OER in the K-12 Classroom

This course will become read-only in the near future. Tell us at community.p2pu.org if that is a problem.

Wk 4-5-Remixing + Publishing [Sept. 7, 2011, 5:12 p.m.]

For the remaining two weeks, you have two projects to work on. As always, you can customize these projects to serve your own goals and/or collaborate with o

The main goal though, is to produce at least two open resources that are useful to your students and the rest of the world!

 

Project #1

The first project involves remixing. Your ask is to find an open resource that relates to something you're doing in school and then remix it to be more useful or appropriate to your students (or some subgroup of your students).

What you choose is entirely up to you. You could choose an open-licensed:

  • ebook
  • worksheet
  • PowerPoint presetation
  • web site
  • movie
  • textbook chapter
  • online course
     

or something else. Just make sure that whatever you choose is open licensed and permits remix or alteration. (No derivatives licenses will not work.)

Then evaluate the resource to make it more appropriate for your students. Again, how you change it and what tools you use to do so are up to you! You can collaborate with others on this if you like.

Here are some ways you might remix something:

  • Add images, voice, or other multimedia support to something that doesn't ahve it
  • Rewrite something at a more appropriate reading level (or better yet, multiple reading levels -- I've done this with Wikipedia or WikiBooks passages for reading comprehension activities.)
  • Add vocabulary support to a work (my Kids Open Dictionary has a glossary builder that is great for this)
  • Make a static PowerPoint presentation into something more multimedia (like a movie) or something more interactive (like a web page or a VoiceThread)
  • Create a media set (more info on doing this here)
  • Make a collection on Curriki that includes other materials there remixed into a set of materials with a lesson plan that pulls them together
  • Create a webquest or online or blended course materials with open resources
     

If you're struggling to figure out what to do with this assignment, just ask!

After your remix is done, you'll want to post it to share with others. (Sometimes folks are hesitant to post publicly, but don't be! It's all about sharing.)

You could do this on your own web site, but you'll get more traffic and benefit more people if you put it on a repository like Curriki. Here's what you need to do:

  • Set up an account on Curriki.
  • Decide on a license. (Remember to make sure that everything in your remixed work is either yours or was under an open license that allows remix. Also, if you used share alike materials, make sure to republish under share alike.)
  • Upload your resource to Curriki (or wherever you decide to post).
  • Post a comment here and/or on your own blog, Twitter stream, etc. to tell everyone about it!

Project #2

This project involves publishing something of your own under an open license.

It should obviously be someting you are willing to share and that you have all the rights to (i.e. the work is original). It can be something that you have already created or something you create now. Again, it should be something you can use in your classroom.

All of the above-mentioned ideas apply for things  you might create and publish.

If you choose something that you have already created, go through it for any clip art, photos, or other content that might not be open licensed that you need to replace. The Multimedia Content tab of the OER Livebinder has some great sites where you can find open-licensed clip art, photos, video, and music to supplement your work.

As before, when you're done:

  • Set up an account on Curriki (or another site where you'd like to publish).
  • Decide on a license. (Remember to make sure that everything in your remixed work is either yours or was under an open license that allows remix. Also, if you used share alike materials, make sure to republish under share alike.)
  • Upload your resource to Curriki (or wherever you decide to post).
  • Post a comment here and/or on your own blog, Twitter stream, etc. to tell everyone about it!

Bonus projects

Here are some other optional OER projects you can do to share and make the world a better place: