Our most recent articles, reports and other publications are featured below. View additional resources drawn from our work by selecting a topic at the bottom of this page.

Open Sourcing Education - Learning and wisdom from iSummit 2007
This paper provides an overview of the current landscape in open education, and outlines challenges and opportunities for the future. It is based on discussions during the iSummit 2007 open education track, which took place in Dubrovnik in June 2007. Sep 07 2007 - Mark Surman » Download 145k PDF

From the Ground Up - The evolution of the telecentre movement
Print and electronic book on the future of the telecentre movement. Written by Andy Carvin and Mark Surman. Published by IDRC. Aug 19 2007 - Mark Surman » Click here to see ebook.

The Evolution of Learning - Taking open educational resources to the next level
Article on the current status of open (source) education. Written by Lisa Petrides, President, Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education and Mark Surman, Open Philanthropy Fellow, Shuttleworth Foundation for the iCommons Annual 2007. Jul 29 2007 - Mark Surman

Making the Connection - Scaling telecentres for development
Book of practical advice on how to build and scale telecentre programs. Written primarily by Barbara Fillip. Mark Surman wrote the chapter on networks and provided overall advice. Published by the Academy for Education Development. Jul 24 2007 - Mark Surman » Click here to see ebook.

Building Constellation-Based Partnerships
The Constellation model is a complexity-inspired governance framework for multi-organizational collaboration. It is a way of organizing a group of interested parties to meet a need without having to create a new organization to ‘hold’ the issue. It is a tool to help us recognize and become conscious designers in a complex ecosystem of organizational collaboration. This article describes the model in greater detail, however, it is still a work in progress and new versions of this document will be forthcoming. Jun 20 2006 - Tonya Surman » View PDF

Commonspace: beyond virtual community - All chapters from the book
Commonspace is a book about the people power of the Internet. It shows that the Internet isn't about dot coms, online malls or customizable coupons. It's about us. The collective us. The book was written by Mark and Darren at The Commons Group and most of it is available for free here on our site. Apr 16 2005 - Mark Surman

Beyond the Box: technology grantmaking in Canada
An overview of the potential -- and challeges -- of funding technology use by non-profits. Includes an analysis of the current situation as well as practical tips for grantmakers. Co-authored with IMPACS as a part of Canada's Voluntary Sector Initiative. Nov 12 2004 - Mark Surman » View PDF

Planning, Partnership and People - Keys to successful non-profit technology projects
Developed for the 2004 Voluntary Sector Community of Inquiry Symposium, this paper documents general findings from a review of best practices from projects funded through the Government of Ontario's Volunteer@ction Online grants programt. It aims to capture and share information about how voluntary organizations can most effectively use the Internet. It also includes a number of conclusions that are intended to guide future strategic technology projects within the voluntary sector. Nov 12 2004 - Mark Surman » View PDF

Best Practices for a Healthy Child Care Facility - A Look at the Kinder Garden
This article explores the creation of a parent-run cooperative day care and focuses on how we have worked to create an environmentally healthy child care facility. It also exemplifies the results of on-the-ground community building. Apr 22 2004 - Tonya Surman

It Takes Two to Tango
This article explores how the charitable and non-profit sector can benefit from working collaboratively. It explores pooling resources, creating efficiencies, coordinating voice and building an organizations core competencies through collaboration.
Published in Alternatives Journal Winter 2004 Jan 08 2004 - Tonya Surman » Download PDF

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