Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources (OER) are defined as educational tools, materials, etc. that can be shared, altered, modified and reproduced without violating copyright laws.  This concept, in of itself, seems to be a sound one and has many obvious benefits.  These include ease of access for students from anywhere in the world, vetted research materials from expert instructors and new presentation strategies and assessments for teachers.  And while the idea of a shared educational community seems beneficial to all parties, it does raise some concerns.

Of greatest concern would be the willingness and ability of school district administrators to support an OER based curriculum going forward.  While the immediate impact of technology replacing paper, printing and books seems to be cost effective, ongoing support for hardware, software, support staff, etc. is very expensive and may prove prohibitive long term.  Furthermore, the ability to provide training to existing staff in new technology, updates and advancements seems to be beyond the ability of most school districts.  In other words, even if schools were willing to adopt the OER culture, it may be beyond their ability to maintain it.

Another concern of mine lies in the very nature of the OER model.  The fact that these shared materials are created by professionals - teachers - who are expected to generate curriculum, assessments, etc. as a way of contributing to the greater educational community without thought of ownership, compensation, etc. just seems wrong to me.  I have dedicated countless hours to my students.  I created my classes from the ground up, from presentations to projects and assessments.  Yes, I have willingly shared materials with my colleagues.  I have also "borrowed" many ideas from online resources.  But at the end of the day, I have used everything in my power to create a strong program for my students, one that my administrators are constantly pushing me to archive, share, reproduce, etc. so that my efforts can be used by other teachers.  But to what avail????  I'll tell you why, as I've been told this many times...

My administrators want my class to accessible and easy to understand for both themselves and any NEW teachers who would be assigned to my classes.  In other words, prepare a curriculum that ANYONE could understand, adapt and present.

I know they say this is good practice, meant to stimulate the best teaching and learning environment possible, but somehow it still doesn't seem to sit right...