OERs: Overrated Education Resource platforms OR Outstanding Education Resource platforms??

It seems like the education profession gets inundated with new and innovative programs and resources. It seems that every 5 years there is a new program that is the “best” way to teach the material to the students. While these programs and resources may be the best way to present the material, the largest issue educators have is the time to learn and implement these programs into their classrooms. A single session or two isn’t sufficient to learn some of these programs and address issues you find when implementing them.  So, do OERs eliminate these issues? Are they valuable? Or is this another flash in the pan education trend?

Now, I am looking at this subject from a Middle Years perspective. With some of the OERs available, they tend to focus on upper years or college level information. However, when you do find the OERs that have middle years content, it can be invaluable but needing to be aligned with your curriculum. As the Social Studies teacher at my school, I work hard to keep the kids engaged. After spending some time with the OREs we were given in class, I found that MERLOT is invaluable for my position. As I searched through their content, I found a Solve the Mystery section with deals specifically with Canadian History. This resource then lead me to another similar resource. This year, my students absolutely LOVED murder mysteries. We did a murder mystery every month, while I focused on different tasks each time (critical reading, detailed writing, etc.). The problem with this is that I had to buy each murder mystery we used. I did not have the time to create my own. These sites (and others provided on the OER) not only provide the material, but it also includes Canadian content in a unique and interesting way. Many people (adults and students) think that Canadian history is dry and boring. It is anything but. It is my mission in my career to prove that Canadian history is not boring.

However, the challenge is finding those OERs that have the material you need. It is the same issue we have with other resources; we do not have all the time in the world to search for these resources. We are busy. However, after you find the ones that are useful, they are filled with opportunities. But, you need to spend the time researching. After looking at some of these OERs, I found resources that I would have never stumbled upon during the entirety of my career without being directed to them. I will be passing on the materials (lessons, activities, and OER sources) that I found useful to my colleagues. These situations are where sharing amongst colleagues can be extremely beneficial, and the idea of “what is mine is mine” really begins to harm the teachers content and the students’ learning opportunities. These resources are vast, but can’t be researched all by one person.

Also, one of the larger issues is that you can find a great source of OERs, but the majority of the content is American. As much as I love teaching about the World Wars, there are many different viewpoints that are not discussed because we are inundated with American content. In Saskatchewan, it is hard to find good resources that apply to our province and curriculum. It is even harder , sometimes, to find quality Canadian content that is comprehensive. Sometimes, the American content would allow for some voices to be included with a little work on the teacher’s part (as if we don’t have enough to do). Or it allowed for a jumping off point for the teacher to start from. Now, numerous voices that have been silenced in the American content thanks to the latest administration. As a teacher who loves and utilizes Critical Theory, this systemic issue is all to common, normally. However, whatever progress we have made is slowly (by the 21st Century standard) being eroded.

But how do we improve these resources that could be immensely helpful for educators. Unfortunately, most of the ideas I have (consultants, inclusion on division website, etc.) require budgetary resources, which we all know are not available in school divisions at this time. One option would be further exposure at teacher conferences or PDs. Now, this will only be as good as the presenter makes it, but it allows for its exposure in the division and for teachers to learn from one another.

To me, it seems like OERs have the potential to be great resources for teachers. However, there are some major drawbacks with their organization, the research time teachers need to take to find useful material, teacher awareness of the OERs, and applicable content themes. I guess I have to amend my title. OERs are not overrated or outstanding -but overwhelming.