There is an interesting conversation developing about the differences between cooperation and collaboration in open online learning on Frances Bell’s blog. Stephen raises the question whether collaboration is even a desirable thing, by his definition cooperation implies greater individual freedom. Perhaps on a network where you are charting your own course through the material greater personal freedom is desirable.

An implicit goal of open education is de-institutionalisation, so it might be important to look at what cooperation means to the institution versus the individual operating in a network. Clay Shirky discusses this in a TEDtalk from 2008, Institutions vs. Collaboration. As the Internet pushes the costs of open participation in the creation of value down towards zero, institutions become an obstacle to cooperation.

Not that institutions are necessarily a bad thing, but the way in which they are structured (usually around a profit motive) is antithetical to the free exchange of information over networks. So whether you are talking about file sharing, photo sharing or learning the Internet is fertile ground for a post-institutional view of cooperation.

In a world of radical abundance we are moving towards a way of creating value in education that isn’t tied to the institution. The problem with making definitions of collaboration and cooperation in the context of online learning is that the terms become value-laden. So while I agree with Stephen that a MOOC, or for that matter the connectivist learning approach, is not collaborative. I disagree that it is not something to work towards if you are intent on creating something to share with others.

What I sacrifice in personal freedom by contributing to a collaborative effort in producing the Change 11 eBook is balanced by the expectation that I will be creating something lasting. The digital artefact is an outcome of collaboration in a small group initiated by Dave Cormier.

I can’t even define the Change 11 MOOC community, let alone collaborate with them. Who are you? Where are you?

It really is up to you, what you want to get out of Change 11 MOOC. How will you define your success. Are you a bystander? Or are you diving in at the deep end?

Shirky, C. (2008, July 14). Institutions vs. Collaboration (Video file). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPQViNNOAkw