This session has given us information about open education, with a special attention to Lumen Learning and its founder, David Wiley, who is considered a visionary. As we have followed the development of open education, we can see that the use of open resources, innovative teaching methods, and the quest for fairness in education have advanced.

David Wiley’s work is influential in the open education movement. His groundbreaking work at Lumen Learning is an example of how open educational resources (OER) can transform education. Wiley has had a crucial role in shaping discussions about openness in education, particularly when it comes to bridging the digital gap and rethinking course design.

Educators and institutions are facing new challenges, which involve integrating open approaches into teaching practices more smoothly. The goal is to offer high-quality, flexible resources while still offering the convenience that traditional publishers provide. Maintaining this delicate balance highlights the need for continuous support and collaboration to ensure the full realization of the benefits of OER.

As we look to the future, open education’s path remains positive, driven by committed individuals such as David Wiley and organizations like Lumen Learning. The pursuit of educational equity and accessibility persists; collaborative efforts, innovative solutions, and a shared commitment to shaping a more inclusive and transformative learning environment for all drive it.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible and openly licensed learning materials that can be used, shared, and modified by educators and learners. OER-enabled education focuses on using these resources to improve teaching and learning. This approach involves integrating OER into curriculum design, allowing educators to access, adapt, and customize educational content according to their instructional goals and the needs of their students. OER-enabled education promotes affordability, access, and flexibility in education by reducing reliance on traditional, expensive textbooks and proprietary resources.Open pedagogy is an approach to teaching that goes beyond the use of open resources. It promotes collaborative and participatory learning experiences in which students actively engage in the co-creation of knowledge and educational materials. Open pedagogy emphasizes student agency, creativity, and critical thinking. Educators design assignments and projects that encourage students to contribute to the production of openly accessible content, fostering a sense of ownership and deeper understanding of the subject matter. Open pedagogy may involve the creation of wikis, blogs, digital portfolios, or even open licensing of student work, allowing for a more interactive and learner-centered educational experience.

To sum up, OER-based teaching highlights the use of open resources to enhance usual teaching methods. Open Pedagogy, on the other hand, urges a more collaborative, student-centered approach that fosters co-creation of academic content by students.
The interesting points from the discussion, I think is digital divide .The meeting didn’t talk too much on it, nut I want to expand on that.The digital divide does indeed add another layer to reinforce socioeconomic barriers for students. The digital divide refers to the disparity in access to technology and the Internet based on factors such as socioeconomic status, geographic location, and demographic characteristics. This divide can exacerbate existing inequalities in education and prevent students from marginalized backgrounds from fully participating in online learning and accessing digital resources.

When students lack reliable Internet access, appropriate devices, or the digital skills necessary for online learning, they face challenges in keeping up with their studies. This can lead to incomplete assignments, missed lectures, and reduced engagement, ultimately affecting their academic performance. As education increasingly relies on digital platforms and online resources, students without access to these tools are at a significant disadvantage.

In addition, the digital divide affects not only students’ academic progress, but also their ability to develop critical digital literacy skills that are becoming essential for success in the modern world. As more job opportunities and essential services move online, individuals without digital skills may find it difficult to access employment opportunities and participate fully in society.

We need to effort to bridge the digital divide are critical to addressing these inequalities. Initiatives that provide affordable or free Internet access, distribute devices to underserved communities, and offer digital literacy training can help mitigate the impact of the digital divide on socioeconomic barriers. By ensuring equitable access to technology and digital resources, society can work to create a more inclusive educational environment and reduce the widening of socioeconomic disparities.

I chose this activity because it articulated the realities that open pedagogy encounters and made me reflect on the fact that only with technological advances can we try to bridge the digital divide. Several points were discussed at this activity, including  Large Language Modeling, Generative AI. In open pedagogy  these tools helps you get faster, further, less expensively. This aligns with my learning goal of working to explore the connections between cutting-edge technology and open pedagogy.