I’m presenting this idea once again at the OER22 Conference and I/we (me and a penguin) seek your help.
What kinds of stories? The ones that make this connected web feel like it still has a tinge of… magic?
In this site I want to celebrate the True Stories of what happens to people when they share something openly on the web. I asked colleagues to share their own stories of something unexpected, valuable, powerful, or just plain inspiring as a result of sharing that piece of media, document, video, blog post, even a single tweet that became valuable to someone they did not know before.
https://stories.cogdogblog.com/about/
What kind of stories do I want? Yours! Anything that has happened unexpectedly because of sharing or connections made online, that type of thing where when it happens, you say, “Wow, that was amazing”.
Need inspiration? From the 128 stories collected here since 2009, here are five random ones, look at ones selected by the humble editor, or just browse the entire collection)
- A Dog Named Jimmy (Rafael Mantesso)
- It Started with a Story
- Somebody I’d Like To Have A Beer With
- Tweeting is Safer Than Hitch-Hiking
- 105theHive Student Radio #Radio4Learning
Okay, you are ready? Maybe? Just click the button, and delight me and my penguin friend.
Please share one in advance of my April 27 presentation to inspire even more stories from the folks at OER22.
The Call
The Conference
The Pre-Recorded Presentation
This was the pitch for my session at OER22:
The Tonic of Serendipity: A New Call for True Stories of Open Sharing
A long long time ago (2009) at an in-person conference far far away (Open Education Conference, Vancouver) a collection of short video stories was shared as “Amazing Stories of Openness.”
Then, the premise was to go beyond the focus on openness focused on content (resources, courses) to the human act and restorative power of an unexpected connection or outcome sprung from an act of open sharing online with a colleague one might not have not have happened otherwise.
Many of these acts contributed to making connections with attendees of this very conference. The message shared was that while open sharing alone was no promise that one would gain the an amazing experiences, but the only guarantee was if one never shared openly, such stories would not be possible.
The author’s own experiences, some of them seemingly mathematically improbable, espoused a foundation of openness that might motivate others to reflect on how to to increase their own chances of an experience of positive serendipity. This collection at https://stories.cogdogblog.com is not only available and relevant, but is open for anyone to directly contribute. And it feels even more necessary facing a future of certain uncertainty.
For this session at OER22, the collection will be shared, but more importantly, we will attempt add ones from conference attendees, and in a live presentation, in real time. Openness can still be amazing so here is a new call for creating more potential serendipity through openness as an act and an attitude.
Do you need that button again?
