That's where he believes the open revolution is happening. Embracing the Global Learning CommonsĪ major point of discussion in the book is what Price calls the Global Learning Commons, an ephemeral collection of people and resources that are changing the way people learn. That's not a surprise, considering Price has been heavily involved in education and training for the last 20-plus years. SOFT, according to Price, is of the utmost importance in one area: education.Ī good chunk of the book explores how openness is changing and will change the way we learn in school and in the workplace. He says, 'share, open, free, trust are verbs as well as nouns: actions as well as values.' Without applying all of them, you can't make the most of openness. Price distills the aim of the book into the acronym SOFT, short for Share, Open, Free, Trust. Without learning and living the principles of openness, it will be harder for the next generation to adapt and innovate. In many areas, that change is sorely needed.

The core argument of OPEN is that openness has the power to shape and change education and work. That's because, as Price points out, open 'isn't simply about technology, it's about behavior shift as well.' However, the principles of openness and the values underlying open source are visible throughout the book. OPEN doesn't focus on openness and open source as many of us know it. The result of that exploration is OPEN, a look at 'how we'll work, live, and learn in the future.' The experience led Price to further explore open-what it is and what it means. What he found online wasn't a group of self-pitying people or folks sharing dubious 'cures.' Instead, Price discovered individuals coming together to form communities to share diagnoses, information, tips, and support. That diagnosis caught Price off guard, and like many people with medical conditions in the digital age, he began frequenting online forums for people with his affliction. Welcome to the communityįor David Price, the first steps down the path to embracing openness started with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.

Open by David Price