One of the great advantages of open resources and
public learning spaces is that it not only serves as an end point, but it also
serves as a starting point. The learning
not only builds, but it builds quickly at a pace which accelerates over
time. This fits into a model of Crowd
Accelerated Innovation. Chris Anderson
(2011), TED coordinator, introduced the concept of Crowd Accelerated Innovation
(innovation which is sped up by community sharing), and notes how the use of
internet video leads to an instantaneous sharing of best practice, ranging from
dance companies to TED presentations. All innovation, according to Anderson, is
the result of ideas being spawned from the ideas of others; he notes: “Crowd
Accelerated Innovation isn't new. In one sense, it's the only kind of
innovation there's ever been. What is new is that the Internet—and specifically
online video—has cranked it up to a spectacular degree” (115). Anderson argues that there are three factors
which effect Crowd Accelerated Innovation: Crowd, Light, and Desire. These same
factors, as Anderson defines them, all fit within the model of Active Learning,
and they are homologous with the practices of an Open University.
A crowd, according to Anderson is simply a
community; in the instance of an Open University, the learners—faculty,
students, alumni, partners—form this community. In a broader sense, it is what
Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002) define as a community of practice: “groups
of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic,
and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an
ongoing basis.[1]” In short, what every class and learning
community should be.
Light is the visibility of the learning product
where innovation can occur. In an Open University (similar to the references of
Open Science), the public sharing of knowledge contributes to innovation and
the advancement of the knowledge base within public discourse. The use of Open
Educational Resources (as most Internet video is) and repositories (where a
crowd can contribute) are major factors in light, and this same light,
conversely, benefits the Open University as people know to turn to that University
as a source of knowledge and innovation. The desire is that of recognition, as
with any form of open learning or open source work, an individual seeks the
opportunity to put their name forward to the innovation. This is true of any
university and its community. The difference with an Open University is that it
achieves these goals by being open rather than closed. The key to success of an
Open University is participation, and participation is the key to success in an
Open University. The great model of openness
has always been the development of Linux—the ultimate model not only of CAI,
but of openness, agility, and all of the best practices which an open
university seeks to emphasize. The
development of crowds also contributes to the institutions growth and
evolution. As Howard Gardner notes in 5 Minds of the Future (2008), the
“wisdom of crowds” becomes a great source of creativity.
The desire is quite simply the motivation for
entering a learning environment in the first place.
Crowd sourcing does, undoubtedly threaten the nature
of traditional higher education. As
Cathy Davidson (2011) notes: “the fundamental principle of crowd sourcing is
that difference and diversity—not expertise and uniformity—solve problems.” In short, as she notes later in her work:
“…the crowd is smarter than any individual.”
[1]
For an extended and brilliant discussion and definition of this concept, please
see Wenger, McDermott and Snyder, pp.4-5.
While I would certainly hope you would read the entire book, if for some
reason you cannot, these two pages are a MUST.
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