Megan Beckett

Instructional Designer

“The reality of open content”

Digital Technologies Summit 2015

What do you think of “open”?

Misconceptions about “open” content

● Open means free

● It is cheap

● It is produced by volunteers

● It is low quality

Misconceptions about “open” content

● Open means free

● It is cheap

● It is produced by volunteers

● It is low quality

So what is the reality of open content and open education?

Siyavula – 'we are opening'

Siyavula is a social enterprise built

on community, openness and

technology.

Our social mission is to make high

quality education accessible to every

learner and teacher in South Africa.

We believe in and produce relevant

technology.

We are a for profit company and have

sustainability needs.

Openness is a key principle in our

philosophy.

What is OPEN education and OPEN content?

“a collective term to describe institutional

practices and programmatic initiatives that

broaden access to the learning and training

traditionally offered through formal

education systems”

Open copy right licences

A tool to enable sharing, legallycreativecommons.org

Closed Open

Protect rights Impose restrictions

Protect rights

Grantfreedoms

Benefits of open licenses and OER

OER are freely available for use by educators and learners,

without the need to pay royalties

Reuse

Remix

Revise

Redistribute

Benefits of open licenses and OER

Reduce the cost of access to educational materials

Adapt and develop materials relevant to South Africa

Build capacity by providing access to tools, content and communities of practice

South Africa has diverse contexts and all are

challenging

Siyavula's open activities

Open content

● Gr 4-12 Maths and Science

● Curriculum aligned

● Multiple formats for accessibility (print, web, mobile, ePUB and Mxit)

● Read by over 800 000 learners every month over mobile

● Vodacom has zero-rated access

● Relevant technology for learning and teaching

Siyavula's open activities

Open processes

● Collaboratively authored with volunteers and paid contributors

● Inclusive, iterative, transparent

● Diversity for locally relevant content

● Extensively reviewed for quality

● Develop communities of practice

● Skills and professional development

Openness and the business model

Basic content is a commodity

Value-added services at a premium

● Software as a Service (Saas) offerings● Support and professional development ● Curation and alignment ● Specialist content

You need to ask where you can add value that the market is willing to pay for

Openness and the business model

Siyavula is a technology start-up

● Developed our own technology for efficient, automated production for print, mobile, web and ePUB content

● Intelligent Practice:● adaptive, machine-learning engine● Individualised practice for mastery● Individual or school subscriptions● learner and teacher dashboards● teacher support and integration at schools● data analytics● licensing model

● Focus on a digital learning experience

Multiple international successes

k12oercollaborative.orgopenstaxcollege.org

lumenlearning.com www.boundless.com

open.bccampus.ca

The “Z-Degree”

Open is an enabler

Open licenses

Legalframework

Openstandards

Technicalframework

Openprocesses

Socialframework

Open can be implemented in many ways:

Openbusiness models

Sustainabilityframework

Drive INNOVATION by pushing the BOUNDARIES

The reality?

In South Africa, we need to consider the impact and potential of open:

● To make education accessible● To build a community of practice

● To allow for collaboration● To embrace an online culture of sharing

● To move forward and drive innovation● To compete internationally

Megan Beckett

Instructional Designer

megan@siyavula.com

@meganbeckett2

meganbeckett.wordpress.com