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!