[p2p-research] Fwd: FlossedBk, "Free/Libre and Open Source Solutions for Education" this weekend in Bangkok

Mon Oct 26 18:35:47 CET 2009

Hi Michel:

Here is an article for your consideration as you requested:

Beginning to Rethink the Ethics of Higher Education in Light of P2P

Recently the *Chronicle of Higher Education* ran an
article<http://chronicle.com/article/In-a-Time-of-Uncertainty/48911/?sid=wb&utm_source=wb&utm_medium=en>suggesting
that universities are fairly conservative when it comes to the
capacity to change in the face of financial crisis.  Not much of a surprise.
In other breaking news, Wales still wet, and head lice found in
kindergartens.  Indeed the *Chronicle* is a self parody when it runs these
sorts of stories.  One wonders who (else) reads them.

P2P savvy critics like Stephen Downes <http://www.downes.ca/> and George
Siemens <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Siemens> have long itched the
mainstream of higher education for not being more progressive in embracing
new modes of learning and new forms of access.  They’re mostly ignored.  And
then there is the long-standing joke (I’ve heard it attributed to Henry
Kissinger more than anyone) that the politics at universities are so fierce
because the stakes are so low.  One doesn’t have to dig very far to find a
reliable caricature of fuss and feathers with sound and fury signifying
nothing surrounding all things higher ed…along with a forward motion that is
slightly less viscous than plate glass.  Change is possible in so much as it
comes with a new grant for a building, new center or institute with
someone’s name on it.

There has been comfort in the ancient tree-filled quads and stodgy smells
for alumni and students as much as faculty and administration.   In the end,
Mr. Chips evolved—if only a touch.  The internal tension between dreamers
and idealists and organizations of stone and mortar board could give enough
opening light so that people were willing to carry on feeling as if they
were part of something grand and timeless but also relevant--enough.

Yet when the technology crises start to impact student ethics, one wonders
whether genuinely transformative spasms are not too far away.

Andy’s Black Hole <http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com/> is an excellent blog
for tracking some of the catalytic effects of technology on learning.   It
notes the horizon shifters and possible change agents though with a healthy
dose of skepticism about the pace of change likely to result from often very
compelling ideas.   Recently Andy covered a
case<http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com/2008/03/facebook-collaboration-is-it-cheating.html>at
Ryerson University where a student helped others in a Facebook-based
study group on a chemistry problem that counted for credit.  He is charged
with 146 counts of academic misconduct –one for all the students who used
the facility.   We don’t have all the facts, but the case on the surface
seems totally absurd.

The means by which students are learning is changing.  It is up to
instructors to adapt—not students to avoid tools and their advocates who
impel better collaboration and learning; those ARE the future.  We are in
the midst of a shift of communications and learning tools that is obviously
without precedent, but it comes, apparently, as some surprise to the faculty
of chemistry at Ryerson.  And thus the rules of learning stumble on.  So it
goes.  Some prof smells a cheat because a student didn’t follow the
rules.  Well,
maybe, just maybe, consider changing the rules.

The hierarchy and individualism of higher education are beginning to come
unspun, and P2P is at the root of a lot of the fraying.   The problems arise
from a grind of students who know information to be free, informal and
accessible versus faculty who prepare journal articles for the care of
typesetters and whose vision of knowing is linked to some cultural notion of
a corpus to be mastered by an individual.  The whole project is getting
tired, and the rules need to change.

So far, no prominent institution has stepped up.  MIT and others have put
classes on the web, which is a start.  But no major institution has
systematically looked at technologies of learning and knowing with a mind
toward substantive internal organizational and procedural change.

The most exciting moves are taking place in and around community
colleges.  These
more dynamic and less institutional models may be the future if the prestige
and Jane Austen-like qualities of the conventional orgs shatter all at
once…and they just might.  It’s hard to imagine all that money and status
flushing away quickly, but one senses the swirl has begun.

On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 10:13 AM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi Ryan,
>
> is this something, along with your comment below ... that you could cover
> for our blog?
>
> see
> http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com/2008/03/facebook-collaboration-is-it-cheating.html and
> also
> http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2008/03/12/the-ryerson-facebook-dilemma/
>
> covers p2p moral dilemma's ...:
>
>  First-year student Chris Avenir is fighting charges of academic misconduct
> for helping run an online chemistry study group via Facebook last term,
> where 146 classmates swapped tips on homework questions that counted for 10
> per cent of their mark.
>
>
>   On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 10:08 PM, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Interestingly, in the face of change, higher ed appears to be hunkering
>> down and fighting any and all changes...
>>
>>
>> http://chronicle.com/article/In-a-Time-of-Uncertainty/48911/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
>>
>> This suggests to me that the organizations are brittle and endangered if
>> government and business experiences are any prior indicators.  In states
>> where money cannot be forked over to higher education from government,
>> expect institutions to start shattering fairly soon.  The UK in Europe comes
>> to mind where there is tremendous reliance on state funding and little
>> cushion without it.  In the US, systems like the University of California
>> and states schools in Florida, Arizona, Nevada and other cash-strapped
>> states will be stretched to the breaking point.
>>
>> In the US, at least, rapid raises in tuition simply aren't an option.  The
>> UK has a bit more room on tuition, but not much.  Borrowing there to pay for
>> school is far less standard than in the US.  I don't know about the
>> continent or Asia.  I assume Asia is a cash business with little government
>> support, but the Chronicle lately has suggested huge cash flows in China and
>> India to some of their institutions (in comparative terms).
>>
>> My guess is this will contribute to a rapid rise in open source tools,
>> open source methods and low cost research strategies--particularly in areas
>> like the social sciences where funding is always a challenge.
>>
>> When universities start to change, I'll know the crisis is fully ripe.
>> That seems to be 3 or 4 years off.
>>
>> Ryan
>>
>>   On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 2:05 AM, Michel Bauwens <
>> michelsub2004 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>> From: Chris Smith <csmith at csmith.info>
>>> Date: Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 10:54 AM
>>> Subject: FlossedBk, "Free/Libre and Open Source Solutions for Education"
>>> this weekend in Bangkok
>>> To: WOICT at googlegroups.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> FlossedBk
>>> Free & Open Source Solutions for Education -- KIS, Bangkok Oct 31-Nov 1,
>>> 2009
>>> http://flossedbk.flossed.org/
>>>
>>> Here is the information quoted from the website ....
>>>
>>> FlossedBk, "Free/Libre and Open Source Solutions for Education" is a
>>> two-day
>>> gathering of both new and experienced users of FLOSS, Free/Libre, Open
>>> Source Software, for education.
>>>
>>> During the two days, there will workshops on everything from why schools
>>> should consider using FLOSS, to what the options are, and how best to
>>> make
>>> the transition, partial and/or full.
>>>
>>> This is our first conference, but we are calling for representatives of
>>> as
>>> wide a range of needs as possible: teachers and principals, secretaries
>>> and
>>> technicians are invited to share and learn, as well as computing
>>> teachers,
>>> system administrators and programmers
>>>
>>> All workshops are presented in both Thai and English (with the help of
>>> translators). Thus each workshop is listed twice, once in English and
>>> once
>>> in Thai. Sign up for the one in your language to help us plan for
>>> translation help.
>>>
>>> http://flossedbk.flossed.org/
>>>
>>> Hope of interest .... please pass on to any education colleagues who may
>>> be
>>> interested.
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>> Shambles listed in top ten websites by (UK)
>>> Teachers TV http://www.teachers.tv/video/4946
>>>
>>> Second Life: Shamblesguru Voom
>>> Twitter: shamblesguru   Skype: cthsmith
>>> ePortfolio www.shambles.net/csmith
>>> w-shops <http://www.shambles.net/csmith%0Aw-shops>
>>> www.shambles.net/csmith/workshops
>>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>>> Chris Smith  :  email: csmith at csmith.info
>>> Personal Learning Network: www.shambles.net/csmith/pln
>>> YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/shamblesguru
>>> Based in Thailand, working across S.E.Asia
>>> The Education Project Asia www.shambles.net
>>> Support for ICT across the Curriculum (consultancy)
>>> 'It's out there somewhere, the trick is finding it'
>>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>>> International Schools Island in Second Life
>>> Indexing S.L. for Educators in S.L. itself
>>> SLURL http://tinyurl.com/2o44dw
>>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
>>> Research: http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html - Think thank:
>>> http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI
>>>
>>> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  -
>>> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>>>
>>> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Ryan Lanham
>> rlanham1963 at gmail.com
>> Facebook: Ryan_Lanham
>> P.O. Box 633
>> Grand Cayman, KY1-1303
>> Cayman Islands
>> (345) 916-1712
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University - Research:
> http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html - Think thank:
> http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI
>
> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>
> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
> http://listcultures.org/mailman/listinfo/p2presearch_listcultures.org
>
> Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens;
> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
>
>
>
>
>

-- 
Ryan Lanham
rlanham1963 at gmail.com
Facebook: Ryan_Lanham
P.O. Box 633
Grand Cayman, KY1-1303
Cayman Islands
(345) 916-1712
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