The beauty of teaching, for me, has always been the idea of sharing. Knowledge grows only when it’s passed on, adapted, and reimagined. To understand this subject of my dreams, picture this: my students researching and exploring new learning materials beyond class. That curiosity—the desire to learn, remix, and share—is exactly what the world of Open Educational Resources (OER) tries to nurture. So when I first heard about OER, it immediately felt like a natural extension of what educators do every day: share what we know so others can build on it. It’s free and accessible for everyone irrespective of class, gender, ethnicity, age, etc. It also harkens back to the Funds of Knowledge approach I brought up in my post last week—the idea that learners draw upon their own experiences, cultures, and communities as valuable sources of knowledge. In many ways, OERs are a global-scale embodiment of that same principle, in their adaptability to unique local contexts.

This week, I explored OER Commons, one of the largest and most accessible repositories for FREE teaching and learning materials. Developed by Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), it’s essentially a massive library where educators can discover, create, remix, and share educational content across disciplines. Read more…..

🏠 First Impressions: User-Friendly and Purpose-Driven

My first visit to OER Commons felt surprisingly familiar—the interface reminded me of a blend between a library catalog and a social platform for educators. As a student at the University of Regina, I immediately thought of our library’s (Dr. John Archer Library and Archive) homepage. What OER commons has in addition to Archer’s layout is the section titled “Create OER with Open Author” I found scrolling down which resembles the “Add Post” feature available on Social Media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and also has an option to Attach Resources and Instructor Notes. I could use it just like my own personal URCourses 🤪.

Image 1: Screenshot of the Add/Edit Lesson page on OER Commons.

Image 2: Screenshot of Attach Resources feature

This is very useful for educators who want to create lessons available to the whole world. I am already thinking of ways to create my own lessons here. But I digress…

So, coming back to the homepage…

Image 3: Screenshot of Homepage of OER Commons

Right on the homepage, the search bar invites you to discover OER. The search filters, especially in the Advanced Search are incredibly detailed — you can narrow results by education level, subject area, material type, media format, or educational standards (the only drawback here is that only U.S. states’ frameworks are available). As a chemistry teacher, this was a goldmine for me! For example, typing Chemistry instantly pulls up lessons, labs, simulations, and textbooks, all free to access and reuse.

Image 4: Screenshot of search results for keyword ‘Chemistry’

As someone who’s spent a lot of time curating materials for science classes, I appreciated how organized and intuitive the layout was. The resource thumbnails show short descriptions, ratings, and license types, which helps you gauge quality at a glance. There are Organic Chemistry crash courses and even lesson videos from Khan Academy! These are going to alleviate my woes when my students come asking for online study materials and I can proudly recommend the OpenStax chemistry textbook on OER Commons.

Visually, OER Commons isn’t flashy—it’s simple, clean, and functional, which is exactly what a repository like this should be. The emphasis stays where it belongs: on accessibility and content, not on design gimmicks.

⚗️ Diving Deeper: Chemistry in the Open World

In evaluating OER Commons, I focused on three aspects: accessibility, pedagogical value, and adaptability for my teaching context.

Naturally, I started to delve deeper into the Chemistry section (old habits die hard). I am currently tutoring a Grade 12 student named Lily (pseudonym), and just last week, I was struggling to find a good resource on the chapter we are currently exploring, which happens to be Electrochemistry. (Yes the same Electrochemistry as in the RED CAT meme I shared last week! Also by the way, Lily laughed out loud when I showed her that meme).

Cut to this week; I found the chapter titled “Electrochemistry” in the OpenStax collection.

Image 5: Screenshot of the Electrochemistry chapter in OpenStax Chemistry

Every chapter included clear learning objectives, detailed explanations, and embedded visuals. Also, there were chapter summaries, Key Terms and Equations, and solved example questions based on the topics learnt. The best part: there were unsolved exercises divided by sections. What impressed me most was how modular the resource was. I could easily pick sections for quick review lessons, and even integrate them into a flipped-classroom model.

I quickly created a student account on OpenStax, which allowed me to select parts of text, and highlight and save them to create my own notebook—a kind of journal which I could even print to create my own slide decks and lessons. All hail the power of OpenStax! 🙏🏼

Image 6: Screenshot of Highlight feature on OpenStax

Image 7: Screenshot of My Highlights and Notes on OpenStax

With another student, Peter (pseudonym), I wanted to find something interactive that could simulate a chemistry lab and explain pH changes. I discovered a virtual lab simulation on pH and acidity, which could be perfect for blended or remote learning environments like ours. We played around with it. Voilà! Here’s a snippet.

Video: Screen recording of the PhET simulation

This is an interactive PhET Virtual Lab on pH and Acidity, where learners can test the pH levels of everyday items. And instantly, I was taken back to my chemistry classroom. The simulation is intuitive, visually engaging, and conceptually clear. It’s a great example of how OERs can make abstract science concepts tangible and fun, even outside a lab setting.

Big Thanks to OER Commons for such an amazing resource. The inclusion of interactive components and downloadable guides made it adaptable to different classroom contexts. It reminded me of the chemistry memes I once used to simplify complex ideas for students—here, too, the goal is accessibility and engagement. Except now, it’s on a global scale, with educators contributing to a shared ecosystem of learning materials.

✏️ Tools for Remixing and Collaboration

What sets OER Commons apart from a simple content repository is its participatory design. Educators and learners can move beyond just being consumers; they can become co-creators. The Open Author tool I mentioned earlier allows users to build and publish their own resources, remix existing ones, or combine materials from different creators to design something new. This feature embodies the spirit of networked learning—collaboration across borders, disciplines, and educational systems. It’s a living demonstration of how knowledge can evolve through sharing and remixing.

Image 8: Screenshot of Open Author tool

I can easily imagine teachers in different contexts adapting the same chemistry resource: one turning it into a meme-based review worksheet, another into a TikTok explainer, and a third into a lab simulation guide. The flexibility encourages innovation rather than one-size-fits-all teaching.

🎓 Value for Educators

Would this platform be valuable to other educators I’ve worked with? Absolutely.

For new teachers, OER Commons offers a treasure trove of ready-to-use materials that save both time and effort. For experienced educators, it’s a way to contribute their expertise, share locally developed resources, and connect with global teaching communities.

The platform even allows you to create groups or join existing ones, fostering collaborative curation. For instance, there are collections by subject associations and ministries of education, making it easy to find trusted, peer-reviewed content.

Image 9: Screenshot of Groups on OER

In short, OER Commons bridges isolation—something every teacher has felt at some point—by making the process of resource creation and sharing deeply communal.

⚠️ Challenges and Areas for Improvement

That said, not everything sparkles. Because OER Commons relies on contributions from diverse educators and institutions, the quality of materials can vary significantly. Some resources are well-polished and detailed, while others feel incomplete or poorly formatted.

There’s also the issue of information overload. For instance, searching for a specific topic like “stoichiometry” can return hundreds of results, which can be overwhelming if you’re new to OERs. Just look at the number of results (1022!) I got when I searched for “Chemistry” (in the screenshot I shared above, titled Image 4).

I also noticed that while some subjects (like STEM) have a robust collection, others are still developing. A stronger vetting or review system might help maintain consistent quality across the board.

Another potential barrier is contextual fit. A resource designed for an American high school curriculum might need adaptation for an Indian or Canadian classroom. This isn’t a flaw, but it does highlight the importance of localization and cultural relevance in OER design.

💡 The Bigger Picture: Why OERs Matter

Exploring OER Commons reminded me that open education goes beyond saving money or reducing barriers, redefining how knowledge circulates. The OER movement challenges traditional hierarchies of knowledge production. It gives agency back to educators and learners by allowing them to contribute, critique, and collaborate in meaningful ways. It also reaffirms the educator’s role not just as a deliverer of content, but as a curator and collaborator in a vast digital learning ecosystem.

From a networked learning perspective, platforms like OER Commons represent collective intelligence in action—educators from different countries, languages, and contexts building a shared foundation of learning materials. It’s both humbling and empowering to realize that a chemistry worksheet I once made could live alongside a digital storytelling lesson from a teacher in Finland or a climate change simulation from Kenya.

In a world where information is often locked behind paywalls, OER Commons stands as a reminder that learning is a public good.

🧭 Final Reflections

OER Commons isn’t perfect—no open system is—but it represents something profound: a commitment to accessibility, collaboration, and trust in educators’ collective creativity. I can see myself returning to it often, both to borrow and to give back. Whether it’s refining a chemistry lesson or creating resources on digital literacy, the platform offers a framework for connected teaching that transcends borders. In that sense, OERs connect teachers and learners through shared curiosity, expanding access to each other’s knowledge worlds.

In the chemistry of education, openness is the catalyst that keeps knowledge in motion.

Here’s a link to their donation page if you want to support their mission of participatory, equitable, and open education for all.

Bye for now! Signing off…

Dishant