Embedded Files
As you have learned while exploring this website, the benefits of OER are many. You may feel more comfortable seeing what already exists before contributing your own work. Luckily, OER are becoming popular in the United States. There are many websites where you can start your search, but be careful to check for hidden fees and copyright issues. Below are six examples of excellent websites to begin your journey into OER.
Note: This page is intended for those who have little to no experience using OER. If you are more of an expert, please visit our How to Contribute page.
Curriki
Curriki
Curriki (curriki.org) is a database of K-12 educational materials created for teachers, by teachers. Many resources note with which state and curriculum requirements they are aligned. A unique feature of Curriki is that educators can work in groups within the site. Curriki also caters to homeschoolers and parents, as well as traditional teachers. Resources on the website are provided with open source licenses (Curriki, n.d.a).
(Curriki, 2015)
Khan Academy
Khan Academy
Khan Academy (khanacademy.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to open knowledge sharing. Khan Academy caters to all ages, not only K-12, and offers complete courses in a variety of disciplines. It also has a coaching feature for teachers or parents to track a student's progress. Users can search by subject or even by test, such as the SAT (Khan Academy, 2017). Students can use Khan to learn entire subjects with a test at the end. This is a great resource to which teachers can direct their students when it is time for them to review or bolster their existing knowledge.
(Khan Academy, 2014)
MERLOT II
MERLOT II
MERLOT II (merlot.org) stands for Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching and is operated by the California State University system. The collection boasts over 40,000 peer-reviewed resources for all grade levels. Each material states whether there is a copyright associated with its use. MERLOT II also has resources in languages besides English and houses full textbooks (MERLOT, 2016).
(MERLOTPlace, 2013)
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare (ocw.mit.edu) is an excellent resource for teachers looking to supplement their lessons with college-level materials or AP teachers wanting to prepare their students better. This website provides complete courses that were taught or are being taught at MIT. Users may search by department, material type, course number, and more. The site has resources from over 2,400 courses, and all carry the Creative Commons license (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017).
(MIT OpenCourseWare, 2016)
OER Commons
OER Commons
OER Commons (oercommons.org) provides a database of works created by teachers, educational organizations, professors, and other thought leaders. You may search by subject, grade level, type of resource, and more. OER Commons also offers Common Core aligned resources. The materials on OER Commons have Creative Commons licenses, so they retain little to no copyrights. Be sure to check the Creative Commons license on each resource to see how the material may be used (OER Commons, 2017a).
(openauthor, 2012)
Share My Lesson
Share My Lesson
Share My Lesson (sharemylesson.com) is provided by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Resources are geared for pre-K through 12th grade. If you create a profile, you can review the lessons you find to improve the materials on the site continually. Items on Share My Lesson are free to use and have Creative Commons licenses. The website boasts over 1 million members as of 2017. Resources are created by educators, so users can expect lessons that actually work in the classroom. Members are welcome to contribute their own materials (Share My Lesson, n.d.a).
(Share My Lesson, 2012)
For a complete directory of OER around the world, visit OpenDOAR (opendoar.org).
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