Free or Open?

A few days ago I had a great conversation about publishing our school’s content and courses to iTunes U for FREE. Someone asked me why we would give away our content for free. I think one of the most important things we can do in education is to share the great work we design so that more than the students in front of us can benefit. As a teacher I was always looking for inspiration for my classroom. Many educators share lessons in blog posts or in websites. I'm eternally grateful to the th teachers who came before me and shared their work. It made a big difference for my students and for me too. It helped me think way beyond what the textbook offered. While I do understand the purpose of intellectual property, I do think as teachers who are working in the public sector it's imperative to be “open”. Our iTunes U courses are filled with brilliant ideas, activities, lessons, and projects that are intended to inspire teachers globally. I say let's be open with our ideas, our work and let’s share.