OER1063 Demonstration ppt

Sharing Educational Resources Through a Repository Without Logging In

Charles Duncan, Intrallect Ltd

Conference Theme: Open Educational Content

Intended audience: Anyone interested in distributing or using open educational content

Abstract: Jakob Neilsen describes “participation inequality” in web-based activities as the 90-9-1 rule. This suggests that for any activity (blogging, wikis, etc) 90% of people are passive and make minimal effort to participate, 9% are a little active but don't contribute much, and 1% do most of the real work. The percentages are not always accurate but the principle seems to apply quite widely. Some people refer to these three groups as paddlers, swimmers and divers, referring to the increasing level of commitment involved. If we consider how this principle applies to accessing open educational resources it is clear that any successful venture must reach the “paddlers”. This demonstration shows how a repository of educational resources, which might normally attract only swimmers and divers, can use web services to reach out to the tools that paddlers use every day to make sure the educational resources are always within easy reach and no particular effort is required. The demonstration will take the form of looking at “a day in the life of a paddler”. By working with everyday tools: email, web browser, iTunes, etc. the paddler will be regularly able to use open educational resources without ever needing to remember the URL of the repository or their username and password - definitely swimmer-type activities.

Keywords: Open access, participation inequality

References:
Jakob Neilsen, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html