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En studentuppsats om Creative Commons licenser och svensk rätt har nyligen publicerats vid Göteborgs universitet. CC är en licensform som är mycket intressant för publicering av öppna, digitala läromedel. Uppsatsen kan laddas ner här: "Creative Commons licenser i svensk rätt. En analys av tillämpligheten samt anpassning till svensk rätt" (PDF) [Från Karl Jonsson's weblog]

 From Demos [http://www.demos.co.uk/catalogue/wideopen/]

The rise of the Internet has made it possible for knowledge to be created and shared in ways that emphasise its character as a common good, rather than as something to be owned.

In the world of open source programming, the computer software is distributed under licence, allowing users to change or share the software’s source code – the human readable version of a computer programme.

This open and collaborative approach to creating knowledge has produced remarkable results, such as the Linux operating system and the web-based encyclopaedia Wikipedia. In defiance of the conventional wisdom of modern business, open source methods have led the main underlying innovations around the Internet.

Other fields have much to learn from open source methods – because they bring principles and working methods which can help to produce better knowledge, goods or services, or make them available on more widely beneficial terms.

From the formulation of public policy to more open forms of academic peer review, setting up mutual support groups for people facing similar health problems to collaborative forms of social innovation, the principles of open source promise to radically alter the we approach complex social problems.

The future potential of these methods is such that they will soon become commonplace in our lives. Just as it is now impossible to think about getting things done without considering the role of the Internet, so will it soon be impossible to think about how to solve a large social problem without considering the role of open methods.

Download (pdf) report 

e-society: Effektivare deltagande i offentlig upphandling för SME genom elektronisk lärmiljö

Rapporten innehåller de mest intressanta kapitlen ur det projektförslag ”Effektivare deltagande i offentlig upphandling för SME genom elektronisk lärmiljö – SME-Ask” som inlämnades till Vinnovas utlysning ”Innovativ utveckling av gränsöverskridande offentliga e-tjänster (GRO)” hösten 2004. Vinnova fick in 127 projektförslag. 15 av dessa valdes ut för vidare utvärdering. SME-Ask var ett av dessa. Av de 15 valdes i en andra utvärderingsomgång slutligen de 5 projektförslag som skulle få anslag. SME-Ask fanns tyvärr inte med bland de 5. Dock är det initiativtagarnas fulla övertygelse om att orsaken snarare låg i vissa oklarheter kring genomförande än i den presenterade projektidén. Projektidén har därför bedömts värd att presentera för en bredare krets. Kanske kan den inspirera någon till vidareutveckling? 

Från BECTA: An introduction to learning platforms for school leaders

Brittiska BECTA har publicerat en introducerande text om virtuella lärmiljöer (VLE). Texten vänder sig till skolledare och är skriven som en enkel introduktion till området. I texten förklaras bl.a. olika begrepp såsom LMS, VLE, MLE etc. på ett enkelt - och i stort sett korrekt sätt… Syftet med texten är ett ge en lätt introduktion för skolans beslutsfattare inför introduktion av en virtuell lärmiljö.

Jag kan rekommendera texten till beslutsfattare och intresserade lärare som vill veta lite mer om virtuella lärmiljöer. Några ytterligare referenser som kan ge olika grad av fördjupning är:

• En samling rapporter om öppen källkod (relevant vid val av VLE)
• CETIS artikel: Open source e-learning technology hits prime time 
• Bosse Anderssons text om virtuella lärmiljöer (som dock har några år på nacken och är i vissa delar är obsolet)
• Min gamla text om modularisering av  virtuella lärmiljöer - "Virtuella Arbetsmiljöer
  - En fallbeskrivning i konsten att bygga med klossar (2002)" (som också har några år på nacken och är i vissa delar är obsolet)
• Vår text: En publik e-lärandeplattform byggd på kunskapsmångfalder, öppen källkod och öppna IT-standarder, Rapport till Nätuniversitetet (som en del av deras förstudie till en nationell IT-portal för
• Från JISC: A non- technical guide to technical frameworks
• Mitt paper om en lärobjekt-taxonomi för modularisering av virtuella lärmiljöer 
• CETIS artikel: e-learning tech that is fit for purpose, innovative and sustainable
• CETIS artikel: How to let educational systems talk
• Några tankar från Scott Wilson om "The VLE of the future"
• Från JISC: "e-framework" och "e-learning framework"
• Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF)

Denna referenslista kommer att uppdateras kontinuerligt.

I’ve got a paper accepted for the eChallenges Conference in Ljubljana. This paper reports about our current research on Semantic Web technology for distributed metadata annotations. The paper will be published after 21 October. We hope to be able to continue this development during 2006.

Abstract: The use of information structure and metadata for the National Curriculum becomes more and more crucial as the demands for advanced eLearning services increases. In a Swedish pilot project a simple information model was developed and tested on the National Curriculum. An implementation of a common XML based Mark-up Language called TEI was used for the first approach. An alternative model where three different kinds of metadata where identified and separated using RDF, XML and Annotea as core technologies was used for the second approach. Two approaches where tested and evaluated against five criteria. It was found that XML-based mark-up languages like TEI fail in cases where complex metadata and a combination of several metadata models are required. In conclusion we argue for the importance of separating information structure, descriptive metadata (including semantics) and catalogue metadata.

In Volume 31(1) Winter / hiver 2005 of the Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology an article by Gary Hepburn was published, titled Open Source Software and Schools: New Opportunities and Directions. Interesting is that the article in many ways confirms the conclusions made by BECTA in their report on the use of Open Source software (OSS) in schools.

Abstract: Integrating information and communication technology into schools has been challenging. A central component of the challenge is coping with the expense and usage restrictions of software that is installed on school computers. An alternative approach to the educational software problem is, however, emerging. This approach involves making greater use of open source software. In many cases open source software can effectively replace the proprietary or commercial software that dominates the educational computing landscape. Using this software option would result in decreased costs, increased flexibility, and increased opportunities to address social and ethical issues related to information and communication technology. In order to responsibly spend taxpayers’ money and to maximize the potential of information and communication technology in education, it is important that educators learn about open source software and challenge conceptions that give priority to proprietary software.

The article is found here.

The Open University of the Netherlands arranges a conference on Open Source for Education in Europe.

Open Source Software (OSS) is of increasing interest in education. It can provide better quality software, increased pedagogic choice, enhanced flexibility and new business and social models. Furthermore, the idea of Open Source is being extended into other areas including the production of e-learning materials. 

The conference takes place November 14 - 15, 2005.

On presenting his new plan for information technology in Norway - "eNorge 2009 – the digital leap", Norwegian Minister of Modernization Morten Andreas Meyer today at a press conference in Oslo declared "Proprietary formats will no longer be acceptable in communication between citizens and government.

Read more here 

Some ideas worth considering. From XplanaZine

James Farmer has added to the dialogue that Stephen Downes and I have been having on the possibility of a free curriculum.

James says "Here’s my take — in 95% of cases curriculum is artificial, unhelpful and obstructive. Learning has in many contexts become what it is not about, content." I could not agree more with this statement. Learning is not about technology. It is not about institutions and administration. It is not about legislation and it is not about standards or practices. It is ultimately about the accrual of wisdom, about people helping other people grow up and grow out. In that sense, the only hope we have is the "free" curriculum because, as James points out, the rest is about something else.

Having thought about this for several days, I would like to propose the beginnings of a Manifesto for a Free Curriculum. I am offering up this initial version as a very rough list. It is my hope that others will respond and add to it. This list is necessarily incomplete as it reflects only my personal perspective. In keeping with what I believe to be the essence of learning and social evolution, I rely on the community to help shape these thoughts.

Read the manifesto at XplanaZine

frepa.blog was offline during the night. Apparently: someone broke in to a tele-station near Gothenburg, cut the fibre and stole all the equipment. The station is situated in premises owned by the Swedish Armed Forces and is classified to have avery high level of security. This makes it quite remarkable I think…

More info. at:  http://oderland.se/avbrott_050810.php [only in Swedish]

Från: www.eStandard.no - Sampill forutsetter felles standarder

"eStandard-prosjektet har på vegne av norske utdanningsmyndigheter tegnet et gruppemedlemskap i IMS. Dette gir norske IT-industri og norske utdanningsinstitusjoner en mulighet til å være med å prege utviklingen av internasjonal læringsteknologi. Sammen med IKT-Norge skal eStandard-prosjektet etablere en "IMS Special Interest Group" og sikre at norsk interesser blir hørt i spesifikasjonsarbeidet. Dette vil også gjøre det lettere å utvikle løsninger i Norge som "snakker godt sammen". 

Norge är på offensiven, men var finns Sverige? Oavsett vad vi tycker så kommer det arbete som görs inom IMS och andra standardiseringsorganisationer att påverka arbetet med IT i skola och utbildning. De system och de program som vi kommer att använda i framtiden kommer att vara anpassade till standarder som IMS. En utveckling som ofelbart kommer att påverka hur och till vad läraren kan använda IT i klassrummet.

Couros Blog » Blog Archive » What Education Can Learn From Open Source

Paul Graham recently offered the interesting essay, “What Business Can Learn From Open Source“. It’s a worthwhile read, and our educational institutions could easily adapt some of idea from the essay. I have taken the liberty of adapting this essay focused on business to suit the educational environment.

Alec Couros has published an alternative view of Paul Graham’s essay on "What Business Can Learn From Open Source". Alec Couros has adapted the essay to the situation of educational institutions and some of the ideas are well worth reflecting upon.

elearningeuropa.info This appears to be an interesting initiative. Public schools need to get better in evaluating their activities. Not only regarding e-learning and the use of ICT, however. Quality needs to be viewed in its context where the use of ICT and e-learning is one piece of the puzzle and maybe quality work made in this area can be transferred to other areas through general tools and methods for quality?

After an intense aggregation and consensus building phase, the European Foundation for Quality in eLearning (EFQUEL) was legally established on June 30th, 2005 in Brussels, bringing together some of the most significant European actors in the field of eLearning.

… and further down:

The Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of eLearning in Europe by providing a new services framework for members and support for all stakeholders. The Foundation is built on principles of dialogue and inclusiveness and its main objective is to promote excellence and innovation in a field that has often been characterized by uncertainty: the quality of the learning experience proposed by eLearning.

More information can be found at http://www.qualityfoundation.org/. There is not much there yet, but hopefully there will be some additional reading soon.