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Digital Literacy Learning Tools: OER Resources

What is OER

OER Commons defines Open Educational Resources (OER) as "teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission.” (OER About, 2023)
  • Open Educational Resources (OER) Engage and Energize Students
  • Open Educational Resources (OER) are guided by the idea that high-quality educational materials should be available to everyone.
  • OER are educational materials—everything from a single lesson plan to an entire textbook—that save students and teachers money because they are free to use, customize, and share.
  • OER are openly licensed, which makes it easy to personalize materials and infuse them with fresh, relevant content.

Benefits of OER

  • Adaptability – OER materials can be updated and customized
  • Accessibility – OER materials ADA compliant
  • Diverse voices – diversity of perspectives and voices fosters inclusivity
  • Critical thinking – including students in the creation of materials contributes to the development of critical thinking skills
  • Scholarship - Students can see that scholarship is a living thing

framework

 Retain

make, own, and control a copy of the resource (e.g., download and keep your own copy)

Revise

edit, adapt, and modify your copy of the resource (e.g., translate into another language) 

Remix

combine your original or revised copy of the resource with other existing material to create something new (e.g., make a mashup)

Reuse

use your original, revised, or remixed copy of the resource publicly (e.g., on a website, in a presentation, in a class)

Redistribute

share copies of your original, revised, or remixed copy of the resource with others (e.g., post a copy online or give one to a friend)

Resources

Care in the Open https://caring.openped.buffscreate.net/ OER Framework from the University of Boulder

Edsitement https://edsitement.neh.gov/  EDSITEment is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities

Evaluate OER https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=246992&p=1645967       This guide provides instructor a basic understanding of Open Educational Resources (OER), including how to find, evaluate, use, and adapt OER materials for their own curriculum.

Mason OER Metafinder https://publishing.gmu.edu/whos-using-the-mason-oer-metafinder/  OER Metafinder launches a real-time, simultaneous search across 22 different sources of open educational materials

OASIS https://oasis.geneseo.edu/ Openly Available Sources Integrated Search (OASIS) is a search tool that aims to make the discovery of open content easier. OASIS currently searches open content from 115 different sources and contains 440,380 records.

OER Commons https://www.oercommons.org/  Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission.

MERLOT https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm Access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers.

PITT Library: Finding OER The Big List https://pitt.libguides.com/openeducation/find  List of OER Resources

UPike OER Guide https://libguides.library.upike.edu/OERs  An overview of OER resources from University of Pikeville