OER

OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

In my SEDU 183 class, we are learning about Open Educational Resources (OER). Until an article titled 7 things you should know about Open Educational Resources, I was not familiar with OER. In this article, it explains that OER are resources available at little or no cost that can be used for teaching, learning, or research. Most of these resources are digital resources. The resources originate from colleges , universities, libraries, organizations and government agencies to name a few. In addition to this article, I also found two other great resources that explain OER:  Hewlett and  Info Kit. I also found an informational video: 

A great online resource is OER Commons. This site is a network with 41,028 OER tools for sharing. You can narrow your search to allow you to browse by subject area. You can browse Lesson Plans, and you can even enroll in their fellowship program.

In the article we had to read, it states some of the benefits as well as some of the disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is that some of the resources are not kept current. One that I agree with is lack of human interaction between students and teachers. I've also found other disadvantages listed on this website that has both pros and cons listed.


I feel OER will only grow due to the advantages. One major advantage is the vast resources available to so many. Having OERs available, will also help students cut the cost of text books and materials. I feel this is moving our education in the right direction!

Teaching Channel

What is Teaching Channel

Teaching Channel is a website dedicated to teachers. This website has many video resources for teachers. It allows teachers to watch many different strategies that are being used for teaching. I like how you can watch these strategies in action instead of just reading information about it.






Here is a video that is about bullying. This video gives ideas on how you can address bullying in a proactive way. There are many different topics within this website that you can explore!

                                                    

FLIPPED LEARNING

What is Flipped Learning

The Flipped Learning strategy allows students to explore, create and learn in the classroom using a hands-on approach. The lectures that would normally take place in the classroom, are assigned as homework. During class time, teachers have more time to work with students.





This video helps explain Flipped Learning:

                                                           How is this beneficial?

According to thedailyriff.com, the greatest benefit of flipped learning is the overall participation and interaction of the students. Students are more engaged with the flipped approach. It also allows the students to learn at their own pace according to ISTE.com. Check out , it states benefits from the student's point of view. Instead of the classroom being centered around the teacher, it is centered around the students. Flippedclassroom.com is also another great sorce of information.

Down Falls

According to edutopia.org, there are some disadvantages of  Flipped Learning. For instance, some companies just want to jump on the bandwagon and gain profit from this by producing technology tools to help implement this strategy. Edutopia also goes on to say many teachers think, "this won't work in my classroom" and also, not everyone learns the same way.

Conclusion

If anything, Flipped Learning is shinning much needed light on the way we teach and the way students learn. By bringing light to such an important topic, it allows teachers to reflect on their teaching style as well as the way their students are learning and if they are truly getting it.