# Conversation with Leigh Blackall


![](http://wikieducator.org/images/9/90/Leigh_blackall.jpg "Leigh Blackall")I've
been aware of [Leigh Blackall](http://leighblackall.blogspot.com/) for a
long time, and have found his work and writings consistently very
inspiring and interesting. Leigh works for [Otago
Polytechnic](http://www.tekotago.ac.nz/), which is an inspiring example
of how an institution can "go open" (see their
[mini-documentary](http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/open-education-at-otago-polytechnic/)).
I remember emailing him during last Open Education conference, saying
that I had seen him on the pre-conference wiki, and was excited to be
meeting him, and he wrote back that unfortunately he wouldn't be
attending anyway.

Funnily enough, this year, he did come to the [Open Education
conference](http://openedconference.org/) in Vancouver, and I did see
him, but he always seemed busily engaged with very interesting people,
so I never got chance to introduce myself (never took the chance,
anyway). The Open Ed conferences are often like that - everyone are
busily trying to reconnect with people, or meet with people they have
read or communicated with, it's like a social dance.

However, thanks to the beauty of the internet, we finally got connected,
Leigh had a look at some of my stuff, and he invited me to have a
conversation about some of the ideas we are both thinking about. He
recorded the conversation, and made it available on archive.org (about
one hour:
[mp3](http://www.archive.org/download/OE01_houshuang-and-leighblackall/OE01_houshuang-and-leighblackall.mp3),
[ogg](http://www.archive.org/download/OE01_houshuang-and-leighblackall/OE01_houshuang-and-leighblackall.ogg),
or listen below).

It was an interesting discussion, although far too short. We talked a
bit about my research on the Chinese OER program (I gave [a
presentation](http://openedconference.org/archives/511) about this in
Vancouver), the issue of open licenses in non-Western countries (which I
will blog about separately), the [Peer2Peer
University](http://p2pu.org), and more. He has already invited me to
repeat the experiment, this time talking more about his experience at
Otago, which I am very eager to find out more about.

Stian