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#GoOpen Michigan Reflection

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend a REMC and MDE event on Open Educational Resources (OERs). This event was the launch of a new #GoOpen push within Michigan schools. While OERs have been a part of our school and an option, little has been done to truly push these into the classrooms.

The #GoOpen Summit was put on to launch a new initiative in Michigan. Michigan will be launching a database of OERs created by and used by Michigan teachers. This is incredibly powerful. The beginnings of the site can be viewed on this MDE page. The biggest part of the website, something that has been missing from so many OER databases is the fact that these resources will be evaluated before publishing to ensure their openness and their quality.

Some of the biggest takeaways from the event is the reminder that there is a significant difference between an Open Educational Resource and something that is free on the internet. The difference comes in the restrictions on use. Some resources, such as Scholastic Magazines, are free for us to use in our classrooms, but they are restricted outside of the classroom. With open educational resources, the licensing is done through Creative Commons. Creative Commons allows for what are know as the 5 Rs of Open Educational Resources:

  • Retain - make your own copies of the work
  • Reuse - use in many different circumstances
  • Revise - adapt and improve the resources
  • Remix - combine multiple sources
  • Redistribute - share with others. 
In order to be considered an OER, it must have these 5 Rs. The ability to create and remix resources to fit our needs and then share, is what makes these such a great option for our schools. If you want to get started with more OERs, let me know! 
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