OEG Connect is a Laboratory

OEGlobal Plaza
1

You are in a laboratory! The OEG Connect space has been here for a bit over two years, with over 1400 people having created accounts here. Admittedly, and I take responsibility, it has sprawled a bit and we did create too many categories. I will refrain from the trope about airplane construction in flight, but that’s what we are doing.

Bottles, beakers, titration instruments of a real chemistry lab, that is a metaphor!

“Laboratory” by ♔ Georgie R is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 found by a search in Openverse.

First, the main page view of OEG Connect will now list topics most recently added or replied to, the pulse of activity here. All the categories are available on a new left sidebar, which can be collapsed too. You can choose what categories to display there. Bu if you prefer the category view, it is a button click away.

Does this work for you?

What we really want to know is what would make OEG Connect more useful, valuable for you? What would draw you back more frequently? How should it be structured?

One way you can let us know is via a fun survey crafted by @IslaHF

Or you can reply here. In a particular we are curious:

  • How did you even notice this post?
  • What even is the OE Global Community? Is it easily defined?
  • What kinds of information, discussions, activities would be a valuable reason to return? To urge colleagues to be here?
  • What kinds of ways might you want to contribute, share here?

The lights on the laboratory are ON as we work to make this a vibran community space for open educators.

3 Likes
2

The lights are flickering in the laboratory. The list view of recent topics is not very helpful.

We’ve been creating categories for discussions rather ad hoc as we have gone the last 2 years, but they are largely how we (OEGlobal) see our work- by project, group, event.

A better goal would be some sense of organization more geared to the interests of visitors/participants here; a new idea is organizing by what emerged in a planning area as the Four Opens (or areas of focus) for OEGlobal, that go across projects/events (these were first Content, Practices, Policy, Futures but I’m trying to case them as Open _____)

  • Content - courses, OERs, tools, textbook, media, resources, open stuff
  • Practices - pedagogy, research, data, privacy, attribution, licenses
  • Policy - how institutions, organizations create systems to formally support open eduction, and includes discussions on management, leadership, strategic thinking
  • Vision - big ideas, futurism, global perspectives SDG alignment.

But this would be the first group of discussions you would say, arranged together. My sketch:

oeg-connect-x-cats
oeg-connect-x-cats1050×1400 76.7 KB

Then a group of topics like we have in the current open Plaza, places to mee, introduce oneself, find ohers, spotlight projects, list events.

Following this is a cluster of OEGlobal specific areas - CCCOER, OELATAM, Awards, OE Week,

and lastly a cluster of Archives (like the previous conferences)

It’s still a bit much and I might have it end with the first two clusters. All of the existing areas are still available from he left side navigation pane, and users can edit the ones they keep visible.

Occam called, he is sharing a razor…

1 Like