The OPAL Awards for quality and innovation through open educational practices recognize outstanding achievements in OER policy, promotion and use which have resulted in the improvement of quality and innovation in educational organizations. Submissions are invited in three categories; bodies which influence policy, institutions and learning contexts.
The OPAL Awards are developed by the Open Educational Quality (OPAL) Initiative, a consortium which works to promote open educational practices – practices which support the production, use and reuse of open educational resources (OER). Open educational practices help learners, educational professionals, organizational leaders, and policy makers improve quality in higher education and adult education and training.
Winning entries
Winners and highly commended entries will be selected by juries of prominent experts and will be announced at Online Educa Berlin, Germany, 30 November – 2 December 2011. Award winners will receive a plaque and a contribution of EUR 300 to make a short film which will be shown at the awards ceremony and may be used for self-promotion. Award winners and highly commended submissions will receive significant international exposure through the OPAL Initiative website and publications, and through the networks of each of the consortium members. They will also receive a unique logo and animated graphic for self-promotion.
The deadline for submission of entries to the OPAL Awards is midnight CET on 23 October 2011.
The OPAL Awards Secretariat is hosted by the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) and the OPAL Initiative is being implemented through a consortium including UNESCO, ICDE, the European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning (EFQUEL), and a number of European universities. The Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission is the main funding body for this initiative, which is lead by the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.
We are pleased to announce that the Spanish edition of Invisible Learning (Aprendizaje Invisible) is now released as a free PDF download. You can download the book at http://www.invisiblelearning.com/download
Invisible Learning is a book co written by Cristobal Cobo [Oxford Internet Institute] and John Moravec [University of Minnesota], as a result of several years of research, in which the authors propose a remixing of innovative learning paradigms and human capital development.
You can download the book at http://www.invisiblelearning.com/download
This work analyzes the impact of technological advances and changes in formal, non-formal, and informal education –and the meta-spaces in between. The product is journey that offers the reader an overview of options for the future development of education that is relevant for this century.
Invisible Learning examines current theories and trends, as well as international experiences and technological developments that promote sustainable innovation in education.
The book provides an extensive bibliography, a comprehensive glossary, and other digital resources, including a collection of research and various case studies which reveal issues such as: new theories and ideas in education; challenges for 21st century educational institutions; policy recommendations; new flows of innovation; peer-based learning; informal education; and, the use of open and collaborative technologie.
This work, published in 2011, is edited by Laboratori de Mitjans Interactius (University of Barcelona) with additional support from the International University of Andalucía.
ISBN of the Spanish electronic edition: 978-84-475-3517-0
ISBN of the Spanish paper edition: 978-84-475-3518-7
Online workspace for faculty and students that demonstrates how digital infrastructure improves teaching and learning. Since its inception as a university spin-off, 11,000 faculty members and students have used the beta-version of iversity. Having raised 1.1 million Euros of funding in July of 2011.
Seven digit funding enables global expansion after a successful beta phase
Starting this September, professors and students will gain access to a novel online collaboration network called iversity. $1.6 million dollars of venture capital from the European Union, the federal state of Brandenburg and BMP media investors allow for a thorough redesign and development of the online platform.
“This funding provides us with a sizeable launch pad. It enables us to present a world-class product this fall,” says iversity's founder Jonas Liepmann.
More than 11,000 users registered at www.iversity.org during the beta phase. Their feedback is now driving the redesign process. The new iversity website will go live in September 2011. Until then, it is possible to sign up for early access on iversity.org.
Using iversity, lecturers can easily organize courses, research projects and conferences, all for free. Moreover, iversity also provides students with tools for interaction and collaboration that standard e-learning systems do not provide. According to Jonas Liepmann, “iversity offers, what I always felt was lacking during my own studies – possibilities for real student collaboration outside the classroom.”
Thus, iversity addresses one of the key problems of universities in the age of mass higher education.
Co-founder Hannes Klöpper notes that “iversity appears at exactly the right point in time. For example, in Germany, not only is the number of incoming students rising year over year, but changes in the high school system in some federal states means that two full year groups will enter universities this year. Rather than just sitting alongside each other in anonymous lectures, iversity enables students to learn from and with each other online.”
About iversity
Twenty international young graduates from a variety of academic backgrounds make up the iversity team. They have studied, amongst others, at the Universities of Cambridge, Columbia, Duke, Princeton, the Humboldt Universität, the Freie Universität Berlin, the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris and the National University of Singapore. Together, they set their goal to develop an academic infrastructure fit for the digital age.
Press Contact:
Hannes Klöpper
h.kloepper@iversity.org
Mobil: +49 (0)170 239 07 56
Büro: +49 (0)30 57 70 93 – 38
iversity GmbH
Dahlwitzer Straße 78
15366 Neuenhagen
OVO è un'enciclopedia video, una library che si compone di migliaia di documentari della durata di circa 3 minuti ciascuno. I video di OVO offrono un'esperienza di grande impatto visivo. I testi dei video sono basati sui lemmi presenti nell'Enciclopedia Treccani e approvati dall'Istituto stesso. La library, disponibile su www.ovo.com, è in continua espansione e in costante aggiornamento. Presto arriverà a coprire tutto ciò che di rilevante bisogna conoscere per poter leggere il mondo, la sua storia e la sua attualità
Die Nutzung unseres online E-Learning Programms der Kunstgeschichte ist kostenlos. Unser erstes Angebot konzentriert sich auf die Kunststadt Venedig mit Kursen, die auch als offline-Kurse (Apps) nach und nach angeboten werden. Sie können nach dem Bausteinprinzip Ihre eigenen Kurse zusammenstellen.
Mit dem Internet haben sich neue Formen der Finanzierung etabliert: Crowdfunding und Social Payment sind zwei neue Varianten, mit denen versucht wird, mit zahlreichen UnterstützerInnen und Kleinbeträgen größere Unternehmungen zu ermöglichen. Zu solchen Unternehmungen gehören auch die Erstellung offener Bildungsressourcen (Open Educational Resources, kurz OER), also frei zugängliche und nutzbare Lern- und Lehrmaterialien: Auch sie müssen finanziert, sollen aber nicht verkauft werden. In dieser Projektarbeit führt die Autorin zunächst in Crowdfunding und Social Payment ein und zeigt dann, wie diese bei offenen Bildungsressourcen genutzt werden können.
ICDE has launched a call for short articles demonstrating the successes of open and distance education as part of the organizations work to contribute to the development of new methodologies and technologies.
This area of the ICDE website will be dedicated to articles on activities which demonstrate the successes of open and distance education as part of the organization's work to contribute to the development of new methodologies and technologies. The Success Stories database aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practice and motivate further initiatives by providing exposure for institutions worldwide which have successfully utilized the potential of open and distance education. Call for success stories ICDE has launched a call for short articles demonstrating the successes of open and distance education as part of the organizations work to contribute to the development of new methodologies and technologies. Articles are welcome which: Demonstrate key achievements through the use of ODE Describe how ODE was successfully embraced Show how an institution has created the prerequisites for a quality flexible learning experience Describe how individual learners overcame obstacles to learning
A summary of the key issues as FAQs: to provide readers with a quick and user-friendly introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) and some of the key issues to think about when exploring how to use OER most effectively. Plus: A comprehensive analysis of these issues. And: A set of appendices, containing more detail.