Education Week just published a report titled, Extending the Digital Reach, in which it explores a variety of ways that technology is impacting and changing education, specifically focusing on personalized learning approaches. In one particular section, the reports focuses on the vast array of Open Education Resources that have become available to educators. The article, aptly titled, Flood of Open Education Resources Challenges Educators, highlights the difficulty of finding, evaluating, and using a piece of software or app in the classroom.
So, what are Open Education Resources? Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use, whether you are an instructor, student or self-learner. Examples of OER include: full courses, course modules, syllabi, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections from around the world. According to Edweek’s report, “[Teachers] can find hundreds, if not thousands, of free pieces of content to accomplish their mission with students, but how to find the right one, aligned to the right standard, for the right student, at the right time? That challenge lies at the heart of personalized learning, whether conveyed through teachers, technology, or some combination of the two.”
As many districts move away for using solely textbooks for instructional materials, teachers become overwhelmed at the availability of tools to choose from. The report also states that “last year, the U.S. Department of Education appointed Andrew Marcinek its first open education adviser to help schools embrace the use of openly licensed resources to free funding for digital learning. The department also launched a high-profile campaign to #GoOpen with digital instruction—encouraging districts to use open-ed resources.
The issue lies, not in “needing more content”, but finding the tool and then using it well. EdWeek provides some good tips to help schools and districts curate their OER.
Finding the Right Resources
- Discovery by machine, by educators in classrooms, by employees—often former educators—paid to do the curation work
- Content could be games, videos, text, simulations, interactive activities, and more
Evaluating the Resources
- Using rubrics/systems established by each organization
- Decision point: Is this resource worthy of inclusion?
- Resources may be trashed here
Tagging Chosen Resources
- Type of content (text, video, game, etc.)
- Subject
- Grade
- Instructional standards (common core, others)
- Technical requirements
- Keyword
Publishing
- Vetted resources are published on the ed-tech platform
User Searches
- Educators look for content; sometimes students and parents do, too
- Curated content is identified
- Teachers add selected items to their lesson plans/playlists to sequence learning
Reviewing and Culling
- Based on educator feedback, usage statistics, and/or effectiveness criteria, providers remove old/ineffective content from their platforms
When you use Pepper, you’ve already got some great places to go for Open Education Resources. Start by visiting the Pepper Resource Library. Better Lesson, Common Sense Graphite, and STEM Builder all provide great OER that have already been checked out and organized by educators. Be sure to check out these great resources and see how you can use them to further engage your students.
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