CyberOne: an example and an origin

This blog grew out of a course I am taking at the Harvard Law School entitled CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion. It is a unique course about the power and potential of persuasive argument and creativity online, one which exists in numerous manifestations with numerous audiences and participants. It exists as a traditional course at Harvard Law School. It exists as a distance learning course at the Harvard Extension School (taught through Second Life). And, it exists as an online course open to anyone with access to the internet.

Here is the video that started it all:

The culmination of the course, for those of us taking it at the law school, is a project to create an online, persuasive argument that will convince others to become involved in the project and to create a real change. This blog is one such project with the goal, obviously, of getting people involved in the effort to create an OpenCourseWare system at the Harvard Extension School.

CyberOne is also a perfect example of the wonderful sorts of courses and activities that OpenCourseWare could make available. With it's three audiences (or three sets of students), the course has brought together people who would not otherwise interact with one another, has created great learning opportunities for all of the students, and has gained quite a bit of publicity, as well.

As a law school participant, I have interacted not only with my fellow law students in the classroom, but also with extension school students and "at large" students on the course wiki and in Second Life. For me, the open, online nature of the course has greatly increased the interest, fun, and value of the course.

Just imagine if all the Harvard Extension School courses could be like this!