This is my final project
University of Nova Gorica
Slovenia
MA Leadership in Open Education
Final project
Social networks as promoters of OER
Course: Workshop for Open Education Practitioners 2LOE15
Facilitated by: Dr Chrissi Nerantzi and Dr Javiera Atenas
Student: Marina Panić
Date: May 2023
Introduction
Open Educational Resources (OER) (Open Educational Resources , n.d.) is a global movement that promotes free access to educational content. OER includes various types of materials such as texts, videos, lectures, and other resources that are freely available and can be freely used, shared, and customized.
Projects focusing on the promotion of OER play an important role in raising awareness of the benefits of open education. Through activities such as seminars, workshops, and conferences, these projects enable educational professionals, teachers, and students to become familiar with the concept of OER and learn how to use these resources in their teaching activities. In addition, such projects encourage cooperation and exchange of knowledge between educational institutions and individuals, which contributes to the expansion of the OER network and the creation of a rich ecosystem of educational resources.
One of the key goals of projects related to the promotion of OER is the creation of free and quality educational materials. Through the engagement of experts from different fields, these projects encourage the creation of high-quality OER content that is adapted to different levels of education and user needs. Such materials not only provide free access to education but also allow for the adaptation of teaching content according to local specifics and cultural contexts.
Another important aspect of OER promotion projects is the support for the development of open licenses and the proper marking of OER materials. Through educational programs and campaigns, these projects encourage educational communities to use licenses such as Creative Commons licenses, thus providing clarity regarding the rights and limitations of the use of OER materials. Open licenses ensure that OER content remains freely available and allows users to adapt them to their specific needs.
Social networks as promoters of OER
In the era of digital technology (Future Skills, 2020), social networks have become a powerful tool for sharing information and promoting different content. Social media provides an opportunity for creative expression and interaction with a wide audience. In this project and backtrack to how we can effectively promote Open Educational Resources (OER) through social networks and use the potential of this platform to spread knowledge and raise awareness of the benefits of OER.
Creating engaging content: A key step in promoting OER through social networks is to create engaging and informative content. OER materials can be displayed through visually attractive images, graphics, or short videos. It is important to use a clear and eye-catching design to easily convey the message of free access to education and the benefits of using OER.
Sharing information about OER: social networks are an ideal platform for sharing information and educating audiences. Through short descriptions or subheadings below the posts, we can provide basic information about OER, and explain the concept and its importance. We can also provide useful resources such as links to OER platforms or guides on how to find and use OER content.
Interaction and engagement with the audience: social networks are interactive platforms that will enable them to communicate with the audience. We can organize Q&A sessions, ask challenges, or invite audiences to share their experiences and opinions on using OER. This kind of interaction encourages engagement and community building around the promotion of OER.
Cooperation with influencers and experts: there are many influencers and experts in education on social networks. We can take advantage of this opportunity by collaborating with relevant people who have many followers. These influencers can promote OER resources through their profiles, and publish reviews or recommendations, which will attract more attention from the audience and help spread awareness about OER.
Use of relevant hashtags: Hashtags are an important tool for connecting with the appropriate audience. Use popular hashtags such as #OER, #besplatnoobrazovanje, #otvorenooducavanje, and other relevant hashtags to make your content visible to a wider community that is interested in OER.
Social networks provide her with outstanding opportunities to promote OER and disseminate knowledge about free education. By creating engaging content, sharing information, interacting with audiences, collaborating with influencers, and using relevant hashtags, we can effectively contribute to the promotion of OER on this popular social network. Let’s harness the potential of these networks to make education accessible and inspire people to take advantage of Open Educational Resources for their learning and professional development.
Design thinking
Using the IDEO model (2018), I made a project that aims to promote Open Educational Resources (OER) on social networks:
| Observation | Explore social media profiles of organizations or individuals who successfully use social networks to spread knowledge about educational resources. | OKC Bor @justsrpski @kakojecakaze @naucime |
| Ideation | Creating attractive visual content: Design enticing infographics, videos and images that highlight the benefits of OER | Canva |
| Collaborate with influencers: Identify influential educators, creators of content, or professionals in the field of education who have many followers on social networks. | OKC Bor @justsrpski @kakojecakaze @naucime | |
| Organization of live Q&A sessions: Live sessions on platforms where experts or educators can answer OER-related questions. | Facebook Live or Instagram Live | |
| Organization of competitions and challenges: Initiate competitions or challenges that encourage users to create and share their own educational resources using OER. | Creating a community | |
| Rapid prototypng | Creating a post with the theme OER on social networks | |
| User feedback | Follow comments and likes | Comments and likes under the post |
| Iteration | Constantly monitor the effectiveness of your campaigns on social networks. | Monitoring tools on social network |
| Implementation | Develop a content calendar: Plan a schedule for Posting OER-related content on social networks. Creating a set of tools for social networks: ready-made graphics, descriptions, hashtags, and guidelines for promoting OER. Get involved in the community: Actively participate in discussions, respond to comments and messages, and create dialogue with the audience. Encourage users to share their experiences and feedback regarding OER. Monitoring and evaluation: Track metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions to assess the impact of your efforts. Adjust your strategies based on the insights obtained. | Canva Google Calendar |
Conclusion
Following the IDEO (2018) model and implementing these steps, an effective project can be created to promote OER on social networks, raising awareness of the benefits of open educational resources and encouraging their implementation.
Through awareness raising, developing quality materials, and supporting open licenses, these projects contribute to creating an educational environment that is accessible, inclusive, and flexible. The OER promotion not only supports learning and knowledge exchange but also encourages innovation in education, opening new opportunities for all participants in the learning process. Accordingly, it is important to further support and disseminate OER-related projects to achieve positive changes in education and provide everyone with the opportunity to get an education regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location.
Bibliography
IDEO (2018) IDEO’s human centered design process: How to make things people love, Available at: https://www.usertesting.com/blog/how-ideo-uses-customer-insights-to-design-innovative-products-users-love
Ehlers, U.D. (2020). Future skills: The future of learning in higher education, Nextskills, [online] p.
53-59. Available at: https://nextskills.org/library/future-skills/
UNESCO, Open Educational Resources . (n.d.). Available at: https://www.unesco.org/en/open-educational-resources
