WikiEducator is a website ( www.WikiEducator.org) that provides free eLearning content that anyone can edit and use. WikiEducator was launched by COL earlier this year and piloted by the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) course developers meeting in Mauritius in August 2006. It is now being used extensively for the development of educational resources.
What is the role of WikiEducator?
WikiEducator is an evolving community focused on collaboration in:
- planning of education projects linked with the development of free content,
- development of free content on WikiEducator for eLearning,
- building of open education resources (OERs) on how to create OERs, and
- networking on funding proposals developed as free content.
Who can use WikiEducator?
Anyone can edit content and make contributions. Use of WikiEducator is free, and users don't need a high level of technical skills.
How does one use WikiEducator?
Users must create an account, which allows you to log in to WikiEducator. You are free to read content, re-distribute it and make improvements or adaptations. WikiEducator tracks changes, so you can see how materials have been edited and by whom.
Is WikiEducator linked to Wikipedia?
WikiEducator uses Mediawiki, the same open source software platform as does Wikipedia - the free online encyclopedia that is among the top 20 most visited websites in the world. WikiEducator is hosted by COL but shares the "wiki" philosophy of openness, inclusion and sharing of knowledge. WikiEducator is based on several beliefs, including:
- social inclusion and the participation of all people in our networked society
- the freedom of all educators to teach with the technologies and contents of their choice (seen in WikiEducator's commitment to Free/Libre and Open Source Software, or FLOSS, technology tools and free content)
- educational content is unique. By working together contributors can improve the technologies that they use as well as the reusability of digital learning resources
- with a forward-looking disposition contributors can work together to find appropriate and sustainable solutions for eLearning futures.
Who's behind WikiEducator?
The hosting of WikiEducator is funded by COL. While some community nodes like the VUSSC have a strong Commonwealth focus, WikiEducator is open to anyone who shares the vision of open content. COL's Education Specialist, eLearning and ICT Policy, Mr. Wayne Mackintosh, who was founding project leader of the eXe project ( http://exelearning.org), initiated WikiEducator in response to the need to find innovative yet practical solutions to evolving eLearning practice.
Why is WikiEducator important?
Social software is changing how we record, access, share and use knowledge. COL believes that WikiEducator will radically expand free learning content and vastly improve access to education in countries of the Commonwealth. The advantages of WikiEducator lie in its accessibility and simplicity. Users can collaborate without consideration for travel, communicating across different time zones or dealing with differences in technology.
How is WikiEducator being used now?
WikiEducator is currently being used mainly for two projects:
- Developing learning content for the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC). A "bootcamp" in Mauritius in August 2006 introduced educators from 13 small states of the Commonwealth to WikiEducator. Participants began collaborating on learning materials for courses in tourism and entrepreneurship at the meeting and have continued to collaborate through WikiEducator upon their return home. These courses are suitable for use in small states; users can adapt them to make them relevant for their environment.
- Resources to support the professional development of educators. WikiEducator provides users with free access to eLearning resources. COL is releasing materials such as its comprehensive eLearning Guide under a free content license. This means people can not only use the guide but can also add to it.
But WikiEducator certainly isn't limited to these two uses. Anyone who wants to create, edit or use learning content is welcome to become part of WikiEducator. Use of WikiEducator is already growing exponentially as evidenced by the current growth rate of page visits to the site.
www.WikiEducator.org
In this issue of EdTech News, we've got the spotlight on digital photos - how to share them, store them and access them online.
Stock images online
While commercial photo-banks have been available on the Internet for years, non-commercial banks are now emerging that make stock photography much more affordable and accessible - and even free.
Websites such as iStockphoto.com offer images that members contribute. There are no royalties or subscription fees, just fees for the images you choose. iStockphoto currently offers more than a million stock images.
Wikimedia Commons is a repository for freely licensed photos, diagrams, animations, music, spoken text, video clips and media of all sorts. It is created and maintained by volunteers. Wikimedia Commons uses the same Wiki technology as Wikipedia and WikiEducator so you can edit it easily and without advanced technical skills directly in the web browser. Unlike traditional media repositories Wikimedia Commons is free. Everyone is allowed to copy, use and modify any files here freely as long the source and the authors are credited and as long you release your copies/improvements under the same freedom to others.
www.istockphoto.com
http://commons.wikimedia.org
Sharing digital photos
One of the benefits of digital photography is the ability to store and share photos online. Sending photos by email can become cumbersome, and saving all those images can use up a lot of computer disk space, so at times, it makes sense to use online resources.
There are numerous websites, such as Sony ImageStation, Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Flickr and HP PhotoSmart Share that offer free photo sharing, storage and editing tools. Most also allow you to order prints and photo gifts.
While these services give you the opportunity to share your photos with the world, privacy can be an issue with photo sharing. Most online photo sharing services let you create password protected photo albums, so only family and friends can access the photos. You can also show off your favourite photos or sell them online. This is where you need to be careful. Be aware of the implications of people having free access to your photos. They can manipulate them and reproduce them in ways you might not approve of. You'll want to be particularly careful safeguarding photos of children. Just like any online activity, be aware of the consequences of opening yourself up to the world.
www.kodakgallery.com
www.flickr.com
www.snapfish.com