On this page
For details about OU website co-ordination (intranet and internet) please contact Ian Roddis of the Communications Group.
Web 2.0 is a phrase used to describe websites and services such as Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia and blogging. All of these allow users to not only access information but also to contribute. For this reason web 2.0 is also referred to as the `read/write web'.
Underlying web 2.0 services is a philosophy of participation and a belief that `none of us is as wise as all of us'. These aspects of the web 2.0 philosophy are what have made it so successful, but they are also the cause of some of the problems that individuals and organisation encounter if they engage naively in the space.
The Open University is engaging in external web 2.0 sites, is incorporating Web 2.0 tools and philosophies into its own systems, and is also the subject of conversations undertaken between students and staff in these spaces. You can find OU presences in Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and iTunesU. Web 2.0 philosophies also underpin OpenLearn.
iTunesU
The Open University was one of the first UK universities on iTunesU and has a number of podcasts from all Faculties across a number of courses. You can reach the OU podcasts on iTunesU via this page. We're always looking for new podcasts so if you are interested in adding your own or just finding out how the process works, get in touch with Online Services at communications-online-services@open.ac.uk.
Facebook
Facebook has become popular over the past eighteen months and there are significant numbers of OU staff, students and alumni using the site. The Open University has the most popular university page on Facebook with nearly 8,000 fans, you can find it here.
There are two Facebook applications aimed at the OU community, these are Course Profiles and My OU Story.
YouTube
The OU also has a strategic partnership with YouTube and has a number of OU channels. You can access all channels via OU View. Work has been undertaken with Rights, LTS and OBU to get clearance and access to OU videos for OU View.
If you have videos that you would like to upload, have ideas for news videos, or would like to know how OU View is administered please contact communications-online-services@open.ac.uk.
Twitter
The OU also has its own Twitter profile. This has been used to promote OpenLearn by tweeting facts from OpenLearn units during a Daily Telegraph campaign. If you have ideas for innovate ways to use the OU twitter stream please contact communications-online-services@open.ac.uk.
iGoogle
An Open University iGoogle gadget is available to anyone with a Google account. This widget delivers a fact of the day every day from the OU and links users through to related OpenLearn content.
OpenLearn
OpenLearn is the OU's Open Educational Resource project which makes content from OU courses available online for free under a Creative Commons licence. Since its launch in October 2006 OpenLearn has received nearly 2 million visits and now has 5400 hours of learning content.
If you are interested in adding material from one of your courses to OpenLearn please contact openlearn@open.ac.uk
The University is aware that many of its staff and students are participating in these areas in ways that are linked to University activity or teaching. For this reason Online Services has produced position papers detailing OU involvement in YouTube and OU involvement in Facebook. These documents also contain some guidelines for appropriate use.
* Open University YouTube Position Statement (PDF).
* Open University Facebook Position Statement (PDF).
* Open University Social Media Policy (PDF).
Online Services is about to begin consultation within the OU in order to put together a document detailing web 2.0 usage guidelines. This document will seek to inform OU staff and students of laws relating to privacy, data ownership and codes of conduct which are appropriate to web 2.0 environments. If you would like to be involved in these discussions, or would like to suggest someone who should be involved, please email communications-online-services@open.ac.uk including details of the areas which you can contribute to.
Current advice for student behaviour whilst using the OU network is also available. Please consult the Student Policy Documents and Computing Guide. Guidance for OU staff using the OU network is available in the Computing Code of Conduct.
