Welcome to Session 6!
Before we get into the content of this week's lesson, I thought I would speak a little about the Midterm Project. There are more details in the syllabus, but in general you are to create a presentation (using the tool of your choice-a few are listed on Wikidave here) The over-riding goal of this assignment is to convey the power, influence, and benefits (for your particular setting) to your organization if they begin to embrace OER's and incorporate more Digital Content. More details can be found at the bottom of the syllabus. As I have stated in the past, I want this to be as pragmatic as possible for you, so if you have an idea that is outside of the description, and if you think that this would be more useful for you, then just pass it by me first for pre-approval.. Other than that, there aren't any restrictions on the direction you take this, just make sure that it is practical for your setting. You'll post a brief description of it under Session 7's blog posting as well as a link to where we can view the presentation (if anyone finds this too difficult, then I can walk you through it depending upon which presentation tool you use) and it will be due before Session 8 (7/10/12).
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This week we will be discussing a topic I'm sure you are all interested in. "How do we really customize this content to serve our local educational community?"
Before we address that I thought that I'd take a moment to address some possible gaps. A few of you have asked for some more examples of 'open' content for the humanities. OpenLearn is a site of free, open courses all CC licensed, so the material can be copied and shared, and you can create derivative works from them as well.
I just did a quick search for Spanish lessons and material and received these results. And these for French, so it may be worth exploring. (I use Chrome, as opposed to Internet Explorer or Safari, so it was nice when I was exploring the lessons in foreign languages b/c there was a button to translate the page. Worked pretty well from my layman's perspective.)
Another great site to access and borrow from is Folksemantic. (Link was working last week, but not today, so if it doesn't open, come back to it.) Give them a quick skim. One of our topics for this session is the 'personalization' of Digital Content that you cull/borrow. Read about Folksemantic's personalization on their 'about us' page.
They have lots of CC licensed material to support History classes (This link takes you to just the courses available. If you change the drop-down to 'all resources' then the choices for material increase x/1000.) They also have lots of great 'open content' for ELA. Like here for Elementary grammar (they even give you directions about how to put it into your wiki or webpage).
They also have plenty of resources for those of you teaching World Languages. Here's a brief video introduction. To get there I just did a search for 'any resource' with a search term, "portuguese."
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Next we are going to continue with following along with the "Integrating Open Educational Resources in the Classroom" material created by my team of professors for a Curriki Fellowship. This session will walk you through the personalization, customization, and remixing of OER's to suit your specific goal or curricula. Let's start with Dr. Cynthia Gautreau's introduction video here. (I know she says it's the third module, but I thought that it would fit best in our S6.)
When you've finished with that I'd like you to then go through her module here. You don't have to complete every assignment here, but I would like you to reflect on questions 4a, b, and c here.
Please go through the material diligently to ensure that you gain a comprehensive level of knowledge with this content.
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Now, I debated whether or not to add this one, but sometimes my material can get rather heavy. This video is the polar opposite. Once you get through the silliness, the content is actually accurate. Who's hungry for some CC Cake?
Lastly, the dreaded mid-term. As I've mentioned repeatedly throughout the semester, my motivation for teaching this course is to have educators gain the most practical information and resources available for their particular setting. Additionally, you've all noticed that I've been keeping tabs on the workload each week b/c I realize that you all have 'day-jobs' so the last thing I want to do is overwhelm you.
So in the past I've given an in-depth mid-term assignment, but the workload was heavy. In place of that this semester I'd like you to still focus on the goals of the original midterm, but strip it down and simplify it. The over-riding goal of this assignment is to convey the power, influence, and benefits (for your particular setting) to your organization if they begin to embrace OER's and incorporate more Digital Content. More details can be found at the bottom of the syllabus. As I stated above, I want this to be as pragmatic as possible for you, so if you have an idea that is outside of the description and if you think that this would be more useful for you then just pass it by me first for pre-approval..
Good luck this week and as always, have fun!
DF
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17 comments:
First of all why can’t all this information be performed by a goose, a ferret and a crocodile, good stuff. But now back to the other information that was laid out this week, the nitty gritty of OER. So what do I think the Key Factors to consider when remixing information; for me it would be making it user friendly to the age group and then personalizing it to the learner.
Luckily most international schools do not have a state mandated curriculum therefore one gets a much freer reign in the classroom. Although, having searched through many lessons and informational pages over the past 5 weeks I would have to make much of the content a lot more global for the international kids that I teach. For example, I recently gave my 4th graders some math word problems concerning a baseball game. Many of the kids had no idea the meaning of a homerun, popcorn, a toffee apple or even dollars and cents.
When it comes to the question of ‘Attribute Rules’ I don’t understand the question, I can only assume that it means the various licenses that the information is under, to do that just refer to our little friends the goose, the ferret and the croc.
Finally, searching the OER page itself, wiki educator, Curriki, or even back to the class blog page with its entire library of links would be good places to go for additional help.
At first going through the module from Cynthia Gautreau increased my anxiety level rather than making me feel more confident with using OER materials. It seems that the vocabulary and sheer volume of resources just expanded exponentially and I feel that I am adrift in a large sea of material without a direction or lifeboat. The attribute rules are all still mixed up in my head (but now associated with cake!)
That being said, I did see that remixing and creating my own resources from OER materials isn’t really anything new in terms of what educators do on a daily basis when choosing materials, activities and projects for our classrooms to meet our curriculum needs. We have always taken into account our own style as an educator, the needs of our learners as well as making sure everyone has access to the appropriate materials. I am also thinking a lot about the internationalization vs. localization of my remix materials. My students have a much more international perspective than most elementary students but I want to be able to take advantage of the unique opportunities available in Singapore as well.
Overall, I am beginning to see how to use OER in my everyday situations but I also understand how it has been a “tough sell” to admin and others in terms of the sheer volume and structure. It can be intimidating to say the least and I am already reflecting on the midterm project and how to present the ideas to my admin who are not particularly tech savvy. The goose, ferret and crocodile may come in handy!
I agree with the idea that remixing really isn't anything new for educators. When I share materials with other teachers in my department, we adhere to the same principles. We usually share lessons electronically, so it's easy for us to change them as needed. The first thing I do when borrowing a lesson is read it through and adjust anything that doesn't fit my needs. Often, this includes simple things like changing names and due dates. Sometimes, I might restructure the assignment slightly to suit the needs of my students. If any part of the assignment confuses me or doesn't "feel right", I'll make changes. I do try to adhere to the spirit of the assignment, though. It has worked really well for our department. We've never fought over changes that were made to an assignment. It's increased the consistency of our teaching without forcing teachers to use elements that don't totally fit their teaching style and needs.
When sharing lessons worldwide, I think that cultural elements would play a huge role in determining when and where remixing is necessary. Each year, I teach To Kill a Mockingbird to a group of Connecticut students in a school with very little ethnic diversity. They don't knw much about life in the Jim Crow south, and I spend a lot of time providing them with the necessary background info. However, they do understand what it is like to grow up in a rural, working-class town, so I use those similarities to help students connect to the text. The entire unit is designed with my population in mind. If a teacher in a different region of the country wanted to use the unit, the core of the unit could remain intact, but changes in emphasis would need to be made. Again, I think it is about making necessary changes in a way that is respectful to the spirit of the original assignment.
As always, interesting content, although I too am finding myself becoming a bit more overwhelmed with this module. I definitely think that when it comes to trying to convince admin/colleagues about the benefits of OER, that keeping it simple to start, will be key! I have to admit, I did relate more to the cake analogies, and am hoping that will help me retain some of this!
I agree with the previous comments, that as educators, the concept of sharing and adapting ideas, plans, etc... is something we have all done on a regular basis. Technology is making this even easier. I think the key is to know your students needs, interests, and learning styles well enough to be able to "remix" plans to best meet their needs. I think a big part of being an effective teacher is having the ability to collaborate, evaluate, and customize.
Simon, as well as Cynthia Gautreau, listed several places to find OER resources and additional help. Again, I think te key is keeping it simple to avoid getting overwhelmed. I actually think the way this course has progressed each week has done a nice job of providing us with useful information, while at the same time providing time to reflect and process what we are learning.
Speaking of...I guess it's time to start personalizing all of this in preparation for the mid-term! I might need some cake! :)
This:
Practice using supplied OER databases to find 'discipline-specific' content (Section 6 here)
Didn't work for me. :-(
This post is to get follow up comments.
Thank you, Professor Fontaine, for the French and Spanish links.
The slide share document link for Kindle circulation didn't work for me either. Hmmm. I watched Buffy Hamilton's YouTube, though.
I hope that I can make a comprehensive, yet comprehensible presentation. I too, will meet resistance from teachers and administrators who are used to traditional textbooks. The big motivating factor, as the man in the webinar recording indicated, is money!
Have the folksemanic.com links worked for anyone? I tried Friday and Saturday and couldn't get them to work either day.
The folksemantic link still doesn’t work for me, either.
Some key factors to consider prior to remixing OER materials are the attribution (do you need to give the original author credit when remixing?), and are there any restrictions on derivatives? You have to know what the allowances are before publishing any changes.
I'll weigh in with those who enjoyed the cake video. Silly, but I plan on using it as a quick intro with students. It takes a fairly dry content that I think students might just glaze over, and presents it in a way that I think will stick with them a little better.
Right now I am feeling comfortable with the process of using the materials we are finding. What I am overwhelmed by is the amount of materials available. I think a key to presenting this to teachers and administrators, especially those who may be resistant to new technologies, will be to present just one site to get started, let the teachers get used to playing with that site and comfortable finding and using that site, and then maybe at the semester break introducing another site. I would definitely want to make other information available, I'm thinking of using a wiki for this. However, I'm thinking of presentations to the whole staff at an inservice that would be limited to one site at a time. That way teachers wouldn't be overwhelmed with the content, but it would be available for the more tech savvy individuals who will take off running with the variety of resources.
My process in sharing resources is similar to many of the ones mentioned already. I would say the lesson objectives are the primary consideration for me. Will this lesson fulfill the needs of my class? Also, if the lesson/project is adaptable with respect to allowing students to work at their individual pace and still be engaged. I have a time issue, so the lessons/projects must be ones in which students can work independently or collaboratively outside of the classroom as well as during class. As far as localization/ internationalization, I try to build both in my lessons –asking the students to make connections. But, I do think that students are more engaged when I am using examples or problems related to their own experiences. I have to be concerned about technology requirements. We have 1 computer lab which can be reserved on a first-come-first-serve basis. I do not have a computer in my room for student use however we are expecting an iPad lab to be available this year.
When looking to remix OER materials, the attributes I would be most concerned with is context/continuity. As OER materials morph, it would seem subsequent versions may contain many voices, it would be important to be sure the quality is consistent. Along these same lines, presentation and tone/voice would also be important. I would want material to be presented in a manner consistent with my classroom routines. Using OER materials, I would likely try a share-alike licensed product first. I would want to know that any changes would be acceptable and that I would not be wasting the time invested in the adjustments.
The WikiEducators document seems to address many of the issues one might encounter when using OER. There are a number of online communities related to using OER: Creative Commons, Learning Space, OER Commons, and UNESCO all have multiple online forums. Curriki, Google, Connexions, OCW also have repositories and some sort of blog/chat capability.
Forget CommonCraft videos - I’ll go with the goose, the ferret, and the crocodile any day. Thanks for the silliness, Professor, but it does make the attribution symbols of Creative Commons easier to understand and remember. This is certainly one video to use in the classroom.
So when looking to develop your own OER or remix/reuse a resource, I think the three most important considerations are: 1. Your educational goal. What is your message? What do you want your students to learn from the lesson? Is it relevant to your unit of study and offer continuity to your teaching? 2. Your audience. Is the resource easily adapted to fit the needs of all of your students? Will it engage your students? and 3. The technology that is being used. Is the bandwidth adequate enough for everyone to access the digital resource at the same time? If people are using different devices, can the resource be accessed, and downloaded, to those devices?
But of course, very little can be done to a resource unless the proper permissions are in place. Written permission or Creative Commons licensing, allowing use and reuse must be found first before incorporating material into an OER resource. Look for the symbols that we learned about in the video - BY, you can do anything just give credit, attribution, to the original creator, SA, you must share your work using the same license you acquired the original content under, ND, you can use and share the content without changing it and with attribution, NC, means for non-commercial use only.
Mary made the excellent point that many of the resources we have been learning about - Curriki, Connexions, OER Commons, etc. have forums, links to additional information, and “help” pages. I Googled “oer guidelines” and the first response I got is a nice wiki page from some folks doing a project on OER - http://stemoer.pbworks.com/w/page/6111366/STEM%20OER%20Guidance%20Wiki . Also, besides the OER Handbook, other good resources about OER’s can be found at Wikieducator.org .
Josh, thanks for your comment about teachers sharing lesson plans and how it affects the consistency of teaching within a department. I have often wondered about that. I think it would be extremely beneficial to know what has worked in the past with a particular class, where the holes in the curriculum might be, or what has already been covered to avoid unnecessary repeats. Also, iI would think it would be easier in some cases, to seem like you are resuming class in a subject (after a vacation or semester break) even though you are a new teacher with a new class, if you carry over some familiar terms, habits or expectations.
Prior to remixing OER materials, I would consider the factors I would always consider before using any curriculum or lesson, including my school’s curriculum, the current ability and background knowledge base of my students, the grade level of students that I am teaching, the cultural background and learning styles of my students, the resources and equipment that we have, time constraints with my schedule, whether I will be collaborating with classroom teachers for the lesson or unit, and if I need to differentiate a lesson for different students.
Like many of you I liked the explanation of the attributes shown in the video. As a visual learner, I needed to see the attributes laid out on a page to be able to tell the difference. I found a nice website with a summary of the attributes: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Also, there are some additional resources listed on the main page of the OER handbook (http://wikieducator.org/OER_Handbook#See_also) that would be a good place to search for additional information, guidelines and help.
I appreciate Leslie's comment about how you would want to carry over "some familiar terms, habits or expectations." I work with primary students and find that the structure, transitions and expectations of the classes are crucial for my students to be ready-to-learn each day. When adapting lessons or units from OER, I would definitely want to make sure I am consistent.
If I like the way something is presented and want to use a new routine, then I would definitely need to do some pre-teaching of the new routine.
Just came back from the NEA Representative Assembly in DC and I never thought I would be excited to see highs in the 90's. Hence the delay in response.
As stated by other blog members, remixing material is nothing new. For some it is an absolute art form! In the math department at my high school we share lessons, co-write major course assessments, and are already reviewing materials as a group for the Common Core State Standards. We use a common storage location on the server at work. Any new educator has instant access to the work of all the educators in the department. One of my colleagues, who I have adopted as my little sister, just started teaching Pre-Calculus so I gave her all my lessons and so ddid the other two teachers who now teach the same class.
The AP Statistics book I use has all kinds of information and great resources I have used in the classroom. I have modified as necessary but since these are copy-written documents, I assume I would not be able to use these for an electronic text I wish to create. Is that accurate?
As for convincing the administration that OER is the way to go, the superintendent and assistant superintendent are pretty aware of what it entails. As I stated in previous comments, we are still looking to move forward with a 1-1 computing model. One device for every student. Eventually, it would lead to the replacement of textbooks for students. What if a student does not have internet access and everything is online?
I am still bouncing back and forth about whether I want to create a presentation about OER for the school committee or if I want to create a lesson for my students.
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