The Business End of an OER

Flip a textbook over in a high school classroom and what do you see other than cheesy photos from the 1960's and book descriptions that try and flatter them? A barcode, and in some rare circumstances, a few numbers that result in sticker shock.

We've all experienced it by now. College textbooks and materials are no exception, costing students hundreds if not thousands of dollars out of pocket every semester only to have uncracked bindings to show for it when finals week is over.

And then what do you do when your life moves on and you become the educator responsible for maintaining the cost of your classroom materials? Suddenly those expenses multiply and your time to search for appropriate lesson material shortens.

Thankfully all hope is not lost in this expensive chaos. Enter the OERs, or "Open Educational Resources", to save the day. As discussed in the article link just provided, OERs have emerged as a viable and ready source of information in the classroom of today. Quite simply put, OER's refer to any resources made available at little to no cost that can be used for teaching, learning, or even research. Yes, this includes those pesky textbooks on occasion, but it also extends far beyond that in potential. Colleges have started making their curriculum, materials and even their faculties' PowerPoints publicly available for open use with little stipulation. (see number 2.)

This all leads up to what may be a veritable gold mine of information and resources made available for only the cost of your time and patience. I believe this is a wonderful resource to use as a starting block to filling in curricular planning and materials that have the potential to be a collaboration from many teachers and voices the world over.

However, caution must be exercised. (See number 5.) These open resources are just that: open. Any interested person may post materials into OER sources despite qualifications or knowledge. In addition, sources that are published by well-recognized individuals or institutions may not be kept current or checked for relevancy as time passes, even on well-maintained websites. It is a very good idea to approach the process of OER searching and addition as an optimistic, though cautious, endeavor.

That word of warning stated, though, OER's can come in as a most welcome variety of tools in the classroom when included wisely, for example:

The Glyfada Method - An OER that would provide my future students with help on how to formulate, get started, and write papers that otherwise they may have issues composing.

Introducing Copyright -An extremely important concept in the internet-savvy classroom. Introducing a book about copyright laws in the 21st century can be used to supplement a mini-unit about the fine line between art and infringement.

Writing Commons - A community for writers, this creative learning space is for students in courses that require college-level writing, and a creative, interactive space for teachers to share resources. A good collaboration resource for teachers and students alike.


SOURCE OF THE DAY:

10 Open Education Resources You May Not Know About - a good list of a variety of links to search engines focused specifically on OER resources. Give it a look!

Kansas Dept. Of Education - Just as the link says, this collection of OER's is directly maintained by the Dept of Education in Kansas. Many good links here on a variety of subjects.

The Incredible Art Department - One of my absolute favorite sites. Though not officially dubbed an OER website, that is exactly what this site provides for art teachers: a community of shared lesson plans by a variety of instructors and focuses. A must see for anyone writing a creative lesson plan.