I have been reflecting a lot about what it means to be open and why it matters so much to me. Mister Rogers is the first person I can think of in my mind to really inspire me to advocate for an open and inclusive education system. 

Additionally, I have been thinking about community. For me, open makes sense, but for others around me in my region, not so much. I am fortunate to have found a supportive community online to encourage me and inspire me to continue pushing for open education, equitable education, and publishing in the open.

This section of the course has encouraged me to think deeper about the community of practice and community of interest.

Honestly, I am struggling a bit, and have for a while, about how people interested in impacting open education in some fashion can “break into” it and join the community of practice. I have learned quite a bit over the past few years, but still find a lot of networks require people to know someone, or already be working in open education, before they can join. I am reflecting deeply about this funny paradigm: open networks being closed. I do say this with a smile, but wonder who might be missing out, or who we might be missing out on, if we don’t lower the threshold to join this community.

Second, I am reflecting on where we can be more open about open. I feel like sometimes I stumble upon another group by going down rabbit holes on the Internet. How can we collect these avenues and resources to better connect with outside parties and others already invested?