OER stands for Open Educational Resources. OER are teaching, learning, and research resources that are freely available online and that can be used for any purpose.
Checkout this video:
What is OER?
OER stands for Open Educational Resources. OER are free and openly licensed educational materials that can be used for teaching, learning, research, and other purposes. OER include textbooks, lectures, modules, simulations, and other materials that are useful for teaching and learning. The use of OER can save students and instructors money, and can also improve access to education.
What Does OER Stand For?
OER stands for “open educational resources.” The term describes any educational materials that are freely available online for anyone to use, whether that’s a textbook, lesson plan, or even an entire course.
OERs are a growing movement in the education world. Many teachers and professors are releasing their materials under Creative Commons licenses, which allow others to use and adapt them as they see fit. We believe that OERs have the potential to improve teaching and learning by making high-quality educational materials more accessible to everyone.
There are a few key things that make OERs different from traditional educational resources:
-They’re free: Anyone can access OERs online without paying for them.
-They’re digital: OERs are usually released in digital formats that can be accessed on computers, tablets, and other devices.
-They’re flexible: OERs can be customized and adapted to meet the needs of specific learners or classrooms.
-They’re open: OERs are often released under open licenses that allow anyone to use, adapt, and redistribute them.
What is the Purpose of OER?
There are many different reasons why educators might choose to use OER in their classrooms. Some might be interested in the cost savings that can come with using free or low-cost resources. Others might be looking for materials that are more aligned with their students’ needs and interests. And still others might appreciate the flexibility that OER can offer in terms of tailoring content to meet specific learning goals.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember that OER are just like any other teaching materials in that they need to be carefully selected and used in a way that supports effective teaching and learning. Just because a resource is free doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good fit for your classroom. Take the time to evaluate OER before using them, and consider how they can be used most effectively to support your students’ learning.
How can OER be Used in Education?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use. OER can be used in many different ways in education, such as in classrooms, online learning, and in professional development. Let’s explore how OER can be used in different aspects of education.
What are Some Examples of OER?
Open educational resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. OER include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, resources, or materials used to support access to knowledge.
Some well-known examples of OER are Wikipedia and Khan Academy. But there are many other ways to find and use OER. Here are some general tips:
-Start with a search engine: Try a simple Google search using keywords related to what you’re looking for. For example, if you’re looking for free images to use in a presentation about the American Revolution, try searching for “American Revolution Images.” Once you find a promising website or resource, look for information about licensing or copyright to make sure it’s okay to use.
-Check out Creative Commons: Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that offers free licenses and tools that copyright holders can use to allow others to reuse and remix their work. Searching Creative Commons can help you find material that you can use without getting permission from the copyright holder first.
-Look for OER repositories: There are many websites that collect OER and make them available in one place. The Open Education Consortium maintains a list of open education initiatives and repositories around the world. The U.S. government also has an extensive repository of open educational resources at CFresourcefinder.org
How can OER be Used in the Classroom?
There are many ways that OER can be used in the classroom:
-OER can be used as is: Teachers can simply find and use OER materials that are directly relevant to their instructional goals.
-OER can be adapted: Teachers can modify OER materials to better suit their needs, or combine multiple OER resources to create something new.
-OER can be remixed: Teachers can combine and rearrange OER content to create an entirely new resource. For example, a teacher could take a lesson plan from one OER source, learning activities from another, and assessment questions from yet another to create a comprehensive lesson.
-OER can be created: Teachers can use OER tools and platforms to create entirely new resources to share with others.
How can OER be Used for Professional Development?
OER can be used for professional development in a number of ways. One is by providing educators with high-quality, openly licensed resources that they can use in their own classrooms. OER can also be used as part of educator professional development programs, such as those offered by the Professional Learning Board. Additionally, OER can be used to create content for educator professional development courses, such as those offered by the Open Education Consortium.
The Benefits of OER
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. OER include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.
The Benefits of OER for Students
Open educational resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for anyone to use and under some licenses, to revise. This means that OER can be used for teaching, learning, research, and writing without the worry of copyright infringement. OER can come in the form of full courses, textbooks, individual modules or lessons, course materials, streaming videos, tests, software, or any type of media that supports teaching and learning.
There are many benefits of using OER. For students, OER can save money on the cost of course materials such as textbooks and other course fees. In addition, OER can provide students with more flexible and customized learning materials that meet their specific needs. Students can also benefit from the ability to access OER anytime and anywhere they have an internet connection.
For educators, OER offers the opportunity to revise existing materials or create new materials that fit the specific needs of their students and class context. With OER, educators also retain copyright ownership of their work. In addition, using OER can help build visibility for an educator’s work and potentially increase opportunities for collaboration with other educators.
There are also benefits to society when we use OER. By making educational resources freely available online, we can reduce barriers to education and help provide equal access to education for everyone. In addition, using OER can help promote the sharing of knowledge and expertise globally which can lead to advances in science and technology.
The Benefits of OER for Educators
There are many benefits of using OER for educators. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it can save educators time and money. With so many quality OER resources available online, educators no longer need to spend hours scouring the internet or their local library for materials. In addition, OER can be customized to fit the specific needs of a particular class or student, which is not always possible with traditional textbooks.
Another key benefit of OER is that it promotes equity in education. By making high-quality resources freely available online, OER leveling the playing field for all students, regardless of their economic background. Additionally, OER can help meet the needs of diverse learners by providing materials in different formats (e.g., text, audio, video) and on a variety of topics.
Finally, using OER can help educators stay up-to-date on current trends and developments in their field. With traditional textbooks, new editions are only released every few years, and often do not reflect the latest research and developments. With OER, on the other hand, resources can be updated regularly to ensure that they are always current.
The Benefits of OER for Schools and districts
OER can provide a cost-effective way for school districts to achieve their curriculum goals. When districts adopt OER curricula, they do not have to pay for textbooks or digital resources. Instead, they can customize the materials to meet the specific needs of their students and teachers.
In addition, OER can help districts save money on professional development costs. Because OER resources are available online, teachers can access them at any time and from any location. This means that districts do not have to pay for substitute teachers while teachers attend professional development workshops.
OER can also help districts save money on printing and photocopying costs. When districts use OER resources, they can distribute them electronically to teachers and students. This eliminates the need to print and photocopy materials for classroom use.
The Challenges of OER
Despite the fact that Open Educational Resources have the potential to increase access to quality education, there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed. OER require a different type of mindset from educators, learners need to be more independent, and there is a lack of awareness of OER. Let’s take a closer look at each of these challenges.
The Challenges of OER for Students
There are a few challenges that students face when it comes to OER. The first is that there is often a lack of quality control. Since anyone can create and publish OER, there is no guarantee that the materials are accurate or reliable. This can be a problem when students are using OER to prepare for exams or assignments.
Another challenge is that OER can often be fragmented. Because materials are created by different people, they may not always fit together logically. This can make it difficult for students to use OER to create a cohesive study plan.
Finally, OER may not always be up-to-date. This can be a problem if students are using OER to learn about topics that are constantly changing, such as technology or current events.
The Challenges of OER for Educators
Despite the advantages of OER, there are still challenges that educators face when trying to incorporate them into their curriculum. One of the biggest challenges is finding high-quality OER resources. With the vast amount of material available online, it can be difficult to sort through everything to find materials that are both accurate and appropriate for your students.
Another challenge is keeping up with the latest OER resources. Because OER are digital and often open source, they can be updated frequently. This means that educators need to be diligent about keeping up with the latest versions of materials, which can be time-consuming.
Finally, there is a lack of awareness about OER among educators. Many teachers are not familiar with the concept of OER or how to find and use them. As a result, they may not be taking advantage of all the resources that are available to them.
The Challenges of OER for Schools and districts
OER are digital teaching and learning materials that are freely shared and can be used and adapted by anyone. Because OER are free, they have the potential to reduce the cost of education for schools and districts. However, there are also some challenges associated with OER that need to be considered.
One challenge is that OER are often created by educators who are not paid for their work. This means that there is no guarantee that OER will be of high quality or kept up-to-date. Another challenge is that OER are often released under open licenses, which allow for adaptation and remixing. This means that schools and districts must be careful when choosing OER to use, as they may not be appropriate for all students or all learning contexts.
Finally, while OER have the potential to reduce the cost of education, they also have the potential to increase inequities if not used carefully. For example, if OER are only made available to students who have access to the internet, then those who do not have internet access will be at a disadvantage. Schools and districts need to think carefully about how to make OER accessible to all students, regardless of their background or circumstances.
