OER Fellowship: Training for Educators

Instruction: Authoring in the OER Commons

In this resource, we will look at a few different ways to author resources in the OER Commons.  But first, I know it can seem intimidating to put yourself and your work "out there" for the world to see and evaluate. Just remember that with OER, nothing is set in stone, and everything can be edited, revised, and remixed even after it's published. If it's something you have found helpful for your students, chances are it will be helpful to others in some way. So, set aside your fears and go for it. It's fun and rewarding to get an email saying your resource has been remixed to be used in another classroom in another part of the world! 

1. Open Author 

Mountain Heights Academy Logo

If you have written courses in Moodle, as most of us have, Open Author is a cinch!  Just click on "Create" when you log in, and it will take you to the page with the Open Author option, and from there you can start authoring. Just remember there are three steps to completing and publishing your work:

1. Write:  Use the tool bar to change font and text, and to add links.  This is not as robust as Moodle, and it doesn't have a quiz feature. Most of what I include is done through links or the "insert media" feature.  To add videos, use the paper clip to "insert media" (it seems wrong, I know). If you would like to add more than on page or section, click "Add New Unit" to create a separate page. You can reorder your pages under the table of contents.

2. Describe: In this step, you will write an abstract, then go through and identify the type of resource you have created to help those searching by grade level, language, material type, and key word to find your resource later. This is also where you will align your resource to CCSS if applicable. 

3. Submit: This is where you will designate the type of license you wish to publish your resource under. I always allow modifications, I don't allow commercial use, and I give it an international jurisdiction, but this is all up to you.

4. Publish: Once you publish your resource, you will receive an email from the OER Commons saying that it has been successfully published. Yay!

HERE is a resource that helps with Open Author in more detail

Here are a few examples of resources I created in Open Author. This is just to show you what a final product can look like, and to prove that your resources don't have to be perfect :)

#DoNow w/GoPro Project (sad I never got to use this after the pilot year because we can't use Twitter anymore, but maybe someone can use it in another state or district)

Argumentative Research Project  (This is a full course--not necessary for this PLC, but I wanted to show a resource with modules)

Postcolonial Literature (just one lesson)

2. Templates 

The second, and probably easier way to  create a resource, is to use a template.

The Lesson Builder (shown in the screenshot at the top) is a new feature that I have never used, but it looks great because it walks the writer through the steps to creating an effective lesson. Under "Tasks" it has content for teachers only, and content for students. Later, students will see the student view, and teachers the teacher view. The K-12 template looks intuitive as it walks through the steps to write, describe, and submit.

Another template option is the STEM Inquiry Lesson Template. This also walks you through creating a well-thought-out lesson because it requires some backwards design in thinking about what you want to accomplish before creating the lesson. 

To use this just click "Remix this resource" to make it your own. Feel free to remove any of the sections that don't apply to your resource. Then describe and submit the resource. 

HERE is an example of a lesson built with the STEM Inquiry Template 

***Note for the future: Templates are a great way to add student work in the OER Commons because they give students a framework. Here's a template I have used for Student Portfolios.  And Here's a student-created portfolio that is published in the OER Commons

3. Remix 

The third way to contribute to the Commons is by remixing any resource you find to make it your own! You can remove or add resources, add links to assignments in Google docs, add videos, etc. to make any resource more applicable to your class. You can also combine resources you find in the OER Commons.  Once you are done remixing, you will describe and submit your resource and it becomes a new resource. One more example. This is a resource I co-authored that combines Math and ELA. We used the STEM Inquiry Template to add our own content, and also brought in another resource that was already published in the OER Commons:   Kitty Konundrum STEM/ELA Remix/Template Resource. 

Overview, and Important Notes

• When you remix a resource or use a template, just remember you are working with a copy, and the original stays intact. You can't change anyone else's original published resource, and once yours is published, nobody can change yours. 
  
• Any resource you are working on will stay in "draft" stage until you go through all of the steps to submit your resource.  All of your resources, both published and in draft stage, are listed under "My Items" when you click on your name after logging into oercommons.org
  
• Please let me know if you need help with anything! 

Task: Add a Resource to the OER Commons

Now it's time to be brave and author and contribute a resource to the OER Commons. This can and probably should be a resource you have already created for one of your MHA courses. It can be one lesson, one module (week), or an entire course.  You may use any of the methods described in the last resource: Open Author, Lesson Builder, another Template, or you may Remix a resource you have found that is already in the OER Commons. Once you have gone through the steps to Write, Describe, and Submit your resource, please share it with our OER PLC group.

Directions:

1. Create a resource using Open Author, a lesson template, or by remixing an existing resource

2. Complete all of the steps in the authoring process: Write, Describe, and Submit your resource

3. Share your resource with our PLC. To do this, open your resource and choose SAVE and then find the MHA OER Fellowship group under "My Groups"