Lawrence Lessig astutely observed that for all of human history culture was "read-write" where people participated in creation and re-creation. It is 20th century analog technologies "broadcast news and radio, vinyl records" that deliver the anomaly of "efficient consumption, but inefficient amateur production," resulting in a "read only" passive, consuming culture. The Internet has provided a major disruption, relentlessly returning us to our "read-write" roots. So what does this mean for instruction?
In spring 2010 the Business Division at Paradise Valley Community College approached the Buxton Library for assistance to curate open source content that could take the place of costly textbooks. A robust collaboration soon evolved that transcended OER as mere content replacement. In light of Lessig?s insights about the Millennial Generation?s ?read-write? renaissance, this project unleashed a paradigm shift in which students responded to course lectures not with rote memory, but as curators who by researched, evaluated, and mixed relevant digital content into their own ?living textbook.?
This presentation addresses the nuts and bolts of this collaboration that integrated embedded information literacy instruction, proprietary and open access content, Blackboard software, 2.0 tools, and team-based learning into a student-driven model of ?read-write? learning. Working in cooperative based learning groups, students researched relevant and timely information rooted in course lectures and assembled their findings in a wiki-based ?living textbook? replete with images, videos, and peer feedback. Each week student teams presented their findings to the class with instructor comments peppered throughout. Students mastered IBS101 course objectives as well as ancillary 21st Century skills including digital research, peer teaching, public speaking, and team building.
Referring to digital creativity Lessing notes, "This is the life our kids push for. They demand it . . . We can't make them passive again.? Findings from this project affirm the efficacy of OER as a ?read-write? pedagogy where 100% of students strongly agreed or agreed that instructors encouraged critical thinking and problem solving; 95% found content for this course more engaging than a traditional textbook; and, 76% strongly agreed or agreed that information literacy instruction provided by faculty librarians assisted in their creation the ?living textbook?. Presentation Outline (includes video clips of actual class)
1. Project Background (5 minutes) 2. The Faculty Experience, Reyes Medrano (10 minutes): 30 year veteran instructor shares his transformation in teaching with an OER pedagogy 3. The Faculty Librarian?s Role, Kande Mickelsen and Sheila Afnan-Manns (10 minutes): Nuts and bolts of embedded information literacy instruction and technology platforms utilized 4. The Student Perspective: Video (10 minutes): Prohibitive cost of textbooks, reaching more than one learning style, impact on student engagement 5. Conclusion (15 minutes): Survey findings, success factors, adapting this approach to other courses and academic disciplines, Q&A
