Should we sell our content to one another? I think we can come up with a better approach:
I think you have hit upon something central to “why we become teachers.” I don’t think any of us do this so that we may become rich, however we are trying to join our vocation with our ability to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. There is this natural tension between the “the why” of teaching and “the how” or existence. If we do not resolve these tensions we get either burnout or exploitation.
I think a better way to resolve this tension is to think about teaching as a professional skillset. If you are getting paid in one space for that skillset, it would only make sense that you get paid for that same skillset elsewhere. So, if you lead a workshop on a given topic, you should be able to be paid for that workshop. However, it breaks down for me when we boil down our skillset to making content. Content is a ubiquitous commodity. I would agree that it is better given away than sold, but if folks want to see themselves as content creators rather than teachers, I think that they have sold their teaching short.
I am not offended that there are content marketplaces, but I would rather see us come together and collaborate to make the best possible Open Educational Resources. That way, we would all have world class content. Then, we could really be the educational leaders the world needs. We could create a marketplace for teaching, for the art of educating others. Everyone needs to learn something new, and right now we are just selling the content. That tension will never go away if we stop there.
