2.+IT+Background




 * Technology and Open Content **

It is clear that Open Content will be a fixture in the world of emerging technologies very soon, if it is not so already. This portion of the Wiki will focus on how technology is impacting Open Content and the kinds of technology necessary to support it. It will also discuss some of the limitations or obstacles that may stand in the way of Open Content becoming as widespread as some have predicted. (9)

As more and more people have access to the internet and mobile computing devices (MCDs), the Open Content movement appears poised to have a dramatic impact on how educational materials are accessed worldwide. Open Content does, however, require certain kinds of technology to support its growth. The widespread availability of MCDs is one of them. One of the great benefits of MCDs is that they give students and teachers portability and can easily be used when the user changes location. In addition, they give anyone with an MCD the ability to access Open Content materials from virtually anywhere with a wireless connection. MCDs such as [|PDAs], cellphones and laptop computers are becoming more affordable than ever. There are, however, some limitations to these technologies. The MCDs tend to be slower than direct cable connections and they often must rely on battery power. Furthermore, the signal is more easily corrupted in tunnels or because of inclement weather. Other limitations include the fact that because of their size they are easily lost or stolen, the keyboards are harder to use and they can be a serious health hazard for those that attempt to operate MCDs while driving. (9)

Other technologies that support the Open Content movement are the growing e-book collection. With the large number of [|e-book] readers available and the rapidly increasing number of books being digitized for public consumption, students and teachers have access to a large volume of educational materials from anywhere in the world. A limitation of this technology is the fact that tens of millions of books are still in need of scanning. Even with the improved scanning technology available these digital books still have to be entered into a system that allows users to find the e-book they are looking for. (9)

Further, complex issues surrounding copyright and intellectual property continue to be an obstacle to the Open Content trend. One group that advocates open access to educational materials claims that, "it is unlikely that more than a tiny percentage of the works created on a global basis in any year will be available under [|Creative Commons] (CC) licenses." They go on to say that CC licenses do not provide access to "already published works or music that are still restricted by copyright laws; these form the overwhelming majority of current material." (9)

The 2010 [|Horizon Report] added that the biggest obstacle standing in the way of Open Content is the "sharing, repurposing and reusing scholarly works." Some argue that if you spend five years of your life writing a book you should expect to be appropriately compensated. If someone takes that book and "remixes" it and reuses it for their own purposes, you might object. Creative Commons is attempting to work through some of these rather complex copyright issues to ensure that the original author is compensated while still allowing for the work to be reused. When another author enters the picture and remixes the original authors' work this presents another one of the limitations to Open Content: how do you cite this new article? Who gets the credit? (4)

While there are other limitations to the Open Content movement perhaps the biggest obstacle to the goal of leveling the educational playing field around the world and providing everyone equal access to an education is the fact that there is a dramatic inequality in the distribution of computer and wireless access across the globe. According to one source computer ownership in the world stands at around 4-5%. And while that number is likely to increase or even triple in the years to come only 3-5% of the world's population have reliable internet access. (10)

For a majority of people around the world, open content won't change anything until they have greater access to computers and an internet connection. Since we're talking about a large portion of the planet that does not yet have electricity, we have a ways to go before the 16-year-old student in a small village in Mali has the same educational opportunities as his or her counterpart in Manhattan.