Hello, Colleagues:

I found a short (3:05) video, Password: OER, on Vimeo.  I think it provide a good overview of what Open Educational Resources.  I teach Child Development, so I suppose I was somewhat charmed by the little girl who explains OER as the video opens.  (She’s not perfectly articulate—but that’s partly why kids are so charming.)

Over these next two weeks, I hope to find encouragement for a project I have embarked upon with a couple of colleagues.  For my field, Child Development, I just don’t find many appropriate materials.  Particularly, I’d like to find an open resource zero cost textbook for one of my courses, Health, Safety and Nutrition.  After browsing all the recommended locations, I just couldn’t find it.  However, a professional with a similar need invited me to co-create such a book, along with another Child Development colleague.  Well, I’m not a published author and the suggestion seemed far-fetched to me—at first.  Yet when the plan was explained in detail, it gradually seemed very plausible.   The commercial textbook I assign presently costs upwards of $200; so, my students would surely appreciate a no-cost alternative resource of comparable quality. Also, I had hoped to someday become a textbook author—but that prospect had always seemed so distant and daunting.  Today, that goal doesn’t seem so impossible. Therefore, I’m hoping this class will improve my OER skills and knowledge to such levels that I can confidently and competently contribute my share toward this exciting project.