The beginnings of working with open educational resources may be complicated and difficult. Below, we present a list of questions and answers that may simplify any potential discussions (such as with schools supervisors). The first step is always the most difficult.
Is there one location where all open educational resources are gathered and published?
Yes, it’s called the Internet ;) It’s hard to imagine such a space, as OERs are constantly being created, and their numbers keep growing. There are websites that simplify the search process, such as Open Educational Resource World Map (oerworldmap.org), OER Commons (www.oercommons.org) and Connexions (cnx.org).
Will the popularity of open educational resources eliminate traditional methods and educational tools?
Access to the Internet did not eliminate newspapers or books, but it did affect their functioning and role. You can view OERs similarly. Open educational resources can be published traditionally or in an analogue form, such as a textbook. They can also be used to supplemented existing school textbooks, such as when we include videos in our lesson plan.
How do I convince the school board or principal to use open educational resources and publish them?
Open educational resources not only create new methods for teachers to reach their students, they are also an excellent way to promote libraries, such as through showing materials created by their staff. It’s also important to be cognizant of the need for changing educational standards with the advent of the Internet. Using open resources creates an ideal situation to expand knowledge about copyright law, which everyone should be familiar with.