Blog Post 9

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During my K-12 education, I experienced distance learning primarily through platforms like Zoom and Google Classroom. Zoom was used for live lessons, allowing interaction with teachers and classmates, while Google Classroom served as a hub for assignments and announcements. These technologies were effective for maintaining communication and organization, but sometimes internet connectivity issues and lack of hands-on support made learning challenging. I haven’t had the chance to use any virtual reality tools but I’d love to experience them because they could make learning more engaging and provide immersive experiences, especially for subjects like science or history.

Open educational resources (OER) are free, accessible learning materials available for anyone to use, adapt, and share. These resources include things like digital textbooks, videos, quizzes, and lesson plans, often created by educators or institutions. They help reduce costs for students and make educational content more widely available, which can be especially beneficial in underfunded schools. OER also allow teachers to customize materials to better fit their students’ needs, creating a more personalized learning experience.

The "Examples of OER" page from Indiana University of Pennsylvania's library guides offers an overview of various types of Open Educational Resources (OER), categorizing them into seven main types. Open Courseware consists of free digital publications of high-quality college and university-level educational materials organized as courses, often including course planning materials and evaluation tools. Learning Modules provide course content in a logical sequence, guiding students through material and assessments as specified by the instructor. Open Textbooks are authored by faculty and published online with university support, allowing free access. Streaming Videos deliver content in real-time over the internet without the need for downloading files. Open Access Journals offer free, immediate online access to research articles, enabling full digital use. Online Tutorials are self-study activities designed to teach specific outcomes, either as recorded tutorials like videos or interactive web-based lessons. Lastly, Digital Learning Objects are small, modular units of learning designed for electronic delivery, typically combining a lesson, an activity, and an assessment. Each section provides definitions and explanations to help users understand the variety of resources available under the OER umbrella.

Here is a link to the website: https://libraryguides.lib.iup.edu/oer/examples 

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