Just published as part of the Unitwin Network on Open Education 23 good reasons… to adopt Open Education
Sharing knowledge by Benedetta Calonaci
Benedetta Calonacci is a librarian at Università di Firenze (Italy).
Since the dawn of time, the transmission of knowledge has been the driving force behind the evolution of humanity. Knowledge that is handed down from teacher to pupil, from generation to generation, that rises ‘on the shoulders of giants’ , that is propagated through exchanges, comparisons, contaminations, that evolves, transforms and declines in the most unpredictable results. Knowledge, by its very nature, seeks comparison and the other-than-self; knowledge only grows if it is shared.
The digital and globalised society in which we live has all the tools necessary to liberate and spread all forms of knowledge. But the very realisation that ‘knowledge is power’ has created, and continues to create, mechanisms of resistance, closure and the desire to control.
Against these sterile and anachronistic positions, a new way of doing science has emerged, and with it a new way of communicating it: the open access , open science and open source movements are born from the idea that the sharing of knowledge can be a very powerful catalyst for technological, social and human progress.
In this sense, teaching for the new generations – and not only for them – can only be shared, sustainable, interdisciplinary and inclusive. In a word, Open education .
Breaking down the privileges of knowledge is the highest form of democracy and transparency. Our society needs an open and collaborative ‘ecosystem of knowledge’, in which anyone has the opportunity to learn, develop their skills and talents, becoming an aware citizen and participant in society and in the world.
In the past, Italy has had shining examples of ‘frontier’ teachers and educators: first and foremost, Don Lorenzo Milani , who under the motto ‘I care’ laid the foundations for a new ethical and inclusive school.
Today, new technologies provide tools that make it easy to overcome all kinds of barriers: whether they are geographical barriers (a global network means we are all interconnected); language barriers (automatic translation tools are now available to everyone); economic barriers (open educational resources are free of charge); physical barriers (open education leaves no one behind, using tools and techniques that overcome physical and learning disabilities).
Furthermore, the benefits of open and collaborative education are many and tangible:
It guarantees quality educational support to those in the peripheries of the world and society who cannot afford to buy books and school materials;
It supports the development of skills throughout life, so that every ‘curious mind’ can realise their right to evolve and express themselves at any age;
It provides free, high-quality training opportunities for professionals and public officials, enhancing skills and accelerating innovation, especially in key sectors such as technology, medicine and environmental sustainability;
It saves on the use of public resources, increasing taxpayer confidence;
It reduces the consumption of paper and materials related to the book supply chain; an open and collaborative educational resource will not require reprints and new editions, it will travel on constantly updated media and be accompanied by supplementary materials;
It reduces the distance between teacher and student, enhancing the active role of the latter in the creation of content;
and the list could go on and on.
What is important to emphasise is that open educational resources are the highest fruit of the ‘knowledge ecosystem’ we mentioned above; but at the same time they are its foundations, from which it feeds and finds new life. In this ecosystem, every atom of knowledge is precious and is enriched by the contribution of others, to develop over time and become the heritage of all humanity.
The younger generations will be able to adopt this shared approach, the more they have experienced the value of an open, quality education, and they will know that they can rely on trustworthy sources throughout their lives to satisfy their very human need to know.
Because ‘You were not made to live like brutes, but to pursue virtue and knowledge…’ (Dante Alighieri).
Detail of “The School of Athens”, fresco by Raphael (1509) for the Vatican Palace, Wikimedia Commons , Public Domain
Link: https://euniwell-open-education.univ-nantes.fr/sharing-knowledge/