Google Open Policy Fellow (Draft 2012)
The transformation of information into zeros and ones and the countless documents, pictures, and videos that are now at the fingertips of anyone with an internet connection are democratizing learning, and have radically transformed the educational experience and socialization of youth. Currently studying for a PhD in Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development at the University of Minnesota exploring the impact of Open Education on the poor, minorities, and developing countries, having an MA in Latin American Studies – Development, the influence of the internet and open content on the formal and informal education of individuals is a topic of academic interest and personal importance to me. The impact of openness to society has begun to be explored, but its transformative effect has yet to be fully understood. Having the opportunity to work as a Google Policy Fellow will further my involvement in open policy and my interest in increasing access to disconnected and isolated communities. When someone connects to the internet their access to information expands exponentially. Having conducted focus group and ethnographic studies of open access and open education resources, I feel I have the background experience and prior work in this field that will make me an asset to your organization. I have a strong interest in the transnational impact of openness but I have also worked on initiatives focusing on minority or undeserved populations, such as Upward Bound. I am committed to reducing both the digital divide and the achievement gap that currently affect society. My work as an IT Fellow for the University of Minnesota, video producer, and graphic designer will also hopefully be of help to your organization.
What is open? To me it means more than information being remixable, redistributable, reusable, and revisable. Rather, openness is an ethos, a way individuals can reach out, beyond the boundaries of the physical, into the open cyberspace of the possible. Regardless of where a person is, they can impact society. Growing up in Venezuela with relatively limited financial means but with an internet connection, I was able to access large databases of information. Openness has helped shaped and defined me. However, the internet is more than openness, and what is open should be contextually defined. Through the internet information is transferred that can be beneficial to a community but this transfer can lead to challenges, such as copyright infringement, partially due to a lack of understanding of different copyright licenses among both American youth and populations around the world.
In the USA, the line between audio visual creativity and copyright infringement is sometimes hard to discern. While creative commons is increasingly providing an alternative for producers and remixers, more should be done to improve this balance, increase our understanding of the problem, and provide better alternatives to the threatened increased regulation, oversight and control of internet traffic. There is also an important transnational dimension to openness. It is not surprising that in a place where individuals live with only a few dollars a day that even discounted software and information prices may be a barrier to access. Having worked with a university department in Venezuela in updating their software when I was a teenager was a very interesting experience. While hardware had to be purchased, decisions regarding software were controversial. Staff members were left with 3 options, to purchase an expensive software (usually under a year license), use an openly accessible software (GNU license), or more often than not used a pirated version of a product. It was not hard to understand why some of these decisions were made. Yet, intellectual property should also be protected.
When I interviewed international scholars about open access policies, they expressed concern that, in certain fields with a strong public agenda, such as education and development, many of the highest quality journal articles are not accessible to the public. “Great discoveries are made, to then have a limited distribution and remain behind a closed box” expressed one participant. When information is not accessible, research projects could omit significant works in their literature review, and intellectual efforts can be duplicated or be poorly formulated. This is partly due to the current dominant position on intellectual property by major publishing houses, limiting access to premium institutions that can afford the subscription fees. Having followed a closed economic model for years, it is understandable that businesses have been reluctant to change their policies and find alternate revenue models, but in future years they may have no alternative but to change with the times. Some of the current policies are having a negative impact on innovation and international development. Openness has benefited me tremendously, as I have been able to learn valuable concepts and nuggets of information from Open Courseware courses, Wikipedia, and other open sources. I am deeply committed to using policy to improve the quality of the internet and positively impact the education of current and future students. By working as a fellow, I hope to benefit your organization and positively impact internet policy.
