"I want and visualize and aspire toward a system of society and learning where each person is able to rise to his or her fullest potential without social or financial encumbrance, where they may express themselves fully and without reservation through art, writing, athletics, invention, or even through their avocations or lifestyle.

 

Where they are able to form networks of meaningful and rewarding relationships with their peers, with people who share the same interests or hobbies, the same political or religious affiliations - or different interests or affiliations, as the case may be.

 

This to me is a society where knowledge and learning are public goods, freely created and shared, not hoarded or withheld in order to extract wealth or influence. This is what I aspire toward, this is what I work toward."

 

That quote comes from a new, free ebook by Stephen Downes on FreeLearning (.pdf) That quote is also expressing the deep desire for the world we want to live in, as depcited by the Vision of our School.

We, at the School of Commoning, treasure and support the work of such social learning pioneers who help creating that future today, as Dave Cormier, George Siemens, Simon Buckingham Sum, and Stephen Downes.  We bring to the emerging education commons:

• a coherent framework of the Commons, as both the basis of good society, and the way of transition to it
• workshops, seminars, online courses about the Commons
• a supportive enviroment of commons educators, activists/thinkers, and projects
• a knowledge federation perspective
• the Campaign for Commons Literacy aimed at large-scale awareness raising about the commons 

If you can think of the future of higher education as commons, and want to develop a line enquiry into that, you can count on our support.