Bobbi Kurshan Interview Notes - August 17, 2009 - Revision history

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EGraeff: /* Talking with Publishers */

2009-08-18T20:46:22Z

Talking with Publishers

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:46, 18 August 2009
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	*NOTE: CK-12 hasn't engaged community as much as they are		*NOTE: CK-12 hasn't engaged community as much as they are

	~~====~~ KEY POINT ~~====~~		'''KEY POINT''': Curriki/OER will never widely distribute “textbooks”, in the traditional sense, no matter how open or ubiquitous OER getsâprint is not an option (impossible cost)
	Curriki/OER will never widely distribute “textbooks”, in the traditional sense, no matter how open or ubiquitous OER getsâprint is not an option (impossible cost)

	==== Four things OER can't do ====		==== Four things OER can't do ====

EGraeff: /* Notes */

2009-08-18T20:46:00Z

Notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:46, 18 August 2009
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	== Notes ==		== Notes ==
	Bobbi has been talking (aggressively) to publishers for a long time		=== Talking with Publishers ===
			*Bobbi has been talking (aggressively) to publishers for a long time
	*She feels Curriki will not be the final solution, nor will textbook publishers go away		*She feels Curriki will not be the final solution, nor will textbook publishers go away
	*There needs to be a cooperative model for publishers with OER communities: similar to Redhat/Linux and Sun/Java		*There needs to be a cooperative model for publishers with OER communities: similar to Redhat/Linux and Sun/Java
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	*NOTE: CK-12 hasn't engaged community as much as they are		*NOTE: CK-12 hasn't engaged community as much as they are

	KEY POINT: Curriki/OER will never widely distribute “textbooks”, in the traditional sense, no matter how open or ubiquitous OER getsâprint is not an option (impossible cost)		==== KEY POINT ====
			Curriki/OER will never widely distribute “textbooks”, in the traditional sense, no matter how open or ubiquitous OER getsâprint is not an option (impossible cost)

	Four things OER can't do:		==== Four things OER can't do ====
	*Never print books		*Never print books
	*Textbook companies will be better at assessment: content and achievement		*Textbook companies will be better at assessment: content and achievement
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	**e.g. Curriki can't offer hybrids of traditional textbooks + curricula online		**e.g. Curriki can't offer hybrids of traditional textbooks + curricula online

	Potential Partnership Model: Open Source imprints at publishing companies could support OER communities to:		==== Potential Partnership Model====
	*Lower overall costs		Open Source imprints at publishing companies could support OER communities to:
	*Drive innovation in adoption policy states		**Lower overall costs
			**Drive innovation in adoption policy states

	Reflecting on the California Digital Textbook Initiative		===Reflecting on the California Digital Textbook Initiative===
	*Key Policy Point: California reduced adoption process timeline form 6 to 2 years		*Key Policy Point: California reduced adoption process timeline form 6 to 2 years
	*Curriki did poorly on content review, particularly in comparison to CK-12 , because the latter pays people to write their books		*Curriki did poorly on content review, particularly in comparison to CK-12 , because the latter pays people to write their books
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	*KEY ISSUE: California didn't engage community (state educators or OER, generally) on this; Curriki contends that the community should be improving it		*KEY ISSUE: California didn't engage community (state educators or OER, generally) on this; Curriki contends that the community should be improving it

	Community Building: Curriki has been aggressive in recruiting members		===Community Building===
			*Curriki has been aggressive in recruiting members
	*Viral marketing via social media, newsletters, e-mail		*Viral marketing via social media, newsletters, e-mail
	*Average of 1500 members register a week, 4-5000 members register a month		*Average of 1500 members register a week, 4-5000 members register a month
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	**The percentage has been constant, when total membership was 40,000 or 80,00 -- can't seem to push it higher		**The percentage has been constant, when total membership was 40,000 or 80,00 -- can't seem to push it higher

	Curriki quantifies its content by assets		===Curriki quantifies its content by assets===
	*Recent Numbers: 30,000 assets; 10% are full courses		*Recent Numbers: 30,000 assets; 10% are full courses
	*Flat World Knowledge and CK-12 use “chapters”		*Flat World Knowledge and CK-12 use “chapters”
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	*LOGIC: teacher facing site; tools are designed for teachers		*LOGIC: teacher facing site; tools are designed for teachers

	On (Curriki) Content for Students: Two Approaches		===On (Curriki) Content for Students===
			Two Approaches
	*Render them in digital content usable for students		*Render them in digital content usable for students
	*Perhaps launch student site so that they can access resources		*Perhaps launch student site so that they can access resources

	KEY OER QUESTION: Should digital materials be interactive?		====KEY OER QUESTION====
			Should digital materials be interactive?
	*Curriki wants animation and video		*Curriki wants animation and video
	*What technology is necessary?		*What technology is necessary?
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	**PROBLEM: California law has not changed to say textbook money can't be spent on other options		**PROBLEM: California law has not changed to say textbook money can't be spent on other options

	Bobbi thinks there will be a paradigm shift in about 5 years		====Bobbi thinks there will be a paradigm shift in about 5 years====
	*PROBLEM or NOT?: schools might be bypassing technology needs right now and assuming that students will bring their own Kindle, netbook, XO laptop, etc.		*PROBLEM or NOT?: schools might be bypassing technology needs right now and assuming that students will bring their own Kindle, netbook, XO laptop, etc.
	*She believes this tech will become so cheap that students WILL buy those materials		*She believes this tech will become so cheap that students WILL buy those materials
	*Scholarships (public funds) then available for students who can't afford it		*Scholarships (public funds) then available for students who can't afford it

	Curriki has 2 main parts to its mission		===Curriki has 2 main parts to its mission===
	#Address teacher effectiveness		#Address teacher effectiveness
	#:Curriki was made as a teacher site not a content site (even though teachers use it that way)		#:Curriki was made as a teacher site not a content site (even though teachers use it that way)
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	#:Not bent on eliminating dollars for publishers; “Publishers are Friends not Foes” (paraphrased)		#:Not bent on eliminating dollars for publishers; “Publishers are Friends not Foes” (paraphrased)

	Public Policy Wishes		===Public Policy Wishes===
	*Bobbi wants every single project funded by the government to make materials/content available as open-source, i.e. NIH's open access mandate rather than NSF's funding outcomes		*Bobbi wants every single project funded by the government to make materials/content available as open-source, i.e. NIH's open access mandate rather than NSF's funding outcomes
	*Shift in Teacher Education: Schools of Education should ensure that teachers coming out have more involvement in curriculum creation; Curriki's grant from the Hearst Foundation focuses on this		*Shift in Teacher Education: Schools of Education should ensure that teachers coming out have more involvement in curriculum creation; Curriki's grant from the Hearst Foundation focuses on this

	Funding Opportunity from Paul Buchheit of FriendFeed		===Funding Opportunity from Paul Buchheit of FriendFeed===
	*How ubiquitous viral marketing can be effective: Paul asked for ideas on where to give his money		*How ubiquitous viral marketing can be effective: Paul asked for ideas on where to give his money
	*Chronicle of Philanthropy: David and Goliath, Clinton Global Initiative is #1 and Curriki is #2		*Chronicle of Philanthropy: David and Goliath, Clinton Global Initiative is #1 and Curriki is #2
	*OER community is supportive of this kind of philanthropic endeavor (other communities have voted up Curriki)		*OER community is supportive of this kind of philanthropic endeavor (other communities have voted up Curriki)

	Problems Between OER Projects		===Problems Between OER Projects===
	* ccLearn's OpenEd portal is still just a linked list not persistent		* ccLearn's OpenEd portal is still just a linked list not persistent
	**Are linked lists a model that will work? (MERLOT?)		**Are linked lists a model that will work? (MERLOT?)

EGraeff: New page: ''Conducted with Erhardt Graeff via telephone on August 17, 2009'' == Interviewee == '''[http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Board/Bobbi Bobbi Kurshan]'''
Executive...

2009-08-18T20:43:18Z

New page: ''Conducted with Erhardt Graeff via telephone on August 17, 2009'' == Interviewee == '''[http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Board/Bobbi Bobbi Kurshan]'''<br> Executive...

New page

''Conducted with [[User:EGraeff|Erhardt Graeff]] via telephone on August 17, 2009''

== Interviewee ==
'''[http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Board/Bobbi Bobbi Kurshan]'''<br>
Executive Director, [http://www.curriki.org/ Curriki]<br>
Email: bkurshan [at] curriki [dot] org

== Notes ==
Bobbi has been talking (aggressively) to publishers for a long time
*She feels Curriki will not be the final solution, nor will textbook publishers go away
*There needs to be a cooperative model for publishers with OER communities: similar to Redhat/Linux and Sun/Java
*One good reason: textbook companies speed up delivery
*NOTE: CK-12 hasn't engaged community as much as they are

KEY POINT: Curriki/OER will never widely distribute “textbooks”, in the traditional sense, no matter how open or ubiquitous OER getsâprint is not an option (impossible cost)

Four things OER can't do:
*Never print books
*Textbook companies will be better at assessment: content and achievement
*Not in the business of professional development
*Managing intellectual property rights across multiple sources/licenses
**e.g. Curriki can't offer hybrids of traditional textbooks + curricula online

Potential Partnership Model: Open Source imprints at publishing companies could support OER communities to:
*Lower overall costs
*Drive innovation in adoption policy states

Reflecting on the California Digital Textbook Initiative
*Key Policy Point: California reduced adoption process timeline form 6 to 2 years
*Curriki did poorly on content review, particularly in comparison to CK-12 , because the latter pays people to write their books
**Curriki doesn't pay, nor does it focus on the textbook format as an end product
*Curriki originally wasn't going to submit to California's Initiative because they don't agree with the model
**However, California Secretary of Education Glen Thomas is on Curriki's Board of Advisors and wanted Curriki to have a seat at the table
*KEY ISSUE: California didn't engage community (state educators or OER, generally) on this; Curriki contends that the community should be improving it

Community Building: Curriki has been aggressive in recruiting members
*Viral marketing via social media, newsletters, e-mail
*Average of 1500 members register a week, 4-5000 members register a month
**10% are relatively active
**Relatively active “engage” for: 2-3 visits a week, 2-3 pages viewed, 7-8 minutes on the site
**The percentage has been constant, when total membership was 40,000 or 80,00 -- can't seem to push it higher

Curriki quantifies its content by assets
*Recent Numbers: 30,000 assets; 10% are full courses
*Flat World Knowledge and CK-12 use “chapters”
*:SIDE NOTE: CK-12 assumes people will come because their books are effective
*Goal is to eventually have templates for assets
*Core content criteria (WAITING ON FURTHER DETAILS)
**4-6 weeks of instruction
**Covers set standards part of core standards approach
*Originally, Curriki defined content at the “course” level, but teachers want just lesson plans
*LOGIC: teacher facing site; tools are designed for teachers

On (Curriki) Content for Students: Two Approaches
*Render them in digital content usable for students
*Perhaps launch student site so that they can access resources

KEY OER QUESTION: Should digital materials be interactive?
*Curriki wants animation and video
*What technology is necessary?
**Content should be rendered so that teachers can use it online or print it
**PROBLEM: California law has not changed to say textbook money can't be spent on other options

Bobbi thinks there will be a paradigm shift in about 5 years
*PROBLEM or NOT?: schools might be bypassing technology needs right now and assuming that students will bring their own Kindle, netbook, XO laptop, etc.
*She believes this tech will become so cheap that students WILL buy those materials
*Scholarships (public funds) then available for students who can't afford it

Curriki has 2 main parts to its mission
#Address teacher effectiveness
#:Curriki was made as a teacher site not a content site (even though teachers use it that way)
#Reduce cost and engage schools in making decisions that are more ubiquitous
#:Not bent on eliminating dollars for publishers; “Publishers are Friends not Foes” (paraphrased)

Public Policy Wishes
*Bobbi wants every single project funded by the government to make materials/content available as open-source, i.e. NIH's open access mandate rather than NSF's funding outcomes
*Shift in Teacher Education: Schools of Education should ensure that teachers coming out have more involvement in curriculum creation; Curriki's grant from the Hearst Foundation focuses on this

Funding Opportunity from Paul Buchheit of FriendFeed
*How ubiquitous viral marketing can be effective: Paul asked for ideas on where to give his money
*Chronicle of Philanthropy: David and Goliath, Clinton Global Initiative is #1 and Curriki is #2
*OER community is supportive of this kind of philanthropic endeavor (other communities have voted up Curriki)

Problems Between OER Projects
* ccLearn's OpenEd portal is still just a linked list not persistent
**Are linked lists a model that will work? (MERLOT?)
**Can we build a technology that crawls the web and knows what is out there?
*KEY PROBLEM: Interoperability issues
**Are there ways to create interoperability with Curriki and Connexions?
**Connexions wants people to adopt CNX as a platform and use it his way (adoptable distribution channel versus purely a content source); QUESTION: How does Curriki get that content?
**CK-12 wants all things licensed as Creative Commons Share-Alike
***To use the content, Curriki would have to manage separate licenses (CC-BY-SA & CC-BY)
***CC-SA reduces remix functionality (Curriki would have to separate content on the website)
**SUMMARY: OER Issues
***Connexions focuses on platform over content
***CK-12 has a more restrictive CC-BY-SA license
***Curriki allows for a multitude of file types which make it hard to move around
*OER Projects are all chasing the same money
*3 Revenue Sources: rich geeks, foundations, and corporations
**Founder of CK-12 originally planned to donate and work with Connexions, same with Curriki, then started her own
**Right now, foundations are reducing spending
**:SIDE NOTE: Curriki was funded by the Gates Foundation to craft a strategic plan

= Navigation =
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Bobbi Kurshan Interview Notes - August 17, 2009 - Revision history

BerkmanSysop: UTurn to 1287450000

EGraeff: /* Talking with Publishers */

EGraeff: /* Notes */

EGraeff: New page: ''Conducted with Erhardt Graeff via telephone on August 17, 2009'' == Interviewee == '''[http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Board/Bobbi Bobbi Kurshan]''' Executive...

EGraeff: New page: ''Conducted with Erhardt Graeff via telephone on August 17, 2009'' == Interviewee == '''[http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Board/Bobbi Bobbi Kurshan]'''
Executive...