User:Arided/FreeLearningManifesto

''We are creating an open manifesto that can be rewritten and developed by everyone interested in free learning. Do not be afraid to jump in and edit, or to contest or further discuss the claims and ideas. However, please try to leave the manifesto in a coherent state, by discussing it elsewhere, for example, in the discussion page.''

=What we mean by free learning= Among many visions for educational practice, we have chosen to use digital technologies to learn in a collaborative, free, and open way. We seek to empower ourselves and others to learn in self-organizing online communities, and in offline or hybrid communities that follow similar practices.

=Anti-commercialization= We reject the notion that a good education must be bought and sold. Many of the world's educational resources are still locked up behind restrictive admissions barriers and high price tags, even on the Internet. We make an explicit distinction between the goals of a market-driven educational system and the goals of self-motivated learners. We advocate open online spaces as an alternative to the increasing commercialization and corporatization of educational institutions around the world.

=Self-determination= We believe that all may be teachers, just as all may be learners, and we claim the right to accredit ourselves and each other as we pursue our own educational goals and objectives. We need no external authority to decide what we should and shouldn't learn. Our choices are our own, rooted in curiosity, experience, and a desire for building our knowledge and personal effectiveness.

=Knowledge for empowerment, not stratification= We view the world's cultural heritage as a dynamic space, neither controlled by institutions (universities, museums, corporations), nor entirely outside of their control. However, certification has traditionally been the dominion of institutionalized higher education. We assert that knowledge building in ad hoc, nontraditional, and mediated or virtual spaces can be as good or better than knowledge building in traditional institutions. Our agenda is not to stratify but to empower. We wish not simply to expand access to old knowledge, but to build new and timely resources and practices.

=Free as in Freedom= We recognize that knowledge is one of the most important issues in global development, and that it can be used for "good" or "bad". We do not dictate the terms of use...

=Agenda for Change= While we cannot always use free software and freely licensed learning materials, it is expressly our desire to contribute our work to the Free World and to expand the scope of the public domain whenever and wherever possible. We support the copyright reform agendas pursued by the Pirate Parties worldwide. We recognize that access is only the beginning to empowerment, and we will seek to learn from, support, and expand the knowledge building activities and techniques of free software hackers and self-described pirates.

=Our ambitions= To these ends, we are dedicating our study of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning to developing techniques for creating and maintaining a self-sustaining learning community and networks devoted to exploring innovative models of free and open education, and enacting these models through high quality participatory courses, study groups, and new forms of collaboration.

=In Closing= We announce our intentions and methods so that others may follow and claim their own right to learning. Signed in 2011 by


 * Arided 16:57, 19 June 2011 (UTC)
 * LeGuin 4:52, 22 June 2011