Do you know what open educational resources (OER) are? They are any educational resource (textbooks, lectures, videos, images, software, essays, etc.) made available to learners for free through the use of an open license. They can be provided by governments, universities, organizations, or individuals. Of course, in this day and age, they usually come in digital form and are available over the Internet. Do you want specific examples of OERs? Here is a list of 10 such resources to get you started:
10 OER You Might Not Know About (But Should)
A quick search on the topic reveals the many benefits of open education, such as: equalizing information access for all students, removing financial barriers, removing geographic barriers, increased online enrollment, potentially improved reputation of authors/institutions, and even the ability to write notes in the margin (unlike in proprietary textbooks owned by a school). Depending on the type of open resource, there is also the chance to reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute. Other advantages include the ability to continually, through digital means, update the resource, whereas traditional texts or lectures remain static. Also, open resources allow writers to publish their ideas that might be difficult to get into more traditional publications, thereby giving a voice to otherwise unspoken thinkers. I think of all of these, the most exciting is the breaking down of financial and geographical barriers to education. With open education, students with the technological means can access information free of charge that will enrich their lives and those of people around them. In essence, online education, aided by OERs, can help make the world a better place from the bottom up, with each independent learner directing their own educational path, achieving self-actualization, and then hopefully going on to make a positive impact and influencing others.
Though most sites seem to list the many advantages of the open education movement, it is important to look at the opposing views. Some difficulties society may encounter with open education are: quality control issues, lack of social interaction, language barriers, technical barriers to Internet/computer availability, and copyright concerns. The challenge I see for OER is the same one that we have with a lot material available on the Internet…copyright and licensing. These days music, movies, software, etc. can easily be downloaded illegally for free with little chance of punishment. The same holds true for educational resources. By making these resources open, people now don’t have to worry about breaking a law by downloading or viewing them. However, there is not simply one type of open educational resource. There are many levels of permission. According to Michael McNally, some OERs are completely open and users can do whatever they wish to do with it. However, others have certain restrictions placed upon them (you can download and share it, but not alter it and make it your own). In the same way it is difficult to police illegal music downloading, how will authorities make sure that OERs are being used in accordance with their specific license?
Despite the problems that I can see with OERs, I still think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Wouldn’t you agree?
10 open education resources you may not know about (but should). (2011). Mindshift. Retrieved from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/05/10-open-education-resources-you-may-not-know-about-but-should/
Open educational resources. DEOracle. Retrieved from http://deoracle.org/online-pedagogy/emerging-technologies/open-educational-resources.html
WesternUniversity. (2012). Democratizing access to knowledge . Youtube retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2IPOgl0ZE8
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