Heywire8 Think Tank/About

Heywire8 is the code name for a new innovative project concept to explore the business and sustainability models of OERs in the New Zealand education sector.

Heywire is a "hack" on the concept of Haywire.


 * In the corporate world many collaborative initiatives are based on the collaboration of peripheral services around a proprietary core. For example the open API of Google maps which has triggered a plethora of mashup services because the periphery of the Google Maps was opened. However the Heywire project (not unlike the Haywire concept) will turn this model upside down by focusing on a core which is open and free with the opportunity to develop value added services around this core -- thus finding the educational equivalent of the RedHat linux model. In this way individual institutions can differentiate and customise their educational offerings.
 * "Hey" is an urban colloquialism used to say hallo. It is usually used in a friendly manner and is welcoming greeting to suggest the welcoming nature of a collaborative wiki community. "Hey" is also used to attract attention -- and this project will attract the attention of leaders and decsion makers in education.
 * The "wire" concept alludes to the innovation and adaptability of Kiwis encapsulated in the No. 8 Wire culture of being able to fix anything with a piece of No. 8 Wire. New Zealand's education strategy articulated by the Tertiary Education Commission aims to achieve a network of provision. Successful networks are eco-systems of collaboration and the most powerful manifestation of collaboration in education is the open education resource movement. This project will build on New Zealand's international leadership and foundations established through the eLearning Collaborative Development fund  in piloting new OER models which will be examined in real educational contexts before taking decisions on possible implementation in the sector.