Assignment OER....

The inspiration behind this post was from Professor Smith aka Balddaddieteach.  Our assignment was to watch his video and to research Open Educational Resources (OER).  First we had to read on article on the things you need to know about OER.  The article was very informative giving information on everything from the definition, the positive aspects of OER, and the downfalls.  It was definitely a must read for me because I had never heard of OER before.  We then had to do a little digging of our own to find websites that offer OER and to link them in this blog.
Here is what I found:

OER are unlicensed teaching materials and tools that teachers worldwide have access to at little or no cost to the teacher.  Finding out new and different ways to teach lessons, reading articles that provide research on ways to teach students, and an endless supply of lesson plans, games, and quizzes all in one place can be a teacher's dream.  Professor Smith gave us a link to a website to get started finding websites offering OER.  I started browsing the site and decided to click on an entry entitled Beyond Pengquins and Polar Bears: Integrating Literacy and IPY into Elementary Classrooms.  I was able to read the overview and find out exactly what Beyond Penquins and Polar Bears is.  I clicked on the link to be able to see the many linked articles.  I chose to click on the article entitled Sense of Place which took me to a another page that had a link to lessons and activities that teachers can use to teach students.
My interests in OER were sparked and put OER into a Google search.  Pages and pages of OER were listed.  One OER website that I really liked is "40 Open Education Resources You Should Know About."  This website listed such sites as PBS Kids and Discovery Kids,  which both of my children have used and enjoyed.
Another website I liked was Kansas State Department of Education.  It is very easy to navigate with the overviews of each OER listed below the links.  The Hewlett Foundation offers another great websites for teachers looking for OER.  It also provides information on obtaining grants for deserving classrooms.  The VHS Collaborative offers free online instruction and information on all the benefits of OER digital media.  Check them out!

Although I was mostly checking out the OER that would benefit Early Childhood & Special Education students, there are OER's for students in all levels of education, including college.  In fact, alot of colleges now offer digital textbooks which helps lower the cost of higher education.

The OER movement is chugging along, are you on board??  :)