Overview
Exploring content that describes diverse districts and their approaches to OER can help educators think about how they may want to use OER. These stories are told at the district level, though many of the “lessons learned” can be applied to classrooms and schools. As educators read through this content, reflection questions serve as good prompts to help them use this information for their own OER journeys. Some questions include, but are not limited to:
- What is the reason this district is using OER?
- As a teacher or school leader, what information is most relevant to me?
- Is there anything this district is doing that I want to try?
- What sort of modifications might I need to make to the content or their approach to ensure it is the right thing for my class, school, or district?
A few good starting places to learn more about district OER journeys include:
- A New Tool to Personalize Learning with Open Educational Resources: The Middletown Learning Path, which highlights Middletown School District in New York. Middletown sought out OER as part of its blended learning initiative, an effort to improve education for all of its students. The district developed a Learning Path that leverages OER, which saves teachers’ time, reduces the district budget, and provides diverse OER materials in a cohesive way to better meet individual student needs.
- The US Office of Education Technology hosts 18 stories that highlight various district approaches to OER, including step-by-step guides, OER use in professional learning, OER use in digital learning, and many more.