3rd Learning Reflection

 Along this last session, we have been directed towards activities and tasks which gave us indications on the right license to be used on our OERs. The different possible types of licenses were analysed and it was advanced that the CC-BY license was the best one to be used for all OERs.

The session started with the sharing of our thoughts on a videopost from Frances Ferreira. She highlighted the increasing number of out school children in different developing countries around the world. The number of these children is alarming and keeps us realizing that even today, education is not free for everyone. Many people around the world cannot afford schooling because the education system is too costly for them. Some of these expenses are transport, learning materials, uniform, accessories and many others. However, investing on technological resources which will allow students to get in touch with OERs will help in spreading free education for everyone by making it more accessible.

The second activity based on the recommendation of Ahrash Bissell on the fact that CC-BY is the best license. It helped me analyze further more on the attributes which will be derived from this specific license. It is true that the more restrictive a CC license is, the more the OER will be affected in terms of its usability. An OER should be accessible by most means and restrictions derived from some CC licenses may not produce results which we are expecting as the promoters of free education worldwide. In this way, keeping it simple with a CC-BY license will surely serve the main purpose of our posting which is to educate freely. The next activity allowed me to reflect on the sharing of materials under the license CC-BY permits the author of the resource to allow sharing without the ‘share-alike’ restriction. Thus, someone may use this resource by adapting it to specific situations and share it again with a view to promote effective teaching and learning. In this sense, sharing through CC-BY licenses leads to greater freedoms and greater possibilities to enhance learning.

The video from Chris Betcher presented Creative Commons license as being an alternative to copyright. Copyright assumes you cannot use anything until you get permission whereas Creative Commons  allows you using it under permissions. I agree to the fact that things we do now will build the next generation and that if nowadays, we have the tendency to ‘illegally use’ copyrighted materials because of the imposed restrictions, the next generation will do same, assuming that it is the normal way of doing it. The debate on whether to include NC or not in the licenses has been a very sensitive issue. I personally think that for education to be free, NC should not be included on the licenses of OERs. Finally, the initiative of the OER University to provide free learning opportunities to post secondary students worldwide using OER courses is according to me a very good initiative. This will give students the opportunity to get to know this modern system of learning and enjoy all the benefits associated with it.

 
This online workshop has helped me a lot in discovering the field of protection of works which formerly was not of great interest to me. I was using online materials without bothering about the restrictions as long as this was not for commercial use. However, I have learned a lot through this workshop, and I can say that Creative Common licenses will help me a lot to publish my future OER which I aim to implement in my way of teaching.

E-Activity 4.1 – Remix and Reflection

Graphic design is a creative process between a client and a designer, traditionally completed in conjunction with producers of form (printers, sign makers, programmers etc.). Graphic design is created to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience. The field is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Graphic designers use various methods to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use a combination of typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce a final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Reference:
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_Design)
(Retrieved on 17th Sept 2013)
 Creative Commons License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

Reference:
StockArch (http://stockarch.com/images/business-and-industry/art-design/graphic-design-2083)
(Retrieved on 17th Sept 2013)
 Creative Commons License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

There is some debate whether computers enhance the creative process of graphic design. Rapid production from the computer allows many designers to explore multiple ideas quickly with more detail than what could be achieved by traditional hand-rendering or paste-up on paper, moving the designer through the creative process more quickly. However, being faced with limitless choices does not help isolate the best design solution and can lead to endless iterations with no clear design outcome.
A graphic designer may use sketches to explore multiple or complex ideas quickly without the distractions and complications of software. Hand-rendered comps are often used to get approval for an idea execution before a designer invests time to produce finished visuals on a computer or in paste-up. The same thumbnail sketches or rough drafts on paper may be used to rapidly refine and produce the idea on the computer in a hybrid process. This hybrid process is especially useful in logo design where a software learning curve may detract from a creative thought process. The traditional-design/computer-production hybrid process may be used for freeing one's creativity in page layout or image development as well. In the early days of computer publishing, many "traditional" graphic designers relied on computer-savvy production artists to produce their ideas from sketches, without needing to learn the computer skills themselves. However, this practice has been increasingly less common since the advent of desktop publishing over 30 years ago. The use of computers and graphics software is now taught in most graphic design courses.
Nearly all of the popular and "industry standard" software programs used for graphic design since the early 1990s are products of Adobe Systems Incorporated. They are Adobe Photoshop (a raster-based program for photo editing), Adobe Illustrator (a vector-based program for drawing), Adobe InDesign (a page layout program), and Adobe Dreamweaver (for Web page design). Another major page layout tool is QuarkXpress (a product of Quark, Inc., a separate company from Adobe). Both QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign are often used in the final stage of the electronic design process. Raster images may have been edited in Adobe Photoshop, logos and illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, and the final product assembled in one of the major page layout programs. Most graphic designers entering the field since about 1990 are expected to be proficient in at least one or two of these programs.

Reference:
Deviantart (http://m-thirteen.deviantart.com/art/Graphic-Design-Illustration-185553305)
(Retrieved on 17th Sept 2013)
 Creative Commons License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License

 

Extract of all rights reserved content legitimately used in the Copyright Act of Mauritius 1997

Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The text and images belong to legal entities and individuals and are all subject to copyright and other intellectual property protection. The above article may not be copied for commercial use or distribution, but may be modified or shared to others.

Reflections on my experiences of this activity
This activity was very enriching as it fostered much learning on copyright and creative commons issues to finally put into practice all the learned materials. This activity has specially helped me in searching for relevant articles on the internet which were under licences permitting sharing and remixing. Moreover, this activity has given me the opportunity to get access to photos which could be used freely for sharing purposes.

The article selected for this activity was obtained from wikipedi.org under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The first picture used was obtained from stockarch.com under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License and the second one was obtained from deviantart.com under the license Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. 

All the resources used for the preparation of this blog were under licenses which permitted the free use of the resources, but under certain specific conditions. In this sense, this activity enlightened me by putting into practice what I have learned on creative commons, copyright as well as the national copyright act of my country. From this activity, skills have been developed for the sharing of my teaching materials under licenses which best suit my choice on how I want these materials to be used by others.

E-Activity - Copyright MCQ

Scenario:

Paul is a Design and Technology (DT) educator working in a secondary school in Mauritius since the past 6 years. He strives a lot to adapt himself as well as his teaching materials with the modern trend in order to be up to date to the fast changing world of today and in turn, gain the maximum attention and interest of his modern students, especially upper classes. His classes are held in the Design and Technology Lab wherein he uses various technological tools such as wireless internet connections and networked computers to share OER such as writings, photos and videos.

As per the DT requirements for A Level, students should complete a coursework which will be accounted as a percentage of their final marks. As students very often work on their respective coursework outside the classroom, Paul has created an e platform wherein he posts learning resources for the DT coursework which may be accessed by the students at any time after logging in. The learning resources comprises of Paul’s personal guidelines for courseworks, the syllabus for Cambridge A Level from http://www.cie.org.uk, and pictures of existing courseworks that Paul uploaded with his digital camera.

Multiple Choice Questions:

Question 1:

Has Paul the right to include the Cambridge Syllabus from the website http://www.cie.org.uk?

A.      Yes

Correct – Under the terms and conditions of the website http://www.cie.org.uk, it is clearly stipulated that resources available from this website may be for personal use or to assist in preparing students at a school for an examination provided by Cambridge International Examinations.

B.      No

Incorrect – Under the terms and Conditions of the website http://www.cie.org.uk, one may use the resources of the website for personal use or to assist in preparing students at a school for an examination provided by Cambridge International Examinations.

Question 2:

Can Paul remix and modify the syllabus of Cambridge included among the education resources?

A.      Yes

Incorrect - Under the terms and conditions of the website http://www.cie.org.uk, it is clearly stipulated that the user should not change, modify, delete, interfere with or misuse data contained on the Site.

B.      No

Correct - Under the terms and conditions of the website http://www.cie.org.uk, it is clearly stipulated that the user should not change, modify, delete, interfere with or misuse data contained on the Site.

<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>.

Learning Reflection on Session 2 #OCL4Ed

This second part of the course has definitely put me on the right track, by providing me with clear and precise information about what really is an Open Education Resource (OER), its associated characteristics and benefits, and its implementation in respect to the institution where I work. The embedded videos as well as the recommended readings have enlightened my thoughts towards what is an OER, and its optimum use.

The video signpost from David Wiley has enlightened me on the fact that an OER is always free to access as well as free to be reused, revised, remixed and redistributed – what he categorizes as the 4Rs. I always thought that education resources made available should be used originally as it appeared because of copyright purposes; But after looking at the second video by Eben Moglen and Lawrence Lessig, my mindset changed completely. I totally agree on the idea that education is based on free sharing of ideas, and for sharing to be done freely and at a free rate, copyrights should not be imposed on education resources made available. However, I think that terms and conditions may be applied in order to ensure that the information is being shared correctly and for learning purposes.

The activity which involved me in coming up with a proper definition for OER has helped myself in researching deeper in the field. I could find that OER is a digital material which can be completely or which comprises of a specific version that can be accessed freely by the user. The materials provided throughout the OER may be reused, revised, remixed and redistributed with a view to promote and/or enhance learning. Along with the researches made, I also identified arguments for and against the implementation of OER in the institution where I work. A possible barriers which may hinder the implementation of OER at the institution is the lack of adequate technological resources both in the institution and at students’ place. This is mostly because students of this particular institution as most of the time from low budget families, who strive a lot to earn living, and for them, these technological advancements would be a luxury, requiring considerable investment.

However, a clear opportunity which I identified which may promote the implementation of OER in the institution is by introducing a new field of study in the curriculum. This new field should be entirely based on OER and financial support from the government would be of great benefit for the implementation of the technological requirements at school as well as at the students’ place. Various benefits would be enjoyed from this modern way of learning from various points of views, namely: from students, teachers as well as the concerned institution.

Learning Reflection on Session 1 #OCL4Ed

 Teaching has been co existing along with human beings since long. It is, to my point of view, both a vocation and a profession. I firmly believe that one should have some inborn qualities to be a good teacher. In this sense, teaching can be treated as a vocation. However, specific training will help in building up a more adapted teacher, who uses the available resources efficiently, with an aim to deliver accurately and efficiently.

A broad definition which may be given to describe this process is: the imparting of knowledge to someone or a group of people. The main reason why we teach is to impart knowledge. So, as a teacher, one should make sure that the knowledge is being properly imparted, in other words, the objectives set are being met. Along with the changing generations of learners, the mindset and attitude of learners are also changing. In this sense, it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to render his/her delivery more adaptable to the new generation of learners.

Reflecting on Stephen Downes’ video, I totally agree to the idea that teaching is effective when all the partners involved in the process are allowed to share and react freely. This may be fostered through modern educational resources such as educational software, e-learning platforms and online forums wherein students are given opportunities to interact virtually. By adopting these resources, teachers’ roles are to monitor the progress of students in posting the required tasks and act as facilitators, by giving indications and not by spoon feeding.

Desmond Tutu’s video on freedom in education highlights the milestones achieved by the University of the Western Cape (UWC) on freedom in education. I firmly think that new resources which are made available in the educational field such as educational software and open resources for education are the new ways to create.  These resources are indeed changing the world for the better.