Critical Spaces for Critical Times: Global Conversations in Literacy Research as an Open Professional Development and Practices Resource

Authors

  • Peggy Albers Georgia State University
  • A Ram Cho Georgia State University
  • Ji Hye Shin Georgia State University
  • Myoung Eun Pang Georgia State University
  • Tuba Angay-Crowder Georgia State University
  • Dennis Murphy Odo
  • Jin Kyeong Jung University of Pennsylvania
  • Christi L Pace Georgia State University
  • Mandi Sena Georgia State University
  • Sarah Turnbull Georgia State University

Keywords:

Education, Literacy, Professional Development, Web Seminars

Abstract

This paper reflects an OER (Open Educational Resources) critical literacy project, Global Conversations in Literacy Research (GCLR), (www.globalconversationsinliteracy.wordpress.com), now in its fourth year. GCLR annually hosts seven web seminars presented by internationally recognized literacy and education scholars. We outline key dimensions of GCLR not only as an OER but as an open educational practice (OEP) (Andrade et al., 2011) that through its design, not only provides open access to scholarship, but also understands the critical nexus among resources, practices and theory. Informed by data from a longitudinal study, this paper situates these dimensions within professional development literature, and outlines GCLR as a critical space designed for critical times, and the importance of intentionality when accessing OER. Like scholars before us, we argue that that availability is not the only consideration when using OER (Andrade et al., 2011); OER must be considered in relation to pedagogical considerations and how OER are used as a critical component to online professional development.

Author Biographies

Peggy Albers, Georgia State University

Peggy Albers is a professor of Language and LIteracy Education at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA.

A Ram Cho, Georgia State University

A Ram Cho is a doctoral student in the Language and Literacy Unit at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Ji Hye Shin, Georgia State University

Ji Hye Shin is a doctoral student in the Language and Literacy Unit at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Myoung Eun Pang, Georgia State University

Myoung Eun Pang is a doctoral student in the Language and Literacy Unit at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Tuba Angay-Crowder, Georgia State University

Tuba Angay-Crowder is a doctoral student at Georgia State University

Dennis Murphy Odo

Dennis Murphy Odo is an assistant professor of Language and Literacy at Pusan National University, Republic of Korea

Jin Kyeong Jung, University of Pennsylvania

Jin Kyeong Jung is a doctoral student in the Reading/Writing/Literacy Division, University of Pennsylvania

Christi L Pace, Georgia State University

Christi L. Pace is a doctoral candidate in the Language and Literacy Unit at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Mandi Sena, Georgia State University

Mandi Sena is a doctoral student in the Language and Literacy Unit at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Sarah Turnbull, Georgia State University

Sarah Turnbull is a doctoral student in the Language and Literacy Unit at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

Downloads

Published

2015-08-26

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3 (2015): Open Educational Resources and MOOCs: The Changing Face of Higher Education

Section

Theme Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).