My Day 3 started early. I frequently have 7am meetings, but today I got up extra early for a 5am OEG Voices podcast with OE Award Winners Gino Fransman @GinoFransman and Werner Westermann @wernerio. I was so glad I did.
Werner is from Chile and Gino from South Africa so the open education stories they shared are of the global south an essential complement to more prevalent global north stories. They spoke from the heart and direct experience. I found their remarks on open education profound and well said. They spoke frankly, including how difficult it can be and what keeps them going.
Throughout my OEWeek Day 3 I’ve been reflecting on two insights I walked away with from this podcast.
The first insight I’ve been thinking about is that open education is best understood through a process of doing. Advocacy and awareness raising are worthy but easily get bogged down in definitions of terms or legal implications of different open licenses. Sure terminology and open licenses are important but they aren’t the things that motivate people or generate interest.
For me this resonated with conversations we’ve been having at OEGlobal around how “openness” is a way of being. A verb not a noun.
A second insight is that open education entails being part of a global community, something largely absent in traditional education settings. Open education opens up the world. Connects us to other parts of the world. Forges global relationships with others similarly engaged. Engages an international community in a shared common purpose.
Thank you @GinoFransman and @wernerio for framing my OEWeek Day 3 experience in this way and giving me so much to think about. I see those insights manifesting in your work and the events and assets being shared by the global open education community this week.