Open Educational Resources (OE) is educational materials that anybody can use, make, and modify for teaching and learning. OER have an open intellectual property right that allows free usage and repurposing for educational purposes. OER does have the potential to drastically reduce the cost of higher education, thereby making academics more accessible to every.
For teachers, the ability to freely distribute and use any textbook or other teaching aids in any medium that came from the public domain or is freely available for the use of the public enhances teaching. The idea behind giving everyone access to high quality educational materials, textbooks and other teaching aids is to provide quality education for everybody. E-Learning solutions such as learning panels that allow the sharing and use of course materials across multiple platforms are perfect examples of using open educational resources for the benefit of the entire learning experience.
Another example of using open educational resources is the National Standards for Mathematics, commonly referred to as the Common Core. The United States Department of Education has determined that the current practice of standardizing mathematics curriculum is beneficial to students. Standardizing the content makes it easier for teachers and students alike to understand the subject matter and come to a common understanding of concepts. The United States Department of Education hopes that the implementation of the Common Core standards will raise achievement in reading, math and science for all students.
For educators, knowledge sharing is one of the most important benefits of accessing educational resources over the internet. E-learning websites offer a great opportunity for educators to share their expertise on various subjects with colleagues around the world. It is possible for educators to offer detailed explanations of various concepts through visual illustrations and graphs. Students are also given the opportunity to download free lesson plans, workbooks, and other teaching aids via the website.
In addition to sharing information and aiding in the development of classroom discussions, websites that offer educational materials for children can also help parents to monitor the progress of their children in school. Through this website, parents can easily access educational videos, music sheets, activities, tests, and quizzes for kids. These educational websites also encourage parents to join educational discussion groups, message boards, and forums. These interactive websites make it possible for educational materials to reach a larger audience.
With these benefits, it is easy to see why educational websites have become so popular. However, not all educational websites are created equal. It is important for parents and educators to consider several factors before settling on any particular website. One of the most important factors to consider is the caliber of the website’s content. After all, educational resources that are educational in nature will help students grow and improve their knowledge.
Quality educational resources are not only created well, but they should also be made from trusted sources. For example, educational websites that feature cooking lessons should have materials created from reliable cooking blogs and websites. There should also be sources on other cooking related topics to provide more variety for educational materials. The content should be informative, relevant, interesting, and enjoyable for students to take away useful information from.
As a final note, educational websites that offer quality educational materials need to offer original, quality content. Originality is what gives a website the credibility that potential parents, educators, and students can trust. It is always better to invest in quality educational resources rather than settle for anything but. In order to get educational materials, make sure that the website has earned the trust of its visitors.