eLearning: the challange

On the occasion of the opening ceremony of the World Forum of Unesco Chairs on the 13th November, 2002, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of Unesco, emphasized the need to make educational materials freely available on the web and the real possibilities to do so. As a result, the Open Educational Resources initiative has been launched as a cooperation mechanism for open, non-commercial use of educational resources (Matsuura 2002). “The new technologies have helped create a culture for learning in which the learner enjoys enhanced interactivity and connections with others. Rather than listen to a professor regurgitate facts and theories, students discuss ideas and learn from one another, with the teacher acting as a participant in the learning. Students construct narratives that make sense out of their own experiences. Initial research strongly supports the benefits of this kind of learning.” (Tapscot, 1999)