>>
>>
>>
>> A.B.Lane, Professor of Environmental Systems, Programme Director for EDIS
>> and Qualification Director for BSc Environmental Management and Technology
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an
>> exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC
>> 038302).
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Paul Stacey
> Creative Commons
> (e) pstacey at creativecommons.org
> (w) http://creativecommons.org
> (me) http://creativecommons.org/staff#paulstacey
> (blog) http://edtechfrontier.com
>
>
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