An idea came to my mind while having breakfast this Sunday. With all these Web 2.0 tools out there, there must a way to democratize professional knowledge and during that process further advance them. There are plenty of open source software packages out there designed using sound pedagogical principles to help educators create effective online learning communities, but do we really need them? Here's the idea. I will run my Advanced Brand Strategy Masterclass (I started running this in 1999 and it costs $2,500 per person) but via my blog this time, making it truly open source and totally free. I will divide the three days workshop material into 8 lectures and each week I will post them with notes and links for studies. Participants will post their comments and exchange views. There will be no tuition fees and no text books. There will be no geographical and class size limits. All you need is a computer and a connection.
The idea is to democratize professional knowledge, making the best resources available to more people who needs the for their job. With tools such as blogs, wikipedia, Flickr, Facebook, del.icio.us, YouTube and Google Docs we are about to join in something new. Not only that, but the material we generate (notes, feedbacks, discussions exercises, research) will be useful and available for future learners who want to take this journey. Absolutely no fees involved. It is all about open source.
Honestly I am not 100% sure how it works. But it is probably the first of its kind that a program of this nature is delivered via a blog. You can organize virtual work groups if you wish. You will also be encouraged to deliver your presentation via YouTube and conduct group discussions via Facebook. It will require a bit of self-organization. I think this is a really cool idea. I plan to start the first class on first week of Sept. So the first graduating class will have their photos on Flickr unles someone volunteers for a photoshop job. More info to follow.
