In this week’s class, we explored open resources—both those specifically for education, and those generally applicable to teachers. Prior to this class, I had never really explored the idea of copyright in the context of my role as an educator. Therefore, I was intrigued to learn more in this class.
When initially thinking of my future classrooms and lesson plans, I admit I sometimes was overwhelmed with the scope of both 1) what I can do, and 2) how much there is to do. As I have been going through this program, the resources, suggestions, and more shared by my classmates and professors have been a big help in curbing some of those anxieties.
For this reflection, I thought I would explore one resource that I explored. I wanted to see an example of an Open Education Resource, so I chose CK12 (linked below).
When exploring CK12, I appreciated how the textbooks, when selecting a subject, gave a quick and detailed summary of a unit. I expect this will help as an educator, giving me a touch-up on units that I may not be as familiar with. I also appreciated how section often provided additional resources to supplement students’ learning (e.g., definitions, key questions, and study sheets).
One final aspect of CK12’s format that I appreciated was the prevalence of additional videos—such as the “Crash Course” videos. I remember using these resources myself in middle and high school; they provide detailed and engaging summaries of concepts, time periods, and so much more! Already, through my tutoring, I’ve found myself using these videos. In particular, the “Medieval Europe” video provides a concise and meaningful exploration of key events in Europe’s Middle Ages (a large part of the eighth grade BC Social Studies curriculum).
To end this reflection, I wanted to mention the additional website from class that I found interesting, and oddly beautiful. This was the “Listen to Wikipedia” project: http://listen.hatnote.com/.
This site, as discussed in class, is a visual and auditory representation of the real-time additions/edits made to Wikipedia articles. From this class, I learned to deepen my appreciation of Wikipedia; I learned it is not only a free online encyclopedia, but also that all material on it is under Creative Commons. This provides an initial place to learn information that is readily available to all.
I look forward to exploring more Open Resources and deepening my future educator “tool belt.”
