Thread:Why OER? - What did you expect to find here? (15)

Nope -- hasn't disappeared --

I shifted this into a new subsection to separate the Why OER from the licensing issue.

The enabler debate and the "freedom to restrict the freedom of others" is a complex debate as we all know too well :-)

The classic example is copyleft where we use copyright to enshrine the freedoms of a resource. In this regard copyright is an enabler. The counter argument is that attribution or share alike restrictions are limitations of individual freedom. I think the complexity of this debate is not suited for this level of handbook.

The freedom culture uses copyright -- not by choice but as a smart hack to protect freedoms. Copyright and the meaning of freedom is one of the most talked about issues in WE. 72% of new account holders in WE are "formal" educators -- hence I think that a cursory introduction to copyright and fair usage early in the piece is well suited to the target audience.

I do agree that copyright is not the motivation for OER -- hence dealing with this as a separate subsection. Sadly, copyright is a reality and consequence of the industrialisation of society and educators need to contend with this reality. WE have the absurd situation where some academics are trying to protect and lock down their IP arguing that student notes are derivative works and outside of the classroom these cannot be published and shared.

None of us want to live in this kind of world.

Good discussions -- certainly a topic for a follow up handbook.

Cheers W